VIASPACE Subsidiary Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation Files Patent Application on Tamper Resistant Fuel Cartridges
PASADENA, Calif., June 19 -- VIASPACE Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: VSPC) , a company that transforms proven space and defense technologies from NASA and the Department of Defense into hardware and software solutions, announced today that its Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC) subsidiary filed a patent application for tamper resistance for fuel cartridges that provide fuel for micro fuel cells that power small electronic devices such as notebook computers, cell phones, portable e-mail devices, PDAs, music players and external chargers. These cartridges can also be used for other applications such as catalytic heaters that require delivery of a liquid fuel.
Dr. Carl Kukkonen, CEO of both VIASPACE and DMFCC, reports, "With this patent application, we are adding to our existing large intellectual property portfolio on direct methanol fuel cells and cartridges to power them. Many of our potential customers are looking at very small fuel cell applications requiring cartridges holding as little as 6 mL of fuel. This is about the size of the AA battery, but stores 17 times more energy if the fuel is methanol. Fuel cell cartridges containing methanol or other liquids used in fuel cells have to be safe to handle and resistant to unwanted access, especially by children.
This patent application included work performed by students from the Center for Design Education and the School of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Ca. The students teamed with our own internal engineers to create multiple design approaches to tamper resistance for fuel cell cartridges. We are extremely pleased with the efforts of the students, who made significant contribution to this critical safety requirement. "
Market research firm Frost & Sullivan is scheduled to report on fuel cell markets and development trends at the upcoming Asian Fuel Cell/Battery Markets conference in Singapore, focusing on commercialization of fuel cells for portable devices, emerging fuel cell markets and implications for the energy industry. According to its recent report entitled, "World Micro Fuel Cell Market for Consumer Portable Devices", the market is expected to produce 72 million unit shipments by 2010, with that figure quadrupling by 2013 due to a ramp-up in commercialization. Current battery chemistries are struggling to satisfy the increasing power needs of devices including notebook computers, cellular/converged phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable audio/video, digital imaging and other portables. Frost & Sullivan asserts that micro fuel cell technology represents a significant advance with immense potential to meet rising consumer demand for increased power, longer run times and a safer power option for these devices.
About VIASPACE: Founded in 1998 with the objective of transforming proven space and defense technologies from NASA and the Department of Defense into hardware and software solutions that solve today's complex problems, VIASPACE benefits from important patent and software licenses from Caltech, which manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, please see www.viaspace.com/, or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications at 800-517-8050, or IR@VIASPACE.com.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: muzi@viaspace.com
Source: VIASPACE Inc.
CONTACT: Carl Kukkonen of VIASPACE Inc. +1-626-768-3360
Web site: http://www.viaspace.com/
