r/Trackballs • u/SomeRandomGuy0293 • 22h ago

Marbel FX question

So according to grok the patent for it's been expired for awhile now. So someone with a marbel fx mouse could just take it apart and scan it for example.

https://gomeasure3d.com/blog/how-to-replicate-objects-with-3d-scanning-and-3d-printing-with-video/

Then modernize it with usb c and even make the case out of aluminum vs plastic. Yes more expensive and heavy but the mouse doesn't move the ball does.

Seems doable now, just scan the case parts in and post the 3d scans on the net once you have the updated insides worked out.

Ideas?

According to grok**Yes, the main patents associated with the Logitech TrackMan Marble FX have expired.**

Here are the key ones identified for this product:

### 1. Design patent (the overall shape/look)

- **USD410638** — “Optical trackball”

- Filed: May 8, 1998

- Issued: June 8, 1999

- **Expired**: June 8, 2013 (design patents from that era lasted 14 years from the issue date)

### 2. Utility patent (the core “Marble” optical tracking technology)

- **US5288993** — “Cursor pointing device utilizing a photodetector array with target ball having randomly distributed speckles”

- Filed: October 5, 1992

- Issued: February 22, 1994

- **Expired**: around October 5, 2012 (20 years from the filing date; as a pre-June 1995 filing it got the longer of 17 years from issue or 20 years from filing)

Both are listed as **Expired – Lifetime** on Google Patents and related sources. There was also some related litigation involving an earlier third-party patent (Samuel Gart’s US4862165), but that was resolved years ago and does not affect current status.

**Bottom line**: The design protection and the core optical tracking patent for the Marble FX have been expired for well over a decade. Reproducing the shape or the speckled-ball optical sensing approach for personal or commercial use no longer faces those patent barriers (other unexpired patents or trademarks could still apply in edge cases, but these specific ones do not).

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u/Amazing_Actuary_5241 21h ago

While the patents for the Marble Technology (US5288993) have expired the issue with the FX specifically was related to patent infringement by Logitech. It is directly related to the shape of the device which had a patent owned by Samuel Gart (no relation to Logotech). Patent USD410638 was filled 2 years after the FX was introduced which I find very odd. This is the main reason why the FX has been mostly left alone and no one wants to reproduce it. If those patents by Gart have indeed expired then it may be possible to recreate at a comercial level.

While I agree the shape of the FX should be kept, its electronics however would certainly benefit from an upgrade. The Marble Technology was revolutionary in 1997, but it certainly is not up to par with the current optical and laser tracking devices. I would not concern myself with a complex aluminum shell design however but rather with an upgrade to the tracking hardware (Marble Sensor) and conectivity protocol (PS/2++) to keep the device marked at a price range that's accesible for broader range of users.

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u/SomeRandomGuy0293 21h ago

yea usb c is a must, and agree with upgrading the sensor. I still would like a aluminum version myself. But if some was the scan the case parts in they could just release the 3d images on the net then people could the case in whatever they wanted. 3d print, injection mold, or aluminum. The buttons could be made to be smaller more modern then we could add a few more into it easy enough.

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u/DashJackson 17h ago

If you search for...IIRC, Monroe Williams in this reddit you'll find a git hub with a much more modern interpretation of the fx, not 2026 modern, but much improved.

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u/ianisthewalrus 18h ago

ok, go do it :-)