The final patent numbers for 2004 are in. On Dec. 28, the last patent-issuance date of the year, 16 new patents were granted to Utah inventors.
A total of 900 patents were granted to Utah inventors in 2004, up from 849 patents in 2003. In 2003, the annual total of patents granted to Utahns had declined for the second year in a row. This is believed to be a reflection, in part, of the receding economic times of 2001, given the approximately two-year time cycle between filing and issuance of the average patent.
Patent grants to Utahns had climbed steadily each year since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Utahns were typically granted about 200 patents annually. Since 1986, a year in which Utahns garnered 256 patents, Utahns' annual increase in patent numbers has been dramatic, reaching as high as 35 percent in some years.
The 900 patents granted to Utah inventors in 2004 were preceded by 849 patent grants in 2003, 875 patents in 2002, 917 in 2001, 875 in 2000, 870 in 1999 and 849 in 1998. The year 2001, at 917 patents, remains the record year for patents granted to Utah inventors.
The sixteen patents awarded to Utah inventors on Dec. 28, 2004, include:
Multipurposeleveling device. Steven Turner, Clearfield. Filed Aug. 6, 2002, claiming priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/312,572, filed Aug. 18, 2001. Patent No. 6,834,435.
Integrated multipurpose caged valve. Ajit Singh Gill, Salt Lake City. Filed Aug. 6, 2003. Patent No. 6,834,675.
Bumper assembly that provides early crash detection. David W. Lindsey, Farr West, Weber County. Assigned to Autoliv ASP Inc., Ogden. Filed March 24, 2003. Patent No. 6,834,899.
Spider-web placido pattern. Gregg D. Niven, Kaysville; Joseph R. Bentley, West Jordan; Barry T. Egan and Lloyd Caldwell, both of Salt Lake City; Lloyd Allred, Bountiful. Assigned to Bausch & Lomb Inc., Rochester, N.Y. Filed Sept. 30, 2002. Patent No. 6,834,959.
Teleprompter with directional screen. Justin Peatross, Michael Ware and Robert H. Todd, all of Provo. Assigned to Brigham Young University, Provo. Filed Sept. 19, 2001, claiming priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/234,190, filed Sept. 09, 2000. Patent No. 6,834,968.
Acoustic pyrometer. Dean E. Draxton, Park City; James G. Droppo III, Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; Richard E. Hogle, Olympia, Wash.; George Kychakoff, Maple Valley, Wash. Assigned to Combustion Specialists Inc., Maple Valley, Wash. Filed Sept. 8, 2003, a division of Application No. 10/020,106, filed Dec. 14, 2001, which is a continuation of Patent No. 6,386,755, filed Jan. 5, 2000, which claims priority to international patent Application No. PCT/US98/13839, filed July 4, 1998, which claims priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/052,930, filed July 5, 1997. Patent No. 6,834,992.
Jelly pens. Tony M. Pearce, Alpine. Assigned to EdiZONE LC, Alpine. Filed Feb. 11, 2003, claiming priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/356,279, filed Feb. 11, 2002, and provisional patent Application No. 60/368,821, filed April 1, 2002. This patent is also a continuation of Application No. 10/164,832, filed June 7, 2002, which is a continuation of numerous predecessor filings. This patent is also a continuation of Application No. 10/059,101, filed Nov. 8, 2001, which is a continuation of numerous predecessor filings. This patent is also a continuation of Patent No. 6,797,705, filed Sept. 11, 2000, which is a continuation of numerous predecessor filings. Patent No. 6,835,015.
Reduced energy binder for energetic compositions. John R. Moser Jr., Salt Lake City. Assigned to Alliant Techsystems, Edina, Minn. Filed June 1, 1998. Patent No. 6,835,255.
Method for equalizing band intensities on sequencing gels. Nadeem Tusneem, West Jordan; Dmitry Pruss, Salt Lake City; Min-Jui Richard Shen, San Diego; Satish K. Bhatnagar, Sandy. Assigned to Myriad Genetics Inc., Salt Lake City. Filed Nov. 27, 2000, claiming priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/236,179, filed Sept. 29, 2000. Patent No. 6,835,537.
Photometric glucose measurement system using glucose-sensitive hydrogel. In Suk Han, Seok Lew and Man Hee Han, all of Salt Lake City. Assigned to M-Biotech Inc., Sandy. Filed April 11, 2002, a continuation-in-part of Patent No. 6,514,689, filed April 20, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of Patent No. 6,475,750, filed Aug. 23, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of Patent No. 6,268,161, filed May 11, 1999, which claims priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/341,677, filed Dec. 17, 2001. Patent No. 6,835,553.
Biocleavable micelle compositions for use as drug carriers. Kenneth M. Kosak, West Valley City. Assigned to KK Biomed Corp., Salt Lake City. Filed April 10, 2001, a continuation-in-part of international patent Application No. PCT/US99/30820, filed Dec. 27, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 6,048,736, filed Dec. 30, 1998. Patent No. 6,835,718.
Chemical prefiltering for phase differentiation via simultaneous energy dispersive spectrometry and electron backscatter diffraction. Stuart Ian Wright, Orem; Matthew McBride Nowell, Draper; David Joseph Dingley, South Draper. Assigned to EDAX Inc., Mahwah, N.J. Filed May 15, 2003, claiming priority to provisional patent Application No. 60/380,681, filed May 15, 2002. Patent No. 6,835,931.
Method and apparatus providing general spherical search pattern, and all sub-sets thereof, for acquisition. Patricia F. Batzer, North Salt Lake; Merle L. Keller, Salt Lake City. Assigned to L-3 Communications Corp., New York. Filed Feb. 19, 2004. Patent No. 6,836,242.
Method of indicating wireless connection integrity. Rich Erekson, Ogden; Darrel Goff, Layton. Assigned to 3Com Corp., Santa Clara, Calif. Filed April 24, 2000. Patent No. 6,836,862.
Carrying case body. Christopher Bourne, West Valley City. Assigned to Zero Manufacturing Inc., North Salt Lake. Filed March 26, 2003. Design Patent No. D500,206.
Croquet stake. Patti Benson, Sandy. Assigned to Wicket Man Co., Sandy. Filed March 21, 2004. Design Patent No. D500,349.
Karl R. Cannon is a Registered Patent Attorney and a founding shareholder in the law firm of Clayton, Howarth & Cannon P.C., specialists in patent, trademark and copyright law. He may be contacted at 801-255-5335 or by e-mail at kcannon@chcpat.com. Copies of patents are available by mail for $3 each from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Box 9 (Copy Sales), Washington, DC 20231; by credit card via telephone 703-308-9726 or toll free 800-972-6382; facsimile 703-305-8759; or e-mail ptcs@uspto.gov. Patents can also be viewed and printed free of charge from several Internet sites, including www.uspto.gov.