Digital BW, The Print

Tyler Boley wrote:
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Ernst Dinkla <edinkla@...> ...
> ...
>   
>> HP either must have that patent or have a license to use more than 2 
>> neutral greys in an inkset, all the Z models and the B9180 + B8850 have 
>> that 4 or 3 neutral grey inks as the spine in the color mode as the only 
>> inks used in a neutral B&W print.
>>
>>     
>
> I don't have a legal understanding of what is patentable or licenseable, but this escapes me completely. Is this possible for a pretty run of the mill idea? Didn't most of us all back in the early days of quads with MIS, Lyson, Sundance, etc all want this? It occurred to me one day back in 1998, do I have some money coming? I don't think anyone working in B&W ink would even feel the need to express such an idea, it's just a given.
> HP got in this game pretty late compared to most of us. They deserve credit for developing it and bringing it to market successfully, but the basic obvious idea is somehow worthy of infringement protection?
> Actually, weren't the NK7s the first multiply density neutral mono inks on the market?
> I have an idea, cars should use less gas. I thought of it a long time ago. Who do I invoice?
> Tyler
> http://www.custom-digital.com/
>   

Sadly, you can't patent an idea. You can patent a thing. So you can't 
patent the idea that cars should get better gas milage. You can however 
patent a thing that causes cars to get better gas milage, like a better 
spark plug, or direct injection. I'm just saying, it takes more to get 
obtain a patent than most people think.

You do raise an interesting point however. One of the criteria for 
awarding a patent is that the thing must be non-obvious. Clearly, that's 
not the case with multiple shades of black ink. And it's been done for a 
long time (duo-tone and tri-tone offset printing), so the technique 
isn't even new, which invalidates another of the criteria.

But... once a patent is awarded, you'll play hell (and spend some money) 
trying to get it invalidated. And you might be successful, but will you 
be successful before the patent's 20 years runs out on it's own?

Just something to think about...
--
Bruce Watson