Posts in Technology & Innovation

Stanford sets aside an annual research budget of about $1.35 billion to fund its development operations for 2013-2014, and since the 1930s the university has been the starting grounds for nearly 40,000 companies, creating about 5.4 million jobs total. A 2012 study conducted by Stanford estimated that companies formed by Stanford entrepreneurs generate world revenues of $2.7 trillion annually. Recent Stanford research projects have included new techniques for the successful removal of stomach cancer cells, as well as biological surveys of marine life showing how crude oil leaks can affect heart health in fish. Today, we’re looking at the recent publications released from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned directly to Stanford University to take a snapshot look at the innovative side of this academic institution.

Our featured patent application today features an artificial knee device that surpasses the range of motion available through previous passive devices or surgical implants. The variable motion of the mechanical knee joint found in this patent application would grant an implant patient a much greater degree of motion throughout their daily lives. Other patent applications that we decided to look at more closely include a vehicle engine designed for more efficient methanol consumption as well as more energy-efficient incandescent lighting devices. We also profile a series of patents recently issued to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to protect an array of technologies, most of them dealing with better designed computer user interfaces for various jobs. One system includes a collapsible stylus device that can enable better 3D image editing performance. Another system would control a novel style of vending machine that dispenses entertainment and information along with food and beverages. We also were piqued by a technology developed with a partner institution in Saudi Arabia for better desalination methods to create drinkable water.

We’ve found an intriguing assortment of innovations in medical and industrial fields, and even the video game industry, coming out of these academic institutions. The featured patent application for today’s column would protect a system of better capturing video game player motion for physical activities required of games. This system would make it harder for users to cheat these games and complete tasks without completing the physical motion the game asks users to perform. Other patent applications we discovered include better systems of creating useful stem cells and a more effective topical formula for acne treatment.

The first patent received by an HBCU was on April 11, 1978, assigned to Shaw University of Raleigh, NC. Between 1969 and 2012, HBCUs received 100 utility patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in various fields, including energy, advanced manufacturing technology, nanotechnology and breast cancer treatment. Although this is a very small portion of patents issued by the USPTO during that period, the rate at which HBCUs have received patents has increased exponentially in recent years. In 2010, HBCUs received 10 patents; in 2011, 17 patents; and in 2012, 24 patents.

This experience in helping Southern farmers improve the soil in their fields soon led to what was to become a passion for Carver: peanuts. While peanuts were very useful in enriching the soil with nutrients, a new problem then arose: what to do with this plentiful crop of peanuts? And having now encouraged farmers to plant more peanuts to enrich the soil, Carver felt it was his obligation to find more uses for what was now becoming an overabundant commodity. So in 1903, Carver began working in earnest on peanut science, and especially on the potential uses of peanuts. This research by Carver on peanuts made him the innovator of what eventually became a highly marketable and profitable industry now worth well in excess of $500 million.

InterDigital CEO William Merritt writes: “It’s no secret that the regulatory environment is challenging for companies that license patents – in our case, patents that are deemed essential to wireless standards… One of the greatest frustrations for me is that so much of this rests on a bedrock of total miscomprehension of how standards are developed… I met with a reporter for one of the primary tech websites in the world, and he dismissed standards development. It became apparent he didn’t understand how the process worked at all… He didn’t realize that it was private sector companies – companies like ours – that committed significant engineering time and resources, and competed to develop the best solutions, and in so doing committed to licensing them fairly.”

Various governmental agencies have acknowledged that better methods of identifying risks in a crowd environment would be beneficial in preventing criminal activity. Security is always heightened at an event like the Super Bowl, but spectator security has come under increased focus during a year which saw the horrific events of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Thousands of people will commute to Super Bowl XLVIII through public transport, and MetLife Stadium can hold more than 80,000, making public security in that confined area a major concern.

The featured patent application for this column describes a novel improvement for providing latent-image patterns for protecting secure documents. This system creates more effective watermarks for preventing unauthorized copies that are camouflaged but can transmit important data. We also discuss a series of patent applications for medical devices, including a few upgrades to X-ray imaging devices and a design for a less cumbersome ophthalmologic device for creating an X-ray image of a patient’s eye. Our profile of Canon’s recently issued patents shows a wide range of small improvements to various imaging and printing devices developed by the corporation. One patent protects a new design for copy machines that provides better access for clearing paper jams. Another issued patent protects an inkjet head capable of recycling unused ink droplets escaping the inkjet head. We also discuss a few upgrades to printing software systems, including better methods of storing print job histories while in sleep mode.

There are some who say that the number of patents Woods obtained is at least 60, may be even much higher. But from Professor Fouché’s book, I’ve only identified 45 patents for Woods which is still a pretty awesome figure. These patents may be divided into essentially 4 technology categories: (1) induction telegraphy of which there are 8 patents; (2) electrical railways of which there are 20 patents; (3) other electrical devices of which there are 13 patents; and (4) 4 patents on “other inventions” that don’t fall into any specific category. This article focuses only the first category of inventions, induction telegraphy, for which Woods is most famous for. So why is induction telegraphy important? Well…

Much of the science behind how concussions are sustained is still underdeveloped, but rotational forces created on the brain when a body sustains an off-center hit may be to blame. Helmet safety standards enforced by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment have been largely unchanged since the early 1970s and typically only measures linear forces created in a straight impact. The helmet industry has been pretty stagnant for decades, but the new push for better protections against concussions has been driving innovation within the industry over the past few years.

Kava Plant May Prevent Cigarette Smoke-induced Lung Cancer *** Conditional Approval for Treatment of T-cell Lymphoma in Dogs *** All-Oral, Interferon-Free Therapy for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Genotype 1 *** Favorable Markman Ruling for Dopomed in GRALISE® Patent Litigation *** More FDA Woes for Ranbaxy *** Inovio Develops DNA-based Immune Booster to Enhance T-cell Responses *** Fish & Richardson Wins Hatch-Waxman Litigation for Allergan *** FDA approves Mekinist with Tafinlar for Advanced Melanoma

This system creates data that obfuscates the search query submitted by a user so that it cannot be tracked by a third party, while still providing relevant search results. Other patent applications describing business software innovations include a method of generating consumer decision trees based on in-store transaction records, and a way to prevent others from copying the text of sensitive electronic documents. The issued patents assigned recently to Oracle highlight some interesting intellectual property holdings that further advance the corporation’s goal in providing inclusive software solutions for businesses. Business connected to a distributed pool of network resources shared with others will benefit from an electronic resource broker agent protected in one patent.

Globally, there were about 66 million IPTV subscribers as of June 2012, and that amount is expected to rise to 102 million by 2018… It appears that subscriber content preferences are going to have much greater sway over the services provided to consumers in coming years. As we reported recently in our coverage of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, Roku TVs will be offered on the global consumer market within the year, and will likely give users access to more than 1,000 channels with a Roku subscription. Because of the cost-effective nature of private video production and Internet transmission versus typically means of television broadcast, more content channels can be developed and support the rise of niche broadcasting.

Identity theft, and the various cyber attacks undertaken to accomplish this crime, are somewhat related to infringements of intellectual properties that we cover here at IPWatchdog. The top asset that any company has is their good name, and much like a trademark that has become compromised, it’s very difficult for an individual to fix misappropriation of their identity even when it’s the fault of a malicious hacker. But as deeply troubling as it is for individuals to have their identity stolen it can be equally crippling for the businesses who allow for sensitive personal information to be taken by nefarious actors. Most businesses simply cannot afford to have their good business name associated with a cyber attack.