I'd be surprised if they couldn't patent it. If it's something that hasn't been done before, then they can probably patent it. However, this situation may be a bit different. I doubt that it would be easy to patent every unused angle that exists. It would seem that companies would only have to use angles that weren't patented. When there's a grey area, the issue of defending the patent comes up. Does the company have the resources to defend against multiple companies in a situation where they might not win?

So, even though it may be patented, it may be just as likely that a company will challenge it.