The Condensator: Just a PCV Jar?

[SVOboy]

<a href=http://www.condensatorsales.com/html/what_s_a_condensator_.html target=_blank>The Condensator</a>

So my impression of this thing is that it is just a pcv jar that has been manufactered on that large scale. So for 179 bucks then, they of course would be a rip off.

[Flatland2D]

It is just a really expensive PCV jar. Maybe they had a mold made for their design that costs thousands of dollars and that's why they sell them for so much. This is one of the devices I was referencing in my thread about outrageous prices.

I've heard no one has been able to sell PCV jars because this company has threatened legal action (able maybe even followed through with it) against all it's competitors. They claim to have the patent for it so that stops everyone else from even trying. Maybe there is a small change you could make that would allow you to circumvent their patent. Posting free plans online for similar devices does not violate their patent I believe, so go build your own.

And someone, please, tell them how to spell ABSORBENT! It is most unprofessional for a company like this to be misspelling words. It just gets on my nerves when companies can't spell important words in their field of study/sales.

[SVOboy]

That's annoying about their patent. There are lots of different things that do the same thing, I don't really understand why someone like you couldn't patent the one you made.

[Matt Timion]

I've decided that I am going to put together a few PCV catch can kits using the water filters from air tools and sell them on this site. I'll sell for a small markup. All that the kit will include will be the parts and instructions. It will be for people who want to build their own, but are unable to find the parts (or just too lazy to do it).

[SVOboy]

How much are you looking at pricewise?

[Flatland2D]

That's a good idea. I don't think you'll have any problems with it since you're not selling a completed unit. I wonder how far you could go with that idea. Maybe you could even put part of the kit together yourself and let the customer finish it. I wonder if you could even put the whole thing together minus some critical piece that the customer could just slap on that would make it a working PCV jar. That way you're not selling a functional unit. Might want to look into the legality of that if you choose to do so.

[Matt Timion]

I'm sure I could sell completed units and call them "PCV Air Filters" or something like that.

Then again, I could just sell the pieces (three pieces total) and then describe how to put them together.

I don't know how this one guy can have a patent on a PCV Catch Can. There are many racing companies that sell their own version of them.

Anyway, for price I'd probably do something like $40 or something more/less. I could even sell it with a piece of 1/4 inch hose so that the buyer won't have to hack up their existing hose.

[nrgrebel]

A quick search of US patent database shows last patent for the inventor, Elmer W. Bush was granted in 1983. Should have expired by now??? Furthermore one could simply change/improve on it and have a device they could call their own. I'm working a system that is a variation on the condensator, but I've set it so that it runs with a vacuum of 8-10" in the crankcase. This aids ring sealing, oil drainback/control, reduces pumping losses etc much like a pump driven evacuation system would.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by nrgrebel

A quick search of US patent database shows last patent for the inventor, Elmer W. Bush was granted in 1983. Should have expired by now??? Furthermore one could simply change/improve on it and have a device they could call their own. I'm working a system that is a variation on the condensator, but I've set it so that it runs with a vacuum of 8-10" in the crankcase. This aids ring sealing, oil drainback/control, reduces pumping losses etc much like a pump driven evacuation system would.

I'm not certain how long patents are good for, but it may not be expired yet. If your invention is significantly different from the condensator I doubt there would be a violation.

Since you are working on a similar system, let me ask you a simple question. How much different is this sytem from the simple air filter used to seperate oil from the PCV line?

[trk2007]

I thought about this too. But nobody trying to market this would be so stupid, so I looked it up. There are variations of the word. Some people spell it ADSORBANT like the Condensator people, most others, ADSORBENT. So maybe they're not idiots after all. Here's the def from wiki:

Adsorption is a process that occurs when a gas or liquid solute accumulates on the surface of a solid or, more rarely, a liquid (adsorbent), forming a molecular or atomic film (the adsorbate). It is different from absorption, in which a substance diffuses into a liquid or solid to form a solution. The term sorption encompasses both processes, while desorption is the reverse process.

Originally Posted by Flatland2D

It is just a really expensive PCV jar. Maybe they had a mold made for their design that costs thousands of dollars and that's why they sell them for so much. This is one of the devices I was referencing in my thread about outrageous prices.

I've heard no one has been able to sell PCV jars because this company has threatened legal action (able maybe even followed through with it) against all it's competitors. They claim to have the patent for it so that stops everyone else from even trying. Maybe there is a small change you could make that would allow you to circumvent their patent. Posting free plans online for similar devices does not violate their patent I believe, so go build your own.

And someone, please, tell them how to spell ABSORBENT! It is most unprofessional for a company like this to be misspelling words. It just gets on my nerves when companies can't spell important words in their field of study/sales.