Hi all,

Regarding the patent issue, I like Ahne's comments as whether to patent or
not.

The whole reason for patents, though, seems to be overlooked. Patents were
set up for the purpose of increasing the state of the art, not protecting
someone's "cash cow". By patenting something, you are only preventing others
from blatently copying and profiting from your invention. However, as was
stated in another e-mail, you are laying bare the recipe for exactly how your
invention is made. This stimulates competition by keeping others from wasting
time on items already patented. Now others can look at your "mousetrap" and
come up with an even better "mousetrap".

Just my 2-cents.

Phil Culpovich
Oxford V.U.E., Inc.

Original message:
>
>  No, patents are really quit useful. How else could you protect your
>  investment of time and effort in inventing a new mousetrap.
>
>  But a long time ago I was taught a few easy rules to determine whether or
>  not an invention was worthy of a patent:
>          Is there no prior art?
>          Is the invention not obvious to someone skilled in the art?
>          Is the invention being reduced to reality? (are you "building a
> working
>  one"; due diligence)
>  And if I could answer those questions in the positive it would be time to
go
>  for it.
>
>  The most used circumvention is of the third one and these days due
diligence
>  seems to stretch into many years and now the word used when one of those
>  patents pops up after everyone has become accustomed to using the
>  unannounced patent  is "submarine patent". (Is machine-vision one of
those?)
>
>  Ahne.

##############################################################
TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c
##############################################################
To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the body:
To subscribe:   SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name>
To unsubscribe:   SIGNOFF TECHNET
##############################################################
Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional
information.
If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask] or
847-509-9700 ext.5365
##############################################################