Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory
I hate to be a downer, but this isn't the first time a chain tensioning device like this has been seen in FIRST. I know for a fact that I have seen it on at least 2-3 robots some time ago (like 5-8 years ago). Can't recall who.
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I wouldn't regard your comment as being a "downer". It takes nothing away from the designer, who came up with the idea independently and creatively, to say that other bright and talented people have come up with similar designs. In many ways it is a compliment to the effectiveness of the design.
From a patenting point of view it is also extremely helpful to know exactly what the "prior art" is so that you can describe precisely how a design differs from the prior art and what benefits your design offers. Perhaps this design is simpler to produce, is more reliable, uses less expensive materials, or is easier to adjust. If you don't know about prior art, and sufficiently differentiate your product from what has come before, you may spent a whole lot of time and money getting a patent only to discover that you can't enforce it due to the prior art... so knowing that there are similar designs out there in the public domain is useful for the inventor.
It is extremely difficult to come up with a revolutionary mechanical design. After centuries of designing developments tend to be evolutionary rather than completely new. Often those incremental improvements are quite profitable and quite worth patenting, even though they may only improve performance in some small way. I can see how this design offers some incremental improvements over what I've seen before... and the suggestion to use a hose clamp is possibly another incremental improvement.
Given that the discussion of patents, in the absence of a business plan, is purely academic, knowing that there have been similar desgins in no way marginalizes the "great idea" factor for the designer. So rather than viewing your comments as a downer, I'd view them as evidence that this design is on the right track!
Jason