I haven't seen the patent - but there were minor novelties, maybe the steel-backed tape, modularity method, immersion method, etc. Probably enough to get a pate

I haven't seen the patent - but there were minor novelties, maybe the steel-backed tape, modularity method, immersion method, etc. Probably enough to get a patent, but I suspect not a patent of great value since there will be other slightly different implementations unless their "metal-backed" tape is their secret sauce. That's possible. "Just build it smaller" can't be patented, that's not a method. Just use tape from that's made by X corp, I can't see that being a patent either.