US 6,834,508 to Nanomix

On January 17, 2005, Nanomix issued a press release about US 6,834,508 [Hydrogen storage and supply system], issued on December 28, 2004. The '508 patent cites US 5653951 and 6159538, to Rodriguez and R. T. K. ("Terry") Baker.


The first claim recites:

We claim:

1. A hydrogen storage and supply system comprising:

a first hydrogen storage tank;

a second hydrogen storage tank containing an inlet configured to receive hydrogen from the first tank;

a porous medium in the second hydrogen storage tank, including at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, and Cl, wherein the medium includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of boron oxide and its derivatives; and

an outlet on the second hydrogen storage tank configured to release hydrogen.

[See also post on IPBiz of Dec. 9, 2004 on US 6,672,077 and US 6,748,748.]

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An interesting issue is the final inventor on the '508 patent, George Gruner, a professor at UCLA. There is no mention of UCLA or of any government funding on the '508 patent.

An earlier press release stated:

Emeryville, CA - December 9, 2004 - Nanomix Inc., a leading nanotechnology company, today announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, for technology used to detect biomolecules such as DNA and proteins. The licensing agreement gives Nanomix the right to use and further develop the technology, invented by Dr. George Gruner of UCLA. Future applications of this promising technology may range from glucose monitoring to viral and infectious disease detection and even homeland security.

"We are very excited to be licensing partners with UCLA, helping to advance our biomolecule detection platform," said David Macdonald, CEO and President of Nanomix. "Dr. Gruner's discoveries will be used to develop products including a range of sensors and detectors for medical, diagnostic, industrial and forensic uses. These sensors will permit the direct electronic detection and identification of biomolecules, resulting in faster, simpler and cheaper measurements."

"Electronic detection of biomolecules, the subject of the licensed invention will likely play a significant role in a variety of products in the biomedical and biotechnology arena, ranging from early detection of cancer to gene chips," said Dr. George Gruner. "I anticipate that Nanomix will pursue a vigorous research and development program that will move the invention from the early-stage feasibility study to a product development phase."

The license includes a pending patent application by Dr. Gruner (Publication No.: US 2004-0067,530), describing nano-structured electronic devices which include biological probe molecules. The probe molecules produce a measurable electrical effect when binding or interacting with a target biological molecule.