Xerox increases filings of patent applications

According to a press release, Xerox Corporation is boosting patent filings and is expected to increase the number of patents the company receives by more than one-third within three years.

In 2005, the company filed 60 percent more patent applications than in the prior year, and a record number - eight - of the company's top inventors received their 50th patent. Xerox Corporation and its joint-venture partner in Japan, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd., together received 643 U.S. patents in 2005, placing the Xerox patent portfolio in the top 25 companies.

Xerox Corporation alone added 446 U.S. utility patents to its extensive intellectual property portfolio.

"Our continued emphasis on innovation throughout the company is at the heart of Xerox's success," said Sophie Vandebroek, president, Xerox Innovation Group, and chief technology officer. "We are significantly increasing the number of patents Xerox files each year, and we expect to see the payoff in the next few years with a sustained higher rate of patents awarded."

"Innovation creates value for our customers, ensures Xerox's competitive advantage in the marketplace, and offers opportunities for additional revenue through licensing," said Len Parker, vice president, Xerox Engineering Center, and chief engineer. "Our entire innovation community continuously enriches our patent portfolio, but we especially honor the prolific inventors who join 78 other current and past Xerox individuals to reach the significant milestone of receiving their 50th patent last year."

The press release mentions inventors, including:

--John Andrews, principal scientist in the Wilson Center for Research and Technology in Webster, N.Y. His milestone patent, No. 6,955,419, Ink Jet Apparatus, describes a method for mounting and electrically connecting a type of print head.

The first claim of the '419 patent recites:

A drop emitting apparatus comprising:

a fluid channel layer;

a diaphragm layer disposed on the fluid channel layer;

a blanket dielectric layer disposed on the diaphragm layer;

a thin film circuit having raised contact regions disposed on the blanket dielectric layer; and

a plurality of electromechanical transducers conductively attached to the raised contact regions.

Contrary to the press release, the '419 contains no method claims.

-- Jeffrey Banning, principal scientist in the Xerox Office Group in Wilsonville, Ore. His 50th patent, No. 6,860,931, Phase Change Inks Containing Colorant Compounds, covers magenta dyes that could be used in future inkjet products.

Among the "other references" portion of the '931 patent, one has:

Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/260,146, filed Sep. 27, 2002, entitled "Colorant Compounds," by Jeffery H. Banning et al.
Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/260,376, filed Sep. 27, 2002 entitled "Phase Change Inks," by C. Wayne Jaeger et al.
Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/260,379, filed Sep. 27, 2002 entitled "Method for Making Colorant Compounds," by C. Wayne Jaeger et al.
Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/607,373 (Attorney Docket No.: D/A3152), filed concurrently herewith, entitled "Colorant Compounds," by Jeffery H. Banning et al.
Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/606,631 (Attorney Docket No.: D/A3152Q), filed concurrently herewith, entitled "Phase Change Inks Containing Colorant Compounds," by Bo Wu et al.
Copending Application U.S. Ser. No. 10/607,382 (Attorney Docket No.: D/A3153), filed concurrently herewith, entitled "Colorant Compounds," Jeffery H. Banning et al.

The first claim is directed to a phase change ink composition comprising a phase change ink carrier and a colorant compound of the formula (...)

The '931 patent has 126 claims.

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A separate patent mentioned in the press release is 6,956,958, which has an inventor from Bridgewater, New Jersey. The first claim is

A method for enhancing color fidelity in multi-reproduction, comprising:

scanning an image to be reproduced, wherein the image contains a digital watermark including color information;

decoding the color information contained in the watermark;

comparing the decoded color information with the scanned image;

generating a correction table from the differences between the decoded color information and the scanned image; and

performing color correction on the scanned image using the correction table.

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A separate patent is 6,841,932, with first claim

A display device comprising:

(a) a cathode;

(b) an anode; and

(c) a luminescent region between the cathode and the anode;

wherein at least one of the cathode, the anode, and the luminescent region comprises a light absorbing binary metal-organic mixed layer consisting of:

(i) a single inorganic metal containing material, wherein the metal of the inorganic metal containing material is selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Ni, Pd, Pt, Se, and Te, and

(ii) a single organic material

wherein the light absorbing metal-organic mixed layer is selected such that the device reduces light reflection by at least about 30%.

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Another patent is 6,899,419, which notes: This application is a restriction-induced Division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/320,824 entitled "IMAGING MEMBER HAVING A TEXTURED IMAGING AND A PHASE CHANGE INK IMAGE PRODUCING MACHINE HAVING SAME" filed on Dec. 16, 2002, and having at least one common inventor.