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Assuming that this search represents nearly all of them, that is approximately 133 patents: https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee:%22Tesla+Mo

by Arjuna 12y ago

Assuming that this search represents nearly all of them, that is approximately 133 patents: https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee:%22Tesla+Motors,+Inc.%22&safe=off&tbm=pts https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee:%22T... Edit: Nice catch, peter_l_downs ... I didn't realize that the estimated search result of 6,430 would be off by such a large factor.

peter_l_downs 12y ago
Interestingly, try navigating through – here's the link to page 14: https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee%3A%22Tesla+Motors%2C+Inc.%22&safe=off&start=130&tbm=pts https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee%3A%2.... I remember reading or being told that Google only estimates how many results there are, and refines the estimate as you navigate further down the list. As of page 14 there seem to be only 133 results; a far cry from 6,430.
- Istof 12y ago
  Apparently they don't estimate, they inflate how many results there are... For example, I never seen a case when their "estimate" was lower then the actual number of results.
  - espadrine 12y ago
    An upper bound is a valid estimation. "Inflating" assumes that they have a good approximation, and that they arbitrarily increase it. I don't think that they do that.
    - Perseids 12y ago
      > An upper bound is a valid estimation. Most people don't expect upper bounds, though, when talking about estimations. I for one would appreciate a less-than or less-than-or-equal sign when this is truly an upper bound, as it gives me a better idea of what to expect of the actual number of results in relation to the estimation.
      - omaranto 12y ago
        > Most people don't expect upper bounds, though, when talking about estimations. What do you mean? If all I know about a number X is that it is an estimate for Y, I would expect X to be an upper bound for Y 50% of the time and a lower bound 50% of the time.
        randallsquared 12y ago
        ...if you don't know which way, it's not a boundary at all.
    - dllthomas 12y ago
      The choice to take an upper bound (which will systematically err on the high side) and call it an "estimate" (which is not expected to have large, systematic error) inflates the numbers.
pdevr 12y ago
This is not like IBM making some of its less important patents available to the community. This is huge. How many times in the past has a private company opened up its core patents for everyone to use? There aren't that many precedences.
- NicoJuicy 12y ago
  Not many people have been in the same boat as Tesla, a young company in a trillion dollar industry with limited players. What Tesla is saying, here are my patents, let's start building electrical fuel stations arround the world, i can do a lot of them by myselve (and i'm doing that), but i don't have enough budget to do it arround the world. It seems clear to me, that Tesla's biggest obstacle for electrical cars is electrical fuel stations and not other car dealers, because Tesla dominates the electrical car "scene" right now (personal opinion)... But i don't consider one , because there aren't any electrical fuel station arround here (Belgium) - although they are working on that as fast as they can, checkout http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger and scroll between "open right now" and "winter 2014-2015". I think it's a good business move from Tesla.. I'm just curious what happens when a car manufacturer takes the patents, adds one of their own patents and then unites with a other car manufacturers.... Leaving Tesla in the dark, is that possible or are there some limits to "opening" their patents?
  - waterlesscloud 12y ago
    You know, that's a good point. Apparently you could build charging stations, using their plug tech, without paying royalties. That's huge. And smart.
  - boomzilla 12y ago
    Yeah, but we all know selling cars are mostly marketing :D. Tesla will have a field day if the other manufacturers do that. It's a risk, but it's a calculated risk with a huge amount of rewards for reasonable risk, which is exactly how smaller companies compete with the incumbents. No CEO from a big auto company could make this move, but Musk could, and did.
beltex 12y ago
133 seems about right. 136 by my count of the Tesla patent wall via Steve Jurvetson. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/14405402742/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/14405402742/

by Arjuna 12y ago

peter_l_downs 12y ago

Interestingly, try navigating through – here's the link to page 14: https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee%3A%22Tesla+Motors%2C+Inc.%22&safe=off&start=130&tbm=pts https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl#q=inassignee%3A%2.... I remember reading or being told that Google only estimates how many results there are, and refines the estimate as you navigate further down the list. As of page 14 there seem to be only 133 results; a far cry from 6,430.

Istof 12y ago
Apparently they don't estimate, they inflate how many results there are... For example, I never seen a case when their "estimate" was lower then the actual number of results.
- espadrine 12y ago
  An upper bound is a valid estimation. "Inflating" assumes that they have a good approximation, and that they arbitrarily increase it. I don't think that they do that.
  - Perseids 12y ago
    > An upper bound is a valid estimation. Most people don't expect upper bounds, though, when talking about estimations. I for one would appreciate a less-than or less-than-or-equal sign when this is truly an upper bound, as it gives me a better idea of what to expect of the actual number of results in relation to the estimation.
    - omaranto 12y ago
      > Most people don't expect upper bounds, though, when talking about estimations. What do you mean? If all I know about a number X is that it is an estimate for Y, I would expect X to be an upper bound for Y 50% of the time and a lower bound 50% of the time.
      - randallsquared 12y ago
        ...if you don't know which way, it's not a boundary at all.
  - dllthomas 12y ago
    The choice to take an upper bound (which will systematically err on the high side) and call it an "estimate" (which is not expected to have large, systematic error) inflates the numbers.

pdevr 12y ago

This is not like IBM making some of its less important patents available to the community. This is huge. How many times in the past has a private company opened up its core patents for everyone to use? There aren't that many precedences.

NicoJuicy 12y ago
Not many people have been in the same boat as Tesla, a young company in a trillion dollar industry with limited players. What Tesla is saying, here are my patents, let's start building electrical fuel stations arround the world, i can do a lot of them by myselve (and i'm doing that), but i don't have enough budget to do it arround the world. It seems clear to me, that Tesla's biggest obstacle for electrical cars is electrical fuel stations and not other car dealers, because Tesla dominates the electrical car "scene" right now (personal opinion)... But i don't consider one , because there aren't any electrical fuel station arround here (Belgium) - although they are working on that as fast as they can, checkout http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger and scroll between "open right now" and "winter 2014-2015". I think it's a good business move from Tesla.. I'm just curious what happens when a car manufacturer takes the patents, adds one of their own patents and then unites with a other car manufacturers.... Leaving Tesla in the dark, is that possible or are there some limits to "opening" their patents?
- waterlesscloud 12y ago
  You know, that's a good point. Apparently you could build charging stations, using their plug tech, without paying royalties. That's huge. And smart.
- boomzilla 12y ago
  Yeah, but we all know selling cars are mostly marketing :D. Tesla will have a field day if the other manufacturers do that. It's a risk, but it's a calculated risk with a huge amount of rewards for reasonable risk, which is exactly how smaller companies compete with the incumbents. No CEO from a big auto company could make this move, but Musk could, and did.

beltex 12y ago

133 seems about right. 136 by my count of the Tesla patent wall via Steve Jurvetson. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/14405402742/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/14405402742/