[SEL] PATENTS - New Online Resource - YOUR help is needed

[Rob Skinner]

As a result of the recent discussion started by Jeff Allen, several folks
decided that the engine community needs a searchable index of engine patents.
It was decided to create a web page where you could search for an inventor, a
device, a manufacturer or a patent date.  
 
Gone will be the days of searching patents one at a time, for hours on end, just
to find one patent.  Yes, it's a lofty goal and the list may not be complete in
our lifetimes, but someone has to start sometime.  Now is the time.  
 
We started yesterday and have the basic layout finished.  You can visit the web
page here:
http://patents.rustyiron.com or http://www.rustyiron.com/patents/index.html
 
Please check it out.  At the bottom are our goals and the steps we will take to
achieve them.  Notice that we are currently using Hiscox's book so we can
quickly make a large number of patents available.  This is the book that Jeff is
currently scanning.  
 
Hiscox has twenty seven pages of patent numbers, two columns per page, about
forty numbers per column.  That's a LOT of patents for a couple folks to search.
I estimate that it takes about an hour and a half to compile data for one
column.  If we can get about 50 volunteers willing to spend an hour or two
looking at old engine patents, we can complete this phase rather quickly.  
 
The data that we need from each of the engine patents is:
Patent Number
Inventor
Invention
Manufacturer (if known)
Date patent was issued
 
If you'd like to help in the creation of this resource, we would certainly
appreciate the assistance.  First, make sure you can view patents online by
browsing our web page a little bit.  If you decide that you'd like to assist,
please email me directly at mailto:rskinner at rustyiron.com   Let me know whether
you want one or two columns worth of numbers to research.  
 
Thanks.
 
=-=-=-=-=-=
Rob Skinner
La Habra, California
mailto:rskinner at rustyiron.com
http://www.rustyiron.com