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It's 2004, a decade ago. My original configuration was based on an IC engine that had the capability to destroke itself, while running, and transform itself into a fairly massive (250 pounds) flywheel that could absorb braking energy and reapply it for acceleration after a forced stop. It became a capacitive storage system that allowed a 60-0 stop to increase the RPM of the engine-flywheel by 1600 RPM. The original configuration utilized a CVT, similar to the Nissan Murano for propulsion and regeneration.
I filed my first provisional patent application in 2004. In my mind I thought that the idea would soon become a reality. I was wrong.
The patent office screwed up just about everything you can imagine, including notifying me of my patent being "abandoned" because no drawings were submitted with the application.
The only problem with their position was my patent attorney had submitted the application AND THE DRAWINGS, in person, AND HE HAD A RECIEPT FOR THE DRAWINGS.
The next communication I recieved was from the legal department of the patent office. All I needed was another taxpayer funded gov't institution to handle my concept in the most incompetent way imaginable and I have to fight them to get them to do their job, which cost $1000s of dollars to get it back on track.
In the meantime I am going to Detroit to try to sell my concept, contacting my US Senator fro Virginia at the time to assist me in getting in touch with the "right" people at the Department of Energy to try to get this thing going. I soon realized that any new "from scratch" engine was a billion dollar commitment in the eyes of any manufacturer and my odds of success were minimal at best, or they would just wait me out to avoid paying me a dime for my considerable time and monies spent.
In the meantime I had built a model of the mechanism. I carried it around with me and after a while it came on me to just make it a drive system instead of an engine. The basic simplicity of the drive, compared to conventional drivetrains is a very compelling argument for a vehicle that simply does a better job with a lot fewer parts. Win, win, in the classic sense, cheaper to build and a whole lot more efficient.
When the concept was published in the journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Virgina Tech decided to make it a senior engineering student project. My hopes rose again. Even though I got a "thumbs up" from Tech, independent confirmation of the validity of the concept, from a respected institution without any incentive to falsely confirm my belief that this was something special.
Today I'm working on the vehicle while the drive is tempoorarily on hold. The patent will expire in another 13 years and then anyone can build it. In fact anyone anywhere but the United States can build it already.
More a little later, don't want to time out and loose anything.
regards
Mech
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