The Man That Invented E-Cigs...

[Arkayne]

I'm quite surprised at all the confusion surrounding this issue. Clearly Herbert A. Gilbert filed a patent for a non-combustion based alternative to smoking back in 1963. It clearly never caught on, which could have been for any number of reasons. I remember batteries sucking when I was a kid, let alone 20 years before that! I also don't think there would have been much call for a smoking alternative back in 1963. Hon Lik is clearly not the inventor of the concept of the e-cig, but every commercially available e-cig on the market today is based on his product vision. Apple didn't invent the concept of the GUI interface (neither did the Xerox PARC people) but they do deserve credit for bringing it to the masses, just as Hon Lik should. I think calling him the "father" of the e-cig is certainly justified. This happens all the time. In the future, who should get credit for all the ideas we know now, but to which we don't have access? Flying cars and FTL travel? The visionary who first thought it up or the people who actually put it in our hands?

 

[Sludge Van Diesel]

That's a very good point

 

[aspen]

Hon-Lik bought the idea from a chinese citizen/worker who thought of the process and sold it to him. Hon-Lik had the funds to bring it to the market.

 

[Thornak]

I find it hysterical that, though it was patented in the US almost half a century before Hon Lik started to "develop" and "market" them, he is being called the "inventor" of them.

He is not an inventor. He did not invent them. He may have innovated, developed, and marketed. But these were clearly not his original idea.

He may have just as well been searching the USPTO and found the old patent, long since expired. He could have easily put the pieces together himself in his head and said "Eureka" all on his own. In any case, however he came about it...he certainly wasn't the first and should not get credit for such. Credit for bringing them to light? Sure.

Just because you come up with a better way to use a wheel, doesn't mean you invented the wheel.

Hon Lik=innovator...NOT INVENTOR OF THE E-CIG

Just like Bill Gates didn't invent dos or windows either. He bought dos from some guy for $30,000 and then sold it to ibm for zillions. Before he even paid the guy for it.

 

[Thornak]

I'm quite surprised at all the confusion surrounding this issue. Clearly Herbert A. Gilbert filed a patent for a non-combustion based alternative to smoking back in 1963. It clearly never caught on, which could have been for any number of reasons. I remember batteries sucking when I was a kid, let alone 20 years before that! I also don't think there would have been much call for a smoking alternative back in 1963. Hon Lik is clearly not the inventor of the concept of the e-cig, but every commercially available e-cig on the market today is based on his product vision. Apple didn't invent the concept of the GUI interface (neither did the Xerox PARC people) but they do deserve credit for bringing it to the masses, just as Hon Lik should. I think calling him the "father" of the e-cig is certainly justified. This happens all the time. In the future, who should get credit for all the ideas we know now, but to which we don't have access? Flying cars and FTL travel? The visionary who first thought it up or the people who actually put it in our hands?

This only opens the door for big companies with lots of money to steal ideas from small inventors.
The ford motor company rejected a prototype for a variable speed windshield wiper from a small inventor. Then they turned around and manufactured it themselves and gave him no credit.
They delivered it to the masses and "put it in our hands" but they had no right to.

 

[googled]

"What is taken in is moist, heated, flavored air that retains the physical action". Would that 'air' even be capable of holding nicotine? The document also states the lack of nicotine as being of the 'benefits'. If not then you could claim the guy who invented the kettle as the inventor of PV's. I'm sure George Stephenson would like his royalties .

 

[Denni]

That black sheep exchange just served as a reminder why I don't hang out on this forum any more...

Interesting info otherwise

 

[Arkayne]

This only opens the door for big companies with lots of money to steal ideas from small inventors.
The ford motor company rejected a prototype for a variable speed windshield wiper from a small inventor. Then they turned around and manufactured it themselves and gave him no credit.
They delivered it to the masses and "put it in our hands" but they had no right to.

I think that was a rather different case. Also, patents aren't good forever (or shouldn't be at least). And we need to consider the difference between "concept" and "design". If someone is granted a patent that prevents anyone else from adding to or improving on, their design forever, we'd have no innovation. There would only be one car company, one tire company, one software company...etc.

 

[southjerseydeedee]

Go to Wikipedia and search Hon Lik for information on patents, law suits, copy cats and much, much more on the development and manjufacturing of the original electronic cigarette.

I have also read only once that this was conceived in the 1960's by another person, but have not looked into that.

