ProVape develops their own chips...
My guess is ProVape has done it differently than EVOLV, so there won't be a patent issue...
My guess is ProVape has done it differently than EVOLV, so there won't be a patent issue...
Need help from former MFS (MyFreedomSmokes) customers
Has any found a supplier or company that has tobacco e-juice like or very similar to MFS Turbosmog, Tall Paul, or Red Luck?
ProVape develops their own chips...
My guess is ProVape has done it differently than EVOLV, so there won't be a patent issue...
This is such an interesting conversation! Good for evolv - that's my thought... I could be wrong, but if it wasn't for them I'd be vaping on VV rather than VW right now. I am not a patent expert, far from it, but from what I remember of my business law class I took in college 20 years ago (ok, I don't actually remember anything from that class), a patent holder is due compensation if someone uses it, and it seems a whole bunch of folks have profited from evolv's innovation/invention over the past couple years. I hope they get what they're due.
ProVape finally enters the variable wattage market with the ProVari 3 only to have Evolv standing there with a patent....Talk about irony.
I agree, there are several attys and mods currently on the market that work very well, however most of them use some design or concept that would have been patented if patents were wide spread in e-cigs. Look at the carto, if the original maker patented that design, how many items today might not have ever been made, and how many of those new item lead to other changes? I also don't think the patent for VW is just as their chip does not actually control wattage, it controls voltage to give you a wattage close to that which you want. For instance, take a 1.8ohm coil. You want 14.3 watts, ever notice the voltage stays the same at 5VDC from 13.9watts to 14.4watts. To say you actually control wattage you would need a more accurate delivery of voltage beyond 0.1. This is why VW power supplies are so costly, some control voltage down to 0.0001 volts. Evolve is simply displaying an approximate wattage based on voltage and resistance.... not truly controlling it.
I for one will not be buying an Evolve anything from this day forward. Just saying.
China is perfectly capable of producing non-infringing products in the value range. The thing is they are adding artificial value to their products right now by infringing on patents and trademarks. That doesn't help anyone other than the infringers, and actively hurts innovators.
Because they patented something they invented?I for one will not be buying an Evolve anything from this day forward. Just saying.
They could be using the same Evolv chip Innokin is.
Because they patented something they invented?
It would take a court of law to be certain, but I don't think the patent as it is written covers PWM.I can't see that patent covering DC-AC mods, though.
I was thinking about the Dicodes board, which does DC-AC.It would take a court of law to be certain, but I don't think the patent as it is written covers PWM.
It certainly does not cover controlling the power by measuring coil temperature. (But Evolv probably have that patent too.)
So there are a couple of ways to work around. But I don't see anything that makes me believe that Evolv are going to be blocking any company that wants to enter the space. They will just ask for a reasonable royalty, which are generally single figure percentages of price. It will add less than ten dollars to your mod.
Interesting. I've not come across that one before.I was thinking about the Dicodes board, which does DC-AC.
It's variable wattage (power), just variable average power. I think that counts within the meaning of the patent. However it does not output an adjusted voltage, it outputs a switched voltage. I wouldn't like to second guess a patent lawyer or court on any of this. The truth may well depend on how much money is available to pay lawyers and expert witnesses.You think you are right about PWM, as that basically is neither variabel voltage nor variabel wattage. It's just a signal that goes on and off.
It would take a court of law to be certain, but I don't think the patent as it is written covers PWM.
It certainly does not cover controlling the power by measuring coil temperature. (But Evolv probably have that patent too.)
So there are a couple of ways to work around. But I don't see anything that makes me believe that Evolv are going to be blocking any company that wants to enter the space. They will just ask for a reasonable royalty, which are generally single figure percentages of price. It will add less than ten dollars to your mod.
ETA: It strikes me that you could also measure current and voltage, calculate the power from that and control for it directly without having the concept of resistance in your calculation. However a good expert witness would point out that is a difference without a difference, and your mod could probably not display resistance and still stay safe.
I can't see that patent covering DC-AC mods, though.
You are correct. It even explicitly suggests PWM and controlling current instead of voltage. I could argue that PWM is not claimed, but it is certainly described. The patent pretty much covers all VW unless you use gas, and I'm not sure about that. ;-)The patent does not specify resistance, so anything that it actively measures to calculate power counts. Evolv boards actually do measure current to determine resistance.
It covers the method of power control, so DC or AC is irrelevant. If it's not using the method, then it's not infringing.
P.S. PWM sucks, we all know it. That ship has sailed already.
Is there a patent lawyer in the house. Evolv did what they thought was right and since they are a made in the USA company I'm all for them stopping others from cloning their boards. My are we now against USA made products??