Håkan Lans
Encyclopedia
Anders Håkan Lans is a Swedish
inventor. His patent
ed inventions are a color graphics processor ("Data processing system and apparatus for color graphics display") and an "Arrangement for producing a pattern on a light-sensitive surface"
(STDMA) datalink. The STDMA datalink is currently in use in Automatic Identification System
(AIS). AIS is a short range coastal tracking system which is mandatory aboard international voyaging ships with gross tonnage
(GT) of 300 or more tons, and all passenger ships regardless of size.
STDMA is also in use as one of the three physical layer models proposed for Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast
(ADS-B), a cooperative surveillance technique for air traffic control which is in the process of implementation.
Lans has his own company, GP&C Systems International AB, which is focused on marketing STDMA.
, Gateway
and Hewlett Packard for not paying royalties, and allegedly infringing on his patent. The companies were then sued for patent infringement by Lans, as a private person. The defendants counterclaimed that the patent was assigned to Uniboard AB, a company wholly owned by Lans. The judge ruled that this was the case and thus Lans lost the case. This has led to a dispute between Lans and his attorney, Louis Mastriani, and his lawyer in Sweden, Talbot Lindström, who Lans has sued for misconduct. An allegation was presented on Swedish National Television
that Lindström's conduct was due to alleged connections with the The Pentagon
, in order to stop Lan's progress on his STDMA patent.
Another debate is regarding STDMA. There was a patent application for the system, but a US patent
ex-parte reexamination
certificate was issued in 2010 canceling all claims.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
inventor. His patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed inventions are a color graphics processor ("Data processing system and apparatus for color graphics display") and an "Arrangement for producing a pattern on a light-sensitive surface"
STDMA
Håkan Lans is the designer of a tracking system which makes use of a Self-Organized Time Division Multiple AccessSelf-Organized Time Division Multiple Access
Self-Organized Time Division Multiple Access is a channel access method which was designed by Håkan Lans, based on time-division multiplexing....
(STDMA) datalink. The STDMA datalink is currently in use in Automatic Identification System
Automatic Identification System
The Automatic Identification System is an automatic tracking system used on ships and by Vessel traffic services for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS Base stations...
(AIS). AIS is a short range coastal tracking system which is mandatory aboard international voyaging ships with gross tonnage
Gross tonnage
Gross tonnage is a unitless index related to a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage...
(GT) of 300 or more tons, and all passenger ships regardless of size.
STDMA is also in use as one of the three physical layer models proposed for Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast
Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System ...
(ADS-B), a cooperative surveillance technique for air traffic control which is in the process of implementation.
Lans has his own company, GP&C Systems International AB, which is focused on marketing STDMA.
Legal disputes
Concerning the patent on colour computer graphics, Lans has sued several companies, including CompaqCompaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, Gateway
Gateway, Inc.
Gateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
and Hewlett Packard for not paying royalties, and allegedly infringing on his patent. The companies were then sued for patent infringement by Lans, as a private person. The defendants counterclaimed that the patent was assigned to Uniboard AB, a company wholly owned by Lans. The judge ruled that this was the case and thus Lans lost the case. This has led to a dispute between Lans and his attorney, Louis Mastriani, and his lawyer in Sweden, Talbot Lindström, who Lans has sued for misconduct. An allegation was presented on Swedish National Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
that Lindström's conduct was due to alleged connections with the The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, in order to stop Lan's progress on his STDMA patent.
Another debate is regarding STDMA. There was a patent application for the system, but a US patent
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
ex-parte reexamination
Reexamination
In United States patent law, a reexamination is a process whereby a third party or inventor can have a patent reexamined by a patent examiner to verify that the subject matter it claims is patentable...
certificate was issued in 2010 canceling all claims.