Robert Yates Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 However !, if there's some claim that a unique, non-obvious combination of steels in a particular pattern produces unusual and useful material properties, that certainly could be patentable. Thus the Blend of steel and process there of to make said steel is Patenable ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 True but a very little change in the composition would then provide a similar item not covered by the patent. Lots of the old companies made a selling point of changes that really didn't make much difference; but did allow them to slide by someone else's patent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I look forward to reading the application. No offense intended, but I am skeptical about the usefulness part. I have yet to see any evidence that PW steel can do anything, mechanically, that monosteel can't do at least as well. As far as I'm concerned, PW is a decorative process -- which is not to say that I don't like it! But stuff happens. A guy over at Don Fogg's five or so years ago was playing around with making crucible steel using thermite, and ended up creating a new alloy with some unusual properties. With some help from a metallurgist and some other professionals, he ended up patenting it. So anything's possible. Again, though, is the pic still up? I can't see it for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 True but a very little change in the composition would then provide a similar item not covered by the patent. Lots of the old companies made a selling point of changes that really didn't make much difference; but did allow them to slide by someone else's patent. Eh, I don't think it really works that way as a legal matter, although it may depend how the patent application is written. The modern patents I've read have been written in extremely broad terms, probably to prevent attempts at that sort of thing. In fact, some of them have been written so broadly that, at least for me, it was hard to tell what the heck they were patenting! It was all very abstract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Come to think of it, I just realized we're talking about two separate things. You're talking about a design patent, Thomas. Yes, those are easy to get around -- so easy that they're hardly worth bothering with. Utility patents are a different story, and much more worthwhile. I assumed that's what he's going for. But maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Matt I think we went to different schools together: I can have a bar of any number of great steels dropped off here in the next few days. Steels that surpass even wot I expect them to do. I also make pattern welded billets for my own knives and I can produce a pattern that is unique and desireable. and I enjoy doing it. They work really well in the field and I intend to carry one this fall hunting season. I expect it willo leave me smiling, not only for beauty but for how it works. The friends I hunt with will carry traditional blades.I expect we will all be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 Come to think of it, I just realized we're talking about two separate things. You're talking about a design patent, Thomas. Yes, those are easy to get around -- so easy that they're hardly worth bothering with. Utility patents are a different story, and much more worthwhile. I assumed that's what he's going for. But maybe not. Yes it will be for the Blend ,process and function . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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