Bob Goozner's Solar Review

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 7,480 publications.

Of the 7,480 publications issued,

94 contained the word "photovoltaic";

88 contained the phrase "solar cell";

79 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

19 contained the term "biodiesel";

24 contained the word "geothermal"; and

34 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Bulent M. Basol of SoloPower, Inc. who developed partially transparent thin film solar cells. See U.S. Pub. 20100330733.

Robert E. Goozner - December 30, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday (last patent day of the year), the USPTO issued 5,074 patents.

Of the 5,074 patents issued,

29 contained the word "photovoltaic";

30 contained the phrase "solar cell";

64 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

4 contained the term "biodiesel";

11 contained the word "geothermal"; and

11 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Max Lagally and Feng Liu of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, who developed graphite-based photovoltaic cells. See U.S. Patent 7,858,876.

Robert E. Goozner - December 28, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 3,065 patents.

Of the 3,065 patents issued,

23 contained the word "photovoltaic";

16 contained the phrase "solar cell";

44 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

1 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

12 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Chester A. Farris, III and Albert S. Brown of Stion Corporation, who developed a method to manufacure thin film PV cells using design information. See U.S. Patent 7,855,089.

Robert E. Goozner - December 21, 2010

More Patents This Year

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has already issued 236,238 patents so far this year, which can be projected to about 245,000 patents by tie end of the year. This compares to 191,934 from last year (2009). This represents a projected increase of over 27% compared to last year.
    I have also looked at a few law firms. Megafirm Oblon has already clocked an increase of 33% over last year. My own firm (Young & Thompson) has a 33% increase over last year. In contrast BSKB is growing slower at a 25% increase while Ingersoll Buchanan increased by 17% so far this year. These numbers will go up becuase there are still 2 patent days remaining in the year.
    The question is whether this is indicative of the recession being over in the world of patents. Most businesses are flush with cash but are not hiring, but that does not mean that they are not spending money in other areas, for example, IP.
    On the other hand, the USPTO is trying to speed up the patent process. The increase may just indicate that the USPTO is reducing the backlog.
    I think it may be a combination of the factors.

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,773 publications.

Of the 5,773 publications issued,

98 contained the word "photovoltaic";

74 contained the phrase "solar cell";

74 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

16 contained the term "biodiesel";

18 contained the word "geothermal"; and

27 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by John T. Trainor et al. of TPL, Inc., who developed a system for energy harvesting, generation, storage and delivery. See U.S. Pub. 20100315046.

Robert E. Goozner - December 17, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,912 patents.

Of the 4,912 patents issued,

32 contained the word "photovoltaic";

29 contained the phrase "solar cell";

46 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

8 contained the term "biodiesel";

7 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by David K. Fork and Stephen J. Horne of Palo Alto Research Center, who developed a passively cooled solar concentrating photovoltaic device. See U.S. Patent 7,851,693.

Robert E. Goozner - December 14, 2010

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,427 publications.

Of the 6,427 publications issued,

90 contained the word "photovoltaic";

87 contained the phrase "solar cell";

67 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

12 contained the term "biodiesel";

17 contained the word "geothermal"; and

29 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Jun Qu et al. of UT-Battelle, who developed a method to synthesize titaniuim nanotubes with unique photovoltaic properties. See U.S. Pub. 20100311615.

Robert E. Goozner - December 9, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,930 patents.

Of the 4,930 patents issued,

36 contained the word "photovoltaic";

41 contained the phrase "solar cell";

72 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

9 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Brian Argo et al. of Q1 Nanosystems and the University of California, who developed a nanostructure and photovoltaic cell implementing the same. See U.S. Patent 7,847,180.

Robert E. Goozner - December 7, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,432 patents.

Of the 4,432 patents issued,

29 contained the word "photovoltaic";

27 contained the phrase "solar cell";

53 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Jerzy Gazda of Spansion LLC, who developed weavable fiber photovoltaic collectors. See U.S. Patent 7,842,880.

Robert E. Goozner - November 30, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,933 patents.

Of the 4,933 patents issued,

34 contained the word "photovoltaic";

45 contained the phrase "solar cell";

63 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

9 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

12 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Wei Liu and David B. Mitzi of IBM, who developed spray pyrolysis for largel-scale production of chalcopyrite adsorber layers in photovoltaic devices. See U.S. Patent 7,838,403.

Robert E. Goozner - November 23, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,965 patents.

Of the 4,965 patents issued,

28 contained the word "photovoltaic";

25 contained the phrase "solar cell";

64 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

6 contained the term "biodiesel";

9 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by John R. McCaskill and Matti Kiik of Elk Premium Biulding Products, who developed photovoltaic building materials. See U.S. Patent 7,832,176.

Robert E. Goozner - November 16, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,817 patents.

Of the 4,817 patents issued,

27 contained the word "photovoltaic";

24 contained the phrase "solar cell";

66 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

12 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Hal Slater, who developed a geothermal water heater. See U.S. Patent 7,827,814.

