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Patents
There are a number of different patents related to Terfenol that are currently in force.
Part of the confusion relating to these patents is that there are a number of different
patent types. In layman's terms, these are:
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Composition of Matter covers a specific range of
chemical compositions for a given material. An example is the Coca-Cola formula.
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Process covers the specific processes used to alloy,
order, and shape the material. Does not cover the chemical nature of the material,
but rather the specific manufacturing conditions, methods, and equipment used in
making the material.
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Device covers a specific device or family of devices
based on an assembly of components.
The use of the art described in one type of patent may still infringe on another of a
different type. For example, manufacture of an alloy by a process that isn't covered in
a Process patent could still be an infringement if the alloy composition is covered by an
existing Composition of Matter Patent or if the end product is already covered in a Device
patent.
Thus, it is imperative that anyone who wishes to use Terfenol in some way must have a
license to all of the applicable patents for their application. Often this is as simple
as purchasing the material or device from a licensee, which in turn grants the buyer a
non-exclusive, royalty-free bearing license. Please refer to the Legitimate Producers
and Sanctioned Distributors sections for more information.
The following table is a general list of the current major US patents by type and their
assignees/licensees. Most of these patents have foreign filings world-wide. This
list is not exhaustive - all potential users should perform a basic patent search to
determine potential infringements on a case-by-case basis. This is especially true in the
case of Device patents, which is currently the most active in terms of new filings.
| Composition of Matter |
| US Patent No. |
Title |
Assignee |
Licensee |
| 5,110,376 |
Super-Magnetostrictive Alloy |
Toshiba |
|
| 5,223,046 |
Super-Magnetostrictive Alloy |
Toshiba |
|
| 6,273,965 |
Magnetostrictive Materials and Method for Improving AC Characteristics in Same |
Iowa State University Research Foundation |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
| 6,273,966 |
High Performance Rare Earth-Transition Metal Magnetostrictive Materials |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
|
|
| Process |
| US Patent No. |
Title |
Assignee |
Licensee |
| 4,609,402 |
Methods of Forming Magnetostrictive Rods from Rare Earth-Iron Alloys |
Iowa State University Research Foundation |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
| 4,770,704 |
Continuous Method for Manufacturing Grain-Oriented Magnetostrictive Bodies |
Iowa State University Research Foundation |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
| 4,818,304 |
Method of Increasing Magnetostrictive Response of Rare Earth-Iron Alloy Rods |
Iowa State University Research Foundation |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
| 4,849,034 |
Thermal Treatment for Increasing Magnetostrictive Response of Rare Earth-Iron Alloy Rods |
Iowa State University Research Foundation |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
| 5,067,551 |
Method for Manufacturing Alloy Rod Having Giant Magnetostriction |
NKK |
|
| 5,336,337 |
Magnetostrictive Materials and Methods of Making Such Materials |
Toshiba |
|
| 5,529,745 |
Preparation of Magnetostrictive Material |
TDK Corporation |
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| Device |
| US Patent No. |
Title |
Assignee |
Licensee |
| 4,927,334 |
Liquid Pump Driven by Elements of a Ginat Magnetostrictive Material |
ABB |
|
| 5,931,452 |
Wire Clamper for Bonding Apparatus |
Tosok Corporation, Moritex Corporation, ETREMA Products, Inc. |
|
| 6,012,521 |
Downhole Pressure wave Generator and Method for Use Thereof |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
|
| 6,037,682 |
Integrated Multi-mode Transducer and Method |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
|
| 6,230,799 |
Ultrasonic Downhole Radiator and Method for Using Same |
ETREMA Products, Inc. |
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| Legitimate Producers |
ETREMA Products, Inc.
2500 N. Loop Drive
Ames, Iowa 50010
USA
515-296-8030
515-268-4540 ref# 898 FAX
customer.service@etrema-usa.com
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TDK
Magnetic Materials Group
Japan
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