Not yet - sorry.
I ended up spending a bunch of time giving away a few cord of wood. It's even takes work to _give_ it away.
I ended up spending a bunch of time giving away a few cord of wood. It's even takes work to _give_ it away.
Rooted around in my chainsaw stuff and finally found the two sharpeners - the Gamn and the new Timberline.
The burs and handles are totally interchangeable. The one photo shows the Gamn bur and handle inserted into the Timberline fixture; works great.
The shaft diameter is .25" for both (or within .001 of each other). The length is very similar too.
Now we know.
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So something had to be improved or different (new claim) in the utility for a new patent to be issued to Timberline. I'm only looking at pictures but can't see any new functions that could be claimed. Timberline looks like it works same as Gamn...
gamn's patent may have expired. aren't they good for just 20 years with an option to renew? from what i've been reading, with new patent law, a patent is only as good as your legal dept. and can actually be a financial liability due to the depredations of "patent trolls."
Patents, last I knew, were good for 17 yrs upon regular renewal over the life of the patent. Gamn's patent has to have expired. Tried to find it in USPTO, but there's too much to sift through. Don't know whose name it would be under. Likewise for Timberline. I'm actually wondering if Timberline really has a patent on it. Are there any marks on the sharpener itself that list the patent #? It's supposed to if it's patented and reference should be made in the manual also i.e. patent # or patent pending.
Yes, your patent is only as good as your wallet can defend it... It's also only as good as your patent atty wrote the patent which can be a work of art. Try writing a description of this sharpener so it is detailed enough so that it cannot be copied, but vague enough to cover what any knock-offs would try by altering the utiiity/design. Good patent atty's are worth their money if you have something worth protecting.
4,404,871
4,404,872
4,404,871
4,404,872
Trade mark and patents are a hassle and can be expensive on the little guy.
I've been working on a similar design . . Trade mark and patents are a hassle and can be expensive on the little guy.
Do you know about provisional patents?
Provisional Application for Patent
That being said... read this too.
Be Careful with Provisional Patent Applications - Patents - IP | Inc.com
You might want to consider a partner to handle some of that stuff in exchange for a share of the profits. I know that I would need a good marketing guy if I came up with a good idea/ design.
Philbert
Getting money before you have sales is next to impossible unless you know someone personally.
Very few businesses actually need investor help by the time investors are willing to buy in. The majority of the time the company simply needs better marketing help. Don't give up a large percentage of your successful company due to a fear of marketing.
The most overlooked cost to any business is customer acquisition cost. You need to know how much it cost your company to "buy" a customer and factor that into the equation. Internet marketing makes this simple and should be looked at first. The more unique your product the easier it is to market online.
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