Posted on 06/08/2011 11:00:52 PM PDT by Kevmo
Yes, but it "can" destroy any critical geometrical relationship (as in what precisely is the "nanostructure" of the nickel, how arranged in the reactor, and the like).
His argument is that, since the patent office is refusing the patent on an important aspect, then he must handle it as a trade secret.
Good luck getting the building codes people and insurance agencies to allow residential use of something with a self-destruct module. He'll be much better off doing a power plant and selling the power.
Al-Qaeda should purchase a few and set them up along convoy routes with signs reading “Don’t open this you filthy American pig dogs”.
On another site I saw that he has pinned down the 1 MW startup date to the last week in October. So it sounds like they have a pretty solid schedule in place (wish I could be that confident about project schedules in my own line of manufacturing!)
Indeed. This really appears to effect nothing except "home generation" units.
"On another site I saw that he has pinned down the 1 MW startup date to the last week in October. So it sounds like they have a pretty solid schedule in place (wish I could be that confident about project schedules in my own line of manufacturing!)"
You 'n me both, friend. It is a RARE project that doesn't suffer some kind of schedule slippage.
Corbomite................
I know nothing about the engineering of this sort of device, however, he is speaking about a commercial power plant, is that correct? How does one *send* something that must be large and heavy, not to mention complex, and likely fixed in place, “back to the factory” to be serviced or recharged? Is there some small, manageable module that can be removed and then replaced? Then, why not just provide replacement modules that are newly charged? Like batteries, the profit would be in the continuous need to replace the part. But it would be more convenient and affordable to just buy a recharged module and swap it out, with some method for disposing of the used one.
If the real secret is the operating temperature, can’t that be detected or deduced with modern sensing devices from outside the housing? If he is so worried about something being discovered, how will he protect the secret by limiting sales to large scale power production? Will each plant come with a mandatory security crew?
This simply sounds cumbersome and expensive, if not impossible and, frankly, suspicious. He could simply sell the entire process for a huge amount of money up front, allow it to be hacked and let the eventual buyer worry about the subsequent profit flow. Why maintain a repair chain that demands sending the thing back to a factory?
All inventions are eventually improved upon. The more difficult it is to maintain, the fewer will be sold and that will be an incentive, eventually, for someone to figure out the *secret* and find a way to produce the item cheaper with more utility to the end user. Wouldn’t there be more eventual profit in supplying billions of home units than in even tens of thousands of fixed power plants?
Alternatively, if the initial price of a home unit is very high or it is complicated to run, why not lease it and provide a maintenance crew on contract to service it?
Sounds baked, but large corporations, in the guise of benevolent venture capital angels, have been screwing over innovative startups for years. for those who don’t sell outright, there are the vast hordes of patent lawyers building patent fences, and the odd loaned scientist/corporate spy or two who will drain all the IP from the innovator.
BTW, FU Sony!!!!
You mean projects that complete on time actually exist? I thought that was a myth!
Servicing the unit is relatively easy since they’ve put an convenient opening on the side for fresh horse manure.
Having patents myself and also being a patent writer for my own patents, I a well familiar with the patent rules, procedures, and protections.
THE PATENT OFFICE DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY DESIGN ADDITIONS TO ANY PATENT APPLIED FOR. The “poison pill” ruse erases any doubt in my mind at all that this “invention” will soon be sold on TV and if you order now, they will ship another free! You just pay outlandish shipping and handling fees for the other, which, by the way costs just as much as the one you paid for.
Furthermore, patents filed in the U.S. only are honored by NATO countries and some through explicit agreements with the United States. ALL other countries require the patent to be filed within that country too.
Another indicator that this may be a ruse is the fact that the Patent office will deem this invention as of military importance AND WILL NOT ALLOW EXPORT WITHOUT CLEARANCE FROM THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY.
This whole thing smells of fish oil.
If it works, and the technology of the device is so simple that it could be duplicated by simple disassembly and inspection in short order, then it will, and soon, just by virtue of the fact that it is known to exist.
If on the other hand, the fundamental principle behind the device is shenanigans, then this line certainly does fit the bill of a facile, but suitable cover that TRUE BELIEVERS will gladly seize on an carry with zeal.
Notice those two statements are predicated with "if". I want to believe in a free lunch, but there are so few examples in the history of the universe that the number is indistinguishable from zero.
In addition to my last post:
I noticed that the inventor said he HAD a NATIONAL PATENT on the device and then goes on to talk about getting an INTERNATIONAL PATENT.
Well, there is no such thing as a NATIONAL PATENT. We have U.S. Patents only. The INTERNATIONAL PATENT is a real mystery to me.
Now, the “proof in the pudding” is the fact that if he already has the NATIONAL PATENT (or whatever the heck he will call it next) it would be a valid U.S. patent on file for everyone to see. Simply to to the patent and trademark web page and search under his name and you will find it. If you cant.....HE IS A SCAM ARTIST AND LIAR.
Total BS. The US Patent and trademark Office has absolutely no power to do anything other than to reject to grant patent claims.
Anyone who has ever been part of the process knows that.
Also, the “Launch” button has to be moved away from the “Lunch” button.
Nah! But in forty years as a practicing scientist, the actual number I've worked on in which everything "clicked" and we met/beat estimated deadline is five or fewer.
Like I said...."rare".....in fact VERY rare.
From various hints, this appears to be the proposed approach to both home units and industrial units.
In my 30+ years of developing software I’ve seen maybe three projects complete on time...of course the only three that did were run by me!
Oh come on! "Surely" you understand that by "National Patent" he is referring to the granting of his Italian Patent Application (or his pending U.S. Application), i.e. a patent issued by and recognized in a single nation.
By International Patent he is most likely referring to a "Eurozone-wide" patent, which is still pending.
Oh, gimme a break! OF COURSE the various patent departments are NOT imposing any such thing "de jure". What the headline obviously means is that, in the absence of a patent protecting the technology, Rossi is forced to keep the "catalyst" as a trade secret, and devise some means of keeping that secret if he wants to protect his IP.
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