VIASPACE Inc.,
PASADENA: VIASPACE Inc., a company dedicated to commercializing proven technologies from NASA and the US Department of Defense, announced today that China has issued a fuel cell patent to Caltech. The patent is entitled Organic Fuel Cell, and Methods of Operation Thereof and Manufacture of Electrode Therefor, with Chinese patent number ZL94195212.6. This patent has been licensed from Caltech by VIASPACE subsidiary, Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation.
VIASPACE and Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated, “This patent covers all organic fuels including methanol, ethanol, and formic acid. Global patent coverage is an important part of our intellectual property strategy. The direct organic fuel cell was invented at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech. This issuance in China brings the total number of fuel cell patents licensed from Caltech to approximately 59 issued and 59 pending fuel cell patents.”
VIASPACE/Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation is focusing on the consumable part of the fuel cell business — that is the fuel. International safety regulations require that the fuel be in a safe sealed container called the fuel cartridge. Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation and its partners are manufacturing and distributing disposable fuel cartridges for portable electronic devices. The fuel cell is analogous to a razor and the fuel cartridges to razor blades, and fuel cartridges represent a recurring revenue stream. The company is currently focused on methanol cartridges, but is willing to produce cartridges for any fuel.
Fuel cells are expected to gain a substantial market share in portable electronics because they offer longer operating time as compared to current lithium ion batteries and may be instantaneously recharged by simply replacing the disposable fuel cartridge. Leading OEMs have announced that they are developing direct methanol fuel cells for portable electronic applications.
