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Sensors that can be implanted inside a wall and detect when someone enters a room. Materials and processes that make alternative fuels. A tiny (really tiny) camera that can go deep inside your body and send back detailed photos.
These were among three of the innovations showcased Wednesday at the annual Utah Genius Awards luncheon in Salt Lake City.
The awards recognize Utahns who received a number of patents and trademarks in the past year.
One of those was Joey Wilson, founder of Xandem, a company spun out with technology developed at the University of Utah.
The company produces sensors that can be embedded inside walls and, using radio waves, detect people inside rooms.
"So it can see through things," said Wilson, and that means the sensors could do tasks such as turn on lights or trigger security alarms when a room is entered.
They could also detect a person's breathing and sound an alarm if she or he stopped taking breaths, he said.
The awards — sponsored by the Bateman IP Law Group, KSL and Zions Bank — recognize top patent and trademark recipients.
The Utah Genius Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Stephen C. Jacobsen, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Utah and the founder of Sarcos Inc., as well as seven other companies.
Among other devices, Jacobsen has helped develop an artificial arm and an exoskeleton, a robotic suit that could be worn by solders. He's also helped engineer and build the robotic fountains at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas and contributed robotic characters to Disney.
But on Wednesday, Jacobsen was showing off a very small camera that he said doctors already are imagining uses for, such as going through the spine as far as the brain to obtain images for a diagnosis or treatment.
"You could do both localized diagnostics and therapies with low trauma," he said. "You could go up your nose, you could go in your ear."
Lyman Frost of Ceramatec showed off his Salt Lake City company's ceramic-based systems, which can perform such functions as producing alternative fuels.
BodyGuardZ was one of the top companies for registered trademarks in 2011.
April Feller, founder and CFO of the fast-growing enterprise, displayed products that protect personal electronic devices such as phones and computer tablets.
"Our role is to protect your mobile devices," she said.
David R. Hall of Provo was the top individual inventor, with 62 patents. The University of Utah received the most patents in 2011 among businesses and organizations.
The top trademark registrant was Shipley Business Development Services of Kaysville.
tharvey@sltrib.com Twitter: @TomHarveySltrib #uttech —
Utah's top inventors for patents issued in 2011
1 David R. Hall, Provo, 62
2 Gregory Jensen Boss, American Fork, 27
3 Scott Dahlgren, Alpine, 22
4 Robert L. Angell, Salt Lake City, 18
5 Ronald Crockett, Payson, 17
6 Stephen R Carter, Spanish Fork, 16
7 T. Wade Fallin, Hyde Park, 14
7 Christopher L. Drenth, Draper, 14
7 Stephen C. Jacobsen, Salt Lake City, 14
10 Paula Turner Durrand, Pleasant Grove, 13
11 Craig Cooley, Saratoga Springs, 12
12 Peter Saunders, Salt Lake City, 11
12 Michael D. Rupp, Salt Lake City, 11
14 Michael A. Vail, Santaquin, 10
15 Jeff Jepson, Spanish Fork, 9
15 Tyson J. Wilde, Provo, 9
17 Daniel J. Triplett, Providence, 8
17 E. Marlowe Goble, Logan, 8
17 Thomas R. Giallorenzi, Sandy, 8
17 Ashok V. Joshi, Salt Lake City, 8
17 Austin McKinnon, Herriman, 8
17 William T. Dalebout, Logan, 8
17 Weston F. Harding, Lehi, 8 —
Utah's top patent companies for 2011
1 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 49
2 Novell, Provo, 48
3 Autoliv ASP, Ogden, 44
4 Boart Longyear, South Jordan, 39
5 US Synthetic Corp., Orem, 30
6 3form, Salt Lake City, 27
7 Lifetime Products, Clearfield, 20
8 Merit Medical Systems, South Jordan, 18
9 Ceramatec Inc., Salt Lake City, 14
10 Ultradent Products Inc., South Jordan, 11
11 Icon IP, Logan, 10
12 Clearone, Salt Lake City, 10
13 Utah State University, Logan, 8
14 Zevex, Salt Lake City, 6
14 Miche Bag, South Jordan, 6
16 Adaptive Computing Enterprises, Provo, 5
16 Ancestry.com, Provo, 5
16 Brigham Young University, Provo, 5
16 Control4, Salt Lake City, 5
16 Fusion-io, Salt Lake City, 5
16 HandStands, Bluffdale, 5
16 HyClone Laboratories, Logan ,5
16 Mity-Lite, Orem, 5
16 Provo Craft and Novelty, South Jordan, 5
16 Red Leaf Resources, Sandy, 5
16 Won-Door, Salt Lake City, 5 —
Utah's top 20 trademark registrants in 2011
1 Shipley Business Development Services, Kaysville, 20
1 Monavie, South Jordan, 20
3 CAO Group, West Jordan, 17
4 Handi Quilter, North Salt Lake, 15
5 Max International, Salt Lake City, 14
6 RAMP, Park City, 10
7 Allegiance Software, South Jordan, 8
7 E Nutrition Research, DBA Oxytokin, Orem, 8
7 Overstock.com, Salt Lake City, 8
10 Wing Enterprises, Springville, 7
11 SocialNexus, Spanish Fork, 6
11 Crexendo Business Solutions, Orem, 6
13 Advanced Concrete Technologies, Orem, 5
13 NLU Products (BodyGuardZ), Draper, 5
13 Imagine Health, Cottonwood Heights, 5
13 Orbit Irrigation Products, North Salt Lake, 5
13 Zions Bancorp, Salt Lake City, 5
18 4Life Research, Sandy, 4
18 American Pension Services, Riverton, 4
18 Bill Good Marketing, Draper, 4
18 Busy Life, Kaysville, 4
18 C.R. England, Salt Lake City, 4
18 Called to Surf, Provo, 4
18 CFOwise, Pleasant Grove, 4
18 Covey/Link, Alpine, 4
18 Hugger-Mugger Yoga Products, Salt Lake City, 4
18 Ludaxx, Draper, 4
18 National Energy Foundation, Salt Lake City, 4
18 Orca MD, Park City, 4
18 Priority Dispatch, Salt Lake City, 4