Wapin bridge patent

[Richard Oliver Snelson]

I think the $325 fee is paid for each installation. To get all the
information on how to do the bridge cost nothing. You must sign a
disclosure argeement. They will provide a CD with photos and
instructions for $20. That is refunded with the first installation. I'm
not an expert on this so hopefully someone else will jump in here. Rich

Robert Scott wrote:
> 
> Carl Meyer asked:
> 
>  >>>>
> When I first heard about Wapin, my first reaction was. $325 to teach me how
> to drill a straight hole?  And I have to agree not to tell anybody else?  I
> remember Baldwin (a privately owned company) offering to let techs use their
> two patents (plate mounting and accujust hitch pins) for free.  Now here is
> the U of Cincinnati ( a publicly funded organization) wanting to profit on a
> patent.
> <<<<
> 
> The whole purpose of a patent is to reward inventors for disclosing
> the details that they might otherwise choose to keep secret.  If you want
> to see the information in the patent, go to
> 
> http://164.195.100.11/netahtml/srchnum.htm
> 
> and enter patent number 6,100,457 for the Wapin patent.
> 
> I'm not sure of the details of the agreement, but isn't it true that if
> you pay the one-time fee of $325 you get unlimited license to perform
> as many Wapin installations as you wish?  (Plus you get the training,
> which is worth something too.)  If this is indeed the case then the
> arrangement sounds quite fair to me.  Many patent licenses include a
> royalty for each individual use.
> 
> -Robert Scott
>   Detroit-Windsor Chapter