Posts Tagged: "optics"

Honeywell announces patent suit against Code Corp. over barcode scanners

According to Honeywell’s press release, the company is seeking to recover damages caused by the sale of infringing barcode readers marketed by Code, such as the Code Reader 2600. Honeywell is also seeking to prevent Code’s use of the technology in future barcode readers. “We welcome competition, but we have zero tolerance for those who infringe our intellectual property,” said Lisa London, president of the productivity products division at Honeywell, in the press release. “Protecting patents is critical to ensuring a level playing field for all market players… Fair competition means protecting the patent rights of others.”

New method uses patent data to estimate a technology’s future rate of improvement

The team devised an equation incorporating a patent set’s average forward citation and average publication date, and calculated the rate of improvement for each technology domain. Their results matched closely with the rates determined through the more labor-intensive approach of finding numerous historical performance data points for each technology. Among the 28 domains analyzed, the researchers found the fastest-developing technologies include optical and wireless communications, 3-D printing, and MRI technology, while domains such as batteries, wind turbines, and combustion engines appear to be improving at slower rates.