IMS Solution Receives U.S. Patent #2 Issued 8.16.16!

Invented, and developed, and tested right at Flat 6 Innovations, the IMS Solution has received it's second U.S. Patent, which was issued 16 August 2016! NO OTHER IMS Retrofit Technology in the world, is patented, and certainly not covered by TWO Patents! US Patent 9,416, 697 B2 is a broader spectrum Patent that includes, but is not limited to protecting the IMS Solution product.

Congrats, Jake! The pic looks quite different than the current version of thr IMS Soution. What has changed?

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Nothing. No changes have been made. The coating looks different in the pic, but that's all.

Congratulates! I'll be your poster boy. When can I bring my 996 by your shop? I'm in spittin' distance of your home... just down the road in Dawgville! ha!

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Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification.

That is very impressive. I hope some engineers at Porsche notice and ask how some x-military guy in the Georgia woods fixed their wonky design

...first to fight...first to die...hooraaahhh!!!

👍😎

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Jake kinda reminds me of a VW mechanic in Homer, GA. People from all over the state would tow their broken old air cooled, rear engined VW bugs to this man. He was considered a local genius and literally could just walk up and listen to those cars and know exactly what was wrong with them. Modern day "VW whisperer" hahaha. Sadly, my father told me he had recently pasted away, but I'll never forget going to his shop and seeing lines of VW bugs waiting to be serviced. I'm not talking 2 or 3 of them, but bunches of them. Looked like a Skittle farm. hahaha Cheers!

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Tommy Denton... He was my arch rival back in the old VW days, he never did catch me. Unfortunately he did pass away last year.

Yep, I went to school with lots of Dentons at Banks County. You can imagine what our local parades looked like. Herbie and his offspring. hahahaha! Never forget the sound of those things coming down the road.

Congrats Jake!

Thank you for all you've done!

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You are closer to where all my craziness happens than you think... In the middle of a 50 acre field surrounded by seasonal crops... Probably 15 minutes from you in Dawgville.... It is here that I escape the business and the BS, and create things. No customers, no employees, and the only human interaction I have is with the UPS or Fed Ex man... No signs, no glory... Nobody. That said, we've got a few thousand IMs Solution poster boys by this point :-) We are now doing IMS Solution and preventative work only during "IMS Solution Clinics" that are held 4 times per year. This helps to streamline the shipping of cars from all over the US here, and keeps our engine construction schedule clean and clear better than anything. During these clinics we shoot to schedule in 20-30 cars during a period of 40 days and only carry out IMS Solution work day in, and day out during that period. We can batch cars for shipping in, and out this way, and that makes shipping cheaper and easier, since we are brokers. For all those details email [email removed] as this is not my department :-)

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Ahhh, I knew it was a long-shot. But if you ever need my 996 to serve as a guinea pig for your IMS solution clinics. I'll drop it off at any moments notice. btw: I'm *more* DAWG than you realize. Does that give you a hint where I work? ha!

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All our products are developed in our own fleet of cars.. Never is anyone a Guinea pig, or beta- tester. We'd get along great!

Congrats - good to see the 2nd patent come through!

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That's him and I believe this was taken right before his death at only 55.

Congrats Jake. Well done.

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CORPSMAN UP

There are a lot of things I wouldn't want an Asian counterfeit of... But a counterfeit IMS Solution is at the top of that list. But go for it - I'm sure they have YOUR best interests at heart only asking $400 and they'll totally reimburse you if their "identical yet modified" (side note - that kind of contradicts the term "identical") fails and grenades an engine.

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How can something be "identical" and yet changed design? Than it's no longer identical now is it? Good luck with that.

Congrats Jake....when I do my 99, I think I will just go with the solution.

The last Patent is broad spectrum... They can change designs all they want, will not help them at all... They will have no method of feeding the oil to the IMS region. This is the very reason the divisional Patent was filed. They can play their games all they want. I have already shut down two others with Patent 8,992,089 Anyone who is considering applying components that would be infringing on multiple Patents to their commercially available product should probably reach out to their Patent Attorney before they end up in a situation that they'd rather avoid. People think they are experts on these things, but after two Patents, and hundreds of hours of experience with this over more than a decade, you learn the ropes. Years were spent in filing these Patents. Every T was crossed, every I was dotted. Want to challenge me? Marines love a fight. There's nothing I'd rather do.

