TO PATENT OR---------

[ken_behrendt]

Patents are nice, but for me there is a greater reward than any financial one that might be realized with a working free energy device, whether it is, most probably, the one Bessler used or some other design. My real reward would be achieving a kind of historical immortality with such a discovery. Maybe several hundred years from now, some school child (assuming we still have schools, teachers, classrooms, and students and are not just acquiring knowledge in minutes after downing a pill!) will read about me in his textbook and be inspired by my story to begin his own amateur exploration into some scientific or technical subject. To me, that status would be worth a 100 trillion dollars or all the gold reserves on planet Earth!

Do you guys remember that 1939 movie titled "The Wizard of Oz"? In the film, the part of the scarecrow was played by a Vaudville dancer named Ray Bolger.

Several decades ago, I saw an interesting interview that was done with Ray Bolger. The interviewer mentioned that he had appeared in a dozen or more films after the famous 1939 movie, but no one seemed to remember any of them. The interviewer then asked Mr. Bolger if he was bothered by only being remembered for a single film?

He thought for a moment and then answered, "No...not at all...how many people are remembered for anything?".

That response of his has always stuck in my mind...indeed, 99.99+% of all people will be, more or less, forgotten within a few decades of their passing. How depressing a thought. I think that just being able to legitimately claim I had found a method of achieving PM would be reward enough for me. A thousand years from now, no one will remember or even care how much, if anything, I made off of the invention. They'll be far more interested in my motivation for achieving it, the times I lived in, and what the mechanism involved actually was...

ken

[jim_mich]

So you want fame?

Do you remember the name of the person that thought up the concept of the light bulb or do you remember the name of the person that perfected and patented the light bulb? Do you remember the name of the person that thought up the idea of flying or do you remember the name of the person(s) that perfected and patented how to fly? Do you remember Fulton's steamboat rather than those that came before him?

A patent will associate your name with an invention. If you want fame then you must do something to insure it.

[james kelly]

EXACTLY!

[Ed]

Yes and you probably also would want to be around to enjoy the rewards after getting your patent.

Just don't think you are done after getting your patent. And many of you here are getting up there in age and in poor heath. Wilbur Wright was only 45 and he had a company with resources to defend their patent.

Personally, at this point, I don't care who comes up with a working device. I'd like to put all this behind me and start living in a world that benefits from the technology. I wouldn't want to be like Wilbur and spend my remaining time defending patents so that my name will be remembered. When I'm dead I won't much care if a kid a thousand years from now is inspired by me. Sure the thought is nice while I'm alive, but as I said....I'd be dead. ;-)

-Ed

[rlortie]

I wrote the last post on page one of this thread, regarding patent longevity.

(EDIT)

Remainder of this post has been deleted, found anwer on another thread.

THanks, Jim_Mich

Ralph

[jim_mich]

Ralph, see post http://www.besslerwheel.com/forum/viewt ... 5508#15508

[rlortie]

Jim _mich,

Thats where I found my answer. Thank you again.

As I understand it, if I invent a doo-dad and get a patent then renew it at 3,7 and 11 years. No one can build one for 20 years. Then its free game for all, and the inventor had better have the market flooded by then.

Is this what happened to my two examples, Frigidaire and Formica?

Await your reply,

Ralph

[jim_mich]

When I was a child there were many OLD Frigidaire's around, and that was more than fifty years ago. I remember Formica topped tables from the early 1960's. So, yes their patents ran out a long time ago.

I've read that one of the biggest forces that helped shape America's rise to industrial greatness was its patent system that encouraged and protected the 'common man' inventor. Countries before this had systems where the King would grant patents. Mostly it was wealthy friends of the king that recieved these.

[terry5732]

To simply "go public" without patenting will UNDOUBTEDLY let a large corporation patent YOUR idea. They need only minor changes to negate any prior art claims. And the fact that you didn't patent helps their case too! So by NOT patenting you insure that the technology will be supressed for another 20 years! In your lust to make it widely available you will have locked it up in the hands of the energy companies. You must protect your idea if you wish to do what you want with it.

[Clarkie]

I have little to add to this thread except you cannot hold back important information from the patent, you have to fully disclose, if it is proven that the inventor did not disclose a vital piece of information relating to the function of the patented idea, the patent will be overturned.

Also by not covering every detail you leave yourself open to someone else filing a patent (after reading yours) covering the detail you left out and therefore becoming joint owner of your technology.

There are many examples of this and people like myself will go through patents looking for loop holes and file patents to plug the holes, its considered fair game.

If you are going to patent then do it fully and cover every country you can as this is truly a world product.

The patent world is scary and expensive but it works.

Pete.

[ken_behrendt]

This whole issue of whether or not to obtain a patent on a PM device can be a complex matter.

I, personally, am only interested at this time in duplicating what Johann Bessler has already done. If I found that solution, then I would not feel comfortable trying to patent it because my "invention" would only be the product of detective work performed with the help of the clues his work left behind.

I think that IF a working PM device is ever developed again, that there will be so much interest in the subject that the inventor will very quickly find that the patent he thought was air tight has more holes in it then a slice of Swiss cheese! A thousand and one variations he never suspected will suddenly emerge from out of nowhere and he would need a veritable army of very expensive patent attorneys to ever hope to suppress all other inventors while his "method" or "principle" maintains a monopoly on the field.

If I can find the secret of Bessler's wheels, I will give it to the world. That will assure that basic design can not be patented by any inventor. Then, if they can figure out ways to improve it via modification, they should feel free to patent it and try to realize a financial reward off of their efforts. I, myself, may even enter the contest with a few patents of my own.

Although I have the upmost respect for Bessler's work, I must confess that his wheels, although amazing, were far from ideal in terms of their size and miniscule power outputs. There is plenty of room for improvement in them.

ken

[ME]

Because there are many PM claims: What if the patent and design already exist in some (not working) form?

[Ed]

Yes, that is what I've tried to say before. Many people will come out of the wood work and challenge the person that finally solves it. I think it is inevitable, unfortunately.

-Ed

[Clarkie]

Big problem, if any patent or publication including this forum, demonstrates any prior art over your proposed patent, your stuffed.

All you can then do is describe the difference between whats in the public domain and your idea, which will be patentable as if it was out there we would not be discussing this now.

It will be a mine field, you can be sure of that.

Pete.

[ME]

The best difference: your design is working, the rest is not (but that doesn't count, does it?)