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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Patent Watch
Government funding drives inventions to the Patent Office
By Kirk Teska, adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School
MHT's Jackie Noblett: Maine becoming a hub for pet-oriented biotechs
MHT's Julie Donnelly: Gemvara launches custom-made jewelry over the Internet
MHT's Galen Moore: Cambridge Innovation Center celebrates 10th anniversary
Inventions are often made with the help of government funds, in which case the government may have the right to use a patented invention for government purposes but the contractor retains certain commercial rights. Here are a few patents naming New England inventors supported by U.S. agencies.
•Superhydrophobic fabrics repel water and are self-cleaning. Patent No. 7,651,760 (Jan. 26) relates to a method of producing superhydrophobic fibers by combining electrospinning and initiated chemical vapor deposition techniques. This MIT patent was made with support provided by the Army Research Office. The inventors are Karen Gleason of Lexington, Gregory Rutledge of Newton, and Malancha Gupta, Minglin Ma, and Yu Mao all of Cambridge.
•MIT patent No. 7,666,684 (Feb. 23) covers a method of detecting military explosive compositions such as RDX. A special compound was developed which luminescenses differently when RDX is present. The compound was developed under a contract with the U.S. Army Research Office. The inventors are Timothy Swager of Newton, Trisha Andrew of Cambridge, Samuel Thomas of Quincy, and Jean Bouffard of Cambridge.
•Patent No. 7,662,772 (Feb. 16) covers a gene therapy treatment wherein neuregulins are administered to a patient to prevent or minimize congestive heart failure. The invention was supported by a grant from both the National Institutes of Health and NASA. The inventors are Mark Marchionni of Arlington, Ralph Kelly of Chestnut Hill, Beverly Lorell of Needham, and Douglas Sawyer of Brookline. The assignees include the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Inc.
•Your bone mineral density is indicative of the likelihood you will suffer from osteoporosis or an increased risk of fracture. But, measuring bone mineral density using x-rays is difficult because soft tissue affects the x-rays as well. Under a contract awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Philipp Lang of Lexington invented a new method of analyzing x-ray images to detect osteoporosis by deriving quantitative information regarding bone structure from x-ray image data and comparing the information to a database of bone structure measurements drawn from selected subjects. Imaging Therapeutics Inc. of California is the owner of patent No. 7,660,453, awarded Feb. 9.
•Testing radar antennas is a complicated and expensive process. Patent No. 7,667,467 (Feb. 23) discloses a new way to test antennas using an “anechoic box” and a “gold standard” antenna that has already been field tested. Other antennas are then tested in the anechoic box and compared to the results from using the gold standard antenna. The New Hampshire inventors are Mahmood Khosravi (Bedford), Robert Lombardi (Nashua), Donald Spencer (Merrimack), Leonard Ruvinsky (Merrimack), and Michael Freeman (Franklin). BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., of Nashua, is the owner. The invention was made under a contract from the U.S. Air Force.
•In gas turbine engines, the turbine blades can rub against the outer air seal of the turbine and clog holes in the seal designed to cool the seal. United Technologies Corp. located in Hartford, Conn., won patent No. 7,665,961 on February 23 for an invention made under Air Force and Navy contracts. The cooling holes are now located in grooves formed to be parallel to the direction of blade rotation. The grooves shelter the openings of the cooling holes to prevent clogging. The inventors are Paul Lutjen of Kennebunkport, Maine; John Wiedemer of Glastonbury, Conn.; James Knapp of Sanford, Maine; Dominic Mongillo, Jr. of West Hartford, Conn.; Christopher Joe of Wethersfield, Conn.; Blake Luczak of Manchester, Conn.; Gary Grogg of South Berwick, Maine; and Michael Benamati of Saco, Maine.
Kirk Teska is a regular contributor to MHT and an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School.
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