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Post by helens on Jul 27, 2013 13:57:44 GMT -5
Wow Helen, that is cool. After all the time, brainpower and money you invested to get it, sucks to get ripped off by the fine print and have others get to use your idea. I own the 100 year + old family brand, and have to pay fees every ten years to keep it. I didn't mind at all, I wanted the corporations to steal it. I went to the store and wanted to buy one, and discovered it didn't exist... the infant head supports on the market were almost lethal for small babies in some cases, from suffocation risks to overheating. I made/had made 160 prototypes before I patented, and had the head nurse in the neonatal unit at Florida Hospital help me test them by offering them to babies free. The PATENT cost me $12,000... the development far more. The sad part is that the corporations STILL didn't get it perfect, it cannot be even a few mm off, and they got the concept, but not the precision down (probably because I didn't give away every detail in the patent itself - if someone is going to steal the concept, they should be smart enough to test and tweak. If they can't even do that, they don't deserve to profit from it). I wanted it to be available to moms. Babies are born with very weak neck muscles, some weaker than others. Was one of my 'do something for humanity' things, someday the dumb corporations will get it right.
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2013 15:40:14 GMT -5
probably because I didn't give away every detail in the patent itself - if someone is going to steal the concept, they should be smart enough to test and tweak. That is a very good point made. Rob, still listening? The guy that invented the diamond brazing rods for resurfacing cutting tools (like those used by spheremakers) was very clever. He left out some stuff. Sadly, his product was pretty simple. Not hard to deduce the missing parts/techniques and make your own. I wont sell it, it's his patented product to sell (or not recently!). But I can certainly make my own for my own use. Helen, congrats on the patent. It's surprising what motherhood does for creativity. Good work!
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 27, 2013 18:18:31 GMT -5
That brings up another good point about writing up your own patents. You have to be vague enough on details, but not to vague. For example, if you specify a half inch bolt on a machine and someone comes along and says that a one inch bolt will make it stronger and thus safer this can be considered an improvement and thus the same idea could be patented by the second person. If you are too vague though they may not issue the patent. Although I have seen this done despite being against the USPTO rules. There is a bike manufacture known as Klein that makes over sized aluminum frames for their bikes. Riding on aluminum framed bikes is heaven compared to steel frames due to less vibration making the ride more comfortable and giving significantly better handling characteristics including keeping the wheel to the ground in high speed turns if you hit a rock or pothole. The problem was cost. Back then Klein's bicycles started at $7,500 and went up to around $75,000. So another company, Cannondale, came along and started manufacturing over sized aluminum tube bikes for the mass market with a price tag averaging around $600. Klein sued Cannondale for patent infringement. During the trial it came out that Klein had somehow been issued a patent covering over sized tubing made from any material from wood to plastic. Technically the USPTO is not supposed to issue patents on such vague terms, but Klein managed to pull it of somehow. Never heard the outcome of the suit, but Cannondale is still producing over sized aluminum bike frames to this day. Point is to cover your bases within reason and to be vague, but not too vague. For instance, don't specify something like a steel bolt when it can be replaced with an aluminum or plastic bolt. Don't specify that your "wrench" is to be 6" when someone can claim 8 inches is better. OK perverts, get your mind out of the gutter. Don't specify the body is to made of a certain material or color, or anything else that can be easily altered.
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