back to article MoD brainbox repo opens up IP treasure chest for world+dog

British military boffins are letting world+dog use bright ideas they devised for, among other things, compact antennas, military bouncy castles and a dog-training programme. The Defence and Science Technology Laboratory holds the Ministry of Defence's IP portfolio. The agency announced earlier this week that it is extending …

  1. frank ly

    Really?

    Are the examples given actually patentable? That rucksack power supply seems obvious for anyone who needs a rucksack mounted power supply. Etc.

    1. tiggity Silver badge

      Re: Really?

      A relative of mine was a radio operator (for UK royal artillery) back in teh Korean war (the joys of conscription).

      They had a mobile rucksack power supply for the radio (of the lead - acid type!)

      1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

        Re: Really?

        Leaking acid burnt the operators' backs. Hence signallers were known as "scaly-backs."

  2. Milton

    Patentable?

    The only item mentioned that seems plausibly patentable is the antenna. But there seems, in the UK and US at least, to be a vast gulf in the way the patents process is supposed to work (diligent and properly sceptical research by subject matter experts well-paid to do an important job) and the apparent reality (toss coin—unless applicant is major, wealthy corporation in which toss coin till it comes up heads).

    1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

      Re: Patentable?

      You can find a silicon antenna on a Raspberry Pi 3. It is the pale grey rectangle on the corner opposite the Ethernet connector with "Made in the UK" written underneath. The basic principle is a row of field effect transistors. Make the first N transistors conductive and leave the rest high resistance. This gives you an antenna with a variable length suitable for a wide range of frequencies.

  3. Korev Silver badge
    Joke

    Range

    Items of interest to IT-focused techies may include DSTL's miniature mobile antenna (PDF, 1 page). This little device is said to be capable of operating across the 2GHz-5GHz frequency range with an area of just 2cm2.

    That's even worse than a home hub's range

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not Particularly Inovative way of selling it

    Maybe their lack lustre method of pawning off the patents is evidence that dstl is no longer that innovative? The privatisation of DERA into QinetiQ/DSTL just drained the ship, combined with the Uber low pay, and the fact that we no longer have limited horizons and strong allegiance to queen and country, means they all go to work for successful US based firms.

    Do DSTL just do PoCs to buy foreign kit?

  5. Sirius Lee

    The US has DARPA - easy to say. DSTL not so much. How about: "Defence and Science Technology and Research Division Laboratory Incorporated" then the initials would be DASTARDLI. OK, too many 'and's but much better in my view and bit more Kingsman than civil service.

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