Check this out. 256K in an 8 pin Dip... Cheap too!!
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=525
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=525
That's true. I was thinking of size... eliminate parts, size goes down. ;-)Like Zenock says you can omit the button and use the IR receiver to start the transmission, BUT then you need a receiving device that has both send and receive. And it may use more power as you will need to detect IR reception during your main operating phase. Personally i'd be tempted to go for the button, it opens up possibilities, ie; using the device in different run modes etc.
There are different types of patents and you don't have to be the creator of the item to own the patent. As a general rule you can't patent technology that is considered common knowledge to your peers. There are also patents that protect how the product is packaged and has little to do with the technology within. The Clapper is probably a good example, as there isn't and wasn't anything revolutionary in that box.So can you take a design provided to you from a public forum and patent it?
Just wondering?
Z