|
Each year the APL Office of Technology Transfer and the Office of Patent Counsel assemble an independent review panel to select winners from the hundreds of inventions representing the work of the past calendar year. The winning technologies are selected and celebrated based on their likely benefit to society, improvement over existing technology and commercial potential. Trophies and cash awards are presented to the winning inventors. There are also special awards granted for innovative contributions in different areas.
The Invention of the Year celebration for the 2007 winners was held on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.
And the winners were... >
Contact Ms. S. Furney for additional information.
 APL Unveils Invention of the Year Finalists
Devices to detect dangerous compounds, systems to scope out suspicious computer use and several innovative software packages are among the eight finalists for APL’s Invention of the Year Award.
“Lab inventors were especially creative last year,” says Kristin Gray, director of APL’s Office of Technology Transfer, which coordinates the awards program. “But more than just good ideas, these prototypes and concepts are relevant, novel solutions to some of the toughest challenges our nation faces today.”
The finalists come from the 125 inventions that APL staffers reported in 2007. The winners, to be selected by an independent review panel, will be announced during the ninth annual Invention of the Year Award ceremony on April 16, from 5 – 7 p.m., at the Kossiakoff Center.
And the nominees are...
- The Bayesian Information Fusion Network technique developed by Z. Mnatsakanyan, which can reduce false alarms in networked disease-surveillance systems (specifically the APL-developed and -deployed ESSENCE). The technique fuses information from multiple sources to estimate whether certain statistical anomalies actually indicate an epidemic.
- The High-Speed Variable Gain Free-Space Optical Receiver, crafted by D. Young, J. Juarez and J. Sluz to reduce the errors caused by power variations in free-space optical communications systems, and protect the systems from damage caused by excessive power levels.
- A high-capacity, long-lasting nanotube battery, invented by P. Biermann, C. Leese, J. Maranch, G. Peck and R. Srinivasan, which could find uses in structures, sensors, sensor networks, remote-controlled toys and vehicles, microprocessors and controllers.
- K. Raney’s concept for using polarmetric selectivity to suppress clutter in high-altitude or space-based radar measurements to accurately determine differences in depth signals such as those in ice.
- A Private Information Retrieval protocol, developed by J. Trostle, that allows users to quickly search of several databases simultaneously – without revealing the topics or data they were searching for.
- An Indicator Displacement Assay using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs). Developed by A. Mason, G. Murray and E. Ott Jr., these thin MIP-lined “capillary” tubes could easily and quickly detect biological agents – including drugs and hormones – in saliva or other biological fluids.
- The Passive Forensic Identification of Networked TCP/IP Communication Endpoints, crafted by R. Fink, which “fingerprints” a networked computer and allows investigators to monitor changes in that profile for security violations or malicious use – without having to remove a suspicious hard drive or tip off a user that he or she is under investigation.
- The Flexible Computational Framework for Systems Optimization, designed by R. Scales and B. Gorman, which allows researchers and modelers to define and solve modeling-based or simulation-based engineering optimization problems without requiring specialists to create custom, highly interdependent computer codes.
The winning inventors will receive trophies and cash awards. For more information on the awards program and ceremony, contact Ms. S. Furney at ext 88122 or visit www.jhuapl.edu/ott.
|
 2006 Winners
In the calendar year 2006, there were 125 inventions disclosed at APL from 190 inventors.
-
- Portable system to detect and stop electrical fires caused by “arcing.” An arc fault is a short circuit that travels through the air between electrical conductors; an arc flash is the superheated blast of hot air and plasma that occurs when the arc strikes the conductors – and can lead to severe burns and other injuries. The APL system helps protect people working on “live” electrical systems from arc flashes, a critical need when severe arc flash injuries send about 2,000 workers a year to burn centers.
-
- Electronic DNA-sensing method that could make it easier and more efficient to detect bacteria such as Bacillus anthracis – the dangerous pathogen that causes anthrax. The system, still in testing, requires none of the florescent dyes or optical readout equipment found in similar technologies. Its designers aim to make it small, robust and portable.
- S. Papadakis
-
- Method of making flexible microelectronics, including a new process for multi-layer, thin-film substrates that are thinner and have a higher interconnect density than today’s commercially available materials. Flexible electronics offer advantages in their ruggedness, light weight, compact size and low power consumption. Their many potential uses include smart cards, active circuit appliqués and highly miniaturized and implantable biomedical devices.
- H. Charles, Jr.
- C. Banda
- A. Francomacaro
- A. Keeney
- S. Lehtonen
Press Release
Lab Establishes Award to Honor Master Inventors
by J. Huergo
(The APL NEWS - April 2007)
The Lab will honor its most prolific inventors with the recently established Master Inventor Award during the Invention of the Year ceremony in the Kossiakoff Center on April 17, from 5–7 p.m.
The concept of the Master Inventor Award was first kicked around the Patents Section in APL’s Office of Counsel in the summer of 2006, says Section Supervisor F. Cooch. The group wanted to recognize Lab employees who consistently provide invention disclosures and diligently help take them through the patent process, which can be lengthy and time-consuming.
