That is one thing I've never understood....why it costs anything to keep it. Something like PTS should be a producthat the schools buy, not a service they subscribe to. There is nothing the manufacturer should be needed for after it is installed. I can't imagine what additional service they could be providing that would require an ongoing subscription.

Well at one time the system used to be around $5000. And you had replace batteries and other maintenance that I was told about. I honestly do not know much about the system overall, just was told that the initial cost was only part of the system. And with the cost was one of the reasons the school the reason the school that was allowed to borrow the device.

Peace

Probably the $5,000 to start but then a good chunk more every year just to have it. The batteries "should" be cheap unless they choose a proprietary form just so they can mark up the replacements to a high price...sort of like cell phone accessories used to be until some governments in the world made the cell phone makers (except for Apple for some reason) converge to universal standards (micro-USB) so chargers and other accessories from one work on all others and you don't have to rebuy them for every new phone.


I also think the company doesn't actually sell the system...I think they only lease it. With no competition, they can get away with that and pretty much charge what they want.

Maybe a couple of use tech-types should get together with a few marketing/sales types and invent a competing system!;)

How long has PTS been around? Is it possible they still have patent/trade secret protection?

If they do have a patent, should be near expiration. PTS has been in use for over 15 years, probably closer to 20 and patents expire 20 years after the first filing. They would have filed for the patent before selling the product. (It used to be 17 years from issue, but that changed in the mid-90's.).

Even if they have patents on it, their patented method can't be the only way to do something like that.