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Now the dual row IMS Solution is on the market. Buy it at www.rndeuroparts.com

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GPS coordinates please. hehehehe

Congrats, Jake! And regarding the spew from MBMotorsports.......what a jackass. He gone soon. Rejoice.

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Classified!👀

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I'll email Hillary then. hahaha

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She'll lose your email!

Nothing like some public self- incrimination, and guilt by association!

Congrats, Jake. Mine is running strong!

more expert advise from our lil princess .....got one of these too ?

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My little cyber stalker.

Big CONGRATS Jake!!!

If there is a Chinese copy of The Solution, it will be noticed by some of us Rennlisters on EBay/Craigs list/Amazon/Alibaba/other Asian auction sites.I suggest we should just copy Jake on such counterfeits . It is the least we could do to thank somone who has helped so many of us ? I checked EBay Honk Kong and found : http://www.ebay.com.hk/sch/i.html?_f...e+ims&_sacat=0 Ironically, the Vertex roller bearing kit is probably more likely to get knocked off because it is generic and the "Thrust Control" added as an afterthought is just a washer ? But it is a Patent Pending washer ! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-IMS-...-/311467850306 " Originally Posted by MBMotorsports View Post Jake, your patent might not be working as well as you'd like. A while ago a company from Hong Kong contacted us offering identical ims solution as yours with slightly changed design. They offered it for $400 each so I can use it in my engines. I told them to send me a sample to see how it will work in my engine so I can test it. How can something be "identical" and yet changed design? Than it's no longer identical now is it? Good luck with that. __________________ Marc Gelefsky "

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Didn't take him too long to delete his post!!

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Not fast enough though... Had plenty of time to collect several screen captures, and email them to the Patent Attorney. I received a reply from their office before the posts were pulled. When it's time to dance, I'll make sure to step on the right toes... While wearing combat boots.

The intent of patents is to protect the inventors and innovators that make new products - it incentivizes innovation by providing a set period where they can market and sell their new invention and recoup the immense cost associated with development. Circumventing/bypassing them and purchasing counterfeit products not only cheats the owner, but inhibits further development. I'd imagine most people don't understand just how much time/work/money goes into filing and getting a patent approved, but it is A LOT! That doesn't even take into consideration the incredible amount of time/money/work it would take to develop a product like the IMS Solution, test the hell out of it, and bring it to market. Buying any counterfeit product manufactured in another country is short-sighted and damaging to the economy - but buying a CRITICAL PART for your engine is absolute stupidity. Additionally, selling them in the U.S. is against the law and nobody should support (or even consider) a shop/business that would do that. Just my 2 cents.

This process has taken over a decade to receive both Patents. I have two more pending now, one of those should issue in 2018, the other likely in 2019. Yes, it costs a lot of money. No, that's not the toughest part. It's only money, and we will make more... It's the pain in the *** processes, back and forth office actions, dealing with the Examiners who are fighting tooth and nail not to issue the Patent, and etc. This does cost tens of thousands, and hundreds of hours. That said, no other Inventor would disrespect another after going through these processes. Only those who have no accomplishments of their own are copycats. It's easier to copy something than to do it from scratch. The last copycat was really dumb... He made a ported spin on filter adaptor, and tried to sell it on eBay. Google alerts picked it up within 2 hours and we were on top of him. His ad had photos of his "home made" IMS Solution in the background, and he said "email me to buy one". I did a "buy it now" and had my evidence locked in immediately. Once the attorney put him on notice, the hilarious content began.... A true ignoramous he was... We do business the proper way. It's not just about the best idea, the best development, and the best product.. It's also about protecting and selling that product in the proper manner. It's not about advertising a product as "Patent Pending" for 4 years when no provisional patent was even filed. It's not about advertising "Patent Pending" when you have no filing numbers in the ads, or when challenged publicly to produce them. This is illegal from several perspectives. It's also not about supporting off shore efforts to produce known counterfeit imitations of a well- respected product that has EARNED its place in the industry through performance, and reliability. Any company operating in the USA that knowingly supports, and states that they will work to further the efforts of others abroad who are making counterfeit products should be shamed out of business. Quite honestly what infuriates me most about a certain individual is his total lack of respect for the USA, and everything we stand for. I'd like to see his citizenship documents. I expect that they are made from vapor ware. So, all that said... Next time someone complains about the cost of the IMS Solution, well, a chunk of that cost goes to pay for these Patents. If it wasn't for dishonest pukes that lack integrity, we'd not have to Patent the products and each unit would be significantly cheaper.

