Holy crap, I'm gone for two days, and I miss soooo much!

Seriously, et tu Oliver! LMAO!  No, "patent" is not a dirty word here,,, "patent infringement" is!  Two weeks ago, I had a dear friend who has been a patent attorney for 40yrs examine my proto and the Mach, and his opinion, without hesitation, is that my design is different enough in function & design that he urged me to file for a provisional [utility] patent and a design patent, as well as a trademark with the USPTO, which I did 4 days ago (it's a crap load of work for something that some international company is going to rip off anyway if my son starts selling enough of them).

Ken, thanks so much!  Retail price point will be $99; it's 100% hand-made by my son, no c&c production (I'm not that wealthy, lol); a bandsaw and spindle sander touch the product, but, everything except the two feet & foam pad are hand-made of rock maple (so the ebony finish is clearly a "finish" if that's someone's preference).  And thanks so much for being so considerate, but "Joe's" comments don't phase me in the least, just too inconsequential and small to even think about.  You know, a forum is a very unique social setting,,, in the real world, people are polite and considerate of one another because if you're a d-bag in the "live" world there are often physical consequences to calling people disparaging names or verbally attacking them; in the e-world, people who are cowards in the real world can find satisfaction without being injured.  I appreciate your concern, but seriously, I don't take any of that s**t to heart, it's meaningless.  Besides, Terry keeps him "fueled", lmfao!