Super Vision International, Inc. has announced today that Advanced Lighting Systems, Inc. (ASLI) of Sauk Centre, Minnesota has signed a license to Super Vision's "Variable Color Lighting System" 1990 patent (US patent #4,962,687).
This patent was purchased by Super Vision earlier this year from High End Systems (see our article "Patent issues cause discontent among LED lighting manufacturers" for background).
Super Vision says that it purchased the patent "to provide open access to the industry for intellectual property rights in the production and sale of color changing LED systems."
Advanced Lighting specializes in the manufacture of fiber optic and LED lighting products for the architectural and entertainment industry.
Paul Streitz, president of ASLI, said "Super Vision's making available the 687 patent to leading lighting manufacturers will help the LED industry move forward more freely with newer technology that will ultimately provide better products and services for our valuable end users. I am very enthused about ALSI's future in LED technology and appreciate the fair licensing agreement that Super Vision has provided ALSI and our industry."
Bill Little, chief technology officer of ALSI, said: "The modern digital lighting industry illustrates the historical impact of early color mixing luminaries, including those controlled across a network. The Belliveau patent is an encompassing piece of intellectual property, a forefather of current digital lighting technologies.
Little added that ALSI recently released the LiveLED 100, manufactured under this license. The LiveLED 100 is capable of projecting distances up to 100 feet (30 meters) and sets a benchmark for performance-based digital lighting.
"Advanced Lighting has been a respected competitor in the field of fiber optic lighting for more than a decade and more recently in LED lighting," stated Brett Kingstone, Super Vision's president & CEO. "The fact that even direct competitors have now banded together to cooperate on intellectual property in order to support a free and open market is very significant and bodes well for the future of our industry."
Mike Bauer Super Vision's vice president of sales and marketing further underscored the importance of this license by stating: "This agreement re-affirms the strength of our patent portfolio and demonstrates our willingness to license this technology to other lighting companies."
