Here's my three cents worth on The COUNTDOWN and patents in general. First
of all, the first time I read your shareware proposal for hardware I
dismissed it out of hand. But with your further explanations and reflection
on my part this is the only way for the little guy to make it inventing. No
patent on the Hula-a-hoop the guy got rich. Tesla had dozens of patents but
died broke. Many people don't support shareware but enough do that the
authors keep writing it and the good ones do well.
One day a friend and I were discussing a great tragedy played out on live
TV. In an instant we saw a way to save many lives. Within a few days the
prototype was done and tested. A wealthy local man agreed to fly to Taiwan
to arrange manufacturing. My friend refused, wanting to patent the device
and make ALL the money and avoid rip-offs. The money man was willing to
have ten thousand units built at his expense for the initial offering. My
friend has his patent, it took five years to obtain, has cost him over
$20,000. and he never found anyone to make even 1 device. The patent
expired in 1995 !!!. Did he learn? NO.
In 1993 he disclosed to me an idea that had bugged him for 20 years. This
time he and I built the prototype in one weekend. It worked better than we
ever hoped. [ it also confirmed one of Keely's inventions, but I didn't
know anything about Keely at that time] Again he wanted to patent this and
also find some theoretical help. We turned to an engineering college for
help with both. They wanted full control of the project and the patent was
to be assigned to the State. I bailed out but he is still dickering with
then after all this time. They have meetings about this two or three times
a year. Meanwhile the idea lays rotting.
Jerry, I know this story is vague. If you wish to contact me directly
somehow, I will give you the patent number for the first device.
On the condition that you will not use the info to gain info on the second
project only to verify this story.
Garry Whitman
whitman@kskc.net