Ocean Tomo, LLC
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) September 19, 2014
Ocean Tomo LLC, the intellectual capital merchant banc™ firm, announced the release of the Ocean Tomo Ratings™ System 3D Printing Patent Study.
Fueled by the rapid advance of the Maker Movement, powered by open design communities, the 3D printing market is rapidly expanding. The 3D printing (3DP) or additive manufacturing market is over 30 years old. As the market expands from industrial market applications like rapid prototyping to mainstream consumer market, the industry is projected to grow to $16.2 billion in 2018. In order to rationalize this growth projection, Ocean Tomo undertook a study of the patent quality and historical trends within the 3D Printing space utilizing the Ocean Tomo Ratings™ System for Patents Issued by the USPTO.
The report presents a unique look inside the patents issued by the USPTO that are supporting the development of the 3D Printing Market along with the assignees and inventors operating in the space. The report also provides a patent portfolio assessment, an objective assessment of the overall quality of patents within the 3D Printing Market, as well as a competitive landscape – identification of relevant patents, assignees and inventors. The report presents a focused look at the expired, abandoned and in-force patents within five leading technology areas in the 3D printing space including:
- Stereolithography
- Extrusion-based Fused Deposition Materials
- Selective Laser Sintering
- Material Jetting
- Binder Jetting
These five technology areas represent 76% of the patents issued within the 3D printing space.
For each of the five printing technologies, Ocean Tomo conducted a study of the patent landscape. Utilizing the Ocean Tomo Relevance™ Module, six of the earliest priority Stereolithography patents (all since expired), were utilized as “seed” patents in order to identify those patents that are most closely related or relevant to Stereolithography. “It is interesting to note that while five of the six seed patents were invented by 3D Systems, the next generation of patents within this technology area is Stratasys,” noted Ocean Tomo Managing Director Dr. N. Darius Sankey. Other notable companies and universities patenting in this space include: Sensintel, Rolls Royce, University of Texas and the State University of New Jersey. Dr. Sankey added, “As Stratasys has continued to patent within this specific technology area, a further review of the report indicates 3D Systems enhanced patenting in other technology areas such as Binder Jetting.”
The Ocean Tomo Ratings™ System Study of 3D Printing Patents issued by the USPTO presents insight on the 3D Printing market useful to governments, corporations, research institutions, patent prosecution law firms, investment analysts and the media.
About Ocean Tomo
Established in 2003, Ocean Tomo, LLC, is an Intellectual Capital Merchant Banc™ firm. We provide industry leading financial products and services related to intellectual property including financial expert testimony, valuation, strategy consulting, proprietary research products, investment services, risk management products and transaction brokerage. Ocean Tomo assists clients – corporations, law firms, governments and institutional investors – in realizing Intellectual Capital Equity® value broadly defined.
Spanning five distinct yet complementary lines of business, our comprehensive suite of products and services is built upon more than two decades of experience valuing intellectual property in the most rigorous of venues – State, Federal and international courts. Our financial, market and technical experts provide a unique understanding of the contributory value of proprietary innovation. This is the cornerstone of our business. This insight permeates every practice.
Headquartered in Chicago, Ocean Tomo has offices in Greenwich, Houston, Irvine, San Francisco and Seattle. Subsidiaries of Ocean Tomo include: Ocean Tomo Risk Management, LLC; Ocean Tomo Asset Management LLC; OTI Data Networks, LLC; Patent Marking, LLC; and Ocean Tomo Capital, LLC – publisher of the Ocean Tomo 300® Patent Index family. Ocean Tomo is the founder of the Intellectual Property Exchange International (IPXI), Inc., creator of the live public open cry auction marketplace for intellectual property as well as the exclusive source for Ocean Tomo Ratings™.
