> This summary may contain inaccuracies, but you get the drift.

Unable to sleep until I found the original source of the anecdote I persevered and found this:

> During his later days as a graduate student, Dyce was approached by a fellow graduate student who asked him if he proposed to patent the process. Dyce indicated he had no such plans. The other student, unbeknown to Dyce, applied for a patent on the process. When the patent was received in the patent office in Washington, it was sent to Professor Phillips for comment and advice. Phillips had previously been in charge of bee research for USDA in Washington and was a well-known authority on bees and honey. The patent office was unaware that the applicant and the real author of the patent were both students of Phillips; its only goal was to determine if the idea was valid. Phillips, of course, was angry and dismissed from the University the student who had improperly submitted the patent. It was decided that Dyce should seek a patent or protect his discovery. 

Morse, Roger. (1983) The Dyce Process for Making Crystallized Honey
Gleanings in Bee Culture, Volume 111

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