Who runs this site and why?
This site was started by a former patent searcher, James Ryley, who was not happy with the service or prices available from other patent data providers. James happened to have a background in web programming and web design, so he decided to solve the problem himself by building a better patent searching site. So, this site started out as a labor of love, and something James felt would be valuable to the community. Initially the site was completely built and financed by James. But, as the site has grown numerous people have become involved in various aspects of the site, and we are currently investigating business models that will allow the site (or at least the vast majority of the site) to remain free while defraying our development, hosting, and hardware expenses.