Although bladeless fans are just now picking up popularity, the first bladeless fan concept was introduced in 1981. According to Dyson, bladeless fans are better than traditional fans due to the unobstructed production of air flow. In all reality, bladeless fans aren’t actually bladeless, they just appear that way. The fan lives in the base of the unit and sucks air into it. The air is then redistributed up into the ring and passes over an aircraft wing shaped object. What’s pushed out then becomes perfectly uninterrupted air flow.
Tokyo Shibaura Electric never manufactured the fan that they recieved a patent for in 1981. Patents expire after 20 years. Even after the expiration of a patent, another person or company cannot recieve a patent for the same thing. The only way for another person or company to recieve the patent is if they change the idea or improve on the idea. Dyson's current patent application for the bladeless fan is still pending. Dyson claims they have a, "Coanda surface" that the Japanese version does not have making it a completely different product. This would make it possible for them to recieve the patent.
The left side is the Dyson patent from 2009. The right side is the Tokyo Shibaura Electric patent from 1981.
What it comes down to is that the concept of the bladeless fan is old while the actual product is new.
What do you think....did Dyson steal Tokyo Shibaura Electric's idea?
