Gene Gerety wrote:

> I have just applied for a U.S. patent on the basic techniques.

I have a question about the patent application.  Are you applying for
a patent for _improving_ a laser engraving machine to cut piano rolls
or a patent on the _concept_ of using a laser to cut piano rolls?
"The world's first laser perforator for music media" kinda sounds like
the latter.  Tell me it isn't so.

The reason I ask this is that one way will protect your idea and still
allow others to develop laser cutting machines to cut piano rolls and
foster competition and innovation in the market place while the other
will lock up the market and only allow _one _vender for these machines,
the price of which will also be set by that one vender, effectively
creating a monopoly for laser cutting of piano rolls.

I very much agree that the future of collecting and rebuilding player
pianos is directly connected to the supply of and reasonable price of
the rolls.  And like many other products unrelated to piano rebuilding
part of that future is the ability to have made to order, zero
inventory, get in a couple of days, products at very reasonable prices.

One of the major concepts that is a hallmark for this hobby (and for
some a profession) is independent innovation - Finding ways to keep
our "old world" machines up and running in the new millennium.  Laser
cutting of piano rolls is key to that concept.

One thing I want to make perfectly clear is that I am not trying to
attack Mr. Gerety in any way.  I think laser cutting will definitely
shape the future of player restoration and preservation.  But as we all
have seen in the past, when you have only one or two venders for piano
rolls or restoration parts service tends to be slow, prices tend to be
high and if that vender should stop selling his wares, then we are all
out of luck.

Even if no one else develops another laser cutting machine for cutting
piano rolls and people use Mr. Gerety's machine exclusively, there
still needs be the option for others to develop these machines either
for internal use to sell piano rolls or to sell machines to others so
that they may do the same.

Musically,

Ray Finch
Albuquerque, New Mexico