Patents --- The window to the future
The patent is special. It
is a
legal document giving the inventor a license to capitalize on his
invention without
competition in exchange for teaching us the-art. In
spite of the legalese, teaching happens with
details not found in other literature.
Patents are forward looking. The holder is staking out a bit of the future
for himself. Each document is a rising
star on the technical horizon. It is a glimpse into the future. Perhaps
it
isn’t the same as your neighborhood fortune teller, but it is close.
For years I have been
scouring the
latest patents for those on plastics and, on the side, looking into the
future.
I see a dynamic, vital panorama as exciting as any thriller. I
especially look
for inventions that could dramatically change our technology. Often an early patent, as with so many first
tries, may not go anywhere. But by the following year or the year
after,
someone will take the idea and run with it.
I plan to comment on a patent that strikes my fancy during my routine
Patent Reviews. I hope readers will respond and perhaps show how the
ideas are already in action. I just finished a set of 100 patent links
collectied from those published 1/25/2005. The one that intrigued me
the most was:
6,846,449
Method
of producing an electrically charged film .
[This is a patent link. If you click on it you will go to the text version
on the US Patent website. By clicking on the images you will get the
verbatim copy. I consider these patents an extremely powerful resource --- and
they are free.
]
Martin; Frederick H.,
Porchia; Jose
and Grissmeyer; Julie M.
S. C. Johnson Home Storage, Inc. (Racine, WI)
"A
method of producing an electrically charged film includes the steps of
forming a molten thermoplastic material into a web, electrically
charging the web while the web is at a temperature substantially at or
above a solidification temperature thereof, cooling the web below the
solidification temperature thereof after charging and winding the web
into individual rolls immediately following the cooling step."
I have long felt that using electrical technology to modify and
manipulate materials is very underveloped. This putting permanent
charges in a material is not particularly new but should lead to many
interesting effects. My furnance filter supposedly is charged and used
to effectively remove dust. The house does seem cleaner but who
knows.
This week I came across a weird patent which claims solve many problems
of the world, such as reducing tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and on
and on. See for yourself ---
6,845,919
Apparatus
for disturbing and removing electrons and protons from the atmosphere
Maybe there is hope for society yet.
Roger D. Corneliussen