[Nathanael Jones]

It is unfortunate that original ideas are pirated and for that reason we spent many thousands of pounds with patent attorneys and specialist organisations to protect our original and unique concept.

I feel I should remind everyone as I have personally done to Alex that
any copy of our system will be theft of our intelectual property and may if necesary result in legal action.

It is a shame that I have to post this but theft of my patents is no different from a bogus window cleaner knocking on your customers doors and collecting money for the work you have done.

No offense Glyn, but there are loads of different gutter vac's on the market, and have been for some time. The Omnipole one is one of the more recent additions as far as I know. Having seen pictures of the Omnipole machine,.. although I agree the principle of "vacuum sucks dirt" is the same,... nothing else is. 
Your post above seems very heavy handed, and a complete over reaction,... have you perhaps been taking lessons from Ionics PR (We'll sue you if you even utter the words "reach and wash") department???

I honestly think you owe Mr H an apology!

[[GQC] Tim]

lol 'Vacuum sucks dirt' patent owned by Omnipole.

[jeff1]

lol 'Vacuum sucks dirt' patent owned by Omnipole.

Do you have the link for that GQC???

[jouk45]

if the vac that Glyn has patented, is a big improvement over other vacuums then he can obtain a patent on it, all vacs look similar outside,  its the workings inside that counts, take alexs superlite, it looks like a pole like hundreds of others, but the makeup is  what separates's it, unique from the rest, in reality a company cannot afford to chase everyone up that diys a similar product for their own private use, but if you start to sell it then its a different story, to be honest i know inventors who have had their patented inventions produce under there nose, knowing they cant take them to court because they would not win, theres a guy on here who invented the windup torch, believe it or not, you all know him,  i cant say who. the company stole it from him 

[jeff1]

Joe does this mean I can build my own gutter vac without fear of being prosecuted?

And thank you Joe, You know what for

I have just spent the past half hour doing a patent search and I can't find it, can anyone help??

[Captain Scarlet]

So Jeff, you built the wind up torch........?

[jouk45]

basically yes, if it is all totally different parts you can, but it can not  be identical  to Glyn's, i would say to patent a gutter vac, you would need to have multiple patents on it, the workings, the design, and the hose function, the safest way for anyone to protect their product is to display their patent number, this way you can view it, to make sure your not copying Glyn's gutter vac

[matt]

but joe, its a vaccum attached to a hose to a length of pipe

will "hoover" be onto dyson for using the idea of a vaccum cleaner to suck up dirt

i cannot see it really and as its been said above, just looks like glyn is trying to " flex some muscle" and scare a few on a forum into not building a gutter vaccum cleaner  a bit sad really

[jeff1]

In My workshop I have a wet'n'dry' vacuum and it came supplied with a 20' long hose, to allow me to attach it to different tools in the workshop, has this German company broken any laws, I very much doubt it.

So I can't stick it on a pole and suck the crap from any gutters :

[jouk45]

matt, dysons was unique, he invented the bagless vac, you see where i am coming from, to get a patent it must funtion difrently from the others, to get a real patent now, it must be new, not be common knowlege to the ordinary punter 

[jeff1]

I Just looked on Glyns site and the patent is still pending, I can also see why glyn may haved jumped in, the bracket that is shown on the DIY version looks very similar to Glyns.

 http://www.omnipole.com/OmniVac%20and%20OmniCam.htm  scroll down and enlarge the view.

[Old_Master]

I of course would not be jumping on this if others had been using the system for years and  then I had simply copied them and adapted the system and then applied for patents.
I invented the concept of cleaning gutters using a vacuum system in 2001 and am protected within the EC with this regard, I am also protected by filed patents on several of the componants If I was foolish enouth to divulge what the protection covered I would be nulifying the applications.

Ionics system is completly different to our system firstly being engine powered, and imported from the USA

I cannot understand why some on this forum complain when a new window cleaner to your area somehow gets a job from you but you cannot see that copying the concept of my system is the exactly same.

[TennetClean]

whats the patent number?  I'm interested to know

[jeff1]

Glyn I'm a bit dumb here, are you saying no one can make a gutter vac of there own and use it for there business, I have a mate who's been useing his for years and I want to build my own, so can I or not???

[jouk45]

the only part i see that is very similar to glyns is the pic in the diy insructions in the pic, the bent hose with the adjustable clamps, then fair play  glyn, i cant image your refering to anyone buying a strong vac from another manufacturer, and adding their own pole to make a diy system, its to common knowlege to get a patent,

[Old_Master]

Jeff
What I am saying is it is certainly unethical and maybe illegal (which I will now need to check on) to  give  details of how to deprive me and my staff of a living for which I paid the legal system handsomly to protect.

