WFW Secures Patent for Leveling Machines

Workshops for Warriors (WFW) has announced that it has secured a patent for a solution that offers a quick and easy way of leveling large, industrial machines that are off level by anywhere from 1/8 inch to 12 inches. The organization—a nonprofit school providing Veterans free training and nationally recognized industry credentials in CAD/CAM programming, CNC machining and welding—worked with Fish & Richardson P.C., a global patent, intellectual property (IP) and commercial litigation law firm, to secure the patent.

“With Fish & Richardson’s involvement, we are able to take what we do really well and leverage our advanced manufacturing infrastructure to create a product that’s useful throughout the U.S. and potentially the world,” says Hernán Luis y Prado, founder of WFW. “There are numerous benefits to this patent. In addition to fostering creativity and innovation internally, it also offers a sustainable revenue stream for WFW while providing training and experience for the Veterans who are in our social enterprise. The firm not only helped us with our IP protection and patent work, but with the structure of the licensing program. Fish & Richardson played a crucial role in making this happen.”

The idea was born out of necessity. Intended for industrial manufacturing machines that are supported by irregular and unlevel surfaces, the product assists manufacturers who operate very delicate and heavy pieces of equipment that need to be leveled. WFW encountered situations where all of the machines at a particular location were as much as 10 inches out of level. Instead of having to manufacture an offset for each of the machines, WFW devised another system that includes a set of very ruggedized shims that lock together, securely holding a piece of equipment by locking the foot of the machine without having all of the leveling support structure give way, slide, or move once the machine begins to vibrate. This solution offers a quick and easy way of leveling machines that are anywhere from 1/8 inch to 12 inches off level.

“We were honored to partner with Workshops for Warriors for their fourth patent,” says John Phillips, principal at Fish & Richardson. “Working with pro bono clients such as WFW is a win-win for Fish and the client: we created additional opportunities for WFW to raise money, and the Fish team was able to work on a really interesting project with a very impressive organization. For starters, the leveling devices can be made by their social enterprise corporation, VetPowered LLC, to earn money, or be licensed to other manufacturing companies. The revenue can go to supporting the training of Veterans in their quest to achieve high paying jobs in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Our team worked diligently to secure approval, and we are thrilled that the patented leveling devices will assist in raising funds for WFW’s worthy school.”