Sounds like a ton of work. Hope you did a TCO on the resources spent. That aside, I hope recoup the efforts. It sure shows you are serious.

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The vast majority was documented... But in the earliest of days when the focus was just on making it work, I never focused on anything other than that... I've learned to make something work that you can't even be concerned with what that costs. If you are, then you care about the wrong things at a critical time. Then you fail. The other day when Sneaky Pete came to visit me I showed him all the IMS Solution prototypes and handed him the only failed component that we experienced during the development. I said "Here's the second attempt, this one cost 4,400.00 to make, and it failed in less than one minute".

I didn't buy my C2 to re-sell it, and, when circumstances forced me to address the issue, I viewed the Solution as a no-brainer. Congrats, Jake.

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I think I'm in small company when I say I had the Solution prototypes in my hands. Good for you Jake on the success! BTW...I have a few gems of MB's posts...there is one about RL thieves and how he wants his money back.

Congratulations! My car's heart has your conventional IMS bearing in it so that's one less thing for me to worry about. Glad you're still keeping our cars on the road with your products.

Patents aside, there is no way knock off companies would be able to reproduce this with this type of tolerance and quality of materials for pennies on the dollar IMO(DLC coating for example). I don't see many owners willing to risk their expensive engines on a copy product with zero history/testing. I don't perceive any credible threat here personally.

^^^Well said Alpine. We have enough of an investment in our cars to risk it... and most Porsche owners that have half a brain will do their research and purchase proven products before risking catastrophic damage to their engines. The best way to stop these counterfeit clowns in their tracks is educate yourself and don't buy from these people. If they've can't peddle their crap on us, they'll just move back to their usual knockoffs like "Folex" watches and "Louis Vatton" handbags.

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I wish you were right, but that's not the case. Look at a certain company's catalog that's filled with a certain anodized parts that are knockoffs of the LN products that were not Patented.. They are sold at cut throat prices and whored out. People buy them because they are cheap. Enough people buy them to keep that place going with all their knocked off glory. In general the following is not loyal, the way that it once was. Their was a time when anyone new to this industry was chastised for years and struggled to build their brand. No one would test your parts unless folks like Jerry Woods and others used them.. We went through all of that, and struggled for a decade before things that we developed were trusted. Today you just buy a bigger ad and do it every month.. You produce YouTube videos that make you look like a hero, and you BUY your image. Most of the magazine articles and reviews are and too, where someone either got paid off, or got free parts for their own car. I have seen it happen first hand, and that's why I can't stand the publications as a general rule. These people may build a reputation (since that's what others think of you) but they will always lack true character (what they think of themselves). Part of this comes from cars being too cheap to purchase these days, coupled to modern commercialism and marketing BS. Most of these people don't know a damn thing. They have a big ad as a cover up, they don't actually do anything. Guys like us take most of what they sell to people, rip it off, and throw it away. Why? Because it's pure junk. I remember actually receiving letters from my customers asking for info, that would supply a self addressed & stamped envelope to me. In those days you damn sure didn't buy your reputation, and image, you had to earn it. Retaining it was more difficult than acquiring it. Then you had one chance. When you blew it, you were done.

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I agree with you on non-critical parts or parts that have been derived from a general manufacturer(IE bearings) or items that's been used in other car applications. However, what you have with The Solution is truly unique with no others having this amount of R&D for this application and no generic pieces from other manufacturers that you can "cobble" together. Couple this to the fact that you are risking a $20k engine that affects it directly, I would hope the avg 996 owner would do their own due dillegence and have enough mental capacity to do a bit research before jumping on anything like this. The owners that are aware of potential IMS issues are already doing research about it so it would be natural that they would research something like this that's this critical to a certain degree. Just my $.02 I welcome copycats of this as I'd like to see the material construction/tolerances/composition for kicks.

