Talk:Mamiya Seiichi

Name order

In my opinion, we should settle on the Japanese name order for Japanese people. (I know that there are equally good reasons to adopt one order or the other; this has been discussed for years in Wikipedia, and they were not able to come with a sensible rule.) Currently we have both: see Yoshihisa Maitani vs Kumagai Genji. In all the pages I made on Japanese cameras, I used the Japanese order for personal names, and I'm very reluctant to change that.

--rebollo_fr 06:09, 19 December 2010 (EST)

More than hapy with that, but then keep the Seiichi Mamiya page as an automatic redirect if someone comes from the 'other' side...--GitzoCollector 08:07, 19 December 2010 (EST)

Nice, the change is done. --rebollo_fr 09:58, 19 December 2010 (EST)

Japanese patents

The Japanese system makes a distinction between patents (特許, tokkyo) and utility models (実用新案, jitsuyō shin.an, literally "new idea with a practical application", a sort of "sub-patent"). They are numbered differently, and should be distinguished in the table. (I think other patent systems do the same, but I'm not sure.)

The first Japanese document (applied for in July 1939) was a utility model. It was originally applied for as a patent but was apparently requalified as a "utility model" by the patent office. (The publication says that the application date is the date at which it was applied for as a patent.)

As far as I understand, there were three dates for a (Japanese) patent in the system used in mid-20th century: the application date, when the inventor applies for it (出現), the publication date, when the document (or maybe an abridged version) is published after it was examined (広告), and the grant date, when the patent is officially registered, presumably after nobody has objected on priority grounds and after a fee is paid. There is also a number corresponding to each stage: application number, publication number and final patent/U.M. number. The first two sequences are reset to one at each calendar year, hence the Sxx prefix (for Shōwa xx), only the final number is running in a single continuous sequence.

For the two early Japanese documents, we have:

Country	Type	Application date	Application number	Publication date	Publication number	Grant date	Grant number	Title	Relates to camera model
Japan	Utility model (実用新案)	Jul. 1, 1939 (as a patent)	S15-17197 (as a U.M.)	Oct. 5, 1940	S15-14673	n.a.	294734	写真機に於ける焦点調整装置 (Focusing control device in a camera)	Mamiya Six
Japan	Patent (特許)	Oct. 11, 1940	S15-14993	Aug. 15, 1941	S16-4067	n.a.	146741	歯車連動装置に於ける歯隙の影響を解消する装置の改良 (Improvement to a device that cancels the effect of gear play in a gear train device)	Mamiya Six

It is interesting to notice that Mamiya Seiichi filed for the patent six days after the previous one was published as a U.M. by the patent office. He seemingly expected to get a full patent; once he became sure that the application was downgraded to U.M. status, he re-applied for a patent covering a more restrictive portion of the design.

--rebollo_fr 06:51, 19 December 2010 (EST)

Good points.. Done..

As to you obs regarding the re-application. I need to think about that as the drawings are different. let me first check some real cameras (but is a pain to take the bottoms off for the fun of it...will do when I can).--GitzoCollector 08:17, 19 December 2010 (EST)