GEN-ERIC Patent News

RETURN to News Archive
==================================================
Copyright(c) 1998-2003 GEN-ERIC Channel. All rights reserved.

GEN-ERIC Patent News
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

==================================================
Use Quick Links to Access any Area of Interest
Headlines
News
Patents of the Day
Access Official Gazette and Notices
Patents Available for Licensing
Patent Related Opportunities

Printer Friendly Version
==================================================
HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours ago..)
The Smart Weapon Patent of the Day goes to the
United States Navy of Washington, DC for an
Identification friend or foe system including short range UV shield

The Voodoo Doll Patent of the Day goes to
Independent Inventors from Massachusetts for
Aggression-relieving stuffed doll
    Index
==================================================
NEWS
PCTEL and Broadcom Settle Patent Infringement Dispute
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20031216005208&newsLang=en
PCTEL, Inc., a leader in intelligent wireless solutions, announced today that it has settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Broadcom Corporation. The settled lawsuit pertains to "soft modems," a technology pioneered by PCTEL in the 1990s, and other voice band modem technology. Under the agreement, Broadcom will receive a license to all of PCTEL's modem patents, including those related to V.92 technology, and other patent applications recently acquired from Conexant Systems, Inc., as well as a conditional covenant not to sue under PCTEL's remaining patents. Additionally, PCTEL will assign to Broadcom two key patents relating to Ethernet technology.
    Index
NICE to pay Dictaphone $10M to settle patent litigation
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=371176&contrassID=1&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
A $100 million lawsuit dating from 2000 was put to bed Thursday as Nice Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) announced that it has reached a settlement with Dictaphone Corporation. NICE will be paying Dictaphone $10 million to make the $100 million patent infringement suit against it go away. Both companies agreed to dismiss all claims and counterclaims in respect to the alleged infringement. NICE will be paying $5.1 million out of pocket, and its insurers will cover the remaining $4.9 million.
    Index
Embrex Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against French Company
http://www.localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=6399
Embrex has filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern N.C. against Gainesville, GA-based New Tech Solutions, the American arm of French company Breuil S.A. The suit claims that an “in ovo” (in the egg) injection device designed by New Tech to compete with Embrex's system violates two U.S. patents. In the suit, Embrex seeks injunctive relief and monetary damages for the alleged infringements and is demanding a jury trial. The first patent relates to the company's proprietary method for distinguishing live eggs from infertile or "dead" eggs using an infrared light source and a light detector. This is done by passing an egg between a rapidly pulsing light source and light detector. Embrex’s second patent relates to the method and apparatus for selective injection of poultry eggs. It covers both the method of injecting specific eggs identified as suitable for inoculation as well as the apparatus performing this function.
    Index
==================================================
PATENTS OF THE DAY

6,664,915

Identification friend or foe system including short range UV shield

Abstract: An identification friend or foe system for use by a weapon to determine whether a target that has been selected is a friendly target comprises a signal source attached to the target and arranged to radiate encrypted signals. A detection system attached to the weapon includes a receiver arranged to receive the encrypted signals when the weapon is within a predetermined range from the target. Signal processing apparatus is connected to the receiver and arranged to determine whether the encrypted signals identify the target as being friendly. The central processing unit is arranged to decrypt the encrypted signal and produce a disarm signal if the target is identified as being friendly. The central processing unit preferably is also arranged to produce a signal that causes the weapon to perform a collision avoidance maneuver to avoid colliding with the target if the target is identified as being friendly.

Index

6,663,462

Aggression-relieving stuffed doll

Abstract: An aggression-relieving stuffed doll includes a doll body having a torso, arms, and legs, the doll body being formed of a soft material and filled with soft, stuffing material. A rigid plate is situated in the torso of the doll body and is substantially impenetrable. The invention includes a plurality of pins, each pin having a blunt end simulative of a sports ball and a sharp end capable of penetrating the doll body but not the inner torso plate. Therefore, a user may stick pins into the doll to relieve aggression caused by the simulated sports player although the pin is prevented by the inner plate from penetrating through the back of the doll and into the user's hand.