Tag: patent
-
Simple Solar Water System Devised to Kill Pathogens
Engineering and food science faculty at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana designed a solar device to kill waterborne bacteria that the inventors say can help provide clean drinking water to millions of people in developing countries. Civil and environmental engineering professor Ernest “Chip” Blatchley and food science biologist Bruce Applegate, with the help of students,…
-
Who’s a Patent Troll? You’ll be Surprised by the Answer
Nobody likes patent trolls, the “non-practicing entities” accused of filing lawsuits with questionable infringement claims aimed at extorting settlements from companies just trying to do business. A conference today in Washington, D.C. sponsored by Innovation Alliance — a group promoting a strong U.S. patent system — featured a panelist who would under some definitions be…
-
Genetic Solution Identified for Canola Crop Losses
Biologists at University of Calgary in Canada identified a genetic process in plants similar to the oilseed canola that offers a solution to a problem causing large annual losses of this key cash crop. The team lead by Calgary’s Marcus Samuel, with associates from University of Toronto and University of Bordeaux in France, published its…
-
Biotech Start-Up Finds STD Treatment in Anti-Cancer Therapy
Researchers with the biotechnology company TherapyX Inc. in Buffalo, New York found a potential treatment for the sexually transmitted disease (STD) gonorrhea in a therapy the company is developing for cancer. The team from TherapyX, a spin-off company of the University at Buffalo medical school, published its findings today online in the Journal of Infectious…
-
Safer, Cheaper Ultraviolet PCB Disposal Process Developed
A team of engineers and chemists at University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada devised a new process for cleaning soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, cancer-causing chemicals banned in the U.S. since 1979, but with residues still in the environment. The new methods, say Calgary engineering professor Gopal Achari and chemistry professor Cooper Langford,…
-
Princeton Lab, USDA Partner on Egg Pasteurization Process
Engineers from Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Plainsboro, New Jersey and agricultural scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture research lab in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania developed a process and device for pastuerizing eggs in the shell without damaging the delicate egg white. The team inventing the process filed for a patent and is seeking licensees to…
-
U.S. University Research Commercialization Gains in 2012
American universities and research institutes report more research discoveries headed toward the marketplace in their 2012 fiscal year, with increases in discoveries disclosed, patents, licenses and licensing income, and start-up companies formed. The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the group representing campus technology transfer specialists, released today highlights of its annual survey for institutions’…
-
University Patents, Licenses Cattle Feed Supplement
Kansas State University in Manhattan received a patent and licensed a nutritional supplement for cattle feed developed by one of its faculty members. Research by animal sciences professor Jim Drouillard led to development of a supplement that improves absorption of omega-3 fatty acids beneficial to livestock, which Kansas State patented earlier this year and licensed…
-
Quality Check Technique Devised for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Engineers at Purdue University in Indiana developed a method that can detect flaws in lithium-ion battery electrodes during their manufacture. The team led by mechanical engineering professor Douglas Adams and chemical engineering faculty James Caruthers will discuss its technique next month at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Mechanics near Chicago. Arrays of…
-
Surgical Agents Developed for Biopsies in Confined Spaces
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore created and tested microscopic devices powered by body heat that collect tissue samples from patients for biopsies. A team led by Johns Hopkins physician Florin Selaru and engineer David Gracias published its findings in the April issue of the journal Gastroenterology, as well as the 25 January issue…