The Hybrid Inventor Who Sued Toyota - And Won | Autopia | Wired.com Toyota Settles Big Hybrid Engine Patent Lawsuit; Demonstrates The Patent Tax | Techdirt
So this guy made the system in the mid 90's, did nothing with it, and now wants Toyota to pay him royalties for coming up with something similar to his? I thought patents were only supposed to last 14 years.
Yes, that is what patents are for... According to the article, he did quite some research and testing, not just hand over a piece of paper to the patent-office. But then again, this is also in the article: I could be wrong, but both the RX450h and the Gen III Prius weren't on the market in 2007 as far as I know, so not sure how accurate the article is... (Also from the article: "Severinsky" and a few lines on: "Silverinsky"... )
this is old news. not only that, but his patents are an improvement of the original by trw who never got a penny or used it in any way. btw, i think it's pennies per car. this was all over the papers several years ago and again before that. not sure if anyone has the story 100% correct.
He did try to do something with it. None of the manufacturers he approached wanted it. The first Prius was released in Japan three years after his patent was granted. So, his patent might be expired now, but it was ruled Toyota owed him back royalties. This is an old story (2 years), and I don't think it extends to the gen3.
Add to that the sad story of Cobasys the owners of the NiMH battery patents. Both had a window but 'failed to close the deal.' Now they are aging into the dust-bin of history . . . no sympathy here: Source (while it lasts): http://www.energyconversiondevices.com/restructuring.php Bob Wilson
At least this guy was willing to license his patent, unlike some companies who bury innovation to protect the status quo.
That, in part, is most likely why Ford stopped making the Escape hybrid - opting for simply going for a more efficient ICE. .
Ford didn't want to pay the NRE (non-recurring engineering) charges to put it in the escape. There is no way they could get that close to the 47 mpg they are getting in the c-max, and thought that a hybrid + energi escape would simply not sell in quantities needed to justify the investment. Let's see if the outlander sells to see if its a mistake. The licensing fees are likely small per unit compared to NRE allocation. Terms of the ford agreement are still confidential though.
This issue would be a good case for the US government to secure a domestic patent license for all domestic manufactures. If hybrids are a vital component of a national energy policy then the federal government should consider licensing the technology.
Anyway - I'm guessing the OP never noticed the patent article he quoted is about TWO years old, and that there are already a ton of other posts here on PC that have re-hashed it to death. Here's just one (from 2010) of a few: HSD patent lawsuit settled. | PriusChat the search tool (even tho it often sucks) can be your friend
