Originally posted by Duncster
So WDP are gonna nail SP for the ability to link to their guns from a remote terminal, and also for having an on board computer programmable by way of pushable input butons?
Is that it? Or am I missing bigger stuff?
SP holds a patent for a paintgun, using an electrical circuit for initiating the firing operation. The old skool Shocker already used a microchip for managing various parameters of the operation. However this microchip is NOT part of the patent.
Enter WDP.
WDP holds a patent for a paintgun, which uses a microchip. The patent reads at first glance, like the microchip is only needed for running the LCD display. However what they actually did patent was an electronic paintgun that is operated and controlled by a microchip. Among others this chip ALSO runs the display, allows input through push pin buttons and provides an uplink for a palm pilot. But primarily it is used for initiating and controlling the firing cycle upon trigger pull (big task I know, but they got a patent on it).
Of course it still uses an electrical circuit, as in the SP patent. However, an electrical circuit with an added microchip to control the operation is something genuinely new and thus patentable by itself.
Since pretty much any electro uses a microchip, they all owe WDP royalties. I doubt that they actually want to do more with it, than overturn the SP case, but we'll see.
