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In the News Index
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USPTO Issues "System and Method" Patent for QwikLite
Vista, California, April 27, 2010 — The Office of Patent Counsel, United States Navy, SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, San Diego; notified Assure Controls that the invention entitled "System and Method for Quantifying Toxicity in Water, Soil, and Sediments" will issue as patent number #7704731 on April 27, 2010 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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| QwikLite® 200 Biosensor System |
Assure Controls, Inc. was founded on the exclusive license to the commercial use of patent #5,840,572. This original patent is on the inventions and developments by the researchers at US Navy/SPAWAR in San Diego. The novelty of that patent is that bioluminescent plankton (dinoflagellates) are a sensitive bio-indicator for toxicity in water samples. Patent #5,840,572 defines how certain plankton can be used to detect harmful levels of inorganics, organics or heavy metals (and all combinations of these) in water samples. Newly issued patent #7704731 is a "system and method" patent with nineteen claims. Under Assure Controls’ Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the US Navy, the foundational technology was expanded into a measurement platform. The patent is therefore a co-invention, with the US Navy receiving royalties. Three other patent filings remain under review at this time.
Patent #770473 provides USPTO coverage on the entire measurement system, multiple measurement capability, the process of the measurement, and on many separate components used in the system. In addition, the patent now covers multiple bioluminescent plankton species. The patent covers the testing process in saltwater, freshwater, sediment and soil samples. The market applications for the technology platform are large, growing and global. To receive the new "system and method" patent is tangible evidence of the many scientific and technical contributors in 2006-2007 who recognized and developed this accurate, rapid and easy approach to water quality testing.
The company’s first product, the QwikLite® 200 Biosensor System, embodies the new #770473 patent in an integrated instrument with touch panel display and microprocessor controlled optical measurement system which uses proprietary packaged live organisms in an easy to use disposable test kit. Rapid Toxicity Assessments (RTAs) provide first indications of where resources should be focused, more testing is possible, and actionable data is available sooner. In addition, availability of an affordable, sensitive, and rapid water quality test allows verification of healthy water quality, with biological data, which is the goal of all stewards of the environment.
Founded in 2005, Assure Controls is a product development and marketing company with specialized measurement and reporting expertise for environmental water applications. Assure is headquartered in Vista, California with manufacturing and distribution in the U.S. and Hong Kong.
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