3 ms·

so the question becomes, is his patent valid in Europe and Asia?

metafunctor 14y ago
Pretty much all cars where I live (Finland) already have non-flat mirrors. The most common type of mirror on the driver's side in new cars seems to be one which has a flat part (to show objects in their "true size") and a curved part at (to show a wider field of view).
- willvarfar 14y ago
  yeah my old polo from the 90s has a drivers mirror that has a flat part and then a second, differently angled section that lets you see the blind spot.
- sandGorgon 14y ago
  In India, we have stick-on blind spot mirrors that you can attach on your driver side mirror.
lloeki 14y ago
No, because there is prior art. I'm not even sure it would stand in the US. It's been a while since I have not driven a car that has a flat mirror near side (cost cuts and relative driver position makes far side less of a problem. Still, they're often not exactly flat either). Cars here (Europe) generally have an improved version, as the linear radius was giving too much of a fisheye, which breaks depth linearity. The improved version starts with a quasi-flat mirror for the 2/3rd near the car, while the remainder has an increasing radius (Here's a shot [0]). The result is (when properly seated and mirrors set up) basically enough for the passing car to pop up at the edge of my field of vision when it disappears from the mirror. [0] http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/523/2007_Civic_iCDTi_Hatch_-_Drivers_side_mirror.jpg http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/523/2007_Civic_iCDTi_Hat...
- mbreese 14y ago
  He would be able to patent all curved mirrors, just his particular implementation and design. He may have an optimal design that certainly would deserve patent protection. The question that he has to worry about with the patents is whether or not his 2008 paper was published before or after the non-US patents were applied for. If I'm not mistaken, the US has a one year grace period between public display (publishing an academic paper) and filing for a patent. Whereas Europe et al. do not have a grace period.
  - pwg 14y ago
    If you lookup the patent on the USPTO's system: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8180606.PN.&OS=PN/8180606&RS=PN/8180606 http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sec... You will find that the ultimate filing date is Feb. 2007, and that multiple publications by Dr. Hicks were cited in the "Other References" area.
btn 14y ago
According to its PCT entry [1], it's still making its way through the Australian, Canadian, European, and Japanese patent offices. 1: http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2008094886 http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO200...
pwg 14y ago
US patents are only valid in the US. He has to obtain a patent in each country separately (other than in the European union where it is possible to get a "European Patent").

Pretty much all cars where I live (Finland) already have non-flat mirrors. The most common type of mirror on the driver's side in new cars seems to be one which has a flat part (to show objects in their "true size") and a curved part at (to show a wider field of view).

willvarfar 14y ago
yeah my old polo from the 90s has a drivers mirror that has a flat part and then a second, differently angled section that lets you see the blind spot.
sandGorgon 14y ago
In India, we have stick-on blind spot mirrors that you can attach on your driver side mirror.

lloeki 14y ago

No, because there is prior art. I'm not even sure it would stand in the US. It's been a while since I have not driven a car that has a flat mirror near side (cost cuts and relative driver position makes far side less of a problem. Still, they're often not exactly flat either). Cars here (Europe) generally have an improved version, as the linear radius was giving too much of a fisheye, which breaks depth linearity. The improved version starts with a quasi-flat mirror for the 2/3rd near the car, while the remainder has an increasing radius (Here's a shot [0]). The result is (when properly seated and mirrors set up) basically enough for the passing car to pop up at the edge of my field of vision when it disappears from the mirror. [0] http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/523/2007_Civic_iCDTi_Hatch_-_Drivers_side_mirror.jpg http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/523/2007_Civic_iCDTi_Hat...

mbreese 14y ago
He would be able to patent all curved mirrors, just his particular implementation and design. He may have an optimal design that certainly would deserve patent protection. The question that he has to worry about with the patents is whether or not his 2008 paper was published before or after the non-US patents were applied for. If I'm not mistaken, the US has a one year grace period between public display (publishing an academic paper) and filing for a patent. Whereas Europe et al. do not have a grace period.
- pwg 14y ago
  If you lookup the patent on the USPTO's system: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8180606.PN.&OS=PN/8180606&RS=PN/8180606 http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sec... You will find that the ultimate filing date is Feb. 2007, and that multiple publications by Dr. Hicks were cited in the "Other References" area.

btn 14y ago

According to its PCT entry [1], it's still making its way through the Australian, Canadian, European, and Japanese patent offices. 1: http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2008094886 http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO200...

pwg 14y ago

US patents are only valid in the US. He has to obtain a patent in each country separately (other than in the European union where it is possible to get a "European Patent").