Patent lawyer here..
Agree this is woeful, but remember is a REGISTERED DESIGN, not a PATENT. It's important to make this distinction El Reg, if you want to be take seriously on this subject.
The USPTO is unique in using the misleading term of a 'Design Patent', but it is not a patent in the colloquial sense so clearly assumed by many commentators here (in the US, that's called a 'Utility Patent'). It's also worth bearing in mind that many systems simply register designs, leaving the issue of novelty and individual character untested until infringement occurs.
But as another commentator points out, when the USPTO's own website could be said to infringe a design application, then they really have dropped the ball.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
