Posted by grim (206.162.192.40) on June 02, 2003 at 21:33:42:
You (whomever) make a mechanism that turns a wheel, and you patent it.
Someone else makes a completely different mech that does the same thing
and it's all a moot point. You can't sue for infringement on a totally different
internal design; the only thing in common would be a turning wheel,
and wheels, axles and levers have been public domain for quite a while.