San Francisco, October, 2013
Intellectual Property/Patent Acquisition Opportunity from Bell & Howell
As part of Gerbsman Partners (http://gerbsmanpartners.com) focus for maximizing value of Intellectual Property, I am attaching for your review and potential interest, two Patents for acquisition from the owner, Bell & Howell, LLC (http://bellhowell.net). The Patents (US Patent Nos. 6,157,924 and 6,701,315, see attached) cover the same technology, which enables users to select and manage his/her preferences for receiving information from a business.
Bids for the sale of the patents will be due on November 8, 2013 and will be subject to “The Bidding Process” which will be forwarded in a separate email.
Patents (US Patent Nos. 6,157,924 and 6,701,315
Title: Systems, Methods, and Computer Program Products for Delivering Information in a Preferred Medium (US Patent Nos. 6,157,924 and 6,701,315)
Inventor: Pamela Sue Austin
Assignee/Owner: Bell and Howell, LLC
Abstract: The ‘924 Patent and the ‘315 Patents relate to data processing systems, methods and computer program products for delivering information in medium (or media) as selected by a customer (“user”) of a business.
Description: The ‘924 Patent and the ‘315 Patents cover the same technology. The technology enables a user to select and manage his/her preference for receiving information from a business. The user can pick one or more communication methods for delivery, including methods such as printed material, e-mail, HTML (browser readable), FAX, or any other method. The solution works by allowing a user to set up a profile in a preference management system with the information provider which reflects his preference. The system will automatically reformat the information, for each user that setup a profile, to be able to deliver via the preferred delivery method. In addition, the integrity of information delivered to a user is verified to ensure a record of delivery is available.
Innovation: The invention allows a business to deliver information and messages via one or many messaging formats based on the preference of each individual user. In a nutshell, it allows a business to provide the information a user wants, how they want it.
Advantages: Alternative messaging via print and electronic mediums has become necessary for businesses to stay competitive, be able to satisfy customer preferences, and stay current with emerging technologies. The invention facilitates alternative messaging between businesses and a user wherein a variety of delivery media can be utilized to communicate information.
Market Potential & Application Domain: The ‘924 Patent and ‘315 Patent are very attractive to any business delivering information or communications to its customers in multiple formats. Potential market segments that could benefit from use of the invention include:
1. Credit card companies (Billing, membership solicitations, special offers, etc)
2. Travel companies (Airlines, travel agencies, etc)
3. Music and book clubs
4. Corporations (Annual and Quarterly reports, SEC documents, proxies, meeting announcements, etc)
5. Banks (Statements, notifications, etc)
6. Insurance companies (Statements, solicitations, etc.)
7. Utilities (Statements, etc)
8. Universities (Acceptances and rejections, fund raising solicitations, course listings, grades, statements, etc)
9. Large charities (Museums, orchestras, religious charities, benefit organizers, etc)
10. Retailers (Catalogs, special offers, credit card solicitations, etc)
11. Professional societies (IEEE, APS, ACS, etc)
12. Political parties
13. The US and state governments
14. United States Postal Service
Technological Key Words: Alternative messaging; preference and enrollment database
Market Key Words: Alternative messaging; one-to-one marketing, multi-channel messaging, electronic delivery, EBPP
About Bell and Howell, LLC
Bell and Howell is a leading global provider of multi-channel communications solutions, providing messaging technologies for print, Web and mobile delivery. They are dedicated to drive positive growth for their customers, and their suite of solutions are designed to be open, flexible, solve unique customer needs, and enable the highest quality and lowest cost production of highly relevant customer communications. Supporting these solutions is one of the largest dedicated service organizations in the industry. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., the company maintains development and manufacturing facilities in Wheeling, Ill., Bethlehem, Pa., Rochester, N.Y., Dallas, Texas, and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. For further information, please visit http://www.bellhowell.net.
About Gerbsman Partners
Gerbsman Partners is a private investment bank focused on maximizing value for stakeholders of Intellectual Property companies. Gerbsman Partners and its Board of Intellectual Capital has helped maximize Intellectual Property stakeholder value for 79 technology, medical device, digital marketing, social commerce, life science and solar companies through our proprietary “Date Certain M&A Process” and has restructured/terminated over $ 810 million of prohibitive real estate and equipment leases, sub-debt and creditor issues. Since 1980, Gerbsman Partners has been involved in over $ 2.3 M&A, financing and restructuring transactions.
If you have any interest in the acquisition of these Patents, please call:
Steven R. Gerbsman (415) 505 4991 steve@gerbsmanpartners.com
Kenneth Hardesty (408) 591 7528 ken@gerbsmanpartners.com
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