Why Unicomp/goldtouch not remake M15?

ماء · 22 Jul 2013, 14:34

I could not find a thread like this on Deskthority so i made

I like the M15, although I do not have it

probably a lot of people who want the M15, as they wanted SSK

but the M15 is more difficult to find and expensive to me even though the second hand

i'm quite know about history M15.etc

maybe,you can petition gold touch/unicomp for remake it

your comment will be very helpful
Thank you very much

Findecanor · 22 Jul 2013, 14:49

Goldtouch is still around, making keyboards and owning the patent.
Even if Unicomp did license the patent, they may not have the tooling, and creating new tooling can be expensive.

Personally, I have not tried the M15, but I don't think I would like it because it is built like a IBM M2 which is rattly and loud and has no contour to the keys. Not fashionable in this day and age.

I think that this issue was discussed over on Geekhack a couple of times. The inventor who founded Goldtouch was there and shared his story about IBM M15, Lexmark and Goldtouch. I'll see if I can find it.

ne0phyte · 22 Jul 2013, 15:03

The M15 patent will expire in 2 years is expired!

But I don't know if there are other patents involved.

Findecanor · 22 Jul 2013, 15:06

Mark Goldstein's post on Geekhack about the situation.

In the closing of Lexmark’s keyboard division the tooling for the Select-Ease/Options keyboard went to Maxi, however, Unicomp had the buckling spring technology, The tooling needed extensive modification to make it work with rubber domes and Maxi didn’t have the gumption. And I had the patents which were non-exclusive to start then became exclusive to Goldstein/Goldtouch when the companies were formed.

There were attempts to get the tooling from Maxi and have it made by Unicomp under license from me but Maxi was too difficult to deal with and last I time I spoke with their lawyer, the tooling could not be located.

Liz and I lost Goldtouch in 2004 in a hostile takeover and the patents went in that nasty episode.

webwit · 22 Jul 2013, 16:22

Mark didn't invent the M15, he invented a similar way to attach two keyboard halves, and is just a patent troll who tried to get money from IBM.
http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ ... -t726.html

vivalarevolución · 22 Jul 2013, 18:13

webwit wrote:Mark didn't invent the M15, he invented a similar way to attach two keyboard halves, and is just a patent troll who tried to get money from IBM.
http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/ ... -t726.html

Interesting story.