In this video as part of The Motley Fool's "Ask a Fool" series, Fool industrials analyst Blake Bos takes a question from a Fool reader, who writes: "What are your thoughts on 3D Systems' (DDD 4.92%) patent expiry and the potential impact on the company? This will effectively open the doors of competition to new players right?" Blake mentions that this is in reference to US Pat 4,575,330, the full history of which can be found in an article here. Blake breaks down for investors 3D Systems' patent history, and the technical details behind the most important patents involved here. He also discusses how the company will be affected once these patent expiries come to pass.