Folding Trimaran Beam Design - Why not this? (see pic)

[Fanie]

Model your hinging mechanism to ensure the action works properly. If you misjudge then it can be very uncomfortable and difficult to keep the boat upright when you fold or unfold.

You also want the ama's to shift in and out more or less in a line, if they swing in a radius you may have to force it partly submerged before it will reach the inner or outer position. It's easy on a small tri, but the bigger they go the more muscles you will have.

I know Chuck Norris has a big tri with a huge swing radius that submerge the ama completely while the boat lifts completely out of the mater.

As we say in the Boer language - Chuck Norris was nog nooit gemoer nie, want Chuck Norris was nog nooit in Rustenburg nie

 

[Jetboy]

I think the system I've designed will be great for folding on the water. The modeling moves the float parallel to the water line all the way in until it's ready to go on a trailer. The only issue is if you have some dihedral it will inherently get less stable as you fold it. I decided not to put pictures up yet or a full description until I decide on patenting it. As a patent attorney - it's what I would tell a client. It's not for the purpose of getting rich. I'd just hate to put my idea on here then have some company file a patent on it and keep it proprietary so other home builders can't use it. So... I'll do a search and make a decision shortly. I'll be building it soon, so I'll put some pics up soon - or my drawings if I find that it's already covered by someone else.

 

[Fanie]

Patents are worth squat. If you change anything a bit it is something different. They even patent existing things, and many hang around the patent offices to get ideas from because it's easier to copy someone else's ideas than to think up something unique.

Scissors and hinges have been around a long time, while it may be a good idea to use it in another application, it is just a good idea, I doubt it will justify a patient.

If you work out the floating depth with the ama's folded in at the right height then it may be as stable as a boat of that width.

 

[hump101]

I decided not to put pictures up yet or a full description until I decide on patenting it. As a patent attorney - it's what I would tell a client. It's not for the purpose of getting rich. I'd just hate to put my idea on here then have some company file a patent on it and keep it proprietary so other home builders can't use it.

Sorry to butt in and try to pick your brains, but I was of the understanding that if you were to publish your ideas, and then someone else patented them, then since you would be able to prove your idea pre-dated their patent, the patent would be indefensible (I'm thinking of the windsurfing patent which Schweitzer lost due to Chilvers previous work). Is this not the case?

 

[Fanie]

Correct, you cannot patent an existing item. What they do is change something, claim it's something else and then patent it. I don't see how it is beneficial anyway. Copying someone else's intellectual property is illegal, it is theft. Not that it's a crime any more, it's only a crime when you get caught, and the catcher must then at great expense prove it is theft.

I read a case where one copied another's boat hull that was very popular, then made a few "improvements" and went into production with it. In the end the court ruled in favor of the original hull because the original hull was copied directly, but the legal arguments against is ridiculous and simply put, it justifies theft. That's what the Westminister system does. So if this copier further went and made a copy of his copied hull, it probably would not be considered theft considering the arguments on changes made. It would then not be a direct copy of the original hull.

 

[hump101]

Right, but coming back to the original premise, although someone could patent a near copy of a published idea, they could not then prevent others freely using the original idea? Hence not publishing is only of value if the author intends to patent for their own gain, rather than to ensure that the idea remains in the public domain?

 

[Fanie]

In my personal view, there is nothing a human can invent. The Creator invented everything, and left it to be discovered by humans.

If you put something together that works, it is unfair for another to copy your model to make money from, especially if it means you lose because of it.

I cannot see how one person can claim a patent on anything he "invented", he didn't invent it. He simply put together what was already there. He did however took the initiative to make it, so don't thief what he put together. Make your own, make it better and make it less expensive, and don't copy. It is not nice.

If you have a conscious, then it will tell you, and don't compromise because you desire, because what comes around goes around.

Just my 2c

 

[bruceb]

orginal?

Jet, unless you have come up with some new magic, I don't think there is any "new" folding system design, at least not different enough to get a patent on. The Farrier system design patent has expired, but he also designed and published several other systems, including one very close to your idea. There are several other boat builders around the world with working models or boats actually in production that have systems that work for their boats. I think a through review of the existing designs might save you some time. This is not a new issue
As a purely personal opinion, I think Farrier's folding design and the development and production of the Corsairs did a lot to make tri's popular and accepted in the market place- and then his patent and defense of it stopped most tri development for the next 20 years. Sometimes, you can be too "right", and patent "protection" can work against an already small market.
B