Business notebook: 12/30

12/30/2012

BUSINESS NOTEBOOK

ACHIEVEMENTS

■ GEM Inc. of Walbridge is ranked 82nd on Engineering News-Record’s “Top 600 Specialty Contractors List” for 2012. The national rankings are based on 2011 revenue. GEM Inc. reported revenue exceeding $168 million. GEM is one of the Rudolph/Libbe Companies.

■ Krissy Biederstedt has been promoted to national accounts manager for Triad Isotopes Inc. She had been a technician at the company’s Toledo nuclear pharmacy.

Business Achievements, with news of management promotions, corporate board appointments, and awards, runs each week. Send announcements by email to business@theblade.com or by fax to 419-724-6147. Write “Business Achievements” in the message field.

CALENDAR

■ Brown Mackie College-Findlay will hold an informational event about the college’s new medical assistant diploma program and careers in medical assisting at 1 p.m. Jan. 18. Location: 1700 Fostoria Ave., Suite 100, Findlay. RSVP or information: Andrea Voll at avoll@brownmackie.edu or 419-429-8631.

Notice of business meetings must be received by The Blade 10 days before the event. Send items by email to business@theblade.com or by fax to 419-724-6147. Write “Business Calendar” in the message field.

PATENTS

The following U.S, patents were granted to Lucas, Fulton, and Wood County, Ohio, inventors in October, 2012, and published in the Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark Office. For more information, call the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library business technology department at 419-259-5209.

#8,289,233 Error diffusion; Jeffrey W. Guy, Toledo and Carol Ann Wedding, Toledo; assignors to Imaging Systems Technology, Toledo.

#8,287,574 Cervical plate assembly; Ashok Biyani, Sylvania, and Michael A. Rymer, Toledo; assignors to University of Toledo, Toledo.

#8,278,523 Soybean variety XB31A10; Thomas C. Corbin, Monticello, Ill., and Debra K. Steiger, Wauseon; assignors to Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., Johnston, Iowa.

#8,278,239 Polycarbonates made using highly selective catalysts; Geoffrey W. Coates, Lansing, N.Y.; Zengquan Qin, Copley, Ohio, and Claire Tova Cohen, Sylvania; assignors to Cornell Research Foundation, Inc., Ithaca, N.Y.

#8,277,890 Transport device, in particular for transporting sheetlike substrates through a coating installation; Hubertus Von Der Waydbrink, Dresden, Germany; Georg Laimer, Meissen, Germany; Siegfried Scheibe, Dresden, Germany; Ricky C. Powell, Ann Arbor; James Ernest Hinkle, Lambertville, and James B. Foote, Toledo; assignors to First Solar Inc., Perrysburg and Von Ardenne Anlagentechnik GmbH, Dresden, Germany.

#D668,546 Bottle; David Maas, Wheaton, Ill.; Robert Kleckauskas, St. Charles, Ill.; John P. Coursey, Chicago; Bruce Ronner, Glencoe, Ill.; Rita Sifuentes, Melrose Park, Ill.; Valorie Boldrey Langille, Glen Ellyn, Ill.; Charles A. Brewer, St. Charles, Ill., and Jeffrey M. Fish, Perrysburg; assignors to Arrow Plastic Manufacturing Co. Elk Grove, Ill.

The following U.S. patents were granted to Monroe and Lenawee County, Michigan, inventors in October, 2012.

#8,297,673: Gripper with central support; Conrad Earl Waldorf, Pinckney, Mich.; Anthony Jenkins, Clawson, Mich. and James R. Kalb, Petersburg, Mich.; assignors to Norgren Automation Solutions LLC, Saline, Mich.

#8,292,508: Integrated two-level bearing; David Earl Spieth, Canton, Mich.; Kevin Lueschen, Fenton, Mich.; Michael Gregory Mshar, Brighton, Mich., and Mark A. Thorpe, Britton, Mich.; assignors to NSK Corporation, Ann Arbor.

#8,292,353: Construction for an automotive vehicle; Toro Ishimaru, Miyoshi-Cho, JP; Jonathan R. Young, Dundee, Mich., and Robert D. Smith, Ypsilanti, Mich.; assignors to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., Erlanger, Ky.

#8,286,320: Apparatus and method for the robotic plugging/unplugging of rolls; Daniel J. Pienta, Lambertville and David M. Pienta, Lambertville; assignors to Automatic Handling International, Erie, Mich.

#8,283,467: Synthesis of boronic ester and acid compounds; Vince Ammoscato, Riverview, Mich.; John E. Bishop, Groton, Mass.; Fang-Ting Chiu, Petersburg, Mich.; Achim Geiser, Hunzenschwil, Switzerland; Jean-Marc Gomez, Bubendorf, Switzerland; Robert Hett, Hunzenschwil, Switzerland; Christoph Koellner, Bubendorf, Switzerland; Vithalanand R. Kulkarni, Petersburg, Mich.; Young Lo, Petersburg, Mich.; Stephen Munk, Riverview, Mich. and I. Fraser Pickersgill, Newton, Pa.; assignors to Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

#8,277,890: Transport device, in particular for transporting sheet-like substrates through a coating installation; Hubertus Von Der Waydbrink, Dresden, Germany; Georg Laimer, Meissen, Germany; Siegfried Scheibe, Dresden, Germany; Ricky C. Powell, Ann Arbor; James Ernest Hinkle, Lambertville, and James B. Foote, Toledo; assignors to First Solar, Inc., Perrysburg, and Von Ardenne Anlagentechnik GmbH, Dresden, Germany.