Bob Goozner's Solar Review

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,020 patents.

Of the 5,020 patents issued,

32 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

49 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

6 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

11 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Samuel D. Harkness IV and Hans J. Richter of Seagate Technology, who developed a quantum dot (QD) sensitized wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor heterojunction photovoltaic (PV) device. See U.S. Patent 7,968,792.

Robert E. Goozner - June 30, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,119 patents.

Of the 4,119 patents issued,

42 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

37 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

8 contained the term "biodiesel";

6 contained the word "geothermal"; and

12 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Robert D. Wieting of Stion Corporation, who developed a sodium doping method and system of CIGS based materials using large scale batch processing. See U.S. Patent 7,964,434.

Robert E. Goozner - June 22, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,924 patents.

Of the 4,924 patents issued,

42 contained the word "photovoltaic";

28 contained the phrase "solar cell";

45 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

8 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

10 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Niels Posthuma et al. of IMEC and Umicore NV, who developed a germanium solar cell. See U.S. Patent 7,960,645.

Robert E. Goozner - June 15, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,542 patents.

Of the 4,542 patents issued,

26 contained the word "photovoltaic";

27 contained the phrase "solar cell";

47 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

9 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

11 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Ashok Sinha of Sunpreme, Ltd., who developed low-cost multi-junction solar cells and methods for their production. See U.S. Patent 7,951,640.

Robert E. Goozner - June 2, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,508 patents.

Of the 4,508 patents issued,

29 contained the word "photovoltaic";

35 contained the phrase "solar cell";

56 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

1 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

16 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Barry P. Rand and Stephen R. Forrest of Princeton University, who developed organic photovoltaic cells utilizing an ultrathin sensitizing layer. See U.S. Patent 7,947,897.

Robert E. Goozner - May 26, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,518 patents.

Of the 4,518 patents issued,

26 contained the word "photovoltaic";

25 contained the phrase "solar cell";

48 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

13 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

19 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Krzysztof J. Kempa et al. of Boston College, who developed nanoscale cometal structures for solar energy conversion. See U.S. Patent 7,943,847.

Robert E. Goozner - May 18, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,540 patents.

Of the 4,540 patents issued,

37 contained the word "photovoltaic";

25 contained the phrase "solar cell";

42 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

18 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Byung Hee Sohn of Samsung, who developed a polymer solar cell. See U.S. Patent 7,939,750.

Robert E. Goozner - May 10, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 3,920 patents.

Of the 3,920 patents issued,

25 contained the word "photovoltaic";

25 contained the phrase "solar cell";

46 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

6 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

11 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Mmitsunori Nakatani of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, who developed a screen printed solar cell. See U.S. Patent 7,930,974.

Robert E. Goozner - April 19, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,059 patents.

Of the 5,059 patents issued,

47 contained the word "photovoltaic";

42 contained the phrase "solar cell";

46 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

5 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

15 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Petar Atanackovic of the Translucent, Inc, who developed a thin film solar cell. See U.S. Patent 7,928,317.

Next week I'll be in Europe visiting clients and attending a patent lawyers meeting. So there probably will not be any updates next week.

Robert E. Goozner - April 27, 2011

Cherry Blossoms

If you can't make it down to the DC tidal basin to see the cherry blossoms, here are some pictures I took during last Sunday's bike ride.

Robert E. Goozner - April 8, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 3,934 patents.

Of the 3,934 patents issued,

25 contained the word "photovoltaic";

21 contained the phrase "solar cell";

29 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

2 contained the term "biodiesel";

6 contained the word "geothermal"; and

10 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Yuning Li et al.of Xerox, who developed silver containing nanoparticles with the potential to be used as electrodes in solar cells. See U.S. Patent 7,919,015.

Robert E. Goozner - April 6, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,063 patents.

Of the 5,063 patents issued,

28 contained the word "photovoltaic";

26 contained the phrase "solar cell";

61 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

8 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Stephen R. Forrest of et al.of the University of Michigan, who developed Type II quantum dot solar cells. See U.S. Patent 7,915,521.

Robert E. Goozner - April 1, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,079 patents.

