Patents worldwide

The expiration of Phillips basic PPS patent in 1984 ushered in a large interest from the industrial sector. Companies, based largely in Europe and Japan, began acquiring patents worldwide for both the synthesis of PPS and a wide variety of appHcations, including compounds, blends, alloys, fiber, film, advanced composite materials, as well as end use products. 

In 1967, on April 3 and 4, under the sponsorship of ONR (Office of Naval Research) I organized the first International Conference on Nitinol called Symposium on TiNi and Associated Compounds . The conference was held at Naval Ordnance Laboratory, the birthplace of Nitinol. As the chairman of the conference I assisted in selecting the papers from this conference that were later published in block form in the Journal of Applied Physics [16]. Despite these efforts the Nitinol transition remained elusive for sometime. In fact, after more than 30 years since the discovery of memory effect and with more than 139 papers have appeared in various journals on this subject, the investigators still do not agree with one another. At the same time more than 4,000 patents worldwide have been filed on the use of the memory effect or superelasticity in Nitinol. Out of all this, the actual application of Nitinol remains only a handful. In sharp contrast other conventional alloys with martensitic transition has no controversy and in fact they are so well understood that a Crystallographic theory of martensitic transformation was formulated [27],... 

Manufacturers. Gulligan has become an acknowledged leader in water treatment since the company was founded in 1936. First known for its water softeners, its research and development team has made advancements in water treatment that have resulted in its holding more than 200 patents worldwide. 

Triphosgene, as a safe precursor, is depolymerized into three equivalents of phosgene by a special catalyst in a controlled reaction [1, 4). The process is patented worldwide by Dr. Eckert GmbH [1] (see also Chapter 2). 

SciFinder includes information on both chemical patents and patent family members from 44 countries. Since 1907, Chemical Abstracts (CA) has abstracted and indexed over three million patents worldwide in all areas of chemistry and chemical engineering. Patent titles may be altered by the Chemical Abstracts Service to make them more descriptive. SciFinder is an excellent resource for article, paper, and patent searching, since both patent numbers and inventor/assignee names are searchable from 1907 to date bibliographic and abstract information for patents from major industrial countries is available within two days of publication, full indexing is completed within twenty-seven days, and patent family information is available from 1957 to date. 

Parallel to reactivating liquid crystal research, Roche established a TN patent and licensing team for nonexclusively licensing and defending the TN patent worldwide [19]. For the first time in its history, Roche also entered into... 

Historically, the development of the acrylates proceeded slowly they first received serious attention from Otto Rohm. AcryUc acid (propenoic acid) was first prepared by the air oxidation of acrolein in 1843 (1,2). Methyl and ethyl acrylate were prepared in 1873, but were not observed to polymerize at that time (3). In 1880 poly(methyl acrylate) was reported by G. W. A. Kahlbaum, who noted that on dry distillation up to 320°C the polymer did not depolymerize (4). Rohm observed the remarkable properties of acryUc polymers while preparing for his doctoral dissertation in 1901 however, a quarter of a century elapsed before he was able to translate his observations into commercial reaUty. He obtained a U.S. patent on the sulfur vulcanization of acrylates in 1912 (5). Based on the continuing work in Rohm s laboratory, the first limited production of acrylates began in 1927 by the Rohm and Haas Company in Darmstadt, Germany (6). Use of this class of compounds has grown from that time to a total U.S. consumption in 1989 of approximately 400,000 metric tons. Total worldwide consumption is probably twice that. 

Liquid Crystals. Based on worldwide patent activity, numerous compounds containing fluoroaromatic moieties have been synthesized for incorporation into liquid crystals. For example, fluoroaromatics are incorporated in ZLI-4792 and ZLI-4801-000/-100 for active matrix displays (AMD) containing super fluorinated materials (SFM) (186,187). Representative stmctures are as follows. 

