Whistle Patents

Whistle
1

I’m interested in mass manufacturing tin whistles…are there any design patents (or other patents) I should be worried about?

Thanks
Petey Whistle

2

Not unless someone’s got a patent of a tube with six holes in it. :smiley:

3

I think it is like the wheel. Whistles have been around (howbout that pun, around) :slight_smile: for so long if there was a patent it has expired. Might be able to get a patent on a new process or way to make them. Or if you laser etch a design on the side you might get a copyright. However the best looking one I have seen (OZ) has been taken.

4

While there’s probably no problem producing whistles, if you’re MASS PRODUCING whistles, there may be a patent on the manufacturing process.

I suggest you do a patents search in the US and European Patents Offices:

http://www.uspto.gov/
http://www.epo.org/

I’d be surprised if Generation, Clarke, Feadog, or any of the other big makers didn’t have some aspect of their production process protected by patents (lots of P’s in that sentence). They often do it just for the tax breaks - in Ireland royalties are tax free if the R&D of the patented inventions was carried out in Ireland.