ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 14, 2008 - Xerox Corporation was granted 584* U.S. utility patents in 2007, adding to its extensive intellectual property portfolio.  Many of the patents are already fueling new technologies embedded in products and services Xerox brought to market within the last year, while others provide the foundation for the next generation of products, services and software.  The total includes patents awarded to the Palo Alto Research Center, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox Corporation.
Spanning specialties ranging from nanotechnology, controls and materials synthesis to software systems and smart document technologies for services, the patent total represents an increase of 31 percent over patents awarded to Xerox in 2005.  At that time, Xerox announced a goal of boosting the number of patents it was awarded by one third in three years.  With a year to go, the company is well on its way to delivering on that goal.
Xerox's joint venture partner in Japan, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd., was awarded 317 U.S. utility patents, bringing the total for the Xerox Group to 901.  Together, Xerox and Fuji Xerox invest about $1.5 billion annually in research and development.
"Inventions are not innovations until they delight our customers. Over the past years, Xerox has focused its extensive RD&E efforts to deliver breakthrough innovations, which have been embedded in products and services generating billions of dollars in recurring revenue for the company," said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group.  "Last year Xerox brought 39 new products and services to market. As importantly, our inventors have laid the groundwork for many more, some of which will expand our reach into new industries."
Among the patents granted in 2007 that may appear in future Xerox products and services:
U.S. Patent No. 7,225,401, which describes a system and method for generating a custom document.  This patent uses intelligent reasoning methods to help authors create documents by suggesting similar previous documents to use as a starting point.
U.S. Patent No. 7,254,772, which describes systems and methods for visually representing the aging or expiration of electronic documents.  It could help users manage documents by changing the appearance of screen icons to reflect the age or expiration date of the document.
U.S. Patent No. 7,293,868, which describes a new ink composition that could be used in future solid ink products.   Curable by ultraviolet light, it provides a five-fold improvement in image durability while maintaining excellent image quality and paper durability. 
U.S. Patent No. 7,184,032, which provides a simple method for accommodating blind users by use of a Braille overlay for control screens. 
U.S. Patent No. 7,163,269, which provides a simple and systematic method for achieving consistent color books in print-on-demand systems.
Patents granted in 2007 that are already delivering revenue include:
U.S. Patent No. 7,295,346, which describes a new image processing method used in the iGen3 Digital Production Press, the DocuColor 8000 press and other Xerox color printers.  It has improved sharpness and image quality for gray or colored fonts and graphics.  Last year more than 40 billion pages were made on Xerox color systems.
U.S. Patent No. 7,157,200, which describes an emulsion aggregation toner and developer with superior image quality.  The toner covered in this patent is used in the Nuvera EA Digital Production System and provides lower cost, improved reliability, better image quality, and better paper flatness.
Xerox Corporation is the world's leading document management, technology and services enterprise, providing the industry's broadest portfolio of color and black-and-white document processing systems and related supplies, as well as document management consulting and outsourcing services.  This past year Xerox was awarded the National Medal of Technology, the highest technology award in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.xerox.com/innovation.