2 pages essay (Single Spaced)

I. Intelectual Property

Intellectual Property is of great significance to research before a designer can embark on a particular invention. When a designer is armed with this kind of knowledge, it is of great benefit as it will help to avoid any lawsuits that might tend to arise because of patent infringement. However, the issue of patent protections enables investors to invest in inventors at a shallow level of risk. Patent protections are beneficial since they facilitate innovation among upcoming designers and engineers. Designers can avoid rogue competitors who could copy and paste one's design for their benefit. Along these lines, innovative advancements can get through without infringing on the past to end up fruitful later on. Finding out about the licenses before creating is useful over the long haul.

In this section, we will discuss three patents related to our project and are filed in the United States. The patents include "Remote water quality monitoring," "Portable water quality monitoring," and "Ultrasonic fluid level sensor." We will discuss the patent summary, claims, and non-infringements in this section.

A. Remote Water Quality Monitoring US Patent US20130118239A1 [7]

The inventor of this patent is Dieter Forstmeier. The patent was granted on October 19, 2012 and is described in the sections below:

1) Patent Summary:

This patent is related to the remote water quality monitoring arrangement. Specifically, a water quality monitoring system and a method for installing the water quality arrangement. The water quality monitoring arrangement included a position detection device. While a current location of said remote water quality monitoring arrangement is automatically detectable/detected. Water quality measurements, i.e., measurement data, of said remote water quality monitoring arrangement is automatically be assigned t a facilitating a central server. This with the detected position of the remote water quality monitoring arrangement to automatically organize a replacement and a new installation of remote water quality monitoring arrangement.

Fig. 1. Water Quality Monitoring System [7]

Figure 14 is a schematic illustration of a distributed water quality monitoring system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

1) Claim Summary:

The patent has a total of twelve claims, but the ones that are directly related to our project include:

·  The device will determine water quality by calculating different water parameters.

· The device contains central monitoring unit for displaying the calculated parameters.

2) Non-Infringements:

This patent is related to a water monitoring system that monitors the stagnant water by measuring the water parameters, but it is entirely different from the one we are designing. The project presented in this patent uses a membrane sensor for measuring the settings, and this project is only a water quality monitoring system, but our plan will not only monitor water quality but also measure the depth of the water. To avoid infringement, the team will come up with a unique design that is not similar to that which has been used in the patent.

B. Water Depth measuring Device US-patent US7666285B1 [8]

The inventors of this patent are Hyoung Jin Cho, Shekhar Halakatti, and Anjum Mehta. The patent was granted on February 23, 2010, and is described in the sections below:

1) Patent Summary:

This invention relates to a portable water quality monitoring system. A disposable microsensor is designed, fabricated, and tested for standard BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) measurements. A transparent Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) substrate is used for sensor fabrication. Standard lithographic procedures, in addition to techniques like Screen printing and electroplating, are used to fabricate the sensor. A microbial strain of Tricho sporon Cutaneum is immobilized over one pair of sensor electrodes while the other is used as a reference. Depending on the respiratory activities of the microbial strain in different samples, the BOD values of the samples can be measured in terms of the difference between the output signals. The sensor layer is attached to an injection-molded microfluidic channel on the top.

Fig. 2. Device Design [8]

Figure 15. shows details of the structure of the interconnecting and interlocking microfluidic package

2) Claim summary:

The patent has a total of thirteen claims, but the ones that are related to our project are:

· The device measures parameters like temperature and turbidity level.

· The device is portable and easy to carry.

3) Non-Infringements:

This patent is about designing a portable system that will analyze water quality by measuring specific parameters. However, this system is different from the one we are designing as our project includes not only the measurement of water quality parameters but also the measurement of water depth. In order to avoid infringement, the team will come up with a unique design that is not similar to that which has been used in the patent and would be to avoid how their interface looks and depicts the information to the user.

C. Ultra-sonic Fluid Level Sensor US patent US7418860B2 [9]

The inventors of this patent are Howard Austerlitz and Martin Hewitt . The patent was granted on September 2, 2008 and is described in the sections below:

1) Patent Summary:

This patent is about a method of determining a fluid level within a container, comprising the steps of injecting at least one sonic or ultrasonic wave into a waveguide, said waveguide including a gap formed in the waveguide; determining the fluid level based on a fluid conductance signal and an impedance mismatch signal. However, the device discussed in this patent is different from the one we are designing. Our project is a portable device that can be used anywhere for measuring the depth of stagnant water and the parameters of that water i-e temperature, pH, turbidity level, and salinity level. Moreover, to avoid infringements in design, we will take care of this point that our design remains different from the one given in this patent.

Fig. 3. Fluid Sensor [9]

Figure 16 shows the front view of ultrasonic level sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4. Sensor Block Diagram [9]

Figure 17 shows a flow chart illustrating a method of measuring a fluid level in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

2) Claim Summary:

The patent has a total of twenty-four claims, but the ones that are related to our project are:

· An internal reflection signal is used to verify the operation of the sensor.

· Ultrasonic Sensors are used to measure the depth of water.

3) Non-Infringements:

This patent is about a method of determining a fluid level within a container, comprising the steps of injecting at least one sonic or ultrasonic wave into a waveguide. The waveguide includes a gap that determines the fluid level based on a fluid conductance signal and an impedance mismatch signal. However, the device discussed in this patent is different from the one we are designing. Our project is a portable device that can be used anywhere for measuring the depth of stagnant water and water temperature, pH, and salinity level. Moreover, to avoid infringements in design, we will take care of this point that our design remains different from the one given in this patent.

D. Team Contract

Our team's name is Water Wand. Each member of the team is expected to contribute to either the hardware or software components of our device. They are required to maintain constant communication with the team and treat everyone fairly. If any member fails to contribute to the development of the invention, it is found avoiding interaction with the team or is found treating others rudely multiple times. The person may be expelled from the team.

E. IP Contract

If our product were signed and turned into an IP, its ownership would fall to our sponsor, FIU CREST Center. The inventor of the device would be our sponsor, as they approached our team with the idea and how we could execute it. Co-inventorship falls to any team member who contributed to a solution that would have otherwise not have been considered by the others. As for the invention spokesman, that responsibility would primarily fall to our mentor, Biayna Bogosian. Following her is our team leader, Ricardo Sendrea, and our co-leader, Misael Cota. If the device were to profit, the money would be received by the CREST Center for future works development, which may include rewarding our team.

In this section, we discussed three patents related to our project. The licenses include "Remote water quality monitoring," "Water Depth measuring Device," and "Ultrasonic fluid level sensor." We intend to make our device portable to avoid infringing on the remote water quality unit. Because our device will focus on depth, salinity, and pH measuring, we avoid violating the water depth device's claim. Lastly, because we will use existing sensors, we avoid infringing on the ultra-sonic sensor.