US patent 6153034

Question

I am the inventor of a unique method for rapid prototyping I got an US Patent in 2000 number 6153034

Scott Crump from Stratasys examined it in Chicago at Rosemont CC back in 1999.

Terry Wohlers presented it to the public in his anual report and in the convention he also saw it in my lab in Israel at 1998, prior of exposing it to the world.

Today, most of the systems sold everywhere as open sources use also my methods and invention, all for free.

Why is that?

One of the main topics are the input method:
In my patent I used any material produced as a wire or yarn or chord, thread etc meaning that I could create any size made from any material existing I also showed methods of creating nozzles for the sake of guiding the wire or the spool.

Answer 1

Well, for one, your US patent was abandoned as of 2004 for failure to pay maintenance fees.

You can verify this yourself on PAIR: http://portal.uspto.gov/pair/PublicPair

You can also check maintenance fee payments here: https://ramps.uspto.gov/eram/

If you believe your patent was infringed prior to 2004, you will have to enforce it yourself. Due to intervening time, however, you may find it difficult to find a contingency attorney.

Answer 2

What your patent "teaches" isn't relevant. Only the claims define what belongs to you.

Your claim 1 is:

1. A method for producing a prototype of an object, comprising: dispensing layers of a wire in at least four degrees of freedom in accordance with a geometry of the object; and bonding a previously dispensed portion of the wire to a presently dispensed portion of the wire with adhesive, said adhesive being formed of a material which is different and distinct from said wire.

So all of the systems have an adhesive dispenser emitting a material different from the build material? It looks like both the independent claim require this. If huge companies are really doing this I would find a contingency attorney and go after what is right.