ASHLAND, MA /PRNewswire/ -- AMBIT Corp. announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,099,071, entitled Method of Moving a Carbon Nanotube. The patent is the fourth in a series of fundamental carbon nanotube patents that cover the production and use of carbon nanotubes in arrays and was invented by Robert J Crowley, a cofounder of AMBIT Corp. "This fourth basic carbon nanotube patent further strengthens an already important technology that is being applied to solar energy, computer memory, RFID, and numerous other applications in electronics, communications, and computing," said Crowley.
The newly issued patent specifically covers the movement of a carbon nanotube with an electrical signal, something that is basic to nanotube-based memory applications that are soon to be commercialized. In addition, the patent, which stems from work done by Crowley in the mid-90s, appears to be earlier than patents and technologies from competitors, something that gives tiny AMBIT Corp. a leg up on the competition. "The early priority date is significant," said AMBIT vice president and patent attorney Don Halgren, who co-founded the firm with Crowley. "Our IP portfolio now contains several basic, important aspects of carbon nanotubes that will soon be used in large commercial applications."
AMBIT Corp. is engaged in other R&D activities in cellular telephony and in sensors for detecting human motion, and has already cooperated with its sister company Soundwave Research Laboratories Inc. to successfully commercialize its technologies. "The real opportunities are for those companies that actually produce a tangible product," said Crowley. "We apply what we invent to actual products and systems, and we don't wait for the royalty streams to go forward, as technology is rapidly progressing, but we must and do protect the areas that we own." Crowley, who also serves as president of the firm, is a well-known inventor, with over 100 U.S. and foreign patents and applications to his name.
AMBIT's vice president of new business Robert Arcangeli, a veteran of technology and medical companies, such as Boston Scientific, observed that, "We have placed technologies into production either through partners or with licenses, but we realize that as a small company we must look for additional ways to leverage what we do. Now we have the opportunity to enable computer memory and seek alliances in that field."
About the Company
AMBIT Corp. was founded in 1993 to develop and commercialize new technologies where rapid commercialization is taking place. The company has developed systems that control and route cellular telephone signals, carbon nanotube electronics, and human-machine sensing systems, and it is the owner of patents in these and other areas. AMBIT Corp. operates an R&D facility in Ashland, MA, where it conducts experiments and product development, and actively seeks collaborators and licensees for its technologies and patents.