LOL!  Yes, thanks icepac.  I actually have done R+D work and know the process well.  My perhaps-too-subtle humour is an inverse take on the long and winding road between concept and patent, and the longer still road between patent and product.
I can't tell you how long the road between product and me buying a refurbed Sukhoi-27 is, because I haven't gone down it yet, but hope continues to spring eternal.
Anyone want to VC a really innovative speaker design?