ICAP Ocean Tomo to Auction Multiple NASA Patent Portfolios in San Francisco
GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will be offering exclusive licenses to four patent portfolios through a live public auction managed by ICAP Ocean Tomo, the intellectual property brokerage division of ICAP Plc (IAP.L), on March 25 in San Francisco, Calif. This will be the first auction featuring lots from multiple NASA field centers.
The four lots encompass patent portfolios relating to digital memory storage devices, fiber optic gratings, micro-resonators, and autonomous docking system technologies. "We are extremely fortunate to be able to work with NASA again and bring this valuable intellectual property to auction," said Dean Becker of ICAP Ocean Tomo, Chicago, Ill. "Each Lot represents key technologies that have the potential to greatly impact their respective industries."
The assets of the NASA Goddard Digital Media Storage Hub Lot describe methods for accessing multiple memory storage devices from a computer through a single USB port. This technology enables multiple external memory devices to be collectively represented as a single device on a computer. It also allows for that computer to be connected with another to facilitate sharing of internal and external memory.
The NASA Marshall Fiber Optic Grating Apparatus Lot provides a convenient method for fabricating fiber-optic gratings with different specifications without the requirement of high precision and multiple apparatuses as those traditionally required. The patent specifically describes an apparatus and method for fabricating fiber-optic gratings by producing two divergent beams from a single beam of light using a phase-mask Marshall's Micro-resonator Lot describes the design of a device used to introduce and control prescribed delays during processing of pulsed photonic signals. This technology will enable companies to develop compact photonic processing systems, as well as increase the performance of those systems.
The NASA Marshall Docking Systems Lot contains eight issued patents describing methods and systems for autonomously tracking and guiding the motion of objects by capturing and processing images and videos which improve upon conventional technology by enhancing image quality and video processing capabilities.
NASA's participation in the ICAP Ocean Tomo Auction is implemented through the execution of an exclusive patent license between the two organizations. The exclusive license granted to ICAP Ocean Tomo by NASA was executed in accordance with the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations requirements for licensing intellectual property owned by the Federal Government (37CFR 404), including the posting of a public notice in the Federal Register of NASA's intent to enter into an exclusive license.
Commercialization of NASA technologies via ICAP Ocean Tomo's auction, and other transfer mechanisms, increases the value of NASA technologies and thereby the return on investment (ROI) for the taxpayer. The partnership with ICAP Ocean Tomo is not a replacement for NASA's traditional licensing channels. Rather, it is a means to augment NASA's licensing program by utilizing innovative new techniques for contacting potential licensees.
› NASA Goddard’s Innovative Partnerships Program
› More information about the auction
Goddard Release No. 10-028
Darryl Mitchell / Rani Gran
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-5169 / 2483
Sammy Nabors / Steve Roy
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-5226 / 6535
firstname.lastname@example.org / email@example.com