Robert E. Goozner - November 9, 2010

Have a Nice Weekend
viktualien markt beer

This is a half liter of Augustiner at the Viktualien Markt in Munich on October 26, 2010.

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,255 publications.

Of the 6,255 publications issued,

82 contained the word "photovoltaic";

72 contained the phrase "solar cell";

76 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

22 contained the term "biodiesel";

12 contained the word "geothermal"; and

36 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Dennis R. Hollars of MiaSole, who developed an apparatus and method for the large-scale production of thin-film solar cells. See U.S. Pub. 20100276282.

Robert E. Goozner - November 5, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,829 patents.

Of the 4,829 patents issued,

30 contained the word "photovoltaic";

19 contained the phrase "solar cell";

45 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

5 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

6 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Markus Koppe of Konarka Technologies, who developed a polymer photovoltaic cell that includes two fullerenes. See U.S. Patent 7,825,326.

Robert E. Goozner - November 2, 2010

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,134 publications.

Of the 6,134 publications issued,

76 contained the word "photovoltaic";

71 contained the phrase "solar cell";

64 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

12 contained the term "biodiesel";

16 contained the word "geothermal"; and

32 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Henning Sirringhaus et al., who developed nanorod thin-film transistors that may potentially be used in solar cells. See U.S. Pub. 20100264403.

I am going to be on the road in Europe next week. So there probably will not be any further updates until November.

Robert E. Goozner - October 21, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,698 patents.

Of the 4,698 patents issued,

24 contained the word "photovoltaic";

18 contained the phrase "solar cell";

49 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

12 contained the word "geothermal"; and

8 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Nagayuka Kanaoka et al. of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., who developed a membrane electrode assembley for a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell. See U.S. Patent 7,816,053.

Robert E. Goozner - October 19, 2010

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,448 publications.

Of the 5,448 publications issued,

79 contained the word "photovoltaic";

63 contained the phrase "solar cell";

64 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

19 contained the term "biodiesel";

17 contained the word "geothermal"; and

27 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Michelena Guelbenzu et al., who developed a production system for electric energy and hydrogen. See U.S. Pub. 20100259102.

Robert E. Goozner - October 15, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,820 patents.

Of the 4,820 patents issued,

32 contained the word "photovoltaic";

30 contained the phrase "solar cell";

56 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

4 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

7 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Ashraful Islam et al. of Sharp KK, who developed a photosensitizing transition metal complex and its use for a photovoltaic cell. See U.S. Patent 7,812,251.

Robert E. Goozner - October 14, 2010

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 6,200 publications.

Of the 6,200 publications issued,

91 contained the word "photovoltaic";

71contained the phrase "solar cell";

79 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

18 contained the term "biodiesel";

22 contained the word "geothermal"; and

23 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Peter F. Gerhardinger et al., who developed a grid tie solar system for solar panels. See U.S. Pub. 20100253151.

Robert E. Goozner - October 10, 2010

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,772 patents.

Of the 4,772 patents issued,

26 contained the word "photovoltaic";

24 contained the phrase "solar cell";

42 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

5 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

8 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Christopher M. Fetzer et al. of Boeing, who developed a multijunction solar cell having a lattice mismatched GrIII-GrV-X layer and a composition graded buffer layer. See U.S. Patent 7,807,921.

Robert E. Goozner - October 5, 2010

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 9,305 publications (that's alot).

Of the 9,305 publications issued,

96 contained the word "photovoltaic";

98 contained the phrase "solar cell";

107 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

20 contained the term "biodiesel";

17 contained the word "geothermal"; and

24 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Ravi Ravi et al. of the Univeristy of Nebraska, who developed a live bioelectronic cell gated nanodevice. See U.S. Pub. 20100243984.

Robert E. Goozner - September 30, 2010

BEER IN MUNICH VIKTUALIENMARKT - OCTOBER 2010
viktualien markt beer

BICYCLES IN MUNICH - MAY 2009
Munich Bicycles

TRAILS END IN MUNICH - MAY 2009
Munich Beer

BICYCLES IN BERLIN- MAY 2008
Berlin Bicycles

TRAILS END IN BERLIN - MAY 2008

Patent Attorney Office River-Vu

Patent Lawyer View

My law firm, Young & Thompson, moved into nice new offices at the northern edge of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Somehow I was given a prestigious (but not corner) office with a view of the Potomac river.

Although you can barely see it, the Alexandria boathouse is at the end of Madison Street, and one can see the rowing team practice in the late afternoon.

AACHEN GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Aachen Geothermal

The Goozner Solar Review arises from my long standing interest in all forms of alternative energy. This not only includes solar energy, but all kinds of energy that are non-carbon based. Above, you see me in front of the geothermal project at the University of Aachen (Germany). The geothermal energy is obtained by sinking a shaft about 1km straight into the ground, and exploiting the temperature gradient between the abyss and the surface. This shaft will supply most of the energy used by the University.

LINKS

Solar Decathlon	Department of Energy	Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy	National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
United States Patent And Trademark Office	Gooznews	Young & Thompsom