Hatton Slip Box

[Fazza]

Our Academies DT Technician has been very busy during Enrichment time and has invented a simplified marine gearbox. Although a patent has been applied for, this will not be completed so that fishing communities in the developing world can produce their own fishing boats cheaply.

 

Here is the prototype being tested on the water for the first time at the local sailing club:

 

 

You can read the article our DT Technician wrote in the Marine Model Magazine here if you're interested.

 

http://www.hattonschool.org.uk/_files/294FE6627B1A1A5CC03EC81AC2656A06.pdf

 

They're trying to organise shipping the boat out to Ghanza in a couple of months time - assuming our government and their government talk to each other so no import/export duty is payable!

 

[synaesthesia]

Nice! Pass on our regards from the guys at Wrenn

[clockend25]

Nice. Really thought he was going to capsize as he pushed off at the start of that video though.

[Duranis]

That is amazing, brilliant concept and super simple to reproduce. Awesome bit of engineering!

 

I think that they should still complete the patent though. Most (maybe all?) countries patent laws leave it down to the holder of the patent to raise a claim. If he holds the patent it will stop someone else from placing a patent on it and making it commercially but he could still license the concept out for "non-profit" use.

 

Patents are pretty useless without the money to back them up in court and you need multiple ones in different countries to really cover yourself but if you can prove you had yours in first it can stop other companies from blocking you out of your own invention. I used to design stuff for mobile electronics (phones, tablets, Bluetooth devices, etc) and have a ton of patents. Most of them we would never have taken someone to court over using but it was just a CYA to make sure that nobody else patented it and then came after us for using it.

[Fazza]

Nice! Pass on our regards from the guys at Wrenn

 

Will do!

 

Nice. Really thought he was going to capsize as he pushed off at the start of that video though.

 

Well it is a bit 'rear heavy' which I have told him to his face and he said it's the engines fault and needs to be move further forward for ballast or something!

 

I think that they should still complete the patent though. Most (maybe all?) countries patent laws leave it down to the holder of the patent to raise a claim. If he holds the patent it will stop someone else from placing a patent on it and making it commercially but he could still license the concept out for "non-profit" use.

 

He's got/had several patents in his lifetime and is quite an expert in this area and by applying for the patent but not completing the application you are in effect putting it in the public domain so anyone can produce the technology without having to pay any kind of license fee which is what he wants to do with this as it will potentially help fishermen in poorer countries cheaply build and maintain a fishing boat. It's also been published in a magazine with a month and year on it so there is the proof of when, where and whom came up with the idea!

 

It's all been thought of and done in a particular manner to ensure nobody tries to stop people from using the idea

Edited June 9, 2016 by Fazza