hi friend.

i want to know if fuzzy technology is patented by some company or it is free in open market? thank you.

 

Hello Shailesh,
Fuzzy Logic itself is a mathematical theory and is not patented. However, there may be products and processes that employ Fuzzy Logic that have been awarded patents.

Good luck,
Zvi

 

Fuzzy Logic has been in text books for decades, so by itself cannot be patented. However, how actual coding algorithms solve fuzzy problems or how it is used to solve certain real-world problems very likely is patented. You'll need to do your homework and a patent search. (see http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html for US patents).

However, just be aware that many (most) patents hyped in ad compaigns have nothing to do with "the product function". I remember checking on a competing product once that claimed "our patented technology will ... blah blah", but when I actually looked up the patent listed in fine print it was a patent for how the screws were held in the plastic case during assembly. So while this patent may have lowered their assembly cost some fraction of a penny, it sure didn't help the technology or customer any! So just because someone cliams "our patented product uses Fuzzy Logic" doesn't mean the patent applies to fuzzy technology.

- LynnL, www.digi.com

 

Fuzzy logic is a form of reasoning with imprecise values (e.g. "slightly over-temperature" as opposed to 85 degrees C). It was developed by Lofti Zadeh and others about 1970. The logic is not patented (or patentable) any more than everyday IF-THEN reasoning is. Particular *implementations* of fuzzy logic may, however, be patentable, and patented.

Diana Bouchard
Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada
[email protected]