Cooch and his Patents Section colleagues, A. Fasulo, B. Roca, K. Asher and L. Swinney, worked with the Office of Technology Transfer to define a Master Inventor as someone holding 10 or more issued patents for inventions made while an employee of the Lab. Because this is the inaugural presentation of the award, the recipients include all qualified inventors since APL was established, through Dec. 31, 2006 “We went back to the beginning of the Lab to find out who would qualify, and we were surprised to learn there were only 21 people,” says Cooch.
The Lab is obligated under its government contracts to disclose inventions made with government funding. “But,” says Cooch, “the goal is to take technology invented here and get it into the marketplace to benefit the public, the Lab and the University.” Patents are frequently necessary for licensing and commercializing a technology, he says.
Nine of the awardees are current Lab employees, seven are retired, and five are deceased. For deceased awardees, family members have been invited to accept the awards on their behalf.
J. L. Abita (Ret.)
P. J. Biermann (TSD)
B. G. Carkhuff (TSD)
H. K. Charles Jr. (TSD)
T. J. Cornish (RTDC)
R. E. Fischell (Ret.)
H. W. Ko (NSTD)
S. Kongelbeck (Ret.-Deceased)
J. A. Krill (CL)
J. H. Kuck (Ret.-Deceased)
R. H. Lapp (Ret.-Deceased)
J. C. Murphy (Ret.)
G. M. Murray (TSD)
C. V. Nelson (NSTD)
E. L. Nooker (Ret.)
R. S. Potember (RTDC)
D. W. Rabenhorst (Ret.)
W. Seamone (Ret.)
C. J. Swet (Ret.)
G. Wilkes II (Ret.-Deceased)
T. Wyatt (Ret.-Deceased) |
2005 Winners
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE: (Tie)
- Electrode Array for Determination of Specific Axonal Firing within a Peripheral Nerve
- Device that may enable amputees to communicate reflexive movements simply by thinking about them.
Precise stimulation is recreated by an array of electrodes implanted radially around the sheath of a peripheral nerve, each recording pulses that travel up and down nerve endings and using these to control the prosthesis.
- Use of Protein Detector Accessory with Exhaled Breath Condensate
- Mask and method that provides a rapid, sensitive and reliable method to diagnose diseases by collecting and analyzing proteins in the breath.
- J. Jackman, N. Boggs
- INFORMATION SCIENCE: Dust Storm Forecaster
- Automated system that makes 72-hour
 forecasts of dust conditions and predicts the time, location and magnitude of dust storms. The prototype software model covers areas several hundreds to a thousand kilometers wide, peering in on Northern Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia. The software processes current data (from various government and academic sources) on weather conditions, soil moisture, ground cover and dust sources and generates a forecast displayed in colorful, detailed and easy-to-read maps.
- B. Barnum, N. Winstead, R. Sterner
- INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS to SPACE: Selection Circuit for Image Sensor and/or Position Sensing Detector
- The apparent position of the sun is an important attitude measurement that virtually all spacecraft use, a measurement commonly made with a sensor known as a
 digital solar attitude detector (DSAD).With trends moving towards micro-satellites, components of these "next generation" space devices also need to be miniaturized. The first generation of a micro-DSAD promises to extend the accuracy of DSAD measurements. The new design is based on a patented approach that combines centroiding position-sensitive active-pixel architecture with standard imaging capability to provide optional "engineering channel" images.
Press Release
2004 Winners
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Microwave/Radio Frequency Energy-Assisted Drug Delivery Device
- Device that enables the efficient delivery of drugs, proteins, viral particles and other molecules of interest into a targeted tissue. Technology is based on a combination of high-frequency, high-power electromagnetic radiation and proprietary compounds that reversibly increase micro-vessel permeability.
- H. A. Kues, E. J. Van Gieson
- INFORMATION SCIENCE: 3-D Display with Walkthrough and “Virtual Visitation” Features for Command and Control Centers, Teleconferencing and Personal Communication
- Concept for allowing viewers to become an interactive part of 3-D technology using liquid crystal display (LCD) goggles that could have military, medical and gaming applications. The technology marries cutting edge wireless and bandwidth capabilities with next-generation optics and displays, pulling the viewer “inside” the scene of whatever environment or program the system is running.
- INNOVATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS to the MILITARY: Apparatus and Method for Providing Secure Multi-Channel Optical Laser Communications
- A more effective and robust way to secure optical data links using narrow multiple laser beams to send and receive data, and Microelectro-Mechanical systems (MEMS) technology for accurately verifying the source of the transmission.
- M. G. Bevan, B. G. Boone, A. G. Darrin, D. D. Duncan, R. M. Sova
Press Release
2003 Winners
- LIFE SCIENCE: Hydroxyl Free Radical Induced Decontamination of Spores, Viruses and Bacteria in a Dynamic System
- A system to destroy airborne biological agents as they move through a building's heating and air conditioning ducts. The technology, which works without any special filtering that might impede airflow, uses a reaction chamber attached to a heating/ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC) unit.
