Managing IP at Hexagon MetrologyJürgen Schneider 16.10.2015

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AGENDA

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Hexagon Metrology as a company

Some general remarks on IP

IP at Hexagon Metrology: general structures

IP at Hexagon Metrology: local structure

Innovation and IP: a small example

Summary

Hexagon Metrology as a companyAreas of interest, products

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Hexagon Group

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Hexagon Divisions

Measurement of Environment and Infrastructure

High precision measurement of industry components

Software for company engineering; navigation and satellite systems

680 million € Turnover - 340 Employees Commercial Operation and Leitz Factory

EnergyAutomotive

Hexagon Metrology GmbH: Leitz FactoryIndustries served: Automotive Machine Tool Energy

Generation Aircraft/

Aerospace Heavy Industry

Aircraft/Aerospace

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Complete Product Portfolio

(0.3µm) Increasing Accuracy

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Leitz PMM-G: Now up to 4.5m in Y – Second Generation

Sizes (up to 84 m³ measuring volume)

fromto

30.20.1270.45.30

Accuracies (for Z = 12)

MPE EMPE P

MPE THP

2.4 + L/400 µm 1.9 µm3.3 µm / 58 s

Systems installed

PMM-GGantry

41 62

Over 100 installed systems

Some references Flender, Germany CMD, France Hansen Transmission, Belgium

up to 4.5 m

up to 7 m

up

to 3

m

Some general remarks on IPInventions and discoveries, inventive steps, etc

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Inventions and discoveries

• Something that already exists and is a discovery is not patentable (e.g. discovering America, Newtons theory of gravitation, etc.)

• Patentable inventions must be new, useful and involve an inventive step

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What is a patentable invention?

• Inventions are creative acts Solving a certain problem Allowing to reach a new goal with already known componentso Reaching an already solved goal with new components

New, useful, taking an inventive step

No spoon no problem No fixture for a seat-belt no problem

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Inventions should solve problems

• Inventions are creative acts Solving a certain problem Allowing to reach a new goal with already known componentso Reaching an already solved goal with new components

new, useful, taking an inventive step

No spare-wheel: no problem No fitting hedge-cutting device no problem

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Inventive steps: not obvious to a person skilled in the art

• Inventions are creative acts Solving a certain problem Allowing to reach a new goal with already known

componentso Reaching an already solved goal with new components

new, useful, taking an inventive step

No fitting adapter-> no problemWheel on the wrong side-> no problem

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Inventive step – the aquarium-model

• Search of relevant technologies before, during and after the development• Inventions are invented a second time

5%

optimumhigh Unfortunately

often Most times

State of the art

Freedom to operate

30% 25

%

40%

Following Cohausz/Wupper: Gewerblicher Rechtschutz

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4% in force and valid-ity2% in force but not in validity94% rejected, expired,etc

• 94% of the patent-databases can give you ideas, technical solutions and a freedom to operate if the patent is e.g. expired

• 80% of the technical knowledge can be found in patent-literature• In most countries you are free to use everything somebody built up or

invented if there is no valid patent

Patent-search/state of the art: a big knowledge base

Gassmann: Patentstrategien

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Example of an invention and patent-search

• Lifting a ship out of the sea using a foam or hollow polystyrene balls (1964)• Walt Disneys solution using table tennis balls was earlier (1949)

Gassmann: Patentmanagement, p. 12

IP within Hexagon-worldwideHow to inform the rest of the world, how to organize legal entities

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Structure of the different entities

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Way of patent-information: internal communication

• Bullet

• Bullet

• Bullet

IP at the local company in WetzlarOrganisation, strategies and costs, German specialties

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How to get to a new patent-application?

1. Noticing a problem2. Developing of ideas and possible solutions3. Discussing and testing the ideas4. Notice of invention5. Decide, if the invention should be claimed or whether it’s a free invention6. Refining the ideas (patent-search of state of the art, generalize, examples of

application)7. Discussion with patent-attorney8. Writing the patent-application

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Notice of invention

Description of invention

What problem is solved?

Inventor(s)/position in company

Shortcomings of prior art

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Purpose of the notice of invention

• Inform the employer• Employer must be able to

• Decide if it is an invention

• Decide if he claims the invention or if it could be a free invention

• Write a patent-application

• Calculate a reimbursement for all inventors (Guideline of payment No. 30)

• Position of employee/order to solve a problem or of own interest/ability to solve a

problem ==> it leads to a factor defining the reimbursement of the inventor

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How to calculate the reimbursement for an invention?

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 220

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

Anteilsfaktor

Developer

Head of department

Fraction of invention

Apprentice/learner

Reimbursement = Sales of product x License-factor x fraction of invention

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Planning innovations/Taking an inventive step

• Questions at a first step• What other products are on the market?• What are competitors planning?• Are there valid patents limiting the freedom to operate (FTOP) or is there already

something similar in the patent-database allowed to use?

Motivations

In advance defensive offensive

License-fees reputation Allow licensing Enforcement of licenses

Gain strength in certain technological fields

Limit future developments of competitors

Allow legal actions against imitations

Blocking competitors

Freedom-to-Operate

Allow future developments without blocking by competitors

Block possible oppositions of competitors

Design access, cross-licensing

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Usefulness of an invention

• Questions of a second step• How does the solution affect other products?• What does it cost? (money, people, resources)• What has to be stopped if we work on this

invention?

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Patents over the years of Hexagon Metrology Wetzlar

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20140

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AnmeldungenErteiltPending

Innovation and IP: a small example• Optical and tactile probe-interfaces, • Algorithms to compare optical and tactile measurement

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Coordinate-measuring device

• Z-axis holding a probehead• Carrying a probehead• Carrying an interface for tactile and

optical measurement

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How to design the optical interface?

Bearings

Fibre-optic

Probehead

Probepin-holder

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Optical interface patented by a competitor

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Cover all possible variations of optical interface

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Patent of the competitor is still not granted

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Optical vs. tactile measurement

The concept of a virtual sphere makes results comparable

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Concluding remarks

• Patents may look a bit strange from a scientific point of view where you share results, discuss and publish them

• So why are we using patents?• Patents are also shared knowledge having a

big delay using it (max. 20 years)• The risk of loosing money by inventing

something that everybody can reproduce later on without the cost of development would certainly block a lot of good ideas

• But patents come with a price• The knowledge of even the strongest patent

can be used by everybody later on• Holding a patent generates increasing cost

over the years

Questions?