9 Feb
2006
9 Feb
'06
12:49 p.m.
On Wed, 8 Feb 2006, Doug Salot wrote:
A lawyer asked me if I had any devices made before
1997 that used RGB
LEDs. I know that RGB LEDs have been around since at least 1991, but
I
don't have anything to offer them. If you have a
device that uses a
mux
and PWM with the LEDs, that would apparently please
them very much.
I'm sure there will be a bounty involved, but I haven't been given
specifics.
Just as a backgrounder, there's a company called Color Kinetics that
owns the
patent for mixing R, G, and B light from LED's. I was briefly targeted
by the
company in the 90's for suggesting on Usenet that the same could be done
without
paying them royalties. I know that most legal action is heavy-handed,
but these
guys are big hitters and will come down hard on anyone who suggests that
mixing these colors can be done without paying them royalties.
Tim.
9 Feb
9 Feb
1:18 p.m.
New subject: OT Rant: Re: Anybody have devices using RGB LEDs?
On 2/9/2006 at 12:49 PM Tim Shoppa wrote:
Just as a backgrounder, there's a company called
Color Kinetics that
owns the patent for mixing R, G, and B light from LED's. I was briefly
targeted
by the company in the 90's for suggesting on Usenet
that the same could be
done
without paying them royalties.
If you ever want to know what's wrong with the US patent system, look no
further than this. Exactly how is this "idea" different from using colored
incandescent or fluorescent lamps, lasers, or for that matter, colored
bits of starch on a transparent background or even colored signal flares?
It uses LEDs. To me, this falls under the category of "obvious", but it
would likely take years of litigation and megabucks to get the patent
overturned. How does this kind of stuff advance the art?
And don't get me started on the subject of software patents...
--Chuck
1:27 p.m.
I'm wondering if this may have something to do with Nintendo's big E3
display back on 05' They had these huge towering columns running with
little "paks" of RGB leds on them and where creating realtime full
motion animation on them throughout the E3 show, where it would show
much of the gameplay and such of their Nintendo DS handhelds, there were
also some full sized "screens" using the LED's and acting as Television
sets in effect, the images were only viewable quality from 50 or so feet
away, but very cool nonetheless, so I'm wondering if perhaps someone
OEM'd them to Nintendo or other companies and perhaps that is where
these questions are stemming from?
Curt
Tim Shoppa wrote:
On Wed, 8 Feb 2006, Doug Salot wrote:
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A lawyer asked me if I had any devices made
before 1997 that used RGB
LEDs. I know that RGB LEDs have been around since at least 1991, but
I
don't have anything to offer them. If you
have a device that uses a
mux
and PWM with the LEDs, that would apparently
please them very much.
I'm sure there will be a bounty involved, but I haven't been given
specifics.
Just as a backgrounder, there's a company called Color Kinetics that
owns the
patent for mixing R, G, and B light from LED's. I was briefly targeted
by the
company in the 90's for suggesting on Usenet that the same could be done
without
paying them royalties. I know that most legal action is heavy-handed,
but these
guys are big hitters and will come down hard on anyone who suggests that
mixing these colors can be done without paying them royalties.
Tim.
1:54 p.m.
Curt @ Atari Museum wrote:
I'm wondering if this may have something to do
with Nintendo's big E3
display back on 05' They had these huge towering columns running with
little "paks" of RGB leds on them and where creating realtime full
motion animation on them throughout the E3 show, where it would show
much of the gameplay and such of their Nintendo DS handhelds, there were
also some full sized "screens" using the LED's and acting as Television
sets in effect, the images were only viewable quality from 50 or so feet
away, but very cool nonetheless, so I'm wondering if perhaps someone
OEM'd them to Nintendo or other companies and perhaps that is where
these questions are stemming from?
You can buy huge truck-mounted mobile LED full-colour displays. There
was one on eBay a few months back for about ?140,000 B.I.N. which even
included the 60kVA genny.
Gordon.
2:03 p.m.
Tim Shoppa wrote:
Just as a backgrounder, there's a company called
Color Kinetics that
owns the patent for mixing R, G, and B light from LED's. I was
briefly targeted by the company in the 90's for suggesting on Usenet
that the same could be done without paying them royalties. I know
that most legal action is heavy-handed, but these guys are big
hitters and will come down hard on anyone who suggests that mixing
these colors can be done without paying them royalties.
They musty have been trying it on. There's surely no way they
can do anything to stop you discussing how to avoid their patent.
Nothing to stop them trying to scare you off though.
Antonio
--
Antonio carlini
arcarlini at iee.org
10 Feb
10 Feb
1:33 p.m.
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Tim Shoppa wrote:
When we're referring to RGB LED, we meant red, green AND BLUE dies
in one package and accessible interdependent of each other to get
full rainbow color range. from green, blue, red all the way to white.
Not bi-color LEDs with 3 leads. These have 2 LED dies in one package
and when both lit, it is not white.
White LEDs is kind of a cheat. No "true white die LED" yet. White
LEDs is done two ways by 3 dies lit up in correct ratios to get white
or using blue LED die smothered with white phosphors. That is reason
you usually see low grade white LED glowing purplish to bluish tinted
even "urine-tinted". UGH.
For this reason luxeon bin their high wattage white LEDs by grades
all the way from bluish, ice cold white to nice soothing warm-white.
Quantum dots will come up eventually for white emission by solid
state like LED are. This recently discovered last year.
Cheers, Wizard
Just as a backgrounder, there's a company
called Color Kinetics that
owns the patent for mixing R, G, and B light from LED's. I was
They musty have
been trying it on. There's surely no way they
can do anything to stop you discussing how to avoid their patent.
Nothing to stop them trying to scare you off though.
Antonio --
Antonio carlini
arcarlini at iee.org
6742
days inactive
6743
days old
5 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
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arcarlini＠iee.org -
cclist＠sydex.com -
curt＠atarimuseum.com -
gordonjcp＠gjcp.net -
jpero＠sympatico.ca -
tshoppa＠wmata.com