Smart Parts does it again...

[daveymag]

They aren't suing them for using an LCD, they are suing them for something regarding it being controlled by the solenoid, and stuff. Not 100 percent sure on the details, but it isn't on the lcd since no smart parts gun has ever had an lcd.

[IAMJaws]

maybe it's over Andgel A.I.R. I wouldn't be suprised by that,unless they caught wind of somthing else. But the solenoid thing is stupid.

[FeuerFri]

it has to do with ICD paintball company. the markers they make aparenlty operate in the same way the sp markers do, which a buncha bs if you ask me, i am almost embaressed to love my impy now if they are realy doing this. and it is even dumber they waited until now to even propose the the thought of this.

[CpSuPeRkId]

i hate sp soo bad its not even funny. i left impulses and went ir3 because impulses can act funny for no reason and Sp can give a damn(pardon my french) about you. their manual directly says that defects in material are covered by warranty. well their ball detents suck incredibly bad and are made of the crappiest Al ever. you tighten the suckers a lil bit more then snug and WHOOPS. i called them up and they told me that its my fault bla bla bla. they claim they patent everything on the planet. and now they try and sue for other companies using solenoids??? thats complete BS. just cuz they claim they invented it with the shocker doesnt mean nobody else can use it. same thing with bill gates. he got sued because everyone had to use his OS. same will happen to SP if they try and sue. they will get sued for a monopoly. whats next? are they going to sue aci for their PHAT barrel system??(sleeve design like freak)by the way i hate their freak barrel. its only good cuz its got 8 bore sizes. ever look down the front of the barrel when you have it torwards the light???(off gun of course)the sleeve is like completely off center. its made terribly. everything they make or advertise is to suck money out of your pocket by gimmics and claiming patents on everything out there. max flos are the only decent thing ive seen out of smart parts. some people have issues with them but they are still good regs. but still SP sucks. now after i got all that beef w/ SP off my chest, lets just pray that WDP stays in business to provide us with guns like mine!!!!! down with SP!!!!! boycott til they beg for mercy!!!!!

[cledford]

I'm guessing the issue would cover any gun that uses a 'noid to operate a ram that controlled flow of air to fire the ball.

I've got a shocker and (embarassingly enough) don't even know how it actually fires. I didn't think a ram was used to knock open a valve tho - and that is the way the Angel, Timmy, and Viking shoot.

-Calvin

[cledford]

Found a link to an animated GIF that shows the Shocker operation. Looks a pretty complicated...

http://www.hypersportworks.com/ShockerworkA.gif

-Calvin

[paintball8869]

Just got a slight problem with their patent. If i'm reading it correctly (which i might not be because it's almost midnight here) it seems to only be talking about the closed bolt Shocker. Now if that is true, they can't sue the people who make open bolt style markers, because they have only patented the operation and design of the closed bolt electro (shocker).

Any patent lawyers out there?

[cledford]

Direct link to patent:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,474,326.WKU.&OS=PN/6,474,326&RS=PN/6,474,326

[MinimagRockin']

Originally posted by cledford
could this be the end for non SP electro markers?

Lets no speculate here to much, I'd like to hear from anyone who might have real facts - I'm still wondering if these suits aren't "urban legend."

-Calvin

Hehe lets not speculate too much now...

[cledford]

Originally posted by MinimagRockin'


Hehe lets not speculate too much now...

You got me :)

[Vendetta]

The Pantent look pretty broad to me. If SP wins, it won't be the end of electro-guns, but those other manufactures will probably will have to pay some sort of fee.

Lets all go back to pumps, we would all be so much happier anyway

[ogre55]

I know very little about Federal Law and even less about patent law. I do know that every cause of action under the sun have statutes of limitation that state that after a certain time (depending on the cause of action) an action can no longer be started.

Two questions. 1) What is the statute of limitations? The Angel LCD has been around for over 5 years. 2) When does the statute of limitations begin to run? It is usually, with most other statutes of limitation, from the day that the incident in question (the sale of Angels, in this case begins.

As I said earlier, my knowledge of Patent Law is almost non existant, so I am make statements based on general legal education and some conjecture.

As cledford said: any patent lawyers out there?

Ogre

[ogre55]

Hey folks:

I just read the patent (thanks cledford) and found a very interesting little tidbit.

This patent for a " pneumatically operated projectile launching" which is a "device preferably comprised of three principal elements: a body which houses and interconnects all of the pneumatic components and also houses the electrical power source, a grip mounted to the body which includes an electrical switch that activates a launching sequence, and an electrical control unit housed within both the body and the grip which directs flow between the pneumatic components to load, cock and fire the gun." was filed on Janaury 25, 2000. Didn't the Angel come out in 1996?

Ogre

Edit: Correction, Smart Parts filed an earlier patent, with apparently the exact same language on January 16, 1996. However, and I am not sure if I am reading this right, the earlier patent did not go into effect until March of 2000 and the later patent did not go into effect until as late as 2002.

[benzy2]

i think it is sad that SP has to stoop to this but they did patent it. I mean that is what a patent is there for. I dont blame them for waiting to file it caus think of how few angels and bushys would be around if ICD and WDP would have been sued in the early days. That could have force those 2 under. Now all they will have to do is raise the price about 25 bucks a gun and they can pay off the suit. If i was a SP executive i would sue too. I mean think of all the money you would make. If you forced all the companies with noids to pay you part of the profit from each gun you would get rich from their royalties. Morally this is knida wrong but in a dog eat dog world this makes perfect logic. Oh and if any of you who decide to do a boycott sell your guns dirt cheap let me know. I could always use a quality gun for a low low price.

[Vendetta]

Ogre, isn't the Angel made in England? This is a US patent. Does this matter?