MIR FAQs Do you give out prototypes? Our licensing office evaluates and approves requests for prototypes because we only have a few available. We have a limited quantity of prototypes. If our licensing office approves your request for a prototype, we will send you a letter informing you which prototypes are available, the fees, and the order form. The cost of these prototypes will be from $3K to $5K (Ex: Dipstick $4K) depending on the prototype. These prototypes will be evaluation kits and have to be returned within a limited time. Why are demonstration devices not widely available? We are making demonstration devices for evaluation, but they are only available to our funded projects and to viable potential licensees for short-term evaluation. This is done for several reasons: (1) we have many requests for MIR devices and cannot satisfy them all, (2) sending them out undermines the companies who have licenses, (3) being a national research lab we must, by law, only work on projects that have funding, (4) sending out MIR devices without a formal agreement (i.e. a license) could jeopardize our patents because others can, and have tried to, reverse engineer the technology, and (5) if a MIR device we build is used and causes some harm, the US government (DoE) and the University of California (U.C.) could be liable for damages. Our lawyers want to limit its exposure to outside R&D until our licensees do the manufacturing, accept the risk, and indemnify DoE and U.C. with substantial insurance coverage. How do I get a prototype? Fill out and submit the Requester Information Form (RIF). E-mail it to conlin2@llnl.gov or mail it to IP and C. I'm a student. Can I get a prototype for my project? No, at this time, we are only licensing the technology to qualified companies. We will have a limited quantity of demonstration units available in the near future for potential licensees. The cost on these demo units will be from $3K to $5K depending on the unit. These demo units will be evaluation kits and have to be returned within a limited time. Several of our licensees will have products on the retail market in the near future. They are licensed to sell only their end product but that may be of some help to you. Unfortunately, due to the volume of requests for answers to technical questions for this technology, we are unable to answer all of them. Our mission is to license this technology, so our first priority is to our licensees and potential licensees. We hope in the future to satisfy all incoming questions. Are MIR Information packages available to students? Yes, we mail information packages regarding the MIR technologies to interested students. Their use is restricted to their applicable class project only, and they should not be used for commercial purposes. Can interested companies visit LLNL? Yes. In addition to notifying us that you want to visit LLNL, complete and submit the Requester Information Form (RIF). Once we receive your RIF, we can schedule a visit to LLNL to discuss the technical feasibility of your application. Along with your RIF, please submit in writing, any questions you may have at this point. The appropriate technical person will answer your questions as soon as possible. Which companies are licensed to produce products using MIR technologies? We have licensed to several companies in several different fields of use. Most of our licensees wish to remain anonymous due to competitive reasons. Some of our licensees will have products catalogs. One licensee has a product in the "Levelite Store Catalog." The product name is "The Wave" and is for fluid level sensing. Phone: (800) 975-3835. Licensees are only licensed to sell end products - not stand alone chips or boards. If I'm interested in MIR, can we set up a technical discussion? First, you have to submit the Requester Information Form (RIF), then we can proceed with a technical discussion. How do companies qualify for licensing your technology? Currently, we are only licensing the MIR technology to companies who meet certain thresholds for commercialization. You must complete and return the Requester Information Form in order for us to determine if you meet the commercialization criteria for prospective licensees. Are developer's kits available? No, developer's kits are not available and circuit diagrams and CAD files are only available to licensees. Does MIR have a demonstration unit program? LLNL has a demonstration unit program available to those companies who are qualified and have expressed a serious commitment to licensing the MIR technology. What about patents? Issued patent numbers to date are as follows: 5,343,471, 5,361,070, 5,457,394, 5,465,094, 5,512,834 and 5,510,800, plus more than thirty patent applications still pending. Can anybody develop applications for the MIR? No, you must have a license from LLNL to do this. The licensing strategy developed for the MIR was carefully conceived to maximize our mission as a federal laboratory, facilitate the optimization of US industry in a global world, and for the general benefit of the public. We have identified over 200 applications for the MIR and more are developing on a daily basis. Rapid commercialization by those companies positioned to maximize the full potential of the MIR has been a priority. It was part of the licensing strategy to offer initially a limited number (2) of exclusive licenses to nationally publicize the technology. Those licensees were carefully selected and were granted exclusivity in two very narrow fields of use. As a technology transfer specialist you understand that the first licensees always take a greater financial risk than subsequent licensees. Non-exclusive licenses are now the only type of license offered, but the licensees have a suite of over 30 patents and patent applications in the licensed portfolio. Do you sell parts? We do not sell parts for any of our technologies. Do you sell MIR chips? No, we do not. Because we are a national research laboratory and not a manufacturing facility, we are not in a position to sell you MIR chips, devices or samples. Instead, we have licensed the MIR technology to several companies who will have products on the market soon. Our agreements with these companies prevent us from revealing them now, but they will advertise in the near future and some releases can be found in various media. Can you provide schematics? No, our schematics are considered proprietary information and are only available to our licensees. I'm interested in using MIR technology in my research, what should I do? We are limited in what we can do. The possibilities are that you, or a company you work with, (1) license MIR from us for $100K, in which case all of MIR is available to you in your research, or (2) you wait for maybe one more year when MIR devices become available on the market by our licensees, or (3) we find R&D resources to fund us to do part of the development. If we can find one of these avenues, there may be opportunities for us. UCRL-ID-109089-94