Of the 5,079 patents issued,

36 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

55 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

2 contained the term "biodiesel";

11 contained the word "geothermal"; and

10 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Sergey Frolov et al. of Sunlight Photonics, who developed a three-stage formation of thin films forphotovoltaic devices. See U.S. Patent 7,910,396.

Robert E. Goozner - March 23, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,123 patents.

Of the 4,123 patents issued,

30 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

50 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

10 contained the term "biodiesel";

7 contained the word "geothermal"; and

10 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by DAvid K. Fork and Patrick Y. Maeda of Palo Alto Research Center, a concentrating solar collector with a solid optical element. See U.S. Patent 7,906,722.

Robert E. Goozner - March 16, 2011

White House Video on Patent Reform

The White House has come out with a video in support of patent reform. In this White House White Board, Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, explains the President's plan to reform the patent system so great American ideas can be turned into the jobs of the future quickly and effectively.

The basic drift is that the US patent system will become more like the European patent system with first to file and post grant opposition. What I did not like was the attack on the “crustless peanut butter sandwich”. This indicates a lack of understanding that what may look foolish may not really be foolish in light of the area of the technology. There should not be some review committee to eliminate “useless” patents. Useless patents should be judged by the market and not be some “expert” who “knows” what is useless and what is not.

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday , the USPTO issued 5,132 patents.

Of the 5,132 patents issued,

37 contained the word "photovoltaic";

30 contained the phrase "solar cell";

55 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

3 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

13 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Michael D. Kemp and Prem Thapa of BRP and the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, who developed encapsulant materials for solar cells. See U.S. Patent 7,902,301.

Robert E. Goozner - March 8, 2011

White House Supports First-to-File

The White House has come out in support of the first-to-file system in the new patent act that is starting to wind its way througth Congress. Although it may be considered a disadvantage to small inventors it is probably a good idea in order to prevent "trolls" from coming out of the woodwork. On the other hand a deserving small inventor probably does not have the financial resources to pursue a first-to-file claim.

The official press release is as follows:

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

S. 23 – Patent Reform Act of 2011

(Sen. Leahy, D-Vermont, and 11 cosponsors)

The Administration supports Senate passage of S. 23. As a whole, this bill represents a fair, balanced, and necessary effort to improve patent quality, enable greater work sharing between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other countries, improve service to patent applicants and the public at the USPTO, and offer productive alternatives to costly and complex litigation.

By moving the United States to a first-to-file system, the bill simplifies the process of acquiring rights. This essential provision will reduce legal costs, improve fairness, and support U.S. innovators seeking to market their products and services in a global marketplace. Further, by providing authority for the USPTO to establish and adjust its fees to reflect changes in costs, demand, and workload, the bill would enhance productivity – reducing delay in the patent application process – and ensure full cost recovery at no taxpayer expense. Senate passage of this bill is consistent with the Administration’s commitment to support and encourage innovation that leads to improved competiveness, economic prosperity, and job growth – without adding a penny to the deficit.

Finally, the Administration understands that several stakeholders have suggested that the provisions on damages and venue are no longer needed in the legislation in light of recent court decisions in these areas. The Administration would not object to removal of these provisions from the final version of the legislation.

The Administration looks forward to continuing to work with the Congress to craft patent reform legislation that reflects sound policy and meets the needs of the Nation’s innovators.

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,043 patents.

Of the 5,043 patents issued,

38 contained the word "photovoltaic";

30 contained the phrase "solar cell";

61 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

4 contained the term "biodiesel";

9 contained the word "geothermal"; and

20 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Willaim Benn and John Benn, who developed a portable solar generator. See U.S. Patent 7,898,212.

Robert E. Goozner - March 1, 2011

Solar Decathlon Not On Mall

The National Park Service announced that the Solar Decathlon will not be held on the National Mall in DC due to potential damage to the lawn. Lawn! What Lawn? I ride my bike down there virtually every weekend and there is not much lawn there to destroy.

Four previous Solar Decathlons have enjoyed the privilege of exhibiting on the prestigious National Mall, thereby capturing the attention of the international public. In 2009 nearly 310,000 visitors were able to experience first-hand what it is like to live more sustainably by touring the 20 student-designed homes in the Solar Village. This is very important to help promote solar energy.

If you want to help please sign the petition which can be found here.

