The Computer Paper / Oet '90 the polymer, the material has drawn great interest &om chipmakers.
Printer Link Works Over Electrical Wirinl,
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RESTON, VIRGINIA, AUG 51 (NB) — The United States office of GECMarconi So8ware Systems has acquired North American rights to a printer connection that sends signals over electrical wumg. The Verran DataLink and Dedicated Printer Sharer (DPS) were launched in the United Kingdom last year and were later introduced to the rest of Europe, GEC-Marconi'sgeneral manager, Susan Boers, told Newsbytes. GEC Marconi is "just ramping up now" to sell them in
royalties &om the date the patent is is-
North America.
which he dedined tonamebutsaiditwas
Connecting a computer and a printer requires two DataLinks, each about the
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size of a portable compact disc player.
censes to those who want them. I suspect that the peoplewho need the patents will be interested."
The devices are not limited to personal computers, Boers said, but can be used
with almostany computer. The DalaLink can be connected to a serial or parallel port To communicate, two DalaLinks must
be plugged into the same electrical circuit. The devices should be within 100 meters (500 feet) of each other, Boers scud.
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lent with the internal combusfion engine" and says Hyatt might be able to seek royalties &om the sale of every microprocessor made after the date the patent was issued - July 17, 1990. He says that an inventor can only collect
The DPS allows as many asseven computers to share a single printer. It also acts as a print spooler. Boers said the technology is essentially the same as that used in "smart home" devices that let a computer control home appliances through devices plugged into electrical outlets. The Datalink sells for US$545, while the DPS is priced at US$595. GECMatconiisasubsidiaxyof General Electric of Great Britain. Contact: Susan Boers, GEC-Marconi, 705-648-1551; Jenny Young, KSK Communications for GEC-Marconi, 705-754-1880
Hyatt New Father Of The Micmprocessor CERRITOS, CALIFORNIA, AUG 50 (NB) — Twentyyears after inventing the first microprocessor, Gilbert Hyatt has finallyreceived apatent for it an thanks the US Patent OKce for mahng it so diKcult. Hyatt, an engineer and technology consultant who invented the"computer on a chip" at his firm Micro Computer Inc. in 1968, says the patentoffice "scrutinized 'very thoroughly work done by Texas Instruments and Intel," the companies which have until now been considered the inventors of the microchip. "That patent is much stronger because they already addressed those issues and put them to becL They did a big favor by being so careful," Hyatt tells Newsbytes. The US Patent Officeon July 17 granted Hyatt patent number 4,942/16 entitled "Single Chip Integrated Grcuit Architecture," the daun for which was originally filed December 2, 1970based on work done in 1968. Contacted byNewsbytes, patentattorneyGaryHeckerof the lawfirm ofHecker and Harrimau confirms that 'The daim appears to cover all the elements of a microprocessor: main memory to store a computer's instructions, operand memory to store operands (or operational instructions), and a processing circuit to process the operations in response to instructions in memory." He says this could be a patent equiva-
sued, not the date of the invention. Asked how he kept up the patent applicafion process for 20 years, Hyatt told Newsbytes, "You justkeep plugging away. Itwasvetyimportantand itwas worth it"
Hyatt says he has no plans to getgreedy with the existing microprocessor industxy, but does want to collect some royalties. "I am not an enforcer. I'm an engineer and an R Sc D man." He will turn over the job of negotiating licenses with
high-techcompanies to "anew company"
international licenses. "We will offer li-
Hyatt says he plans to use monies gained &om licensing to fund his current research and development projects into liquid crystal devices, high-performance processors,improved memory systems, and new display technologies. His laboratory is located in the La Palma area of Los Angeles. His address is PO Box 5557, Cerritos, CA 90705.
VDT Safety Laws Eyed In San Francisco SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AUG 50 (NB) — San Francisco city supervisors are considering legislation which would mandate safety standards for workers who use computers. San Francisco's legislation could serve as a model for the country, and attempts to make up for the absence of state or federal legislation protecting workers against repetitive motion injuries and other VDT-related health problems. The bill,putforthbySupervisorNancy Walker, would require firms with at least 15 employees to give VDT workers regularbreaks and ergonomically designed, adjustable office furniture, including wrist rests. Violators could be fined US$500 a day. An additional part of the bill requires the city to do regular monitoring of the health of VDT workers. San Francisco employerswould have two years to comply with the new guidelines. A simBar bill was defeated in Suffolk County, New York this year, but San Francisco backers believe this bill has the votes and the support, including that of the unions. In June of thisyear, a number of reporters and editorial workers in New York City brought suit against Eastman Kodakfor cumulative trauma disordersra which they allegedly acquired while working with Kodak's Atex text-processing system. The US$270 million suit charged that the eight journalists, employed by Newsday, The Village Voice, Associated Press and Discount Store News, "developed and suffered severe, permanent and disabling cumulative trauma disorders, as well as psychological injuries" &om continued use of the Atex VDT's. Since the filing of that suit, othershave followed. The legislation comes as there is mounting concern about the health effects of VDT's, especially on pregnant women and on the vision of workers. Also, repetitive+train injuries, caused by
.