Commercial metal anodes for the chlorine industry came about after the late 1960s when a series of worldwide patents were awarded (6—8). These were based not on the use of the platinum-group metals (qv) themselves, but on coatings comprised of platinum-group metal oxides or a mixture of these oxides with valve metal oxides, such as titanium oxide (see Platinum-GROUP metals, compounds Titanium compounds). In the case of chlor-alkaH production, the platinum-group metal oxides that proved most appropriate for use as coatings on anodes were those of mthenium and iridium. 

Another market appHcation for naphthenic acid is the tire industry, where cobalt naphthenate is used as an adhesion promoter (see Adhesives Tire cords). Cobalt naphthenate improves the bonding of brass-plated steel cords to mbber, presumably by suppressing the de-zincification of brass (50). Its first reported use was in 1970 and the first patent for its use was issued in 1975 (51). About 900 t of cobalt naphthenate is used worldwide as an adhesion promoter, half of it in North America. The unit value fluctuates between 8.75—13.25 /kg because of the volatility of cobalt prices. Although it is the industry standard, the use of cobalt naphthenate is declining with the advent of more economical high metal-containing substitutes. 

UOP Inc. is the key source of technology in this area, having numerous patents and over 70 units operating worldwide (12). The dehydrogenation catalyst is usually a noble metal such as platinum. Eor a typical conversion, the operating temperature is 300—500°C at 100 kPa (1 atm) (13) hydrogen-to-paraffin feed mole ratio is 5 1. 

Besides the worldwide WPI database, Derwent provides on the ORBIT system the USPatents database, a bibhographic file of patent front page and cl aim information for U.S. patents since 1971. Derwent also produces a biotechnology database, GENESEQ, that indexes sequence stmetures of proteins or nucleic acids disclosed specifically or genetically in patents. This database is searchable with special sequence software on the InteUiGenetics system, and is a new addition to STN s database catalog. 

Herm/es/Djnamit JS obe/Process. On a worldwide basis, the Hercules Inc./Dynamit Nobel AG process is the dorninant technology for the production of dimethyl terephthalate the chemistry was patented in the 1950s (67—69). Modifications in commercial practice have occurred over the years, with several variations being practiced commercially (70—72). The reaction to dimethyl terephthalate involves four steps, which alternate between liquid-phase oxidation and liquid-phase esterification. Two reactors are used. Eirst, -xylene is oxidized with air to -toluic acid in the oxidation reactor, and the contents are then sent to the second reactor for esterification with methanol to methyl -toluate. The toluate is isolated by distillation and returned to the first reactor where it is further oxidized to monomethyl terephthalate, which is then esterified in the second reactor to dimethyl terephthalate. 

Patent pending). Some designs work well on mixing powders. There are over 30 different models of static mixers worldwide [38],... 

In USA a patent is awarded to the person first producing an invention, not necessarily who first applied for a patent. The opposite policy prevails in the rest of the world with USA policy probably changing in order to achieve worldwide patent law harmonization. USA utility patents (machines, equipment, etc.) in the past where good for at least 17 years after date the patent was issued. As of 1995, the patent is good for 20 years after the date the patent is filed (prior to the date it is issued) that eliminated those who would file for a patent and let it drag out for many years prior to being issued when it would be needed for infringement, etc. 

There are three major steps to a patent search. (1) There is the US Patent Classification System that is a sort of subject index to all patents, (2) CASSIS is a computerized software information system provided by the USA patent office, and (3) review the patent that takes time involves the weekly official worldwide gazettes, magazines, etc. There are many ways available to search the patent database in both US and worldwide, but one web that is particularly useful to the novice or occasional searcher is one offered by IBM locate at http //www patents.IBM.com... 

In order to meet the rising demand for information thousands of databases are available worldwide. Nearly all supply technical literature, economic information, patent references, and manufacturers addresses. Materials databases with numerical values are a relatively small part of these programs. Because the majority of these databases are from individual manufacturers of plastics, there is only limited comprehensive, neutral information on most materials in these software programs. 

---