[MarkDH]

So I was looking at some chemical patents for work, and thought what the hell, I'll throw some bike related words into the search engine. This came up:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2011/0109060.html

No idea if this was attempted years ago and was binned (that K2 bike had a computer on the shock didn't it?), but I thought it might be of interest to the suspension nerds. It was only published a month ago.

Cheers

 

[w00dy]

There are more bicycle-related patents than there are bicycles. Almost none of them make money.

 

[MarkDH]

There are more bicycle-related patents than there are bicycles. Almost none of them make money.

Consider my bonfire pissed on.

 

[IH8Rice]

as this patent filing says, Cannondale has their "Simon" electronic damping system for their Lefty...though ive never seen it on one of their bikes
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/cannondales-mind-blowing-simon-electronic-suspension-system-han/

 

[Sandwich]

Inventors:
Earle, David M. (Watsonville, CA, US)
Beale, Luther M. (Portland, OR, US)


Wheeeeeeeen Luther patented the boogie woogie
luther patented the boogie woogie
luther patented the boogie woogie...



just doesn't have the same tune to it.

 

[Vrock]

The US Patent Office is a Joke.

 

[alpine slug]

The US Patent Office is a Joke.

Why?

I mean, just because someone can lie about something being "distinguishable" from Prior Art, and if his lie is clever enough he can infringe on the Prior Art while having a license to do so?

Is that the problem?

"Distinguishable" means whatever the Examiner in question wants it to mean. Buy him some Peruvian Flake and a Vegas date-for-pay, and you can have your virtual copy of Prior Art found to be "distinguishable." Or, if you can't afford the "entertainment," just hire a clever wordsmith who can baffle the Examiner with pseudo-distinguishable-mumbo-jumbo.

It's a legally protected system and the very embodiment of what makes America "great."

 

[slimshady]

K2 produced at least three different full suspension bikes under the Proflex brand about ten years ago. Some used their "Smart Shock" (that was the trade name of the model) just in the Girvin fork, some just in the rear end, and the top-of-the-line Oz-M Carbon had it in both suspensions.

This post in the Cannondale Simon thread has more info about the shock.

 

[p-spec]

bradflyn owns patent office