 

[VapingRulz]

This only opens the door for big companies with lots of money to steal ideas from small inventors.
The ford motor company rejected a prototype for a variable speed windshield wiper from a small inventor. Then they turned around and manufactured it themselves and gave him no credit.
They delivered it to the masses and "put it in our hands" but they had no right to.

Big companies with lots of money have been stealing ideas from small inventors for a helluva long time. That door has been wide open for centuries. It's not morally right, but it's true.

If the idea of a battery-operated e-cig was sitting around for 40+ years without anyone actually doing anything with it because the technology hadn't caught up with the idea yet, I think it's fair to give the credit to the person who actually put a much-improved version of that product into the hands of consumers.

We should just give them all team credit.

 

[Bogalu]

I find it hysterical that, though it was patented in the US almost half a century before Hon Lik started to "develop" and "market" them, he is being called the "inventor" of them.

He is not an inventor. He did not invent them. He may have innovated, developed, and marketed. But these were clearly not his original idea.

He may have just as well been searching the USPTO and found the old patent, long since expired. He could have easily put the pieces together himself in his head and said "Eureka" all on his own. In any case, however he came about it...he certainly wasn't the first and should not get credit for such. Credit for bringing them to light? Sure.

Just because you come up with a better way to use a wheel, doesn't mean you invented the wheel.

Hon Lik=innovator...NOT INVENTOR OF THE E-CIG

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE! This mand deserves a medal for what he has done. Plus did you look at that device? It wasn't an alternative to smoking, it was a HUGE personal Vaporizer more guided towards SMOKELESS flavorings and health and or Hospital use.

Hon brought not only the device into a small form but developed everything from tiny batteries to applicable attys and cartriges and not to mention flavorings for those cartridges. This man did EVERYTHING for this device to make it marketable and adaptable in todays culture. If you cant appreciate what he has done for us then you should go head and buy yourself that giant decrepit dinosaur of vaporizer from that article and haul that thing around on a trailer cause it looks too heavy to carry. lol

 

[jdg]

It looks more like it would fit on a little trailer... like a cart for an oxygen tank, or something.
Free, open source idea: suspend nicotine in a gas and bottle it in tanks the size of supplemental oxygen tanks. Depending on a person's breathing habits, it could last for days. As far as I know, those things don't take batteries, so you'll never plug it into the wall again--constant breathing. But the best part is that no one will ever give you that are-you-doing-drugs look again. They'll just think you're an early victim of smoking.

 

[BuzzKill]

Man the depth of knowledge here is AMAZING !!,

Mr H.A. Gilberts patent was good for approx. 17 yrs ( these terms have changed over time I think they were 20 yrs back then ) this would make it good until Aug. 1985 . IF he PAID his maintainance fees ??

Hon Liks patent AN AEROSOL ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE, an EP application (EP20050729107) from December 2006.
Has MANY differences compared to the HA Gilbert patent it was also issued in the EU !! , AN AEROSOL ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE - Patent Application EP1736065
this has many implications , international patent treaties to name 1 , as far as Hon Lik inventing THE electronic Cig , not as it was but as it is ( including Atomizer , small form factor batteries , automatic battery etc. ) he did , although after Mr Gilberts patent died it became Public Domain in the USA but NOT in the EU ( never patented there ! )

To touch on invention Vs. Innovation , there is a very good definition of Invention on the USPTO web site ( Patent Office site ) I cant find it right now , I;ll look for it

LAter

PS: It is important to note that the INVENTOR listed on a patent is not the OWNER of the patent !! they are separate things

If you want to read the original go here http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1736065A1.pdf

 

[wagwheel]

Who ever he is he should go down in history with the man who invented the automobile, Henry Ford. Great invention.

 

[BuzzKill]

Actually it was KARL BENZ , HF made them affordable LMFAO !

 

[Scottbee]

To follow the logic that some people try to present here.. da Vinci should be given credit for inventing the airplane.

 

[Sludge Van Diesel]

To follow the logic that some people try to present here.. da Vinci should be given credit for inventing the airplane.

Helicopter

 

[Scottbee]

Helicopter

Yeah.. that too!

 

[BuzzKill]

Who said LOGIC was needed ??
Nope he invented painting and sculpting , and the cell phone and !!!

MAn this place is worse than gear slutz ( you would have to be there )

 

[Sludge Van Diesel]