Hammock patents

[DemostiX]

I'd like this thread to compile a list of patents on hammocks sold in the US, or of the features some version of which might be claimed to be patented.

Around for a year, I'm confused, maybe because some features are patented but used by others under license.

Not looking for arguments or controversy. Just a list to aknowledge and appreciate.

[SinisterMinister]

There is a post in the article section containing patents for most of the standard hammock designs:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...nnessey+patent

[GrizzlyAdams]

I'd like this thread to compile a list of patents on hammocks sold in the US, or of the features some version of which might be claimed to be patented.

Around for a year, I'm confused, maybe because some features are patented but used by others under license.

Not looking for arguments or controversy. Just a list to aknowledge and appreciate.

I appreciate the curiosity, but if history is any indicator, it could turn into a lot of commentary on conflicting personal views of patents, really fast.

Eschewing that, what I know, sticking to just the facts. First, you can search a patent database using www.google.com/patents

Hennessey has a number of them. Type in Hennessey hammock on the search bar www.google.com/patents gives you, and up comes a list of his patents, and patents that cite his.

Briefly, he has patents on sold products related to

• asymmetric cut and forcing a hammock to have an asymmetric lay by way of shaping the edge of the hammock, e.g., tieouts
• use of cord to set the sag, e.g., a structural ridgeline
• what is known in these parts as "snake skins"
• an accessory for collecting rain water off a tarp

he's got some others on inventions I don't think are commercial.
Now the devil is in the details, and in the judgement of courts as to the legitimacy or enforceability of patents. No comment on the legitimacy or enforceability of the ones above. Just the fact--he holds patents related to those topics.

Other things I know:

JRB used to sell "Python Skins", but don't now, as Hennessey (or his lawyer) told JRB that they were in violation of his patents.

Warbonnetguy's first hammock had asymmetrical tie-outs, Hennessey (or his lawyer) complained, and that hammock is no longer sold. Interestingly though, the replacement, the Blackbird, does have a structural ridgeline and always has. I remember that someone here on HF found reference to a structural ridgeline in some ancient patent, which would explain the data.

I recall there is a patent on the way the Eureka Chrysalis (version 1) body is put together. I see in the patents that cite TH one from Eagle Creek.

Fun browsing!

[DavyRay]

And you have to read them. Carefully. They are written in a specialized form. You have to know which parts are crucial, and which parts are fluffy. The title of the patent does not tell you exactly what you may want to know. As Grizz pointed out, the devil is in the details.

[PapaSmurf]

Eschewing that, what I know, sticking to just the facts. First, you can search a patent database using www.google.com/patents

Also it is very important not to confuse the claims stated on the original patent application versus the claims that made it into the final patent issued. Make sure you compare both and understand the specific differences. In many cases, these claims start out intentionally broad and are narrowed in order to actually get the patent approved.

[DemostiX]

We're quickly into the weeds, arent' we?

Lets's turn to Gary Clark patents; or no disrespect, what turns up after a quick search:

Looks to me from the illustration and language like a Clark Junglehammock with many fabric pockets, with the tarp connected to / suspended with the hammock in a fashion claimed to have advantages, but since abandoned by Clark Junglehammocks. (No implication of why; though some users found the integration to be not just a nuisance but positively problematic, like claiming the resonance of the Tacoma bridge as a feature, not a bug.)

So, what features of the Clark are, -- arguably -- patented? External pockets? The integration of the fly and hammock?

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[Bubba]

...like claiming the resonance of the Takoma bridge as a feature, not a bug....

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That was funny.

[DavyRay]

Another little detail. On the Clark patent you looked at, does the patent number start with a 'D'?

[warbonnetguy]

youngblood started a nice little thread about old hammock patents a couple years back, there's lots from the early 1900's...some interesting stuff

[tncamper]

From what I can tell, it looks like patents are on mods made to gathered hammocks. Is there a patent on just a simple gathered hammock like the ENOs or GT? I went to check on the tag on mine, but I had left my hammock at work.(don't ask) The Slap Straps however do have a patent # on the tag.(like I'd want to copy that one)