I got a few things to say, I'll just put them all in one post.

I saw an interesting bioreactor design yesterday, made from two sheets of plastic thermo welded together making a zig zag pattern for the water to follow, so when hung it was like horizontal tubular tanks which the water would flow from top to the end of one and into the next and to the other end and then into the next, etc. The first question that comes to mind, is that patented?

Here's picture and movie of it.
www.prnewswire.com/broadcas...umer.html

In order to patent an idea, there has to be no one else using it. If anyone else is using it, the patent is invalid. Even if other people start using it afterwards, if you don't go after them and stop them quickly enough, the patent becomes invalid (I believe that's how it works). So patents are totally for the rich. So the question is, is anyone else using that idea?

Here's a picture of what looks like very similar technology, two sheets of plastic thermo welded into horizontal tubes, or something. It is hard to tell for sure in this picture.
www.bio-pro.de/en/region/.../index.html

Is there any site which lists the different bioreactor designs which are public domain?

Tony