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Has anyone ever "stolen" your invention?

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Kathleen04 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 08:52 PM
Original message
Has anyone ever "stolen" your invention?
Edited on Sun Jan-08-06 09:11 PM by Kathleen04
Not literally, but have you ever had the passing idea for an invention only to discover that it had just been done or was done after you had the idea? I just had the idea the other day..some way to protect DVDs and CDs from scratches by putting some kind of plastic over them..and there it was, sitting at Staples. CD/DVD plastic covers. x( Of course, now I'm itching to try them. ;)

So, what ideas have you had?
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KitchenWitch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 08:53 PM
Response to Original message
1. Chrysler stole my "built-in" child safety seat idea!
I had the idea in mind about 15 years ago.
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El Fuego Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 08:56 PM
Response to Original message
2. I work in patent law
I am always doing patent searches for people who think they have the Next Big Thing. And 99.99999999% of the time I have to tell them it is already patented.

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Redstone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:18 PM
Response to Reply #2
10. Including the patent that covers a kid sitting on a swing,
and pulling on the chains with his hands so he swings from side to side instead of from front to back?

It's true. This is patented. The application was made by a patent attorney in his son's name as a joke, and and the PTO actually issued a patent. You can go to uspto.gov and do a search to find it.

Anyone have any further questions as to the broken state of our patent system?

Redstone
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El Fuego Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 10:31 PM
Response to Reply #10
15. I know it well
U.S. Patent No. 6,368,227 for "Method of Swinging on a Swing."

Which just to show you can patent just about anything.
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DainBramaged Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:03 PM
Response to Original message
3. Yes, had done sketches years ago too.........
and never had the money to develop it or patent it. It was a disposable litter box. In 1981 I had the idea to make it out of cardboard and have it open like a big box of detergent and then throw it out. A few years ago Purina via "Kitty Litter" brand came out with it.

It flopped.:banghead:

I wish I had at least parented it to get licensing rights.
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RevCheesehead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:05 PM
Response to Original message
4. Flavored Nicotine Gum.
Even before nicorette came out, I thought "what better way to get someone hooked on a product than adding nicotine to it?"

Actually, I'm still thinking of Nicotine Bubble-gum. Because if you're going to annoy people, you might as well go all out and do it right. :)
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obxhead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:06 PM
Response to Original message
5. No way are you getting them that easy.....
I have a note book full of them. One day I'll get a good lawyer to do all the work for 33% so I can buy my island and get away from this mess in Ameika. :)
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eyesroll Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:06 PM
Response to Original message
6. I thought of the iPass toll collection system when I was 10 or so.
I was thinking bar codes mounted on the top of each car rather than RF transmitters, but the general idea was the same.

(I'm 30 now, and I'm sure iPass, et. al., were in development 20 years ago.)
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Ptah Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:08 PM
Response to Original message
7. I actaully have one patent.
Since I developed it in the scope of my employment,
it was licensed to my employeer. My name on the patent,
the rights to him. I recieved a royalty from each sale made,
as long as I was in his employ. I left that job soon afler.
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Redstone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:14 PM
Response to Original message
8. I did indeed have an invention stolen;
surface-mountable (On P.C. boards) coaxial connector receptacles, back in the 1980s.

Everyone has them now; the company I worked for didn't think the idea worth patenting, much to its later regret.

Redstone
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Xipe Totec Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:16 PM
Response to Original message
9. Well, let's see...
Computer generated stereoscopy,
creation of diamonds through high pressure sublimation,
carbon based high temperature semiconductors (versus silicon),
flexible keyboards based on polymer membranes...

That's just off the top of my head. I guess the key is not just coming up with the idea, but having the guts and determination to follow it through to an actual product.

Ah well...
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rug Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 10:21 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% litigation.
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LostinVA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:18 PM
Response to Original message
11. I thought of Ziplock bags when I was a kid in the early 70's
Seriously. I said you should be able to use snaps to close it so the sandwich wouldn't fall out of the bag in your lunchbox.
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tuvor Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:21 PM
Response to Original message
12. I came up with this cheesey idea when I was a teenager.
And someone actually followed through on it. I can't imagine they were huge sellers.

http://www.smittenmittens.com



Maybe I was inspired by Fundies...
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latebloomer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 09:31 PM
Response to Original message
13. When our son was in a high chair
and was always throwing things on the floor,my husband came up with the idea of a bungee-cord type thing you could attach to the spoon or toy.

He never did anything about it, and we saw it in a catalog a year or two later.
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Castilleja Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
16. Sandals with gel in them.
Or any shoe, I suppose. I designed it and drew it out when I was in junior high or so. Sandals with gel in the soles, and also in the straps. Showed my mom, who proceeded to tell me no one would ever make them, as they would cost way too much to produce. I still have the drawing, just recently showed this to my husband so he will know just how smart I am. ;-)
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jpgray Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
17. Yeah, a time machine
Edited on Sun Jan-08-06 10:42 PM by jpgray
Fucker took it to the future to cover up his crime.

x(

So when it's eventually "invented", we know who really deserves the credit.

:P
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The Sushi Bandit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-08-06 10:43 PM
Response to Original message
18. I invented the SUN!!
but god stole my idea... bastard!
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EstimatedProphet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-09-06 12:19 AM
Response to Original message
19. No, but my dad has
Really, it's hid fault too. You know those hughe inflatable balls or cyliinders they have at beach resorts these days, the kind that people can get inside and run around on the waves? His idea. He was talking about the idea in the 60's. But he never looked into doing anything about making them or designing them or whatever, and someone else did it instead.
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Oeditpus Rex Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-09-06 12:30 AM
Response to Original message
20. I thought of spinning guitars about five years before
ZZ Top came out with 'em.

I had the design in my head; it was pretty simple. But it never occurred to me that it might be marketable, so...

:banghead:
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fiveleafclover Donating Member (382 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-09-06 12:58 AM
Response to Original message
21. When I was still in school I worked at
Little Caesars. I made this cheeseburger pizza for myself and my friends. It was great, I put garlic butter and provelone on the crust under the sauce to make it extra good. Then suddenly, Little Caesars started making the same pizza. I know it would be cocky of me to think they stole the idea from me since it's so simple and all, but they even put the garlic butter on the crust like I did! I wasn't sure if I should be mad or perplexed.
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LaraMN Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-09-06 01:21 AM
Response to Original message
22. Yes. Pacifier homing-device; the "pacifinder."
It was already invented AND called the "pacifinder." I gave up having ideas after that. Now i just exist.
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