no voltage listing ?

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kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I'm sure patents are violated all the time by people that custom fabricate anything imaginable. Until you start mass producing something that is the same every time it generally goes unnoticed.
 
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petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
hbiss said:
What I don't understand is how something like this is even patentable. I think if you cut a hole in the top of a shoebox the idiots in the patent office will issue you a patent and intellectual property copyright. This guy mimics a vending machine keypad, mounts it in a plastic box and sells it to be stuck lower on the front of the machine. Dunno, but I think I'm going to apply for a patent on adding receptacles and switches to a room so I can make every one of you pay me each time you do it. :happyyes:

-Hal
Click to expand...

In Japan they routinely issue patents on things like the color of a device.

It is quite easy to get a patent as long as you are willing to spend the money on people that do it for a living. A lot of patent examiners and patent attorneys make a living off of mostly dubious patents filed on behalf of their clients. Defending a patent is something else entirely though. having said that, being able to say it is patented or patent pending is another marketing tool. It makes the product sound innovative, and does provide at least some limited protection.

I wondered about the plastic box thing. I can only imagine how long these things will last bolted to the outside of a vending machine.

I wish the OP the best in his endeavour but having seen several of these kind of things fizzle on people, I am not convinced I will be seeing this product real soon on a vending machine near me. OTOH, I have been wrong before.
 
hbiss

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
petersonra said:
I am not sure a custom fabricated thing can be a patent violation.
Click to expand...

I don't see why it wouldn't if someone has the patent on it which is probably likely. That's why the whole patent process is so ridiculous. The term "obvious to one skilled in the art", which is the criteria that is used to determine if something is patentable or not, is so loosely applied and manipulated by slick attorneys working for "inventors" who think they are going to be rich that just about anything gets patented. Here we have someone who apparently made a custom keypad (me thinks he could have just as well bought them from the vending machine manufacturer) and mounted it in a plastic box. He's marketing it as a device to make old vending machines ADA compliant by mounting it lower on the machine. Is this a marketable idea? Maybe. Is it patentable? Not by my standards. It's something that just about anybody with a little electrical knowledge and access to common components would come up with.

I also wonder how many patents he is infringing on in making the keypads. :)

-Hal
 
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Cmdr_Suds

Member
Per UL508A, 44.2, components and any wiring inside a class 2 circuit does not need to be evaluated. Im not sure how this would affect other types of UL listed equipment, but that may be why a computer keyboard and other type of low voltage type of equipment may not have a UL mark. I have built listed panels with non UL listed or recognized equipment. All I had to do was to protect it with a listed power supply or a GFCI.
 
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