Invention of the telephone Invention of the telephone The invention of the telephone was the culmination of work done by many individuals, and led to an array of lawsuits relating to the patent claims of several individuals and numerous companies. The first telephone was invented by Antonio Meucci, but Alexander Graham Bell is credited with the development of the first practical telephone. The concept of the telephone dates back to the string telephone or lover's telephone that has been known for centuries, comprising two diaphragms connected by a taut string or wire. Sound waves are carried as mechanical vibrations along the string or wire
Disclosure of the invention under the European Patent Convention patent application as filed, consisting in an insufficient identification of the subject-matter claimed, cannot subsequently be cured without offending against Article 123(2) EPC which provides that the subject-matter content of a European patent application as filed may not be extended. An insufficiently clear and complete disclosure of the invention is a ground of opposition, and revocation. Although the European Patent Convention does not exclude the patenting of "revolutionary" inventions,<ref name="T 1329/07"> Decision T 1329/07 of the Technical Board of Appeal 3.4.02 of 11 November 2010, point 2.2.3</ref> The burden of proof generally lies upon an opponent to establish insufficiency of