but star trek is an established television franchise, there is no gray area as to whether it exists or who owns the rights. your position is that the name of the equipment from star trek is not owned by the license holders of the franchise because the word is not necessarily associated with the item tricorder, but is there any known or written usage of the word prior to the show star trek?
It’s just to say that rather than an abstract concept like the microprocessor which theoretically exists in more than one capacity or form just of similar concept, the tricorder is a fictional invention of a television empire and the name is forever associated with it. Sure there may be a logical basis to construct some object not of the same nature based around the name, but the name itself is the claim to it’s documented place in “history” such as it were. I’m sure there’s some legal basis for someone to say the name is part of whatever copywrite which the franchise umbrella is covered by.