Xerox and its inventors earned 609 US utility patents last year, exceeding a commitment to increase the company's annual number of awarded patents by one-third.
Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group, says companies must keep the innovation pipeline flowing even in a lean economic climate or they will face huge product gaps in future years.
“You cannot sacrifice tomorrow to save today. Our investment in innovation guarantees Xerox leadership in our core business and creates opportunity to grow in new markets,” says Vandebroek. “It's also a source of pride for us. More than 2 300 employees, past and present, have been granted five or more patents - an extraordinary accomplishment.”
“Steadfast commitment to research and development is one way to help survive tough economic times,” says Rob Abraham, MD of Bytes Document Solutions, authorised distributor of Xerox products and solutions to 24 African countries.
Important discoveries among the 2008 patents include:
* US Patent number 7 377 971 covers low-energy solid inks and was used in the Phaser 8860. This innovation will also help reduce energy consumption;
* US Patent number 7 413 842, which covers advanced emulsion aggregation (EA) toner technology that allowed the extension of the use of EA toners to high-end office products. EA toner yields sharper image quality, higher reliability and reduced toner usage in an energy efficient manufacturing process. Pages printed with EA toner use 40% to 50% less material than conventional toner;
* US Patent number 7 382 993, which proposes a method for controlling image quality consistency between print engines operating in parallel. The technology improves engine-to-engine toner reproduction consistency in the Xerox Nuvera production system; and
* US Patent number 7 370 034, which is the basis for TrueMatch Search and Retrieval, enables users to scan a document, then locate and send the corresponding original electronic version to their e-mail account and print a fresh copy.
Included in the 2008 total are 18 patents granted to Dr Peter Kazmaier, a chemist and manager of the New Materials Design group at the Xerox Research Centre Canada. Kazmaier is one of only 18 Xerox inventors to reach the elite 100-patent milestone, ending 2008 with 101.
“Xerox is also focused on environmentally sustainable business and a number of the new patents are related to improving the way we use resources so that we can be better global citizens,” says Abraham.
Several of Kazmaier's recent patents, including his 100th, relate to Xerox's erasable paper project that will ultimately help reduce paper use by making printed images last only a day, so that the paper can be re-used.
The patent tally also includes those awarded to the Palo Alto Research Centre and XMPie, wholly owned subsidiaries of Xerox. When combined with Xerox's joint venture partner in Japan, Fuji Xerox, the total for the Xerox Group is more than 940 patents. The two companies co-ordinate their research strategically. Together, Xerox and Fuji Xerox invest about $1.5 billion annually in research, development and engineering.
In 2008, Xerox introduced 29 new products, garnering more than 230 awards worldwide. The company currently holds more than 8 900 active patents in the US, and it has received more than 55 000 worldwide patents since the company was founded.
Xerox operates research and technology centres in the US, Canada and Europe that conduct work in colour science, digital imaging, computational methods, work practices, system science, materials science and other disciplines connected to Xerox's expertise in printing and document management.
The company consistently builds its inventions into business by embedding them in Xerox products, services and solutions, using them as the foundation of new businesses, or licensing or selling them to other entities. For more information, visit http://www.xerox.com/innovation.
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Bytes Document Solutions
Bytes Document Solutions, a Bytes Technology Group company, wholly owned by JSE-listed Altron, is the authorised Xerox distributor to 24 sub-Saharan countries. Bytes Document Solutions is engaged in the marketing and servicing of the complete range of Xerox document equipment, software, solutions and services. The company operates through an extensive network of distributors, dealers, concessionaires and channel partners. Its products include printing and publishing systems; digital copiers; laser and solid ink printers; fax machines; digital multifunctional devices which can print, copy, scan and fax; document management software; and supplies, such as toner, paper, and ink. The company also provides software and workflow solutions to businesses for printing books, creating personalised documents for their customers, and scanning and routing digital information. Black economic empowerment partner Kagiso Trust owns a 27% stake of the company. For more information on Bytes Document Solutions and Xerox, visit http://www.xerox.com/news.
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