Even still most of the 996 owners are not enthusiasts. If they know of the IMSB issue, most are just going to follow their mechanic's suggestions and would be happy to pay $400 rather than $1800 "for the same thing". We of course know it's not the same thing, but they won't understand it. Even for those that should be in the know, just look at what goes on around here. Even if an average owner decides they want to research the issue before deciding, it's not a subject you can just walk in, read a FAQ, and be well informed. There are just too many conflicting opinions and petty squabblings for a new person to make sense of it all in a reasonable timeframe when needing to make a decision. Hell, just this morning we got another "look at all the pretty metal my bearing is shedding, I'll slap in an EPS roller and all will be good" followed by a "you dodged a bullet!" response in the big IMS thread. I've lost track on how many of such posts I have tried to correct much less how many other's I've seen trying to correct others. So yeah, unfortunately, knock offs of the Solution will gain traction. I think the end result is that much line the LN bearings we'll get to a point where we just can't trust when someone says they've had the Solution installed without hard evidence about the replacement

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Gnat, I like you. I don't care what everyone on Rennlist says about you. hehehe

^ Oh God, B3, don't encourage him.

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How much traction are you talking about? The Solution aside, I'd be curious at the sales figures for all the current alternative bearings out there and see how much traction they've gained. You also gotta remember that the mechanic's rep is on the line of their reco's and they will ultimately have to deal with said customer if something goes wrong.

If the knock offs were to gain traction, it would most likely be outside of the US due to availability.

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We already know there are plenty of less that ideal shops to avoid, but they stick around because they keep getting new suckers. Dealing with an unknowledgeable customer gives them plenty of leeway too as to what to blame a subsequent failure on. We already know that some percentage of IMSB related motor deaths are not really the bearings fault, it's just that it is the first thing the shop sees so they stop there and blame it. The real reason will cost a lot more to find and will change nothing so the average customer won't want to pay for it. The opposite could easily be used to cover their *** (oh, it looks like you had scored cylinders and the shedding metal took out the bearing). Honestly speaking, if we didn't know Jake and his history of efforts on our behalf, how many of us would really know the difference if our mechanic presented us a Solution and a knock off? Even if there were visual differences, could many/any of us figure out why they were really important? Or would we ultimately end up taking the mechanic's word that the one for 1/3 the price was just as good? The majority of us here aren't metallurgists and mechanical engineers, so we accept what sounds reasonable and temper it based on our experience of the one making the claim. For example roller bearings seem to make sense to me (more surface area for support), but Jake's commentary on that as well as the proven history of the LN bearing make me skeptical. I trust the Solution because I'm seen enough from Jake that I trust him. My only gripe was that the dual row version wasn't available when I replaced ours last year

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Hence the suggestion to check EBay Taiwan/Asia and Baidu/Alibaba The vertex roller bearing knock-off has already been found on EBay Taiwan and linked in this thread on Rennlist.

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Its a constant search. Google Alerts works wonders for this, it will usually pick up a product within one day of posting. On eBay it picked up the last counterfeit in less than 6 hours. Now, keep in mind that the product it's self is not the main focus of the Patent, its the concept and novel art of the design. There are many ways to do a similar job, but the Patents combine to lock this region down tight, it even goes over multiple ways to install the unit, and one is a 4 piece bushing that can be installed into an M97 shaft. The latest Patent is what really limits the design from being copied, as it covers external oil from ports on the engine to the IMS region as a broad spectrum novel concept. This includes, but is not limited to the IMS Solution. Change the design of the actual bearing all day long, but unless we license to you the method of oil delivery, you are going to be dead in the water. The first patent covers the plain bearing design more particularly. Never fear, I am not done.. I have had other inventions around this, and two more Patents are pending to even further lock the doors behind us. I have spent years of my life thinking about this, and I even had another idea last night. So, here's how you can tell a real IMS Solution from something fake. Since day one the flanges gave carried a letter and number code at the top. One alpha character, and one numeric figure, these change constantly. Since March of 2015 all flanges have been specially etched with the first US Patent # 8,992,089. From this point forward all units will carry both Patent #s, here's the proof that we just signed off on to have the change added to include the second US Patent # 9,416,697. Here's a figure to show these... And don't worry.. If they copy this, we can still go further to ensure that its a genuine IMS Solution, even the etching process is special.

Congrats and thank you for your dedication to this issue on this model. Major props.