Can a Novel (and Useful) General Arrangement be Patented?

[TealTiger]

Can a novel and useful General Arrangement be patented?
Is it practical?
Anyone know of any IP lawyers or firms that specialize in Marine/Naval/Nautical stuff?
Any thoughts would be appreciate.
Thank you.

 

[portacruise]

Can a novel and useful General Arrangement be patented? YES, essentially anything can be patented unless it already has been. It does not have to work.
Is it practical? DEPENDS. Almost all ideas are not profitable, not developed, not enforceable by the owner unless have deep pockets. No protection from China. Copyrights,trademarks, etc. may be simpler way to go.
Anyone know of any IP lawyers or firms that specialize in Marine/Naval/Nautical stuff? NOT me. Beware of a large number of predator vanity businesses that claim to develop to profitability.
Any thoughts would be appreciate. INVENTIONS that are to much trouble or too expensive to copy in China would have the most protection. Profitable inventions must have a great business profile, merit of the invention itself is often not as important as marketing.
Thank you.

FWIW.

PC

 

[Poida]

I have no idea on Patents etc. but I have worked in businesses involved with inventors.

I also read a book written by Victor Kiam (I hope that is how you spell his surname) the marketing guru. The man who said, "I bought a Remington shaver and liked it so much, I bought the company."

He had the same experience that I have witnessed with inventions.

It was a damn good idea, but nobody wanted it.

Surveys are useless because what people say they want and what people say they will do, in the practical world they will neither want nor do.

Or there is one small thing that hasn't been thought of, that prevents its acceptance.

Before you spend any money patenting something, make sure you have thought of everything, and I mean everything that might inhibit its sale.

Example: You may have designed a system for ropes for tying boats up to a dock, based on the retractable cord system as used in vacuum cleaners.

Pull the rope out tie your boat up and when you leave untie the rope, give it a tug and it automatically retracts. What a brilliant idea, but, I bet it wouldn't sell.

Why, it takes away the boaties ritual of untying the rope, wrapping it in a loop and tossing it on the deck, acting like everyone in the world is watching him go through his macho ritual.

Don't patent something that people can easily make themselves, gee that's a good idea, I'll make one, or something that can be changed slightly so it's not the same as yours. You can patent the concept which costs a fortune.

Poida

 

[Ad Hoc]

Can a novel and useful General Arrangement be patented?

In a word, No.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi Poida,
I appreciate your input.
Thank you.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi Ad Hoc,
I appreciate your input.
Thank you.

 

[tom kane]

The American Patent system is unique in the world in that you must be able to prove you came up with the novel idea first and put the idea into practice if you expect a successful patent aplication. A brief statement.

 

[SamSam]

Can a novel and useful General Arrangement be patented?

I'm curious, what does " General Arrangement" mean?

 

[NavalSArtichoke]

The American Patent system is unique in the world in that you must be able to prove you came up with the novel idea first and put the idea into practice if you expect a successful patent aplication. A brief statement.

It's not clear the OP wanted to file for a US patent since his bio lists him living near Toronto.

There is no requirement that a patentable idea or invention be put into practice before applying for a US patent. The US Patent office in the early days required a model of an invention to be submitted for review along with the application for patent, but that requirement has long since been rescinded. The patent application must include a full description of the idea or mechanism to be patented, along with a statement of claims concerning its novelty, function, etc.

This website has more information about the patent process in the US:

http://www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/general_info_concerning_patents.jsp#heading-4

 

[PAR]

A GA is little more then a suggest layout sketch, which will likely change with masses calculations and other concerns, during the design spiral, so not much "intellectual property" to protect. Unless a clever and unique "device" is employed in the GA, which a separate and specific patent is required to protect, you really are looking at a copyright, instead.

A copyright will offer some protection, if you have something quite unique about the GA, though frankly it would have to be very unique, to gain the copyright. With this in hand, you can exspect once in production and on the market, if the protected idea(s) are "cool" enough, they'll be copied by every manufacture, with slight changes or "improvements", to avoid infringement issues. Remember that wing keel idea the Australia II team used, in the mid 80's to take the America's Cup? Within a few years, just about every production sailboat sported a wing of some sort, so this type of protection is dubious at best.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi tom kane,
I appreciate your input.
Thank you.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi SamSam,
A General Arrangement is essentially the interior accommodations and mechanical spaces of a boat in an approximate hull shape. It doesn’t include things like construction details, plumbing, wiring, etc. Thanks for asking.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi NavalSArtichoke,
I appreciate your input and clarifications.
Thank you.

 

[TealTiger]

Hi PAR,
I appreciate your input and suggestion.
Indeed a copyright as a sculptural, or better yet, an architectural work is a good idea.
Thank you.

 

[DCockey]

Copyright for something as a sculptural or architectural work only applies to the appearance, not the function.

A general arrangement drawing is covered by copyright, but the general arrangement itself is not. Making an unauthorized copy of a drawing may infringe copyright, making a copy of a boat does not.