New York : 2011 A Good Year for Inventors at Kodak & Xerox

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Date: Monday January 2, 2012 07:40:44 am
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    2011 A Good Year for Inventors at Kodak and Xerox

    Although the final figures are not yet available, it appears that the number of patents issued to inventors in Monroe County rose in 2011 for the third straight year.

    Inventors from Eastman Kodak Co. and Xerox Corp. dominated the list, with hundreds of new patents awarded for the work of researchers at the area’s two largest manufacturing companies. Combined, they accounted for roughly 30 percent of the area’s patents granted in 2011.

    That percentage has been dropping steadily, but not because those companies have slowed their research efforts.

    Rather, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of spinoffs and startups in the area, and some existing companies have ramped up their research and development efforts
    After Xerox and Kodak, the company receiving the most local patents was General Motors. Researchers at the automaker’s research facility in Honeoye Falls received almost 100 new patents last year relating to hydrogen fuel cell technology. GM has invested over $1 billion in developing electric cars.

    Next on the list was Harris RF Communications, the leading supplier of tactical radios to the U.S. military. The company received more than 40 new patents in 2011 for radio hardware and for the software that drives communication networks.

    Local researchers at Bausch + Lomb received more than 30 new patents last year. Best known as a manufacturer of contact lenses, the company received a number of patents last year for their work with implantable intraocular lenses, typically used to treat glaucoma and cataracts.

    One name near the top of the list is one many Rochesterians may not recognize. Carestream Health Inc. was born in 2007 when Kodak sold off its health imaging division. It employs about 1,200 people at its headquarters on Verona Street, right next to the Kodak tower. Carestream researchers received approximately 35 new patents in 2011. If you’ve been to the dentist or had a mammogram or an X-ray, chances are you’ve had your picture taken with one of their products.

    It takes an average of about three and a half years between the time a patent application is filed and when it is granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The announcement of a new patent reflects research that was done years ago, and sometimes the inventor is no longer with the same company. Sometimes, the company itself has changed. A prime example is Global OLED Technology, which ranked fourth in the number of patents granted to local inventors last year. GOT was formed in 2009 when Kodak sold off the assets of its organic light-emitting diode business. Most of those patents were issued for innovations developed by folks when they were working for Kodak.

    The company, which is based in Herndon, Va., does not have a local presence, but some of the researchers behind those patents formed their own company to continue their work. OLEDWorks was founded by John Hamer and Michael Boroson, who were named as inventors on nine of the new GOT patents.

    It wasn’t just the local giants who were generating patents in 2011. Pictometry International received several patents for their work with oblique imagery, aerial photos taken at an angle rather than directly overhead. Their technology is used for capturing these images and providing 3D-like high resolution looks at buildings and neighborhoods.

    Employees for Bosch Security Systems in Fairport received patents for advances in alarm systems to protect customers from fire or burglary, and for the communication networks necessary to summon assistance.

    Employees of Caldwell Manufacturing in Gates received five patents for block and tackle balances, a key component in modern windows.

    Dozens of patents were issued to small business owners or individuals in the area. Charles Inzinna, owner of the Soho Salon in Pittsford, received patent No. 7,877,294 for his computerized system for producing precise hair-coloring formulations. Alfred Lucas of Honeoye Falls was granted patent No. 8,065,748 for his webbed goalkeeper gloves, which he markets to soccer players under the name "Black Spider." Pete Orsini of Webster received patent No. 7,896,399 for his device used to repair a car’s exhaust system.

    Taken together, these industrious individuals and the major research labs in our area show the spirit of innovation that drives the Rochester economy.

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