[TriLUG] hp laptop power problem

[Matias D'Ambrosio]

On 9 August 2011 00:30, Kevin Hunter <hunteke at earlham.edu> wrote:
> At 11:44am -0400 Sat, 06 Aug 2011, Wm F wrote:
>>
>> As far as Apple and their nifty break away jacks go I am pretty sure
>> they have a patent and that's why you don't see them anywhere else.
>
> They do: patent #7,311,526
>
> http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=7311526.PN.&OS=PN/7311526&RS=PN/7311526
>
> Though I personally will likely never buy a Mac for philosophical reasons,
> one must give credit where credit is due.  If nothing else, Macs are *sexy*
> machines.  Kudos are definitely in order to the inventors listed for a
> brilliant idea, while a "bummer" is in order for the schlubs of us who won't
> buy Apple products.
>
> The grass *is* greener over there.  Sigh.
>
 Another patent using magnetic plugs... from 1982 (and not referenced
in Apple's patent, as far as I can see, but I'm not a lawyer, let
alone a patent one):

http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4451113.PN.&OS=PN/4451113&RS=PN/4451113

 I think Thomas Jefferson wrote plenty of insightful articles and
letters about patents.

 Frankly that plug is the only thing missing from thinkpads (and
perhaps the touchpad, for those who like them). Besides being less
prone to breaking, they are also easier to plug in. Too bad the mac
plug breaks so easily, they fixed one issue just to go back and
'unfix' another.

 Plugs & hinges are two things I really think shouldn't even exist as
problems any more. And I can only hope fans will be gone one day as
well, so I can take a submersible laptop into a jacuzzi! :-)

 Cheers,

  Matt D