Adeys Patent

[kerry]

Does anyone know if Adeys patent is still in effect? I see some places on the WWW say its expired? Is this true?

With the results these thing create its a wonder one of these BIG filter manufactures have not picked up on this and offered something by now.

[Ace25]

I believe the patent expired on October 30th, 2010.

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/01/16/adey ... this-year/ (http://reefbuilders.com/2010/01/16/adeys-algae-turf-scrubber-ats-patent-will-expire-this-year/)

[kerry]

I read that, then I read some hydro????? something or other had a patent on these scrubbers. They where in FL.

[SantaMonica]

Depends on which patent you mean. Some are expired, some are current.

[kerry]

SM, So does your manufactured build that you sell fall under a patent and subject to royalty payments? With all the scrubber has going for it I do not understand why its not being mass produced. I bet you have to be busy selling your build.

[NarkyMark]

IMO I reckon the big manufacturers know that they will continue to make more money on their Skimmers/Filters etc + the on-going need for the consumables that go with them, a large percentage of these sales and aftersales would be redundant if they started selling scrubbers as these would pretty much be a one off sale, apart from the lights they do not really have many needed consumables........
I reckon the chinese could well produce one a some stage though, as they don't seem to worry about patents and spares that much :)

[SantaMonica]

The current sm100 falls under copyright, trademark, and trade dress protection. I have not really pursued mfg because I've been concentrating on the new nano version, which will of course be much smaller and thus easier to mfg.

[Aeros]

I smell a SM style scrubber fitted with LEDs about 1/3 the size/cost. If marketed right, made easy to clean, this could revolutionize the whole marine aquaria industry.

So many issues to work out though for commercialism. If you need any input/insight SM, I have some understanding of the challenges and solutions facing a commercial release of this.

[thatgrimguy]

IMO I reckon the big manufacturers know that they will continue to make more money on their Skimmers/Filters etc + the on-going need for the consumables that go with them, a large percentage of these sales and aftersales would be redundant if they started selling scrubbers as these would pretty much be a one off sale, apart from the lights they do not really have many needed consumables........
I reckon the chinese could well produce one a some stage though, as they don't seem to worry about patents and spares that much :)

by this logic they wouldn't make Skimmers. 0 consumables with skimmers....

[Ace25]

I beg to differ... pumps need replacing on skimmers occasionally and the new fancy "meshwheel and pinwheel" impellers need replacing on skimmers at least once a year on my bubble magus NAC7 (they recommend every 6 months). I paid $300 for the skimmer and I know it couldn't have cost more than $20 to make, including the pump. Replacement impeller alone cost $25 for a $1 part. So besides the HUGE profit they make at the point of sale, they also make probably 5x the cost of the skimmer during its lifespan on replacement parts for it.

If a main stream Mfg made a scrubber, I would bet they would charge $20 for a replacement screen that is "pre-roughed up" and recommend replacing the screen every 6 months.

[thatgrimguy]

I beg to differ... pumps need replacing on skimmers occasionally and the new fancy "meshwheel and pinwheel" impellers need replacing on skimmers at least once a year on my bubble magus NAC7 (they recommend every 6 months). I paid $300 for the skimmer and I know it couldn't have cost more than $20 to make, including the pump. Replacement impeller alone cost $25 for a $1 part. So besides the HUGE profit they make at the point of sale, they also make probably 5x the cost of the skimmer during its lifespan on replacement parts for it.

If a main stream Mfg made a scrubber, I would bet they would charge $20 for a replacement screen that is "pre-roughed up" and recommend replacing the screen every 6 months.

You need pumps for algae scrubbers as well... Screens could be replaced. You can mark up a scrubber the same way. Lights, bulbs. All more than the occasional pump. (especially on bulbs)

I have had my skimmer for over 2 years with 0 extra parts needed.. By the time I need a new pump I'm going to want a new skimmer any how.. It's not like they break that often... (at least not my Super Reef Octopus)

[Ace25]

I am using my return pump/overflow for my ATS, it is an Eheim 1262, running strong for over 5 years non-stop without a single issue... my skimmer on the other hand, has needed the Atman pump replaced once and the impeller replaced twice, so $100 worth of parts in 2 years I have had it on top of the $300 it cost new. Since I use LED lights on the scrubber, no bulb replacement cost for me for a long time hopefully. ;) Screen cost me 33cents once a year from my local crafts store. The ATS has been far cheaper to operate than any skimmer I have owned. Even adding the LEDs to the initial cost, I am $100 total into the ATS, and $400 into the skimmer in 2 years time. Just talking cost here, not trying to start a skimmer/ATS debate on effectiveness. LOL. I run both.

I have a friend who bought a Super Reef Octopus skimmer for his 300G and he has had to replace his pump at least once a year (cheap/junk pumps they use that cause surges inside the skimmer, making them not work good). It was like pulling teeth to get Reef Octopus to honor their warranty, they wanted 10 different videos of the pump not working, then a month turn around for a replacement pump (had to mail it in, give them weeks to test it, determine it bad, and send a new one) so the skimmer is offline for an entire month while this is taking place during the warranty period. I can see higher quality pumps not needing as much maintenance but the cheaper skimmers like Bubble Magus and Reef Octopus have cheap pumps that come with them unfortunately and more often than not they do have issues within a year or two. I would say your in the minority if you have had zero issues, or you haven't looked closely at your skimmer to see if it is "surging/pulsing". Normally the bubbles move up smoothly, but when the pumps start to fail, the bubbles pulse, move up, stop, move up, stop, which makes its efficiency go way down.

[holdenj_04]

Found this while doin some image googling on diy CO2 scrubbers. Had Adey's name so am posting it here.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/refugium/lo ... 78474.html (http://www.3reef.com/forums/refugium/look-back-aquaricare-algal-filter-78474.html)

[Floyd R Turbo]

The current sm100 falls under copyright, trademark, and trade dress protection. I have not really pursued mfg because I've been concentrating on the new nano version, which will of course be much smaller and thus easier to mfg.
Whose copyright, trademark, and trade dress protection does does the SM100 fall under? And what is Trade Dress Protection???

[forrester_29]

what is Trade Dress Protection???


Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is a form of intellectual property

[SantaMonica]

Mine. New scrubber versions will also have utility patent pending.