Invented a thing-a-jig and used the uspat office site to see if IT

[woodchuck357]

was really a new idea. I wound up using google patent search to find that it had been patented in 1920! The google search site worked much better than the gov one, even if it did prove I'm over 90 years late.

 

[rarefish383]

Patent probably ran out a while back, start making them again. Do you have a pic so we can help you decide if you want to pursue it, Joe.

 

[qbilder]

Thomas Jefferson despised patenting. He thought that patents allowed manufacturers to monopolize a design while at the same time prevented other minds from expanding on it. Patents essentially hold technological progress back for the purpose of capital gain for the holder. Of course he was ignored & the patent office was founded regardless of his beliefs. The guy did have some valid points, though.

 

[Greenland South]

What am I missing? What is your Thing-A-Jig?

 

[Jredsjeep]

yea but there is a balance point, if a company invests years and $$$ into R&D on a new gizmo it could go under if "neighbor Joe" copies it out of the gate with almost no initial investment and sells it for half since he has no money to make up.

its a big problem in China (yes even there when they are not ripping our stuff off), some of those vendors won’t even put some of their products in the catalog since they know it will be ripped off by the end of the week.

like mentioned patients do expire so the rest of the market can move in without paying royalties and being that old i am pretty sure you would not have to worry about it.

 

[woodchuck357]

The real reason for "patent protection" is to get ideas published.

A patent only gives you the right to sue those who infringe. In its self it offers no penalties for infringing.

I will approach a company to produce thing-a-ma-jig.

Use google patent search for anything you are interested in and the results may spark a new idea that a big company can steal from you if you patent it!