[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 218 (Monday, November 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56981-56982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27938]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Technical Information Service


Notice of Prospective Grant of Exclusive Patent License

    This is notice in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 C.F.R. 
404.7(a)(1)(i) that the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 
U.S. Department of Commerce, is contemplating the grant of an exclusive 
license in Australia to practice the invention embodied in Australian 
Patent No. 609689 to Shelljet Pty Ltd, Trading as Anderson Drilling, 
having a place of business in Orange NSW, Australia. The counterpart 
U.S. patent is No. 5,196,401. The patent rights in this invention have 
been assigned to the United States of America.
    The prospective exclusive license will be royalty-bearing and will 
comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 C.F.R. 
404.7. The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless, within 
3 months from the date of this published notice, NTIS receives written 
evidence and argument which establishes that the grant of the license 
would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 
C.F.R. 404.7.
    While the primary purpose of this notice is to announce NTIS' 
intent to grant an exclusive license to practice the noted foreign 
patent, it also serves to publish said patient's availability for 
licensing in accordance with law.
    The invention expressed in the cited patent describes a method of 
enhancing the fragmentation and excavation of hard, solid materials 
such as rock formations which comprises adding to the rock surface an 
aqueous solution including a high molecular weight nonionic polymer 
such as polyethylene oxide which is capable of hydrogen bonding with 
water the produce charge-neutralizing positive charge dipoles. The 
nonionic polymeric solution is thus capable of neutralizing the rock 
surface charge and obtaining a condition of zero surface charge (ZSC) 
so that the drilling, tunneling, cutting or other similar operation can 
be conducted with the substantial increases in drilling performance and 
penetration rate. The method is also extremely effective in extending 
the lives of drill bits, cutting tools, grinding media, or other 
polishing or drilling tools such that an enormous savings in terms of 
replacing equipment can be achieved. The method of the present 
invention is particularly advantageous in that the nonionic polymer 
solutions of the invention are effective over a wide range of 
concentrations in neutralizing the rock surface charge, which has not 
been the 

[[Page 56982]]
case with previously used methods involving cationic compounds which 
were only effective at very specific concentrations. The method of the 
present invention provides a means for enhancing performance and 
achieving substantial cost savings in a wide variety of drilling, 
tunneling, cutting and other similar operations.
    Copies of the instant Australian patent are available from the 
Australian Patent Office or the Office of Federal Patent Licensing (Ph: 
703/487-4738). The U.S. patent may be ordered from Commissioner of 
Patents and Trademarks, Box 9, Washington, D.C. 20231 at a cost of 
$3.00.
    Any inquiries and comments relating to the contemplated license 
must be submitted to Neil L. Mark, Office of Federal Patent Licensing, 
NTIS, Box 1423, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Properly filed competing 
license applications received by the NTIS in response to this notice 
will be considered as objections to the grant of the contemplated 
license.
Douglas J. Campion,
Director, Office of Federal Patent Licensing.
[FR Doc. 95-27938 Filed 11-9-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-04-M