What do you think? Does the Humminbird Target Lock infringe on Terry Vance patent for a motorized live transducer mount?
If it were the other way around Humminbird would certainly be coming after him.
https://uspto.report/patent/app/20210056944
What do you think? Does the Humminbird Target Lock infringe on Terry Vance patent for a motorized live transducer mount?
If it were the other way around Humminbird would certainly be coming after him.
https://uspto.report/patent/app/20210056944
Hard to say, but bringing it to the market now, would seem they’ve (humminbird) would have had it in development for quite a while.
Could be different since it can use the foot pedal of the ultrex.
The patent office is broken. That patent was filed in February of 2021. Clearly, multiple manufacturers were already producing items that would fall under this patent. This should have never been issued by the patent office.
Upon further research it looks like that patent was originally filed in 2020 and I believe other products were already publically available for sale by then.
Last edited by DoctorJJ; 07-21-2022 at 07:29 AM.
the funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realize it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it
I owned a company that had 50+ patents and I was named on a few of them. Patents are based on claim construction so you cannot necessarily just assume at first glance that there is infringement. I was the plaintiff in 3 cases of patent infringement over the years and I lost one of those three cases. The one I lost all came down to one word in of the claims of the other company. That word was "arcuate" which was able to go around our patent. Six figures of lawyer fees down the drain.
2023 Ranger 521R DC
Mercury 250 Pro XS 4S
The provisional I believe was filed in August 2019 - https://patents.google.com/patent/US...or=Terry+VanceOriginally Posted by DoctorJJ
Before any company had anything available.
Patents are only worth what someone is willing to pay to protect them.......
Besides you only have to tweak something minor to avoid patent infringement. I would think HB knows how this works since they are a company creating new things, and made a live imaging that appears much different than the other two
Fish have fins, they swim
If it's the same deal I recall. This person had cease and desist orders filed on more than one co.
Even though they were about number 3 to make one.
As a patent attorney, I can say that MakingWaves' above-comment is correct. It will all be based upon claim construction. There's a lot of limitations in the claims of the Terry Vance patent. Those limitations need to be construed (i.e., defined) and then the construed claims need to be compared to the products at issue. There will certainly be a lot to fight about...
Thanks Kevin
2023 Ranger 521R DC
Mercury 250 Pro XS 4S
I heard Terry was looking for a good patent attorney haha
This. Patents are worthless unless you have the money to defend them. A big corporation will just file motion after motion until the little guy can no longer afford to keep fighting.
if I read Terry's patent correctly, it is not automated (no Target Lock). You have 2 buttons to point the sonar where you want. It is not a spotlock like Humminbirds, which allows you to lock on and it automatically stays there using heading data, aka, Target Lock...... I have seen another youtube guy working on Target Lock before Humminbird... Lastly, you can improve on an existing patent if the update is novel and compelling....
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a mounting device for a fish finding apparatus and, more particularly, to a motorized mounting device which includes an adjustable length pole used to mount a sonar transducer or other device an angler may be interested in mounting to the end of the pole that enters the water. The pole is used to spin the transducer or other apparatus in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction with a switch that is adapted to be operated by the angler's foot or a wireless remote. The spin speed may also be adjusted as desired by a variable speed switch. The mounting device is configured to be secured to a boat or mounted on a boat troll motor whereby the adjustable pole is secured and spins independent of the troll motor shaft.
2017 Triton TRX Patriot w/250 ProXS Optimax
I don’t really know the specifics or limitations of an “improvement patent”
Just saw this thread. Correct I filed this in August 2019 and that is the date of my patent. I came up with the design early 2019. No product on the market and my patent attorney did a search and nothing patented.
Reply With Quote