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Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design Forum

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READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE

Mike C

#16213

READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE | 14 April, 1998

We received a letter from IPC concerning patent infringements (patents held by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.) LTD (Panasonic) that may effect most of us who use adhesive to secure components to PCBs for subsequent wave soldering process. If you have note received a copy of this letter Contact IPC and request a copy (847) 509-9700. IPC is Surveying Companies to Judge if industry members would like to consolidate their responses through IPC. I do not wish to hinder IPC efforts but I feel we should all be made aware of what is going on. IF ANYBODY HAS INFORMATION ON THIS LETTER PLEASE POST INFO HERE. Following is the cover letter sent from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. ., Ltd. Dear Sir This is to inform you that Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (�Matsushita�; maybe known as Panasonic, its brand name) Owns U.S. Patents, among others, identified below, which we assume may be of interest to your company. USP 4,812,692 USP 4,814,870 For your convenience, attached are the copies of the above patents. Matsushita is willing to grant licenses under these patents to any company on a nondiscriminatory basis. If you would be interested, please contact us for further information. We can be reached by fax # +81-6-909-0053 Further, please be advised that Matsushita does not intend to assert the above patents against infringement occurred in conjunction with the use of certain manufacturing equipment supplied by Matsushita or its authorized distributors. Sincerely yours, Shinjiro Saikawa General Manager Licensing Department I

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Matthias Mansfeld

#16216

Re: READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE | 15 April, 1998

Under these numbers, I can find at IBM's Patent Server only other topics: USP 4,812,692 http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4812692: "Motor" (Mitsubishi) USP 4,814,870 http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4814870: "Portable infrared imaging apparatus" (Comprix) None is from Matsushita, none is about SMT. Can you provide us with more information about the Matsushita patents?

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MIKE

#16217

Re: READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE | 15 April, 1998

Upon further investigations, the patent numbers givin were on the cover leter from Mit. They also sent cover leters of the Patent's and they indicate numbers 4,312,692 (jan 26 1982)Method of mounting electronic components and 4,314,870 (Feb 9 1982) same title. I hope this clears it up although I don't understand where the disconnect came from. Mike

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Matthias Mansfeld

#16214

Re: READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE | 15 April, 1998

O.K., somebody read a probably hand-written 3 as 8. Under these numbers, I can find at IBM's Patent Server the following other topics: USP 4,312,692 http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4312692: USP 4,314,870 http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4314870: I encourage everybody who is involved in SMT assembly to surf to these links and to read the patents. They are in full text and as tiff files with images on the server. In fact, they try both to patent the standard procedure which is used in the whole industry to attach smt devices with adhesive before wave soldering. I hope, they cannot be successful with their ideas.....

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Gary Simbulan

#16215

Re: READ THIS - PATENT LICENSE | 16 April, 1998

| O.K., somebody read a probably hand-written 3 as 8. | Under these numbers, I can find at IBM's Patent Server the following other topics: | USP 4,312,692 | http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4312692: | USP 4,314,870 | http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=4314870: | I encourage everybody who is involved in SMT assembly to | surf to these links and to read the patents. They are in full text | and as tiff files with images on the server. | In fact, they try both to patent the standard procedure which is | used in the whole industry to attach smt devices | with adhesive before wave soldering. | I hope, they cannot be successful with their ideas..... It looks to me on complete reading that these patents are very specific about variations on the standard process. One seems to specify only ultraviolet cured adhesives. I use, and I believe most use, temperature cured adhesives. The other is specifically about multi-tipped applicators whitch have a specific geometry relative to the part being secured. I can see where this might affect certain pin dipped applications but has no bearing on dispensing with single needle tipped dispensors or stencil printed adhesives. Perhaps, since I am not a lawer, I am not seeing the whole picture.

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