Lalit K. Mestha's 50th U.S. utility patent, awarded just days after his 50th birthday last month is not only a milestone for him but also a milestone for Xerox. Mestha is the 101st Xerox inventor who has received 50 or more patents, showcasing a culture of innovation that is both broad and deep. These inventors have produced a wealth of innovations that distinguish Xerox products and services and have helped create the modern office and the digital printing industry.
Mestha is among myriad Xerox inventors with specialties ranging from electrical engineering and polymer chemistry to solid state physics and computer science. Their creativity has resulted in more than 100 new products and services in the past three years and the broadest portfolio of digital document systems and services in the industry.
"Our selection last year as the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, the highest technology honor in the United States, officially recognized what I know: Xerox has some of the world's best minds in our research and technology organizations. Their innovations are creating and changing industries," said Sophie V. Vandebroek, president of the Xerox Innovation Group and the company's chief technology officer. "In every corner of our company, scientists and engineers are creating the future today, and conceiving of products and services that are delighting our customers."
Mestha, a principal scientist in the Xerox Innovation Group, was awarded eight patents in 2007 and is one of eight Xerox inventors who crossed the 50-patent threshold last year. His rich portfolio of patents, grounded in the application of modern control theory and centering on sensing and control of the printing process, was instrumental in development of the process controls in Xerox's flagship iGen3TM Digital Production Press as well as high-speed spectral sensing and consistent color innovations in other Xerox products.
His 50th U.S. patent, No. 7,307,720 "Method for corrected spectrophotometer output for measurements on multiple substrates," addresses the question of how to measure color accurately on a variety of substrates when using small, fast, and inexpensive in-line spectrophotometers. The technology measures the color in prints to help deliver consistent color print after print.
An innovation powerhouse for more than 50 years, Xerox has developed deep expertise in marking, materials, electronics, communications, software and services. Mestha joins other 50-plus patent holders representing a variety of disciplines. Below is a sampling:
- Douglas Curry, a principal engineer at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), holds 51 patents. He recently invented a scanning microscope that identifies and locates cancer cells in blood. In the late 80's he co-developed the world's first quad-beam laser printer and the resulting hyperacuity printing patents form the basis of today's multibeam laser printers. With degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, Curry's inventions include innovations in fluorescence microscopy, laser imaging, electronic registration, image halftoning, watermarking, and compression.
- Karen Moffat is a polymer chemist who works at the Xerox Research Centre Canada. Moffat, who is an expert in the area of toner materials design and synthesis, holds 52 patents, many of which are related to toner materials including Xerox's proprietary Emulsion Aggregation Toner. EA Toner is an energy-saving dry ink that produces sharp, vivid images.
- Scott Silence is a physical chemist with 53 patents. Working at the intersection of the physics of the xerographic process and the chemistry of toner, he tailors the physical and electrical characteristics of toners to produce best possible output - high image quality, high reliability and uptime, and low cost. Formulations and processes based on Silence's inventions help make the high-quality color prints produced by Xerox's high-end cut-sheet products like the iGen3 press. He is part of the Xerox Strategic Services Group in Webster, N.Y.
- Markus Silvestri is a solid state physicist who also trained in imaging and color science. Silvestri, who has 52 patents, specializes in photoreceptors, the material on which the latent image is formed prior to developing the printed image. His inventions contribute to the goal of making copiers and printers that print faster, have fewer print defects, and require photoreceptor replacement less frequently. He works in Xerox's photoreceptor development area in Webster.
- Bob Street, a physicist and senior research fellow at PARC, has been awarded 53 patents. Street's current work focuses on exploring high-volume printing technologies that could replace the photolithographic techniques traditionally used to create thin-film transistors, and using solution-based organic materials to create large-area transistor and sensor arrays.
- Jagdish (Jack) Tandon, perhaps the world's expert in full-width array technology, is a holder of 50 patents. Tandon, an electrical engineer in the company's Production Systems Group, has extensive experience in image sensors, scanners and image processing. His inventions are behind the breakthrough full-width array scanners in Xerox production and office products, which capture more light than other scanners and improve d speed and quality. This technology is currently being used in monitoring and controlling the print quality in Xerox machines.
Xerox's investment in innovation generates a steady stream of advanced technology. More than two thirds of its equipment revenue is from products and services launched in the past two years alone, reflecting the company's ability to generate a strong return on its R&D. Xerox holds more than 8,000 active patents and invests about 6 percent of its revenue in research, development and engineering activities.
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