News

Last week, American Technology Corp. (ATC) announced that three additional patents on its loudspeaker technologies have been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office (see previous story). The company also announced that it has acquired the rights to "strategic" patents from the former Carver Corp. covering a variety of audio reproduction and amplifier technologies.

The company says that its intellectual property portfolio now includes over 100 US and foreign patents and patent filings relating to its HyperSonic Sound Technology (HSS), Stratified Field Technology (SFT), PureBass, Magnified Force, and NeoPlanar audio reproduction technologies. ATC's HSS and SFT caused a stir in the audio world when they were first announced in 1996, due to their radical approach to sound reproduction.

ATC's Jim Croft explains that the acquisition of the Carver patents "both expands our technology portfolio into other categories and strengthens our existing intellectual property with allied inventions that improve and broaden the performance and protection of our current technologies." Croft says that the acquired patents involve the fields of broadcast and communications, power electronics, sound field expansion and control, planar loudspeakers, and subwoofer systems.

Croft states that "in our continued pursuit of patent protection for our internal innovations, we are proud to have been granted three new patents incorporating over 100 claims to provide further intellectual property surrounding our Magnified Force, Stratified Field and HSS technologies."

ATC's Terry Conrad adds, "Our greatest strength as an OEM technology provider is our intellectual property. Per our announced strategy, we continue to pursue the innovation, development, acquisition, and protection of new technologies for our audio IP portfolio. These new patents broaden our own coverage and narrow the opportunities for potential competitors in our targeted consumer and professional electronics markets. We are collaborating on product development with some of the world's largest electronics and technology companies to bring visually and audibly unique loudspeaker products to consumers throughout the world."