I’d like some opinions on this patent application. It involves a device with claims to power a small home. I have some idea of what it claims to do; but want some (straight dope style) “expert” opinion on its validity
patent
<after a cursory review>
Seems to be a multi-function power system based on a battery storage. The battery can be recharged from multiple sources, and maybe it’s claiming to have a mechanical input for wind generation. It also includes AC and DC motors that provide mechanical output, which doesn’t seem all that generally useful. It’s not clear how it all works, but it sounds like all power sources are used to charge the battery which then provides AC or DC. Perhaps more detail would reveal something more efficient than that. It appears that the only novelty is packing all that functionality into a single box.
Sort of a 19th century “farm engine” updated to use batteries charged from solar, wind, whatever and then have “power takeoffs” to do domestic chores?
(Anyone ever seen an old factory powered by common shaft systems driven by a single engine?)
I visited an old mill once where they ran everything off a single water wheel in the river nearby. That was pretty cool.
A patent on a system consisting of battery that can be charged from various sources and provide power in various forms (AC & DC current, mechanical motion).
Every aspect of this has been in use for many decades. How can this hope to withstand a challenge based on prior art?
The combination of the features may be unique. But that then would limit the protection offered by the patent, making it a design patent perhaps. He does claim that it is portable, perhaps that qualifies. If he made any specific claims of novelty I didn’t notice them.
The intent, I believe is to take part of the power from the battery, run it through a motor and generator to recharge the battery. The other part goes through an inverter to power the house. The solar panel is to replenish the losses in the system due to inefficiencies in the motor, generator, etc.
Somehow the claim is that you don’t need a pile of solar panels to run the house, just a smaller number to keep the battery charged.
If that is how I understand it; I don’t follow how the power used by the house gets replenished.
I did sort of get an impression he was trying to use the battery to power a generator to charge the battery, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was using outside power sources to drive the generator. If not, maybe that’s what’s unique about the product, that it actually drains the battery trying to keep it charged. That might fail the utility requirement of the patent though unless it’s just a big fancy battery discharging unit.
Ah. It’s the motor-generator again. So soon…
i think so…that’s one thing I wanted to check here…is that what it looks like?
A method for providing access to electrical power and mechanical energy in from stored and renewable sources, comprising the steps of:
providing a portable power station having access to a device having stored DC electrical energy and a device adapted to generate electricity from a renewable source
BIG BATTERY
supplying said stored DC electrical energy to a device which converts DC electrical energy to mechanical energy
BIG BATTERY DRIVES ELECTRIC MOTOR
supplying said stored DC electrical energy to a user output accessible from the exterior of said portable power station
BIG BATTERY PROVIDES ELECTRICITY
supplying mechanical energy to a device which converts mechanical energy to electrical energy
WINDMILL TURNS ELECTRICAL GENERATOR
supplying said mechanical energy to a user output accessible from the exterior of said portable power station
WINDMILL TURNS SPINNY THING SO YOU CAN… SHARPEN PENCILS?
supplying electrical energy from said device which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy to said device having stored DC electrical energy
WINDMILL TURNS ELECTRICAL GENERATOR TO CHARGE BIG BATTERY
supplying electrical energy from said device adapted to generate electricity from a renewable source to said device having stored DC electrical energy
SOLAR CELLS CHARGE BIG BATTERY
just so I can have more info. For an AC system, if you put 120 volts (relative to ground) into an appliance, the voltage drops which allows is directly related to the work of the appliance.
So does that mean the AC current coming out of the appliance is less than 120 volts (relative to ground)?