![]() He is part of a team of inventors on patent number 6556020. ![]() McCabe said he’s particularly proud of research into the batteries that power Raymond’s forklifts. Engineers are encouraged to write down ideas they think might be new or, even if doesn’t seem novel, that might solve a problem no one has solved. Among research and development engineers, inventing is a job expectation. ![]() has been getting patents at the rate of one every two months. “But what good is it if you have a pallet that only you can use or only a couple of companies can use? So we had to give it away to sort of kick-start the industry.” Expected to invent Maybe the railroad track was one of them,” Medwin said. "It was probably the earliest open standard in industry. Without it, customers may have never settled on a size, and the forklift industry might not have developed. It’s a pallet in dimensions that became standard throughout the materials-handling industry. The patent is for a wooden platform for holding loads that can be moved. The shrine illustrates the dilemma and potential of asking the government to protect intellectual property. But the cost is you have to share in a lot of detail.”Īt Raymond headquarters in Greene, the company hall of fame includes a copy of the first patent certificate granted the company in 1939. “There’s huge potential financial awards you have at the end of this process if you come up with a patent. “It’s sort of a bargain with the devil,” Medwin said. The drawback is an inventor has to tell the world how it’s done. Whether in academia or industry, however, not all research leads to a patent.Īs Medwin explained, the advantage of getting a patent is you have a monopoly on using the invention. The university was issued 22 patents in 2014-15 and has earned about $500,000 in royalties. Generally, inventors get 40 percent, and the rest is spread between the department and the university’s research office. A university-wide policy governs royalties from research. "When you really get serious, you want to get a good IP (intellectual property) attorney, and that’s where a lot of your expense comes in.”Īlso assigned many patents is Binghamton University, through the SUNY Research Foundation. Provisional patents aren't published, so it doesn’t increase the risk of helping someone steal an idea. Gulick said a provisional patent can be sought for as little as about $250 that offers protection for one year and allows an inventor to test marketability and viability. “Competitors are very cutthroat and look for ways to undermine you with either price or a lesser-quality product while providing the same type of solution,” he said. So far, Scorpion hasn’t had to bring a patent-infringement case, but the company is aware some in the industry might try to piggyback on its ideas. It costs “in the high five figures” to get a patent, but it’s worth it, he said. Further innovations included the capability to charge devices as well, and then for charging various devices with different voltage demands. It took seven years and was costly, but subsequent patents on modifications to the core idea were quicker and easier, he said. Scorpion first filed for a patent in 2008. Seven were newly inducted.ĬEO Pete Gulick describes the protection to the company’s intellectual property as crucial. The Raymond Inventors Club has 44 members, retirees and employees awarded patents. “We don’t often do parties in engineering, but we think this is really good occasion to celebrate,” said Steve Medwin, Raymond’s director of research and new business development. The company, which makes forklift trucks and related software and systems, holds such a recognition event every few years to honor the work that goes into the company being awarded 196 patents since its founding in 1926. ![]() in Greene honored this week for the 32 patents awarded since 2012 by the U.S. McCabe is among the 19 company inventors Raymond Corp. "It’s trying to do something to help the company." But don’t expect him to brag about it at cocktail parties. It helps him track the length of the American patenting process and how it evolves. 8515629 regards an electronic communication system for forklift trucks. patent 6556020 involves battery-power measurement, or that No. He might mention the spreadsheet he keeps, the one that helps him recall that U.S. Oh, if he’s visiting a college or school promoting engineering as a career or science education, he might talk it up if the kids ask. He’s listed as the inventor on more than a dozen patents, but don’t expect Paul McCabe to bring them up in a social setting.
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