3DPrinting

The basic concept is easy, the implementation details are not.

Coding a slicer to stagger layer lines is definitely tedious, and frustrating. But in that case, the patent doesn't patent brick-layering techniques. It patents a specific technique of achieving that.

But when they're supposed to judge "non-obviousness" it's a bit more than just "is it simple". the question is, would somebody else see it as obvious (if they had never looked at your work,). staggered layers are obvious. Anyone with any amount of experience in structural engineering would be like "Well, yeah".

Now this is where the non-obvious gets fun. If any one whose reasonably knowledgeable in the system would follow the same technique you used. there has to be something "special" about it. And since the patent itself is based on significant past work; the argument could be made that anyone following that past work would arrive at the same techniques should be okay. (Except they're patent trolls and patent law lobbyists for said trolls have fucked everything over.)

there's a second caveat here that's worth mentioning. you can lose your patents if you don't exploit them. as far as I know there's no slicer- paid or otherwise- using their patent.