Vexilar, one of the oldest and most respected sonar/fish finder brands in the world was recently awarded a Patent from the US government for their innovative sonar/fish finder product the SonarPhone (Patent #9,628,592). Late last year their innovative T-POD floating transducer design was also awarded a US design patent (Patent #9,408378). The Sonarphone Patent technology involves the downloading of an app to a smart device that links to a WiFi based sonar transmitter system to turn a phone or tablet into a high resolution, touch screen sonar.
The SonarPhone product has been on the market as a “Patent Pending” product since 2013 and many similar products have sprung up over this period that may infringe on the newly issued patent. Vexilar will encourage these potential patent violators to agree to a non-exclusive license agreement so more of the world can benefit from what Vexilar has pioneered. The SonarPhone product is by far the most popular WiFi Sonar in the world with over a million versions of its app downloaded into smart devices around the world.
“I am finally glad to have this process done and behind us,” stated Tom Zenanko, Marketing Manager for Vexilar. “We began this project in 2010 with direction from our company’s visionary owner, Steve Baumann. He knows our customer and the market and he understood the roll of how smart devices would change how we live our lives in the future. Now, with US and China Patents in place, the EU and Australia Patents will soon follow. The big fish finder brands are pushing back hard to prevent smart technology from cannibalizing their business model and I would do the same if I were them. The smart phone generation is here, and the technology it offers is so superior to the classic sonar box display boaters mount on their boats now. It is not IF but WHEN the consumer will force the marine industry to switch over to smart device sonar.
Many sonar companies currently offer the option of a WiFi repeater signal that allows anglers to use a smart device to see what the main display is showing. The SonarPhone Patent does not require a base unit, it is not a repeater, it sends sonar data directly to your smart device where a free downloadable app then permits you to see and control the signal directly from your smart device. If Vexilar wants to add more features to the display, they simply do an auto update to the app and everyone in the world instantly has the newest SonarPhone features at no cost to them. The cost of the WiFi sonar technology is what is shocking to the marine industry since, traditional sonar companies make their money selling large displays, and not as much on the technology that drives them. Your phone or tablet has the best touch screen display in the world now, why not use it for your fish finder if you can, and save some money too!“
The idea of how versatile Smart devices are right now to the boater and angler are obvious. You can make phone calls, watch the weather, stream movies, take photos and use over a million apps, plus use it as your sonar/fish finder. Strategic partners like Navionics allow for sonar/GPS mapping and you can even make your own Sonar Charts Live using the Navionics app that has SonarPhone integrated into every app you download.
To learn more about SonarPhone go to www.sonarphone.mobi or visit the app store and download the free app and check out the features yourself. Keyword: SonarPhone
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