R&D Hit Parade

R&D Hit Parade

By Francis X. Gilpin | Associate Editor

The Gulf Coast boasts dozens of savvy real estate developers and hospitality industry proprietors. Could there be a few inventors sprinkled in there, too?

Devising new products and production processes is what Florida businesses are going to have to do to prosper over the next 10 or 20 years. That is what must occur if the state is to achieve Gov. Jeb Bush's dream of competing with the great American innovation hubs of California, Massachusetts and North Carolina in fields such as biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Some local companies are trying to innovate, according to an analysis of federal data by the Gulf Coast Business Review.

During a recent two-year-plus period, the Review counted more than 350 patents that have been issued and assigned to people or entities in the seven biggest cities along the Gulf Coast.

Who is collecting the most patents?

The University of South Florida had 52, more than any other inventor, institute or business in the region.

That should be reassuring to USF president Judy Genshaft. She is so eager to make the Tampa-based, four-campus metropolitan university an economic engine that she chaired the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce's industry-recruiting arm in 2004.

One of Genshaft's goals is to elevate USF into the ranks of the top 50 public research universities in the nation.

"It is a goal that matters to us because it means that we will continue to attract to our campuses world-class researchers and professors, and the best and brightest students," Genshaft proclaimed in January, when she unveiled a study showing that USF had a $3.2 billion economic impact on the Tampa Bay area. "Engaging in cutting-edge research means that we really do make the world a better place."

Genshaft has identified the study of aging, biological defense and globalization as three research areas where USF has the best chance to excel.

USF researchers, for example, have obtained a number of patents for sophisticated methods of detecting foreign particles in human blood. Daniel V. Lim, a laboratory director at USF's Center for Biological Defense, led a research team that has developed a biosensor that can alert military and civilian emergency personnel to the presence of anthrax and ricin in blood and other compounds within 15 to 20 minutes.

USF is one of the region's few bright spots in patentable research when the whole state is taken into consideration.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office counted up the number of individuals and entities in Florida that have received a minimum of five patents between 2000 and 2004. There were more than 10,000 patents assigned to this group.

USF was one of just two entities based on the Gulf Coast that was assigned at least 40 patents during those five years.

The patent office statistics show that the only other such recipient was Paradyne Networks Inc., a Largo telecommunications equipment provider. California network gear maker Zhone Technologies Inc. acquired Paradyne in a $148 million stock swap last year.

Obtaining a patent is no guarantee that the technology or proprietary knowledge behind it will ever be commercially viable. After the patent is issued, inventors can start to find out what kind of entrepreneurs they are.

Along the Gulf Coast region, there are companies, big and small, that have been doing research and development they feel is worthy of patent protection.

On the big side, Masonite International Corp. has assigned 17 of its patents since 2004 to Tampa, where the Canadian building products supplier maintains an international administrative office. New York buyout specialist Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP bought Masonite last year.

As for smaller outfits, Viking Technologies LC obtained 15 patents during the past two years. The 7-year-old Sarasota R&D company, which was spun off from Protek Electronics Inc., has been working on devices such as fluid control values that require little energy to power.

Right behind Viking Technologies was Axis USA Inc., which was assigned 14 patents and was listed in federal records as operating from Tampa. But the Italian-owned automated equipment seller no longer does any business locally, according to its registered agent.

Kristine M. Bigelow, a Port Richey certified public accountant, says Axis USA changed owners last year. Its sole Florida employee returned to Italy, according to Bigelow.

For more than two decades, Arthrex Inc. has developed numerous improvements for orthopedic surgeons so they may use the least invasive operating procedures possible. The Naples company also has facilities in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

During the last two years, Arthrex was issued 11 patents at its Collier County headquarters. Arthrex executive John W. Schmieding couldn't be reached for comment.

The same number of patents, 11 were issued to Tropicana Products Inc. at its former headquarters in Bradenton. Tropicana corporate parent PepisCo moved the beverage subsidiary's main office to Illinois in 2004. Juice production and distribution is still largely handled in Florida.

PATENTS

busiest FLORIDA innovators, 2000-2004

Corporate, gov. or educational assignee Headquarters Patents

Motorola Inc. Schaumburg, Ill. 436

Harris Corp. Melbourne 262

International Business Machines Corp. Armonk, N.Y. 249

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. Orlando 162

University of Florida Gainesville 151

U.S. Navy Washington, D.C. 135

Lucent Technologies Inc. Murray Hill, N.J. 130

Agere Systems Guardian Corp. Allentown, Pa. 116

Agere Systems Inc. Allentown, Pa. 102

Lockheed Martin Corp. Bethesda, Md. 94

University of Central Florida Orlando 93

University of South Florida Tampa 87

United Technologies Corp. Hartford, Conn. 85

Intersil Americas Inc. Milpitas, Calif. 81

Paradyne Corp. Largo 81

University of Florida Research Foundation Inc. Gainesville 73

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. Jacksonville 62

Florida State University Tallahassee 60

Sensormatic Electronics Corp. Boca Raton 59

Cordis Corp. Miami Lakes 57

Siemens Information & Communications Networks Inc. Boca Raton 55

Intersil Corp. Milpitas, Calif. 41

Coulter International Corp. Miami 40

Tantivy Communications Inc. Melbourne 40

Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Gulf Coast PATENT holders

First-named assignee City Patents

University of South Florida Tampa 52

Masonite Corp. Tampa 17

Viking Technologies LC Sarasota 15

Axis USA Inc. Tampa 14

Arthrex Inc. Naples 11

Tropicana Products Inc. Bradenton 11

Constance F. Berger Naples 6

Biopsy Sciences LLC Clearwater 6

Role Associates LLC Bradenton 6

Unaxis USA Inc. St. Petersburg 6

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc. St. Petersburg 5

Shaw Aero Devices Inc. Naples 4

Somerset Pharmaceuticals Inc. Tampa 4

XG Technology LLC Sarasota 4

American Torch Tip Co. Bradenton 3

Catalina Marketing International Inc. St. Petersburg 3

Freedom Scientific Inc. St. Petersburg 3

Gardner Asphalt Corp. Tampa 3

Halkey-Roberts Corp. St. Petersburg 3

HSN Improvements LLC St. Petersburg 3

Mote Marine Laboratory Sarasota 3

Outdoor Merchandising Solutions LLC Sarasota 3

PPL Technologies LLC Sarasota 3

Semiconductor Diagnostics Inc. Tampa 3

Sensidyne Inc. Clearwater 3

Tempra Technology Inc. Bradenton 3

Source: Gulf Coast Business Review analysis of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data for patent assignees in the cities of Bradenton, Clearwater, Fort Myers, Naples, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Tampa from Jan. 1, 2004 to Feb. 14, 2006