rlortie wrote:Sorry but I firmly disagree with the above quote!Prior art is any evidence that your invention is already known. Prior art does not need to exist physically or be commercially available. It is enough that someone, somewhere, sometime previously has described or shown or made something that contains a use of technology that is very similar to your invention.
Has anyone explained this to Glenn R. Rouse, the man who lead a key role in bringing Bessler and the MT drawings for all to share?
Also the man that obtained a patent US 7,278,245 B2 Oct 9, 2007 based on drawing MT137. Citing reference including one page of woodcut print in series of 141 items from unpublished treatise on machines by Johann E. E. Bessler dated 1733.
I think the difference here Ralph is that the cited prior art from Bessler is just the 12 pointed drawing .
IIRC when I examined this patent a few years ago , everything that Rouse claims in the patent appears to be modifications or improvements , - such as allowing a built structure to flex and/or pivot around the joints of the "design" cited as prior art.
So the Bessler prior art doesn't conflict with the latest patent.