The CRS4 has initiated the current year by filing five new patent applications, one of which is accompanied by a trademark filing, in order to safeguard the intellectual property of its inventions and innovations. The areas covered by these applications include:
- Multimedia Interaction and Content Management:
A system designed for user-display interaction, enabling the management, visualization, and exploration of multimedia content via screens installed in public spaces. A trademark application has also been submitted for this project. - Accessibility for Visually Impaired Users:
A bimanual interface integrated with an interactive voice-guidance system, engineered to allow visually impaired users to tactically explore relief surfaces. - Intelligent Energy Control:
An innovative, intelligent, and flexible system based on an IoT platform capable of managing and optimizing in real time the energy flows within complex electrical microgrids. This technology can also be applied to the charging of electric vehicle fleets in parking areas powered by renewable energy sources. - Optimization of Sensor Placement:
A method for determining the optimal positioning of optical sensors in open spaces to maximize the visual coverage of a designated area. This solution is particularly useful in scenarios such as territorial monitoring, hydrogeological risk management, civil protection, and urban or military contexts. - Italian Sign Language (LIS) Recognition:
An artificial intelligence system in which neural networks are trained to recognize individual signs—either isolated or composed in continuous sequences—within video footage.
Giacomo Cao, the sole administrator of CRS4, commented:
“After four and a half years of leading the Center, our achievements in intellectual property protection have become increasingly significant. In addition to the 42 software products developed in just two years and protected by SIAE, we have now filed 5 new patent applications in 2024, adding to the 10 patents submitted over the years. One of our patented technologies has also been deemed suitable for a trademark filing, which complements the 3 trademarks we have consolidated in the past four and a half years – the only trademarks owned by CRS4 since its inception in the early 1990s.”
He concluded:
“Our researchers and technologists have grasped the importance of protecting intellectual property. They understand that scientific publications—even in prestigious international journals—do not conflict with patent filings, which must occur before publication. On the contrary, this approach enhances the patent’s visibility and can open up significant commercial opportunities.”
