Tag: patent
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Bacterial Process Converts Recycled Newspapers to Biofuel
Biologists at Tulane University in New Orleans have found a bacterial strain that produces bio-based butanol directly from cellulose in plants and plant byproducts, including old newspapers. The strain of bacteria, called TU-103, is being tested in the lab of Tulane molecular biologist David Mullin, and a patent is pending on the process. Mullin’s lab…
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USPTO, Taiwan to Pilot Test Reciprocal Patent Reviews
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a new pilot test of sharing patent reviews with the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). The trial of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program will permit each office to benefit from work previously done by the other office. USPTO says the expedited examination in each office allows…
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Improved Diagnostic for Potato Pest Developed
Xiaohong Wang, a molecular biologist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a division of the Department of Agriculture, in Ithaca, New York developed a new process for determining the type of potato cyst nematode infecting potato crops. Wang’s process is described in a paper that appeared earlier this year in the European Journal of Plant…
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Human Energy Harvesting Technology Developed, Commercialized
Engineers at University of Wisconsin in Madison have created a technology that harvests and converts energy from normal human activities like walking into electrical power for portable electronic devices. The work of Tom Krupenkin and J. Ashley Taylor appears in a paper in the journal Nature Communications, and is the basis of a company formed…
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Self-Powered Prosthetic Leg Developed, Patented, Licensed
Vanderbilt University engineers in Nashville have developed a prosthetic lower leg, which allows amputees to walk without the leg-dragging that characterizes conventional artificial legs. The university has patented basic elements of the device’s design, and licensed the technology to a California company for commercial development. The prosthesis is as much an electronic as an assistive…
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Patent Awarded for Bacterial Phosphorus Removal Process
Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. in Crestone, Colorado says it has been granted a U.S. patent for its treatment process for organic wastes, particularly livestock wastes. The company’s patent for “Micro-Electron Acceptor Phosphorus Accumulating Organisms” uses bacteria to remove phosphorus from livestock and other animal wastes. Phosphorus is a chemical found in animal waste, which can…
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University 2010 Start-Ups, Patents Rise; Licensing Stalls
The number of start-up companies and U.S. patents applied for and issued based on research at American universities gained in 2010 compared to 2009, according to the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), an organization of technology transfer specialists. However, the licensing of those findings and creation of new products leveled off or fell in…
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Bio-Based Resins, Coatings Developed from Common Crops
Researchers at North Dakota State University in Fargo have developed a family of resins from renewable raw materials that eliminate hazardous components yet perform as well the originals. The team reported its findings earlier this year in the journal Biomacromolecules (paid subscription required). The researchers led by Dean Webster, professor in the NDSU Department of…
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Univ. Research Leads to Mobile Transaction Security Advances
Research by Georgia Institute of Technology engineering faculty has led to a new layer of security on transactions by mobile phones. The work of engineering professor Steven McLaughlin is also being commercialized by Whisper Communications, a company he co-founded to take the technology to market. The ability of smart phones and other mobile devices to…
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University Profs. Develop, Commercialize Food-Bite Counter
Two Clemson University faculty members have developed a device worn on the wrist that can help people monitor the amounts of food they consume. Psychology professor Eric Muth and engineering professor Adam Hoover have also started a company to take their patent-pending device to market. The Bite Counter, as Muth and Hoover call their device,…