4 ms·

What exactly is patented? Really, nobody else can make e-ink? It doesn't seem like this idea is in any way original.

fortran77 6y ago
You can easily search US Patents here: http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html > Really, nobody else can make e-ink? It doesn't seem like this idea is in any way original. I must be stupid, because the implementation of e-ink certainly seems novel, original, and useful to me! I would never have thought of it, nor did I see it before I saw the first e-ink display: Here's a description: Small capsules filled with a clear fluid containing tiny particles, each about as wide as a human hair. Each electronic paper display is made up of millions of such capsules in a thin film, with the particles inside the capsules of different colors and different electric charges. Electrodes are placed above and below the capsule film. When a positive or negative electric field is applied to an individual electrode, the color particles with the corresponding charge will move either to the top or bottom of a capsule, making the surface of the e-paper display appear a certain color
- varispeed 6y ago
  The idea was around since 70s https://www.wired.com/1997/05/ff-digitalink/ https://www.wired.com/1997/05/ff-digitalink/ Just because people had money to implement it, does not mean it should not be available for anyone else. It seems the patents are used to protect investments of privileged people and that's wrong.
  - fortran77 6y ago
    It's in the U.S. Constitution. So implementing your ideal would take quite a bit of doing. What are you proposing? That the State control all labor and property?
    - varispeed 6y ago
      I understand that now nobody can make e-ink display without paying fees, which I find insane as it is not an original idea. Something that anyone researching the field could come up with shouldn't be patentable. Currently the system favours the rich and promotes walled gardens.
      - robinsoh 6y ago
        > I understand that now nobody can make e-ink display without paying fees, which I find insane as it is not an original idea What exactly do you mean when you say "make e-ink display"? That's exactly like saying "nobody can make Microsoft operating system without paying fees". E-Ink is a company that makes lots of different types of displays that vary hugely. Do you mean an electrophoretic display or bistable displays? If yes, then you're quite mistaken because there have been and are lots of companies and startups making bistable displays. E-ink is just the most well known one. Others like Clearink have been winning awards at display shows but have not yet been able to scale their tech successfully. If no, then what exactly are you talking about? > which I find insane as it is not an original idea. Your point would be strengthened if you had been able to accurately explain what "idea" you're actually talking about. > Something that anyone researching the field could come up with shouldn't be patentable. Currently the system favours the rich and promotes walled gardens. Please try to explain yourself better please. I work in the display industry and I've never heard this from industry insiders. Since you think there is a walled garden, tell us, what specific patent (since you mentioned a patent) is blocking you from building your display product? If you try to reply with responses like "all their patents" or "patent thickets" then it will be clear you're not actually walled out of anything.
        varispeed 6y ago
        I think I got mislead by the original comment - thank you for explaining that to me. I don't have a horse in e-ink race, but the interesting patent I came across recently is this one: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170060527A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170060527A1/en It's a good example how obvious things get patented these days. Essentially if you want to do a circuit simulation of an electronic device, to make it more realistic you of course want to simulate real world values of components and not the nominal ones in the schematic. Someone else who I showed it to said that they essentially patented Monte Carlo method...
nl 6y ago
> It doesn't seem like this idea is in any way original. Good thing ideas aren't patentable then!

You can easily search US Patents here: http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html > Really, nobody else can make e-ink? It doesn't seem like this idea is in any way original. I must be stupid, because the implementation of e-ink certainly seems novel, original, and useful to me! I would never have thought of it, nor did I see it before I saw the first e-ink display: Here's a description: Small capsules filled with a clear fluid containing tiny particles, each about as wide as a human hair. Each electronic paper display is made up of millions of such capsules in a thin film, with the particles inside the capsules of different colors and different electric charges. Electrodes are placed above and below the capsule film. When a positive or negative electric field is applied to an individual electrode, the color particles with the corresponding charge will move either to the top or bottom of a capsule, making the surface of the e-paper display appear a certain color

varispeed 6y ago
The idea was around since 70s https://www.wired.com/1997/05/ff-digitalink/ https://www.wired.com/1997/05/ff-digitalink/ Just because people had money to implement it, does not mean it should not be available for anyone else. It seems the patents are used to protect investments of privileged people and that's wrong.
- fortran77 6y ago
  It's in the U.S. Constitution. So implementing your ideal would take quite a bit of doing. What are you proposing? That the State control all labor and property?
  - varispeed 6y ago
    I understand that now nobody can make e-ink display without paying fees, which I find insane as it is not an original idea. Something that anyone researching the field could come up with shouldn't be patentable. Currently the system favours the rich and promotes walled gardens.
    - robinsoh 6y ago
      > I understand that now nobody can make e-ink display without paying fees, which I find insane as it is not an original idea What exactly do you mean when you say "make e-ink display"? That's exactly like saying "nobody can make Microsoft operating system without paying fees". E-Ink is a company that makes lots of different types of displays that vary hugely. Do you mean an electrophoretic display or bistable displays? If yes, then you're quite mistaken because there have been and are lots of companies and startups making bistable displays. E-ink is just the most well known one. Others like Clearink have been winning awards at display shows but have not yet been able to scale their tech successfully. If no, then what exactly are you talking about? > which I find insane as it is not an original idea. Your point would be strengthened if you had been able to accurately explain what "idea" you're actually talking about. > Something that anyone researching the field could come up with shouldn't be patentable. Currently the system favours the rich and promotes walled gardens. Please try to explain yourself better please. I work in the display industry and I've never heard this from industry insiders. Since you think there is a walled garden, tell us, what specific patent (since you mentioned a patent) is blocking you from building your display product? If you try to reply with responses like "all their patents" or "patent thickets" then it will be clear you're not actually walled out of anything.
      - varispeed 6y ago
        I think I got mislead by the original comment - thank you for explaining that to me. I don't have a horse in e-ink race, but the interesting patent I came across recently is this one: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170060527A1/en https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170060527A1/en It's a good example how obvious things get patented these days. Essentially if you want to do a circuit simulation of an electronic device, to make it more realistic you of course want to simulate real world values of components and not the nominal ones in the schematic. Someone else who I showed it to said that they essentially patented Monte Carlo method...

nl 6y ago

> It doesn't seem like this idea is in any way original. Good thing ideas aren't patentable then!