Did everybody know how many patents PPC has?

[miguelaqui]

I recently found this while looking for something else.

It's amzaing how many patents PPC, John Mezzalingua, has! I shocked they aren't taking more people to court, like they did Arris about the Digicons!

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...50&s1=6153830.PN.&OS=PN/6153830&RS=PN/6153830

Just see how many of those listed have the name John Mezzalingua in them!

This is what I do not understand. Either LRC (now Thomas and Betts) or Raychem came out with the first "compression" connector; I remember when I first saw a SNS, in 1989, and I know that Raychem was out in 1992.
.....
How in the world can they have all these patents? Were they just the first to apply for them, after the products had been out for a while?

 

[nydiver]

They have over 250 patents, many more applied for. Many of the patents are from trap designs, connectors no longer in production, and material design (like plastic formulations).

As for why they don't sue more often, they do, just noone hears about it, many cases are settled in patent cases out of court. I would have to say Raychem was the first "compression" style connector, they made a connector that you screwed onto the port and that compresed a metal sleeve down to hold the cable, later they had a swedge connector that used a conical tool to acheive the compression, you probably still see them out there. Many people contend that the digicon is an extension of this idea, that they added the back sleeve to make the connector compressable with a standard tool (which was a great idea). SNS was probably the first real, easily worked compression connector. PPC was late to the dance with the ex launched in 97 I think.