Eaton Corporation Donates Patent Portfolio

The Mid-America Commercialization Corporation (Manhattan, Kansas) announced that the Eaton Corporation is donating a substantial portfolio of patented technologies for the benefit of the corporation and Kansas State University.

The patent donation, valued at approximately $17 million, will be used as a technology platform upon which additional research programs in automotive, semiconductor and other areas might be developed at Kansas State University. The patents will be available for commercial licensing as well.

Eaton, which has its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, is a manufacturer of highly engineered products that serve industrial, vehicle, construction, commercial, aerospace and semiconductor markets.

The Eaton portfolio of donated patents includes 57 patents across six different technology areas, including:

1. vehicular four wheel steering systems;
2. excimer laser-based processes for semiconductor manufacturing;
3. AC frequency conversion techniques for controlling electric motors;
4. electromechanical sensors and controls;
5. hypergolic combustion; and
6. anti-lock braking systems.

Mid-America Commercialization Corporation will acquire all rights to the patents for further development and commercialization of these technologies.

"This falls within MACC's mission to foster university research and technology transfer, along with the startup and expansion of regional technology-based enterprises," said Ron Sampson, Mid-America Commercialization Corporation president. "MACC will be making the technologies available to K-State faculty and students for both research and educational purposes. They also will be available for licensing to companies with commercial interests in the technologies.

AWe plan to work with colleagues in the university, and across the entire statewide KTEC network, to add value to the donated technologies through research and to leverage the patent portfolios for regional economic gain. Of course," Sampson added, "any new inventions or improvements on the existing patents that arise from related research will be university-owned, and so they offer the potential for direct royalty returns to the researchers and the institution itself."

The Mid-America Commercialization Corporation is one of three commercialization centers affiliated with the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). Its mission includes facilitating the commercialization of new technologies for regional economic benefit.

For additional information, contact Dr. Ron Sampson, MACC, at 785/537-0110.