Mag's LED patent application--hot off the press

Includes circut diagram. Interesting how it seems like the Mag-LEDs don't have anything in common with the other recent patents of stuff they haven't sold yet.

Two things that hit me: 1. Doesn't anyone hire patent draftsman anymore? Those drawings blow. 2. That second light with the battery carrier looks neat.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20060039139.pdf

Interesting. . .

My friend's father is a patent draftsman.

Anyone able to tell if thats just a simple boost converter?
Looks horrible on how they use the battery holder (Yuck, a simple spring is enough)

I have not looked at the patents yet but will examine them later. Are they trying to patent the already patented or trying to patent prior art?

They're still using the old tailcaps, that space is of course for the spare bulbs that will die out if these new LEDs work out. Years down the line, some one will ask why it's there with how technology replaces itself so quickly.

Jon, you have to check, the reflector looks like the McGizmo styling(But I'm new to flashaholicism
It looks like a simple circut
Looks like to me

I think the tailcap has something going on. I didn't read through the whole text, but there are additional parts in there.

read thru most of it and cannot find anything remotely patentable. that doesn't have prior art.

if this is verified by others. the patent office needs a little assitance

Someone beat Mag down now. I don't like it when they steal ideas like that

The twisty head looks a *lot* more complicated than it sounds like it should be, if the beam is still focusable. I'm no good with diagrams, I need one in my hands to understand what's going on with the mechanism.

Edit: Whoa, look at page 13... looks like an AA LED Solitaire...

From the text it appears that they're trying to patent every aspect of a flashlight, including reflectors, heatsinks, circuitry, side by side battery carriers, and the concept of throw.

"Okay, your flashlight is now our property, we're taking it and burning it"
Yuck, just read it and check the stuff they say in that.

I am going to try and learn as much as possible about this...and ask my attorney what he thinks....I don't want to make statements before I know what I am talking about...but I want to study this.

Sounds like typical Mag, the crappy drawings are to make the patent as vague as possible so they can maximize the hassle potential for anyone else who dares to make flashlights.

After I do some checking....I will contact the patent office...ask some questions.

Good thing this ones being sunk...
Paul, doesn't that text at the button... Uhh, describe pretty much the basic function of a flashlight? It looks like it to me

Mag has legal clout...Like I said, if this looks like a bad patent..I will try and explain to patent office. If that does not work...I guess explore plan B

legal clout doesnot cannot overcome prior art.

much easier to shoot it down during patent proccess. rather than trying to overcome an existing bad patent.

look at what just happened with RIM VS NTP aka blackberry.

Alright, I think I figured out exactly what the patent is... claiming. A focusable LED flashlight, the specific parabolic reflector's ratios, the circuits they're using, and thermally-aware circuits that adjust output as not to fry the LED. Claim 34 is the most disturbing, as it appears to encompass many lights we know today, and Claim 49 ("thermally compensated" current as mentioned above) sounds like something HDS might especially wish to contest.

At first glance, I'd be most worried about Claim 34. Claim 36 also sounds worrisome.

Most of what sounds like it's describing just about any flashlight is not. The first half of the claims involve a parabolic reflector of certain characteristics and that it is focusable. The other half... well, that seems too general... Basically describing a casing that conducts electricity to circuits and an LED from a power source, ie. batteries.

This patent looks like bad news. I'm going to print it out to get a closer look later.

Ok..I will be calling in the morning to ask questions of the patent office...after I see if I can get my ducks in a row.