Aeronautical Pitot tube with an auxiliary heating system based on phase-change materialis the name of the first project of the Universidad Panamericana Guadalajara campus to be patented, led by Dr. Fidencio Tapia Rodriguez, director of the Center for Research and Applied Technology.
This achievement was made possible by Panamericana’s Intellectual Property Management Center, a technical and administrative support office serving the university community that oversees the intellectual property protection process and is specifically responsible for providing support for proceedings before the IMPI and INDAUTOR.
About the Project
Dr. Fidencio Tapia explains that his project consists of a Pitot tube equipped with an aircraft speed sensor. This work began as a master’s thesis at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, where Dr. Tapia served as co-advisor.
“Their current commercially accepted design carries the risk of freeze clogging, which could lead to accidents. The patented design can delay this by up to 2.5 minutes, giving the crew time to react and save lives and the entire aircraft,” said Dr. Tapia.
The next step for this project, he explains, is to obtain the grant certificate—a process handled by the IMPI—as well as to continue promoting the technology in order to seek opportunities for its transfer or licensing.
Novelty, Inventive Activity, and Industrial Application
Dr. Juan Alberto González Piñón, Panamericana’s Corporate Director of Innovation and Technology Transfer, notes that in order to determine whether Dr. Tapia’s project is eligible for a patent application, like all research projects submitted to the Intellectual Property Management Center, it must demonstrate the existence of the technical problem that is solved by the invention resulting from the research project.
The relevance of the technical problem is crucial, since it gives rise to the invention itself and, consequently, to a patent application.
“Once this step has been completed,an analysis of the current state of the art is conducted. Relevant publications or patents are identified to determine whether the project possesses novelty and an inventive step. Another tool is known as a patentability analysis, which uses the two previous reports to propose a protection strategy,” says Dr. González Piñón.
In summary, this means that all work currently in development must meet three main requirements: novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability.
Intellectual Property Management Center
Panamericana’s Intellectual Property Management Center aims to support and assist researchers in managing inventions resulting from their intellectual work.
Dr. González Piñón notes that the existence of such a center is of great importance in supporting and assisting professors, researchers, and students in ensuring adequate intellectual property protection for the results of their scientific research.
“(…) This center offers them the opportunity to present their proposals for the proper management and protection of intellectual property, as well as training on technological and procedural concepts,” he says.
Serving the UP community
This center currently holds a portfolio of 31 invention patent applications and four international PCT applications. “In the short term, the goal is to increase the number of patents by an average of 10 per year. We also want to pursue the transfer or licensing of technologies that have commercial potential,” says Juan Alberto.
Finally, Dr. González Piñón addresses the researchers in our university community:“These departments at Panamericana —the Intellectual Property Management Center and the Corporate Directorate of Innovation and Transfer— are here to advise you, support you, and handle all administrative matters related to the protection of intellectual property.”
She adds that, in addition, at such events, “we organize talks, courses, and presentations where we discuss the benefits and challenges of patenting.”
For more information about this center, please contact: propiedad.intelectual@up.edu.mx