I cannot see how it would be any different if I was to get details of some members rounds and how much they charged each customer and post it on forums encoraging  others to canvess their work.
Perhaps someone could explain why this would be wrong but pirating my equipment is fine to do because it saves some forum members a few pounds, attempting to copy my system.

Alex Gardener informed me that he had recently taken legal action to protect some of his items!

[Old_Master]

No offense Glyn, but there are loads of different gutter vac's on the market, and have been for some time. The Omnipole one is one of the more recent additions as far as I know. Having seen pictures of the Omnipole machine,.. although I agree the principle of "vacuum sucks dirt" is the same,... nothing else is. 
Your post above seems very heavy handed, and a complete over reaction,... have you perhaps been taking lessons from Ionics PR (We'll sue you if you even utter the words "reach and wash") department???

I honestly think you owe Mr H an apology!

You are obviously joking - perhaps you would be happy if a team of window cleaners came to your jobs with knowledge of your operation and undercut you - would you appoligise to them or would that somehow be different because it was you, whos living they were attempting to affect.

[jeff1]

Jeff
What I am saying is it is certainly unethical and maybe illegal (which I will now need to check on) to  give  details of how to deprive me and my staff of a living for which I paid the legal system handsomly to protect.

I cannot see how it would be any different if I was to get details of some members rounds and how much they charged each customer and post it on forums encoraging  others to canvess their work.
Perhaps someone could explain why this would be wrong but pirating my equipment is fine to do because it saves some forum members a few pounds, attempting to copy my system.

Alex Gardener informed me that he had recently taken legal action to protect some of his items!

Doing a search on Google has told me, that your idea is not new and not yours, it also includes the gutter cctv.
below is the link of many I found claiming the same thing.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=IYsmAAAAEBAJ&dq=Gutter+Vacuum its been out for years.

Are you saying that a mate of mine who has used his system for years (with proof) is now breaking copyright laws.

If you are also saying that I can't build my own system from parts source' d from different out-lets, then I will lodge an appeal at the patent office and post it on all the forums and get members to also lodge an appeal to have your patent stopped.

I'm getting sick to my back teeth with the larger companies trying to monopolies our industry and stop the smaller guys trying to make a living by building a DIY System, by putting patents on products that have been available for years, and others putting copyrights on words.

By all means sell your systems I can't fault them, but trying to stop the small fish building there own,and making a living in my mind is crazy, I could understand if they were selling them.

If some one pinches my Jobs, I don't make a song and dance about it, I normally put it down to experience, done that for years and got used to it.

[Old_Master]

Jeff
I think you find that you have posted a list of US patents.

I'm getting sick to my back teeth with the larger companies trying to monopolies our industry and stop the smaller guys trying to make a living by building a DIY System

Come up with new ideas then instead of just copying others labours.
Why should anyone spend thousands of pounds developing an idea to then have people blatently copying it.

Easy as this I wont bother thinking of any new ideas for the window cleaning industry -
so what you will probably say- but if you think back you probably wouldnt be using any trolleys, backpacks, split chargers, baffled tanks, independant power supplies, Vikan brushes, and the GutterVac all of which we invented or developed years before the competition.

[jeff1]

Jeff
I think you find that you have posted a list of US patents.

I'm getting sick to my back teeth with the larger companies trying to monopolies our industry and stop the smaller guys trying to make a living by building a DIY System

Come up with new ideas then instead of just copying others labours.
Why should anyone spend thousands of pounds developing an idea to then have people blatently copying it.

Easy as this I wont bother thinking of any new ideas for the window cleaning industry -
so what you will probably say- but if you think back you probably wouldnt be using any trolleys, backpacks, split chargers, baffled tanks, independant power supplies, Vikan brushes, and the GutterVac all of which we invented or developed years before the competition.

Your right it is a US link, I was refering to the idea of the gutter vac and not the country.

How can a VAC with a longer hose be a new idea, they have been out for years, your idea of sticking it on a pole is not new and not yours and yet you are trying to patent it here in the UK? Same as the cctv system idea, I was useing that over 15 years ago so thats not new, I even have photo's of me useing a cctv on a pole that are 15 years old, they may not have been as small as they are today, but were talking ideas here and not inventions.

All your above list is true they have all been out for years, and they are only idea's adapted for our industry not new inventions.
If it was a new invention then yes by all means copyright & protect it, I have already come up with my own idea for the hook of the guttering and one that is much more stable than the one you have and able to take a variity of adaptors. I've been comeing up with idea's for years.
I wonder how long it will be before someone copyrights window cleaning and stops us all doing it.

You still haven't answered the questions on people building there own systems and people who have used this idea for years, if you want the proof I would be happy to get it for you.

I would be happy to continue this via email rather than an open forum if you wish?