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Strain-Rate Sensitive Flexible Armor with Laminated Composite Elements
- Soft body-armor vest is light enough to prevent fatigue after considerable use, flexible enough to allow ease of movement, but also rigid enough to stop automatic assault rifle bullets.
- J. Roberts, P. Biermann, R. Reidy (University of North Texas)
- INFORMATION SCIENCE: Method for Quantum Information Processing Using
Single Photons and the Zeno Effect
- A way to significantly reduce the number of errors in quantum computing calculations. Such errors occur mostly because of the seemingly random behavior of quantum computing bits, called "qubits." Their scheme of quantum information processing uses single photons as qubits, and fiber optic cables to efficiently transport qubits to a simple quantum logic type device.
- J. Franson, B. Jacobs, T. Pittman
Press Release
2002 Winners
- LIFE SCIENCE: Portable Malaria Screening and Diagnosis Method
- A rapid method of detecting very low levels of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium in blood.
- P. Demirev, A. Feldman, D. Kongkasuriyachai (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), N. Kumar (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), P. Scholl (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), D. Sullivan (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Combined Chemical/Biological Agent Detection by Mass Spectrometry
- Technology that combines both chemical and biological sample measurements in a single, time-of-flight mass spectrometer to dramatically reduce detection and identification times.
- W. Bryden, S. Ecelberger, R. Cotter (The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)
- INFORMATION SCIENCE: Software for Automated Medical Records Coding
- Software to overcome the problem of how to quickly compile hospital emergency room initial complaint records – usually written in nonstandard text, with inconsistent spelling, vocabulary and grammar – so they can be used to monitor geographic regions for indications of chemical or biological weapons attack.
- C. Sniegoski
Press Release
2001 Winners
- WINNER: Method and Apparatus for Imaging and Spectroscopy of Tumors and Determination of the Efficacy of Anti-Tumor Drugs
- An effective tool in the fight against cancer that uses infrared (thermal) imaging to detect metabolic tumor growth.
- J. Murphy, R. Osiander, J. Williams (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine)
- FINALIST: Selectively Permeable Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Membrane for Blood Iron, Environmental Nitrate and Phosphate Pollution Removal
- A unique filtration technique that promises to provide the first-ever means for selectively and completely removing environmental phosphate and nitrates from the environment and iron from the blood of patients with dangerous levels of iron.
- FINALIST: Wide Area Metal Detecting System and Metal Object Identification
Using a 3-D Steerable Magnetic Field Antenna
- A way to prescreen masses of people for weapons using a uses a series of closely spaced current-carrying wires configured as a horizontal magnetic field generator, and an array of magnetic field detectors.
Press Release
2000 Winners
- WINNER: Plasminogen Activator to Prevent Haze After Laser Vision-Correction Surgery
- Eye drops formulated to prevent "haze" from developing in the corneas of patients that have undergone laser vision-correction surgery.
- D. Silver, A. Berta (University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary), A. Csutak (University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary), J. Tozser (University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary)
- FINALIST: Neural Network Intrusion Detection System
- A system encompassing a hierarchy of neural networks that work in concert to detect cyber attacks against an enterprise's computer network.
- FINALIST: Assessment of Tooth Structure Using Laser-Based Ultrasonics
- A laser-based ultrasound system using short, high frequency pulses to image interior dental structures including the interfaces between different layers and detect early signs of decay.
- D. Blodgett, K. Baldwin, D. Duncan
- FINALIST: Detecting Rebar Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structures Using Modal Analysis
- A process that uses sound waves to detect debonding of cement around corroding rebar. The sound waves cause the rebar to vibrate, sending acoustic waves to the surface of the concrete, where a laser vibrometer can detect them.
Press Release
1999 Winners
- WINNER: Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Sensors for Food Safety Applications
- A simple, cost-effective molecularly imprinted polymer sensor to detect the presence of toxins, which emanate from spoiled food.
- C. Kelly, G. Murray, M. Uy
- FINALIST: Microwave and Acoustic Detection of Drowsiness
- A detection system that senses the onset of drowsiness and tracks driver fatigue from a sensor positioned near the sun visor. The device uses Doppler radar and advanced signal processing techniques to measure fidget motion, blink rates, heartbeat and respiration that can give insight into the alertness of the driver.
- M. Bevan, H. Kues, C. Nelson, P. Schuster
- FINALIST: A Hybrid Software/Hardware Technique for High Speed Backplane Messaging
- A message-oriented middleware system that makes integrating and developing multiprocessor systems much easier. APL's middleware invention provides real-time distribution of data using a type of interface, known as a publish-subscribe paradigm, to effortlessly distribute data.
- P. Bade, S. Kahn, D. Verven
- FINALIST: Rapid Chest Tube Inserter
- A rapid chest tube inserter that simplifies and shortens the time required to insert a chest tube to safely and effectively evacuate the air and/or blood from the thorax with minimal risk of injury to internal structures.
- R. Rosen, M.D. (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine), J. Murphy, C. Graham
Press Release
|
Search Technologies
Invention of the Year