You create something patent-able. Knowing you will not see any money for 17 years you sell your patent to someone for a lump sum. You get your cash for making for thing, they get their payday after a 17 year wait. End result (which jump to my mind) is patents are turned into financial products managed by companies that "don't actually make anything" enforcing their terms as it will increase profits at the end of the investment period.
Just wondering how that would be any different to what we have now apart from the people creating the "inventions" patents are tied to probably getting a worse deal then they are now as there is a 17 year wait for "payday".
EDIT: Also Who would manage the escrow accounts? Would there be fee's to pay? Any interest earned? If so who pays / receives those? Will they be payable at/receivable at the end of the term or throughout. What if if the patent is dismissed? Do the interest/fee's get passed back to those who paid the licensing fees? What about appeals? And what about inflation?
First thought it sounds like a nice idea, refund everyone if a bad patent gets though, but I can see it just hurting the inventors more then patent trolls.