Intellectual Property

META Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks

At META, we develop and own different types of Intellectual Property. We currently have a total of 528 active utility and design patent documents, including 12 design patents, of which, 333 patents have issued. In the U.S., we have 80 issued patents and 84 pending applications, and in 29 other countries around the world, we have 253 issued patents and 111 pending applications. META’s portfolio comprises 134 patent families, of which 69 include at least one granted patent.

META’s patent families cover a wide range of technologies and applications, including but not limited to large-area holographic filtering, scanning holography, battery separators, infrared optical coatings, light capture for solar panels, large-area nanopatterning, near-field lithography, plasmonic lithography, transparent metal meshes, lens casting technologies, radio wave imaging, non-invasive glucose sensing, magnetic resonance imaging, document authentication, nanofabrication (including e-beam and nanoimprint lithography processes), scaled roll-to-roll manufacturing systems, as well as plasmonic, diffractive and photonic crystal nanostructures.

These patent families consist of different types:

• Patents directed to compositions of matter, articles of manufacture, and devices having the structure of metamaterial and other functional surfaces to manipulate light, electricity. and radio waves;
• Patents directed to methods of use that describe how our novel articles of manufacture and devices address real world problems, and that cover a wide range of applications, from filtering light, medical sensing, wireless communications, to solar panels, advanced displays, and efficient heat transfer;
• Manufacturing and process patents directed to how these articles of manufacture and devices are made; and
• Design patents directed to the ornamental characteristics of some of our articles of manufacture and devices.

We collaborate with universities and other companies to develop joint IP, or license or acquire already developed IP that requires commercialization.

Finally, we own registered trademarks, which protect our products and services in different markets worldwide. These currently include:

• META^® and META Go Beyond.^® (our corporate identity)
• metaAIR^® and metaVISOR^® (laser filtering products)
• holoOPTIX^® (holographic optical components)
• NANOWEB^® (transparent metal mesh)
• RML^® (Rolling Mask Lithography – large surface area nanopatterning technique)
• glucoWISE^® (non-invasive glucose sensing)
• KolourOptik^® (government document and currency authentication)
• NPORE^® and NANOPORE^® (nanocomposite ceramic battery separator and nanoporous membrane technology)
• ARfusion^® (platform technology for smart augmented reality prescription eyewear)
• PLASMAfusion^® (high speed vacuum coating of any solid on any substrate)
• VLEPSIS^® (wide area motion imagery system)

Features of our Intellectual Property

Our IP development is guided by four core principles:

• IP that is unique in the marketplace. We have developed custom materials and other articles of manufacture, devices, processes and intricate know-how that do not exist in the market and are not easily copied.
• IP that can be quickly prototyped. META’s team has backgrounds in advanced optical design and modelling, combined with quick prototyping and manufacturing know-how that remain trade secrets.
• IP that is relevant and commercially viable, focusing on real-world applications, not on academic explorations just for the sake of making proofs of concept.
• IP that is well-protected. We started developing our IP portfolio in 2008, and have invested multi-million-dollars to design, setup and acquire specialized equipment and capabilities.

META Products and Related Patents

META products are covered by issued patents and/or pending patent applications. For a list of products and related patent documents, click here.