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,075 patents.

Of the 5,075 patents issued,

31 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

62 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

6 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

20 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Russell Gaudiana et al. of Konarka, who developed a photovoltaic cell in the form of a fiber. See U.S. Patent 7,894,694.

Robert E. Goozner - February 22, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday , the USPTO issued 5,070 patents.

Of the 5,070 patents issued,

45 contained the word "photovoltaic";

31 contained the phrase "solar cell";

52 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

4 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Nicholas P.T. Bateman et al. of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, who developed the use of chained implants in solar cells. See U.S. Patent 7,888,249.

Robert E. Goozner - February 15, 2011

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,742 publications.

Of the 5,742 publications issued,

109 contained the word "photovoltaic";

94 contained the phrase "solar cell";

64 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

24 contained the term "biodiesel";

21 contained the word "geothermal"; and

27 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by John Lee Warren, who developed a method and apparatus for generating electricity using ambient heat. See U.S. Pub. 20110032969.

Robert E. Goozner - February 11, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday , the USPTO issued 4,234 patents.

Of the 4,234 patents issued,

30 contained the word "photovoltaic";

29 contained the phrase "solar cell";

41 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

7 contained the term "biodiesel";

3 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Earl G. Powell et al. of Tigo Energy, who developed apparatuses and method to reduce safety risks associated with photovoltaic systems. See U.S. Patent 7,884,278. This is close to my old research field of environmental health and safety of PV systems.

Robert E. Goozner - February 8, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,176 patents.

Of the 5,176 patents issued,

34 contained the word "photovoltaic";

26 contained the phrase "solar cell";

57 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

6 contained the term "biodiesel";

4 contained the word "geothermal"; and

12 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Masahiro Morooka et al. of Sony, who developed a solid electrolyte, photoelectric converter and a PV device using the same. See U.S. Patent 7,880,082.

Robert E. Goozner - February 1, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 4,247 patents.

Of the 4,247 patents issued,

24 contained the word "photovoltaic";

20 contained the phrase "solar cell";

38 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

1 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

9 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Paul E. Liggett of Lockheed Martin, who developed a thermocouple array for generating electrical power for lighter than air vehicles. See U.S. Patent 7,875,795.

Robert E. Goozner - January 25, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 3,849 patents.

Of the 3,849 patents issued,

25 contained the word "photovoltaic";

23 contained the phrase "solar cell";

42 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

5 contained the term "biodiesel";

5 contained the word "geothermal"; and

7 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Kamiar J. Karimi et al. of Boeing, who developed intellegent energy management architecture. See U.S. Patent 7,872,368.

Robert E. Goozner - January 18, 2011

Publication Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday. On Thursday, the USPTO issued 5,847 publications.

Of the 5,847 publications issued,

99 contained the word "photovoltaic";

66 contained the phrase "solar cell";

81 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

20 contained the term "biodiesel";

16 contained the word "geothermal"; and

26 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting publication for today is by Thomas Loh and Frank Landwehr of Kostal Industrie Elektrik GmbH, who developed a photovoltaic power system. See U.S. Pub. 20110006609.

Robert E. Goozner - January 14, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the USPTO issued 5,069 patents.

Of the 5,069 patents issued,

34 contained the word "photovoltaic";

40 contained the phrase "solar cell";

60 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

8 contained the term "biodiesel";

8 contained the word "geothermal"; and

6 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Eric Bryant Cummings and Kevin Christopher Moore of CoolEarth Solar, who developed a water cooled photovoltaic receiver. See U.S. Patent 7,866,035.

Robert E. Goozner - January 11, 2011

Patent Day

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues patents once a week, on Tuesday. On Tuesday (first patent day of the year), the USPTO issued 5,057 patents.

Of the 5,057 patents issued,

24 contained the word "photovoltaic";

34 contained the phrase "solar cell";

58 contained the phrase "fuel cell";

3 contained the term "biodiesel";

10 contained the word "geothermal"; and

6 contained the term "wind turbine".

An interesting patent for today is by Simon Fafard of Cyrium Technolgies, who developed a solar cell with epitaxially grown quntum dot material. See U.S. Patent 7,863,516.

Robert E. Goozner - January 5, 2011

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

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

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