Segway/Deka Patents

[mattk]

If someone builds a machine that can balance on 2 wheels and than sells it. Is that violating Copy Right Laws

[q]

it doesn't seem like
"copyrights" (usually
used to protect art,
literature, or music)
would be relevant; but
_patent_ infringement
(intimated by the sub-
ject title) may be "at
issue." (i'm sure
dean_k has a legion
of attorneys ready to
"defend the turf,"
though.)

kthxbye.

q.

http://www.pcisys.net/~qwhew/segway/jpg_segway_with_deco_08032003_sunday_3b.jpg

//

[stevew]

In the end its up to a judge and jury, actually it's patent not copyright law. If the invention uses any of the claims of the patents, it may well violate. The art of patent writing is to make the claims as broad as possible without infringing other patents. Many of those of us in technical fields have had the pleasure of reading tons of "prior art" and with the help of an attorney written a new patent that hopefully provides good coverage of a new invention.

Segway clearly spent a sizeable chunk of the budget in the legal department as the patents are wide ranging, comprehensive, and written to cover myriad variations of the balancing concept. IMO.

[Peter iNova]

The side by side wheel solution for balancing is not a Segway / DEKA exclusive, but their implementation of it is very tight. The "problem" that iBots and HTs solve is an engineering school chestnut from way back. The math for solving it is rather old, but I don't know of another practical device that uses it.

Steve notes that this is patent law, not copyright. For whatever bonehead reason, patents only last 20 years and copyrights last at least half a century past the originator's lifetime. Poems are more protected than bright ideas. In about 2019 a slew of third-party HTs will hit the streets.

-iNova

http://www.glidewalk.com

[citivolus]

quote:Originally posted by mattk

If someone builds a machine that can balance on 2 wheels and than sells it. Is that violating Copy Right Laws

One is not required to sell a device in order to violate patent law. If you were to build a machine which would be covered by an existing and active patent then you would be infringing on the patent. Here is a quote from patent law.

35 U.S.C. 271
"a) Except as otherwise provided in this title, whoever without authority makes, uses, offers to sell, or sells any patented invention, within the United States, or imports into the United States any patented invention during the term of the patent therefor, infringes the patent."

which can be found here
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/legis.htm

--
swiftly flying

[citivolus]

quote:Originally posted by X-man

Those will be the MS/Intel-Segways produced by Dell.

Unfortunately the batteries will only last four minutes, it will require a vulcan nerve pinch to reboot followed by a reinstallation of the operating system and it won't be compatible with other formats of anything. On the upside, you'll be able to upgrade the hardware every few weeks as long as you download the latest available drivers and security patches on the net. ;)

--
swiftly flying

[pam]

And you'll NEED those security patches <LOL>
Pam