Axis Lock Patent Expires In July?

[craytab]

Apparently Will Moon is trying to patent the axis lock now? anyone got any more info. this is a bit of a turn off since his problems producing work with issues for customers.

he's calling it the "Moon Spindle Lock"

You can't be serious. I will not even waste my time looking in to this. Once a scammer always a scammer.

 

[Relsek]

Apparently Will Moon is trying to patent the axis lock now? anyone got any more info. this is a bit of a turn off since his problems producing work with issues for customers.

he's calling it the "Moon Spindle Lock"

The mechanism seems to be similar to an axis lock but with dual coil springs on guide rods instead of Omega springs. I follow him on IG since I like the looks of his work. At least from the posted videos it seems like the new knife with this lock behaves similarly to many of the axis lock knives.
I like new lock mechanisms (in other words I need to pick up more G&G Hawk stuff) so this interests me. Sounds kind of like a mashup of axis lock with spyderco bearing ball lock, but with added features to keep the springs clean.

 

[Cypress]

The company I worked for renewed them for another 10 years... You just have to pay the fee.

I know nothing about your company or what you had patented, but if they were utility patents, your company did not renew them. It takes an act of congress to renew a patent after is has gone the full 20-year term and entered public domain, and that extension is usually only a few years. The idea behind this is after 20 years, you should have had enough time to make enough advancements to your original design to justify patenting an improved version of it.

As for the Axis Lock, other manufacturers can use, it, but to my understanding, they can't call it an "Axis Lock" unless they license the use of the name from Benchmade due to a trademark on "Axis" lock in the context of knives.

I don't expect to see too many companies using the Axis Lock, as Benchmade will surely be picky over who they license to. If they license to a crap brand, that crapiness will be associated with Benchmade, and potentially tarnish their "reputation" for "quality". I think big companies like Spyderco are content to continue doing their own thing and not hand money/advertising to Benchmade.

This is all to say that there isn't a new patent already submitted for how the Axis Lock works in the Anthem (no omega springs, replaced with a single coil unit). If the language is done correctly, a new patent could potentially cover the old design enough to make it difficult for companies to design around.