Xerox Corporation's research and development investment continued to pay off in 2004,
adding 520 U.S. utility patents in areas as diverse as mobile document imaging, color
print reproduction and advanced materials that can improve the performance of printers
and copiers. This unflagging commitment to innovation has netted more than 16,000 patents
since Xerox was founded and is the launch pad for future growth.
"These patents typify the creative brilliance that's enriching existing products, developing
next-generation product platforms, and exploring new and potentially disruptive technologies
for new growth opportunities. The innovations they represent are at the heart of Xerox's
future success; they are the way Xerox creates shareholder value," said Hervé Gallaire, the
company's Chief Technology Officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group.
Gallaire noted that Xerox introduced 40 new products in 2004 and generated two-thirds of
its equipment sales from products launched in the last two years. "Our patent process
identifies ideas that will generate the coming waves of document services and
technologies - ones that our customers can ride to new levels of productivity," he
added.
Xerox provides unmatched expertise in document systems, services and solutions. By
helping customers in workplaces and commercial-printing environments increase the
intelligence, quality and productivity of their documents and work processes, its
research creates value and growth opportunities.
Much of its research is tightly coordinated with business units; the remainder is aimed
at generating future opportunities in Xerox's core business and in related areas of
expertise. Among the notable patents awarded in 2004 were:
- U.S. Patent No. 6741745, which describes a method of capturing font size and
style to augment the usual optical character recognition of text characters. It
is part of a growing portfolio of patents for easy and automatic methods of capturing
and converting documents from hardcopy to digital form using a mobile camera or phone
camera. This patent results in a fully electronic document that retains its original
appearance but can be easily searched, edited and shared.
- U.S. Patent No. 6830860, which is the first Xerox patent to cover ultra-low-melt
emulsion aggregation (EA) toners, the chemically-grown "dry ink" used to form
xerographic images. It presages a second generation of EA toners and enables design
of future office and production products with significantly less energy for fusing
the image required and higher image quality.
- U.S. Patent No. 6824940, which discloses a new architecture for organic
photoreceptors, the devices on which the latent image is captured. It adds a new
layer to the photoreceptor that will result in customer replaceable units with a
much longer life, increasing product uptime.
- U.S. Patent No. 6751435, which describes a system for achieving a conductive
coating that can be used on intermediate transfer belts, one type of photoreceptor.
This innovation is already being used in the Xerox DocuColor 6060 digital press,
where it provides both improved performance and easier manufacture.
- U.S. Patent No. 6744531, which describes a method for ensuring that a family
of color printers can automatically and accurately reproduce the customer's intended
colors. It is exemplifies Xerox's expertise in innovations that result in accurate,
excellent color prints.
- U.S. Patent No. 6731814, which covers a flexible architecture for compressing and
decompressing digital documents. It is a key technology in Xerox's controller, and it
allows users to produce high-resolution color prints with fully personalized content
and images at speeds of 100 pages a minute.
- U.S. Patent No. 6805502, which describes a method of determining the optimal batch
sizes for processing print jobs in a print shop. This is one of the key patents
behind Xerox's Lean Document Production service initiative, which is designed to help
customers streamline their production printing operations and achieve higher
productivity.
In addition to the patents granted to Xerox last year, its joint-venture partner in
Japan, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., received 197 patents, raising the overall patent total for
the Xerox Group to 717. The two companies' research is strategically coordinated. With
more than 16,000 U.S. patents granted since the company's founding, Xerox ranks among the
country's most prolific generators of inventions. Among Xerox's other innovation
highlights in 2004:
- Xerox received the first ever Innovate in France Award from the economic development
arm of the French government. The award is presented to North American companies that
have exemplified a commitment to innovation through significant investment in new or
expanded facilities in France.
- In its special report on technology innovations, the Wall Street Journal honored
Xerox's groundbreaking work in plastic integrated circuits. In addition, Beng Ong,
a research fellow and manager of Xerox's advanced materials and organic electronics,
was named by Scientific American magazine to the Scientific American 50, its
prestigious annual list recognizing outstanding acts of leadership in science and
technology.
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