Reply to "Electronic Paddle Shifting ZF 5 & 6 Speeds"

Years ago I was thinking of becoming a patent attorney, so I went to the university library and started reading some patents. I found myself reading patents having to do with cars and engines. They really explained the theory of operation clearly and had schematics and diagrams that laid things out in a very easy to understand format. Then I started thinking 'this would be the way to do it. Watch patents that were just expiring, then there's no patent protection and the market is wide open for competition. This would be the beginning of business opportunities. Corporations must be thinking like this too.'

Patents are written, then a little time goes by, then products appear. Then more time goes by and patent licensing begins and more applications appear with products from different companies being offered.

This paddle shifting stroy should probably begin with the patent. Just lay it out, give the credit and date for the patent. The wise reader says 'that means this patent expires on this date, 20 years later' and starts thinking about his plan. Sound exploitive, but that's the way it is. It's not exploitive to haul your chips off the table when you win, it's just the rules of play.

Maybe I need to spend a few hours in the library again, locate the electronic shifting transmission patent, and start the story there....

Maybe the patent has already expired.

I was watching the Barrett-Jackson Auction and one of the 'rods had a 'typewriter' push-button gear selector mounted on the dashboard. I remember those push-button transmission gear selectors on dashboards of some factory cars in the 50's or 60's. Maybe the patent is already expired and the doors are wide open! That would be the easiest way to figure out how these electronic 'paddle shifting' transmissions work, and explain it to the readers, who, if they are like me, are interested to know more about this topic.

Hey Lloyd, sorry to use your Forum to be thinking out loud. Please bear with me, we may be onto something here. Just need to think a little more clearly and in a structured kind of way to get to the result.... Ron