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Re: Patent Trivia
At 10:25 PM 2/13/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Subscriber: pierson-at-gone.enet.dec-dot-com Thu Feb 13 22:02:34 1997
>Date: Thu, 13 Feb 97 12:47:31 EST
>From: pierson-at-gone.enet.dec-dot-com
>To: mail11:; (-at-teslatech)
>Subject: Patent Trivia
>
>>The life of a patent is limited. To avoid any patent violation, simply copy a
>>design that is older than the life of the patent. If it is more than 17 years
>>old, it is no longer a patent infringement to copy it.
> 17 years for first issue. Patent law allows for an extension. To be
> phinicky, one would need to know if the patent had been extended...
>
> regards
> dwp
>
Gentlemen,
The whole discussion is a bit phinicky. The ribbed high voltage
insulator has probably been around for over 100 years. IF there were an
original patent, it and all it's extension have long since expired. There
is nothing sophisticated about it's design. The ribs have no complicated
mathematical derivation. They exist only to increase the surface area in a
given linear length, to make surface currents less likely. Practically any
smooth rippling of the body improves the voltage holdoff. An exact mold of
someone else's design would likely not have any legal effect, but would
likely be a waste of time, as nearly any similar turned form would work as well.
Jack
-----------------------------------------
Jack Herron - Editor
Society for Amateur Scientists
8118 E. 20th St.
Tucson, AZ 85710 USA
jherron-at-basix-dot-com
520 885-6933