[Stoves] TLUD Patent in Bangladesh

[Julien Winter]

Hi folks;

In November I posted "Patenting to protect public access"
http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org/2015-November/010962.html
and the discussion unfolded under the title "To patent or not to patent.
How about the 'un patent'"
http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org/2015-November/010963.html

Mahbubul Islam and I have filed a provisional patent for a TLUD stove in
Bangladesh.  A copy of the provisional patent application is attached.

Admittedly, the patent does not describe a remarkable innovation, but it is
a starting point which is evolving.  We filed a provisional patent for the
following reasons:

1) We want what we are doing to remain in the public domain, and evolve
into designs that could be made by small businesses in towns and villages.

2) Our main concern is that an up-market version, possibly supported by
foreign investors or carbon credit subsidies, could be developed by a
company and patented.  That could undermine all our efforts.  That is not a
far-fetched scenario in Bangladesh since it has a 'market potential' of 25
million households.

3) Patents a way of publishing an ideas, and people can read it and learn
from them.   Patents that are publicly accessible online are a useful
source of information (e.g. Google patent search, Espacenet, US Patent and
Trademark Office)

4) The patent is a way for nascent social development initiatives to build
their portfolio of accomplishments and demonstrate that they are a serious
concern.  That could be very useful when applying for grants, or for
attracting professional mentors.  A number of people submit cleaver ideas
to the "Stoves" list for the common good.  However, they fund the
development of their ideas out of their own pockets.  Many would dearly
love to have some basic scientific measurement tools to improve their
stove's performance.  Prototype field testing, and focus groups all cost
money.  A patent may help them find financial assistance and mentors,
especially if their rights to their innovation are secure.

In many countries, getting a patent is not that expensive.  If you intend
for your innovation to be public, you don't need to renew your patent.  Let
it lapse.

So, we have made our patent application available for people to read and
discuss.

Basically, we are trying find an approach to making TLUDs out of
inexpensive materials, such as concrete, bricks, clay and mud.  We want to
minimize the use of metal (which we have not really achieved in this first
submission), because we want to minimize the use of imported materials.
Many people in the World who cook with biomass don't have a lot of cash.
That means that they operate in a local economy that is incompatible with
the international economy of goods and services.  What cash they have has
to go a long way to buy medicines, cell phones, LED lights, clothing,
school supplies, etc.  If we can find a way of making TLUDs from mostly
local materials, then we have a stove that is compatible with their
economy.

Clearly there is a market for up-scale stoves in Bangladesh.  However,
"national self-sufficiency in cooking" is a concern for countries with a
low *per capita* foreign trade.

If a TLUD is made from heavy, bulky materials, then you can't pick it up to
dump the char.  The main part of our design is to have a base for the TLUD
that allows you to collect char, and control primary air.  As well, you can
see how concrete and bricks have been used to build the cooking platform.

This is a work in progress.  We have a year to make changes after filling a
provisional patent.  We are investigating the use of clay, and modifying
burner designs.  We have paid no attentention paid to efficiency of heat
transfer to the cooking pot, such as a pot shroud.  We should desing a
model with a chimney to exhause emissions out doors, because of
nanoparticles in the exhaust.

Mahbubul and I hope people find some interesting ideas in our designs that
they can use for their own work.

All the best,
Julien.





-- 
Julien Winter
Cobourg, ON, CANADA
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