RETURN to News Archive ================================================== Copyright(c) 1998-2003 GEN-ERIC Channel.  All rights reserved. GEN-ERIC Patent News Tuesday, September 30, 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 Employment Opportunities Printer Friendly Version ================================================== HEADLINES   (patents issued a few hours ago..) The Investor Auction Patent of the Day goes to W.R. Hambrecht & Co. of San Francisco for an Auction system and method for pricing and allocation during capital formation The O-Funk Patent of the Day goes to ITO Engineering Inc. of Japan for an Odor communication system in multimedia     Index ================================================== NEWS TI sues Qualcomm over handset chip deal http://www.itworld.com/Man/2681/030924tiqualcomm/ Chip maker Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has sued Qualcomm Inc., alleging the cellular technology vendor violated a December 2000 cross-licensing agreement, TI said Tuesday. The breach-of-contract suit, filed in Delaware Chancery Court, is the latest in a legal battle over the 2000 patent portfolio agreement involving cell phone chip technology. TI is suing because it has received reports that Qualcomm is offering cell phone makers discounts on handset royalties only if they buy their CDMA (code division multiple access) chip sets from Qualcomm, according to the TI statement.     Index Georgia-Pacific sues BPB America http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2003/09/29/daily8.html Georgia-Pacific Corp. has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against BPB America Inc., in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del., to enforce Georgia-Pacific's U.S. patent rights relating to its Dens family of interior and exterior gypsum panel products. The complaint alleges that BPB makes and sells a product in the United States that infringes a number of Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific patents. The BPB product is sold under the name Glasroc. Georgia-Pacific has asked the court to order BPB to stop its infringing activity and pay damages for past infringement.     Index Court rules for CookTek, says Vesture violated hot bag patents http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/news_story.htm?i=16981 A federal judge has ruled that North Carolina-based Vesture Corporation violated two patents owned by Littleton, Colo.-based Thermal Solutions Inc. and licensed to CookTek, by commercialization of Vesture's induction-based heated pizza delivery systems. According to a news release, Vesture's Vest400 Induction heated pizza delivery systems infringe on certain claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,232,585 and U.S. Patent No. 6,444,961. Bullock also dismissed with prejudice claims by Vesture that CookTek tortiously interfered with its business and engaged in unfair competition.     Index ================================================== PATENTS OF THE DAY 6,629,082 Auction system and method for pricing and allocation during capital formation Abstract:  Techniques are provided for an auction system that is used for pricing and allocating equity securities. Information about an offering to accept bids for equity shares is provided to qualified potential purchasers and non-qualified potential purchasers. Bids front potential purchasers for equity shares are received through a communication network. Bids are accepted and offered to be accepted only from qualified potential purchasers. A non-qualified potential purchaser submits a bid through a qualified potential purchaser. A clearing price for the offered shares is determined based on the received bids. Prospective investors who bid a price above the clearing price are allocated all of the shares for which they bid. Prospective investors who bid a price equal to the clearing price are allocated a pro-rata allocation of the shares for which they bid. No shares are allocated to prospective investors who bid a price below the clearing price.     Index 6,628,204 Odor communication system in multimedia Abstract:  A highly reliable odor communication system which cannot be influenced by the natural condition and phenomenon and does not have a limit of the distance for sending odor signals. In the odor communication system, a data transmission system has an odor analysis unit for measuring humidity, temperature, mass, and odor constituents of an odor source and a data receiving unit has an odor emission unit for emitting an odor based on humidity, temperature, mass, and constituents of the odor, information of which is transmitted from the data transmission system. The odor emission unit has an odor element cell which has a nozzle for emitting an odor substance, an odor element cell layer having an odor element cell row in which one or more odor element cells are arranged in a horizontal direction and an odor element cell column in which one or more odor element cells are arranged in a vertical direction, an odor element selection mechanism for releasing the odor substance by selecting a desired odor element cell from one or more odor element cells of the odor element cell layer, and an odor element cell storage unit having layers in which one or more combination layers of one or more odor element cell layers and one or more odor element cell selection mechanisms are layered.     Index ================================================== ACCESS OFFICIAL GAZETTE AND NOTICES Access this week's Official Gazette http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week39/OG/index2.htm Excerpt from OG Notices Reissue Applications Notice Certificates of Correction     Index ================================================== PATENTS AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING to Learn More or to List a Patent Plug-and-play smart data cable The invention includes a smart, plug-and-play cable capable of transparently translating between two different communication protocols. The cables are "plug-and-play" such that two devices can be coupled together for communication without the requirement that the user perform any special set-up steps in order for it to work. To implement this plug-and-play functionality, the smart cable of the present invention determines which communication protocols are required at each of its ports, and selects, activates, enables, or downloads the appropriate communication protocol drivers to enable proper operation. Electric shaver having orbitally moving blades An electric shaver includes blades which while rotating around their own centers also orbit around another axis, thus providing that the blades sweep a large area. Implantable fuel cell This invention makes use of an electrostrictive material to increase the efficiency of a fuel cell as used for the production of power within a human.     Index ================================================== PATENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES to List a Job Patent Related Jobs from Monster Patent Related Jobs from www.IntelPropLaw.com     Index ================================================== GEN-ERIC Channel