A patented system that ensures the quality of processed wood is producing the first licensing income in the history of Mississippi State University's young patent program.
Developed by Philip H. Steele of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center's Forest Products Laboratory and former lab researcher Lalit Kumar, the system supplements methods now used to find defects in wood. With their innovation, lumber is passed between electrodes that sense and display the defects--knots and voids.
The invention, formally known as the Device for Heterogeneous Materials, was patented late last year and licensed exclusively to Lucidyne Technologies Inc. of Corvallis, Ore.
The licensing agreement is good for the life of the patent, which is 20 years. This is the seventh patent disclosure filed by the FWRC.
The $20,000 issuance fee was divided among the two inventors and the university after paying patent fees. The same division will follow with subsequent annual maintenance fees and royalties resulting from the technology.
According to university policy, all inventions developed on campus are the property of the university. The inventors are entitled to share in any financial proceeds that may develop from the licensure of the invention, however.
"This is a milestone in our patent program" said Robert L. Palmer, the university's technology transfer manager. "This is the first time we've had the licensing income exceed expenses."
The university began patent licensing in 1993.
Steele's and Kumar's device has economic implications for processing all wood species, but especially for those in which knots are hard to differentiate from clear wood. These include red and white oak, cherry and walnut--species usually used in furniture manufacturing.
"For manufacturers who handle large volumes, this process has the potential to improve yields and reduce labor costs," Steele said.
"The accurate knot detection offered by the DHM will allow automation of lumber cut up to produce furniture parts rapidly and with reduced waste," he added.
The forest products industry, the largest component of Mississippi's economy, accounts for nearly 130,000 jobs and nets the state $10.4 billion annually.