Lithium Technology Corporation (LTHUQ)

[guy6]

More on LTC Intellectual Property:

I googled the LTC website for some intellectual property key words. The results and a few comments follow. The form of the search was “<key word> site:www.lithiumtech.com”.
Key word occurrences below are bold and underlined. Important context has been bolded.

Search terms: patent(s), patented, proprietary, license(s) , licensed, unique, uniquely

Main Web Page:

Technology Section: LTC's wholly owed affiliate GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke in Nordhausen, Germany employs a unique patented extrusion process for producing electrodes for lithium ion cells. This process is environmentally friendly (no solvent) and eliminates the need for expensive explosion proof coating and solvent recovery equipment. Using high speed winding and a unique assembly technology, large cylindrical cells are manufactured. In our Plymouth Meeting facility, we have the capability to build large footprint flat cells and stack them to form large batteries. Our proprietary technology includes critical composition, processing, and packaging aspects of the battery. Our coating, lamination and extrusion know-how enables us to achieve uniformity and consistency through a range of application techniques. Batteries for the consumer, transportation, and industrial markets require different electro-chemical systems that we believe can be easily accommodated by our extrusion process.

Technology Section: LTC has its own proprietary BMSs and also uses proprietary commercial units developed for LTC such as shown below:

Technology Section: LTC's unique technology allows for the production of very large cells with a high capacity and high power capability. These cells form the building block for batteries assembled by electrically connecting them in series and in parallel with an energy content from 10 times the capacity of a standard laptop computer battery to 100,000 times greater.

About Section: Lithium Technology Corporation ("LTC") was incorporated as a public company in 1994. Our shares trade under the symbol LTHU.OB on the NASDAQ OTCBB. LTC is a global provider of power solutions for diverse applications. The company designs, engineers and builds custom lithium ion rechargeable batteries complete with battery management systems for use in military/national security, transportation and stationary power markets. LTC also produces its own unique cells. LTC offers cells with the highest power of any standard commercial lithium ion cell in the western hemisphere (most amperes or watts per kilogram). LTC cells are also the largest lithium ion cells produced in the western hemisphere (most energy capacity - watt-hours or amp hours). Our leading technology capabilities, manufacturing infrastructure and management strengths enable us to provide a unique breadth of solutions in battery design, manufacturing, marketing, and delivery. Industrial, retail and government customers include NASA, Lockheed Martin, Thyssen-Krupp, Exide, scientific research facilities and the national defense agencies of the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, among others.

About Section: GAIA began as a venture business based upon proprietary, novel manufacturing technology in 1996. GAIA has developed technology to continuously extrude lithium-ion polymer electrodes and the separator that contains the final electrolyte solution. This simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating process steps such as drying coatings, extraction of plasticizer, and cell activation with electrolyte solution. The result is a liquid-free process that operates at lower cost and with minimal emission of organic solvents. GAIA Europe unit's plant is a modern facility with state-of-the-art automated equipment for extrusion/coating, lamination, winding, packaging and formation/testing.

Customized Solutions Section: LTC has partnered with several customers to develop special purpose batteries for unique applications. These customers list include NASA with the Spider Robot project, Sanswire (GlobeTel) with the High Altitude Airship project, Phoenix International with the xBot Underwater Unmanned Vehicle project, Penn State University with the Hybrid Vehicle competition project, Exide Technologies with a rack mounted battery solution, TyssenKrupp (a European submarine manufacturer) to jointly develop and manufacture very large lithium ion cells for manned non-nuclear submarine propulsion, and many more.

Press Releases:

PR – 12/19/05, 4/4/06, 4/6/06, 6/5/06: LTC manufactures the GAIA(R) product line of large, high power hermetically sealed rechargeable lithium ion cells and batteries. The Company's product portfolio includes large cells and batteries from 10 times the energy of a standard laptop computer battery to 100,000 times greater. LTC produces high power cells designed for HEVs and military applications that can discharge hundreds of amps in times as short as a few minutes, and high capacity cells for applications such as back-up power and remote standby installations. Cells are manufactured in both cylindrical and flat form and employ proprietary extrusion, design and assembly technology. LTC manufactures a variety of standard cells that are assembled into custom large batteries complete with electronics (battery management systems) and electronics to communicate with other components of the system for performance monitoring.

PR – 5/31/06: We have spent nearly $82 million advancing our technologies, and we are now in a position to manufacture and sell highly reliable, cost-effective advanced lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to our target market segments, to further develop our technology, and to license out our technology.

PR – 1/31/07: LTC is committed to providing sound energy solutions to the automotive market. The company has developed a comprehensive range of battery technologies and systems to satisfy all automotive on-board power/energy storage needs, from high energy requirements for Electric Vehicles (EVs) to high power systems for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs). The company combines its innovative end-to-end manufacturing processes with proprietary design, packaging and assembly techniques to supply customized battery systems specifically designed to each unique requirement.

PR – 2/8/07: LTC, a global provider of large lithium-ion rechargeable power solutions, has been providing advanced battery solutions for more than twenty years for the world's most demanding applications. The Company's unique, patented technology allows it to meet and exceed the stringent requirements of the military market.

PR – 5/14/07: LTC, a global provider of large lithium-ion rechargeable power solutions has focused solely on the development and production of large format lithium-ion batteries for more than twenty years. Unlike others, our advanced cells use LiFePO4 licensed technology, developed by Prof. John Goodenough with the University of Texas and supplied by Phostech; this chemistry coupled with the company's innovative end-to-end manufacturing processes and proprietary design, packaging and assembly techniques, allow LTC to provide high performance cells unmatched by any other product.

Note: BMSs = Battery Management Systems.

Note: See http://www.phostechlithium.com/ for information about Phostech.

Summary and Comments:

Patent Issues: See individual patents for details. Most prominent mention here is LTC’s patented extrusion process (no solvent required). The University of Texas has two important patents regarding LiFePO4. A123 Systems (which has a contract with Black and Decker) is being sued for allegedly infringing on these patents. LTC avoids this problem by using cathodes from Phostech, which licenses the University of Texas patents. [At least that is my reading of the situation.]

Proprietary Issues: Possibly, but not necessarily patented. Could include trade secrets or licensed technology. Extrusion, composition, processing, design, packaging, assembly, BMSs.

License Issues: LTC uses cathodes from Phostech, which licenses the University of Texas patents. In addition, LTC hopes to license some of their technology to others.

Unique Issues: In addition to the above, LTC claims to be unique in being able to make very large, high energy capacity, and high power cells, at least within the western hemisphere.

- guy6