NYKO TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Video gaming accessories – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Intercooler EX, a portable video game console-cooling mechanism for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, with energy-saving technology
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: Intercooler EX uses fans to drive out ambient hot air, a by-product of today’s home entertainment systems. The cooling mechanism brought relief to Xbox 360 players, as overheating problems would cause the console to shut off after its 2005 release. “We were just filling in a blank spot, something that was a necessity,” said Amir Navid, vice president of product development. The top gaming accessories producer has remained small, even as second-party manufacturers face increasing competition from console companies developing their own solutions. Navid said that getting the product as small as possible involves all the members of a four-person design team. “This is a family business. It’s a younger company so we get feedback from everybody.” The company started 20 years ago when founder Herschel Naghi designed the Eliminator, a cartridge cleaner for Nintendo games.
REHRIG PACIFIC CO.
Maker of plastic pallets and crates – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Plastic crates with handles that make them easy to lift during loading, unloading or stacking. The crates also have displays that make contents, labels and bar codes visible.
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR:
Jack Fillmore, the company’s director of development and marketing, said Rehrig Pacific Co. has always emphasized innovation. The company has been manufacturing plastic pallets and crates for 70 years, and Fillmore said patenting its products is the only way to protect its competitive achievements. “Innovation and development are a costly investment. They are the engines that drive competitive advantage as companies create product solutions for the customers and markets they serve. Patent protection insures that investment from theft.”
BIONESS INC.
Biomedical devices for paralysis victims – Valencia
PRODUCT: Ness L300, a calf brace designed for paralysis victims that can lift a foot through nerve stimulation, giving those suffering from stroke, nerve damage or spinal injury the ability to walk again
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: Chief Executive Yitzhak Zilberman created Bioness four years ago to develop devices for people with immobilized limbs, a problem he had worked on at the Alfred Mann Foundation by injecting microstimulators into the body. Since then, the company has grown from three employees to more than 200. The products are in more than 300 rehabilitation facilities across the country. The remote-controlled calf brace sends electrical impulses through a receptor under the heel to the nerve that lifts the foot. Zilberman said that its predecessor, a rigid ankle-foot device was did not provide a wide enough range of motion.
It took a year to complete the Ness L300. The first step was designing the device at the company’s Valencia headquarters. Next, a team in Israel worked on the technology, then it was sent to Alberta, Canada, for review. After a year of testing under a provisional patent, the patent was granted.
The device only works for people who have retained some mobility in their legs. In some cases, when people walk with the Ness L300 it can rewire the brain so paralyzed people relearn to walk. “This is a very rewarding endeavor,” Zilberman said.
SOFT GEL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Dietary supplements – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Coenzyme Q10, a soft gelatin capsule supplement used for cardiovascular support
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: Soft Gel Technologies Inc. has found out that consumers prefer soft gelatin capsules over pills for their ease of swallowing, and protection from unpleasant textures and tastes. This is why the company has been producing its dietary supplements in the form of soft gelatin capsules since it was founded in 1995. One of the company’s main products is Coenzyme Q10, a compound that is said to support healthy cells and the cardiovascular system. Ron Udell, founder and president of Soft Gel Technologies, makes sure that the products the company has invented are patented. The company has 18 patents 17 of them are Udell’s and 38 pending applications.
STAMPS.COM
Custom-design postage – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Stamps.com’s patent on printable postage allows companies to print custom postage on a computer, with the PhotoStamps product adding a personal touch or business logo
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: When it was founded in 1996, Stamps.com was one of two companies specializing in online stamp-printing. In 2001, it bought out its only competitor, E-Stamp, and consequently gained patents to the only online postage-printing that the U.S. Postal Service approved for beta-testing. The company expects the Postal Service to approve the PhotoStamps program in May 2009. The Postal Service recently green-lighted the company’s Internet Postage concept after a 10-step review procedure that took two years. Stamps.com is now in the fourth stage of market testing its patented PhotoStamps. The company had 13 patents approved in 2007 for its stamp-printing technology.
SIMPLEHUMAN
Housewares – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Trashcans with all-steel pedals and whisper-close lids
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: Trashcans are commonly cheap plastic models. Some come as round stainless steel containers with black lids. But not Simplehuman’s trash cans. They operate with an all-steel pedal that reduces the step force needed to open the lid, which doesn’t clank when it closes. This started in 2000, when Frank Yang saw the need to revitalize the trashcan business. He founded Simplehuman to design trashcan models that had not existed in the market previously. “Design is a big tool we use,” said Yang, chief designer and chief executive of the company. “It’s about making better products that we know will benefit our customers.” Simplehuman trashcans, with prices from $20 to $225, have features such as a lid-air suspension system that cushions the lid from banging shut, lock-back features that allow the lid to stay open when necessary, integrated handles and smudge-resistant surfaces. The company designs other houseware products, too, such as a sensor soap pump, paper towel holders and dish racks.
RENTECH INC.
Alternative energy developer – Los Angeles
PRODUCT: Iron-based liquefaction catalyst that converts coal into an “ultraclean hydrocarbon” liquid
THE ‘WHY’ FACTOR: The synthetic fuel developer turns polluting fuel such as coal into “clean chemicals.” The company has spent the last 25 years developing and patenting this technology, but the rising price of cheap crude oil and growing environmental awareness have recently boosted its appeal. “Energy costs in general are higher and petroleum is a limited resource, so with the cost of energy today, there’s a lot of activity in new energy technology,” said Harold Wright, chief technology officer. Rentech patents are valid around the world thanks to the Patent Cooperation Treaty. That protection allows the company to sell its process to countries including India, Indonesia, Australia and Canada. “This is essentially one of the key elements of our technology,” Wright said of the patents. “We want to protect our invention.” Rentech holds 23 patents and has a dozen pending.
Compiled by Alicia Barber and Yoo Mi Chin
