Huh. Work firewall won't let me access. I'm assuming that the problem is the domain: "patent sex piringtoday.com".
Next project: Patent fetish site? ;)
Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
101–110 of 148 posts
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
I run Google Patents (patents.google.com) - we've thought about including a way to search by expired patents (we have the expiration indicators), but in my opinion it gives a false sense of security. There's also http://freeip.mtu.edu/home/index.php , which searches over only expired patents. The patent in question could have been improved upon, and that improvement can still be in force. Say someone patents a widget…
> Say someone patents a widget A + B, and later files a continuation A + B + C ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_patent_application ). The first patent could be expired, but while building your copy of A + B you might come to the same conclusion that the invention also needs to include C (which is still in force) to actually work. This is a perfect example of why patents are harmful. The patent on C did not…
Without patents, inventing would not be profitable. All products would have exact copycats and ripoffs.
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not that they are very good at it - it's that this is typically all they are going to be looking at. They're also better (and have better tools) at searching patent databases than nearly anyone who doesn't do this daily.
>this is typically all they are going to be looking at. // Are you referring to the USPTO there, do you have a source?
Just going by what several specialists (e.g. patent agents, ex examiners) have told me independently. It does match my experience in office actions with many different examiners, for whatever that's worth.
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#104Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#105The majority [1] of patents are never commercially exploited or licensed - I wanted a way to browse recently expired patents to find hidden gems and get inspired by existing inventions. The site uses the recently released USPTO-API [2] to fetch newly expired patents each day. NB: The reason the most recent patents displayed are from 12/31 is because no new patents were granted during the first few days of January 199…
I run Google Patents (patents.google.com) - we've thought about including a way to search by expired patents (we have the expiration indicators), but in my opinion it gives a false sense of security. There's also http://freeip.mtu.edu/home/index.php , which searches over only expired patents. The patent in question could have been improved upon, and that improvement can still be in force. Say someone patents a widget…
Thanks for chiming in, Ian! Google Patents is awesome :-)! You're right, there are a number of edge cases where the expiry date is incorrect - the USPTO even provides a patent expiry calculator [1] (as an Excel file, no less ;)...). For patents issued 20 years ago, the "issue date + 20 years" should hold true as a very basic rule of thumb (disregarding any improvements that may still be in force). I hope that nobody builds a business based on one of the displayed patents without first checking what other, newer patents may also affect said invention - the site is merely meant as a starting point to get inspired; the actual research should follow suit.
[1]: https://www.uspto.gov/patent/laws-and-regulations/patent-ter...
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#106The majority [1] of patents are never commercially exploited or licensed - I wanted a way to browse recently expired patents to find hidden gems and get inspired by existing inventions. The site uses the recently released USPTO-API [2] to fetch newly expired patents each day. NB: The reason the most recent patents displayed are from 12/31 is because no new patents were granted during the first few days of January 199…
I run Google Patents (patents.google.com) - we've thought about including a way to search by expired patents (we have the expiration indicators), but in my opinion it gives a false sense of security. There's also http://freeip.mtu.edu/home/index.php , which searches over only expired patents. The patent in question could have been improved upon, and that improvement can still be in force. Say someone patents a widget…
Why wouldn't the continuation (or CIP as you might have meant) expire at the same time as the original? Same priority date, so unless it's old enough to fall under the 17-years-from-issuance regime...
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#107I like this one - backpack vacuum cleaner. https://patents.google.com/patent/US5588177
I'm pretty sure the people who clean my office use one of these...
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#108Awesome site, this is the best one today. https://patents.google.com/patent/US5588175 Word of warning, privacy services like Privacy Badger and Decentraleyes block the data tables cdn your using so your users using those services see no data at all
Foot vacuum, interesting. The patents expiring today website seems to have a simple view of patent expiry, based on 20 years from publication date. The legal expiry date is more complex, and often much earlier. The patent owner is required to pay maintenance fees [1]. Google patents shows this information under "Legal Events". In this patent, the owner allowed the patent to lapse after 3 years, but eventually petitio…
You're quite right--determining a patent's expiration date in the general case is a very involved inquiry. And even after it appears to be expired for failure to pay maintenance fees, it can sometimes be revived...
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds like a toilet version of a riser chair such as [0], which I could see being really useful for people. [0] - http://stairlift-suppliers.co.uk/mobility-aids/riser-recline... (no association with them whatsoever, just first site I found)
I would be willing to bet that the inventor thought the same - "hey, here's a perfect invention - I'll be rich" - he might have even built a working prototype in his garage. Then he spent $$$$ on getting the patent - this isn't cheap - my brother-in-law went thru this, and getting a lawyer and such, having it drawn up, written properly...it cost him $25k easily... ...and then this inventor probably shopped it around…
Well, if a large corporation infringes on your patent, in theory your patent is now valuable to its competitors as a "weapon" for their "patent arsenal".
Re: Show HN: Explore ideas whose patent protection expires today
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is one of the better written patents I have seen.
The mechanism is massively overcomplicated. It almost looks like a joke.
It looks like the design goal was "How can I turn a traditional mousetrap into a humane mousetrap?" There would be more efficient ways to build the same product from scratch, but it's a fun thought experiment.