I think you're right, and that's why I've always used the .svq sysex method.
And I agree that it seems a weird bit of design not being able to just dump a patch, any patch, to disk. I've just gotten used to the dummy-song method and have no problem with it.
Because my computer is in a different room from my music gear, I've always just used the XP alone. But what do users do who use a JV/XP software editor to edit and store patches (like ChangeIt!)? How do these editors deal with *single* patches? That may be the answer to Tracey's (and your and others') question. Does anyone know?
Believe it or not, I have ChangeIt! but have never used it.