Don't be fooled, Grav, she just wants your body.
glatt, those patents look like they do the same thing, except they make a fatter new candle. The patent fees were probably not paid because there was no commercial interest to monetize.
I've mixed emotions about whether that's good or not. I suppose it frees up the idea for someone to try to make improvements or use as part of something new. An entrepreneur/inventor would be wary of investing time/money on a project which could be derailed by somebody holding an obscure patent.