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[February 2003]
Glass-Ceramic Tile Among 'Centre of Invention' Product Patents
What is promoted as a centre of invention - The Intellectual Property Office - has been set up with monies from the Mercia Spinner Fund which receives funding from Advantage West Midlands and the European Union.It has announced that it has already patented a number of exciting new products, including a substantial cost saving tool to diagnose faults on mobile phones and an environmentally friendly glass-ceramic tile.
The glass-ceramic tile is the work of Mike Anderson and colleagues at the Ceramic Technology Department at Staffordshire University, who have effectively combined a number of processes to manufacture what is expected to become a very desirable home décor product. This product uses recycled glass from bottles, television screens and even car windscreens and is already being hailed as a revolutionary new process with far reaching environmental benefits.
Intellectual Property Manager Aly Davidson said: "We offer a service primarily for the staff and students of this University. However, our doors are open to all inventors everywhere in return for a fair and reasonable share in their idea.
"Inventors from outside the university are being encouraged to sign up to our Innovations and Entrepreneurship e-learning programmes, which enable them to claim the same funds and benefits as in-house inventors."
Aly explained that of some 20,000 ideas patented each year in the UK, only 18 per cent of them were likely to be successful.
"Within the first eight weeks of opening our office, I had enquiries from 36 serious inventors," said Aly, who has since been joined by IP Development Officer Ian McLaughlan.
"The aim of our office is to become self-financing, so we are particularly looking for ideas that we can break into the marketplace quickly and effectively. We have already taken one of these inventions to the point of license to a multi-million pound corporation.
"After some deliberation and research we will decide whether an idea's worth pursuing. At that point we bring in expert help in a variety of disciplines to carry out feasibility studies. Our procedure is designed to help us establish the benefits in either setting up a business or looking for a licensee."
ENDS