Reading the patent: what the 18 claims actually say

A patent is a fence, and the claims are the fence posts. The patent behind our first technology has eighteen.

Claim 1 describes the system: a vertically collapsible frame between chassis and suspension, a biasing spring that holds it at normal height, a generator with a hollow shaft set into the frame, and a drive mechanism inserted into that shaft which spins it when the frame collapses and expands. Everything that follows narrows that picture.

Claim 2 says the biasing spring is softer than the replacement coil spring. Claim 4 names the sprag clutch drive that makes the shaft turn one way in both directions of travel.

Claims 5 through 7 describe the plates, guide bars, sleeves and housing. Claim 8 adds the flyweights. Claim 9 adds energy storage.

Claims 10 through 18 say the same things as a method rather than a machine.

What the patent does not claim is a performance number. That is deliberate. Numbers come from testing, and testing comes next.

• Read the full claims on Google Patents