Ivanhoe Energy Inc. has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent Office for the first of a family of additional petroleum upgrading patent applications.
Since Ivanhoe Energy acquired the patented heavy oil upgrading technology (HTL) in 2005 through its merger with Ensyn Group, Inc., it has been working to expand patent coverage to protect innovations to the HTL technology as they are developed. This allowance is the first that has been granted directly to Ivanhoe Energy, and significantly broadens the company's portfolio of HTL intellectual property.
"This is a significant step for us in the development of Ivanhoe Energy's HTL technology," said Joe Gasca, Ivanhoe Energy president and COO.
"This further strengthens the patent protection of the HTL technology for petroleum upgrading and opens up additional HTL patenting opportunities for Ivanhoe Energy. Not only will this be the first patent issued directly in Ivanhoe Energy's name, it also has the effect of significantly extending our HTL patent protection."
All of the original HTL-related patents were issued in Ensyn's name, with exclusive rights to the patented petroleum applications granted to Ivanhoe Energy.
Counterparts to this family of U.S. patent applications have been filed and are pending in many other petroleum producing countries, including Canada and a number of countries in South America, the Middle East and Asia.
Robert Graham, Ivanhoe Energy director and Ensyn Group co-founder said, "The allowance of this patent protection in the U.S. confirms that the HTL intellectual property is unique, inventive and proprietary. This strengthens our belief and confidence that a similar level of additional patent protection should be received in the other countries in which we have filed applications."
Ivanhoe Energy's proprietary, patented heavy oil upgrading technology (HTL) upgrades the quality of heavy oil and bitumen by producing lighter, more valuable crude oil, along with by-product energy that can be used to generate steam or electricity. In the process of targeting specific commercial applications, Ivanhoe Energy has developed what are believed to be patentable innovations, and expects that new innovations, improvements and optimizations will be continually integrated into the HTL process and protected as the HTL technology progresses.
The new patent protection will address the production of a light vacuum gas oil (VGO) product from whole and fractionated bitumen feedstocks, using Ivanhoe Energy's HTL technology. Bitumen, also called asphalt or tar, is the heaviest category of petroleum and occurs in solid and semi-solid forms and includes both naturally occurring petroleum, such as the bitumen found in the Alberta oilsands, as well as manufactured bitumens, such as vacuum tower bottoms (VTBs), which are produced from lighter oils by fractional distillation.
Ivanhoe Energy is an independent international oil and gas development and production company focused on pursuing long-term growth in its reserves and production using advanced technologies, including its proprietary heavy oil upgrading process (HTL), enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques and the conversion of natural gas to liquids (GTL). Core operations are in the United States and China, with business development opportunities worldwide.
Since Ivanhoe Energy acquired the patented heavy oil upgrading technology (HTL) in 2005 through its merger with Ensyn Group, Inc., it has been working to expand patent coverage to protect innovations to the HTL technology as they are developed. This allowance is the first that has been granted directly to Ivanhoe Energy, and significantly broadens the company's portfolio of HTL intellectual property.
"This is a significant step for us in the development of Ivanhoe Energy's HTL technology," said Joe Gasca, Ivanhoe Energy president and COO.
"This further strengthens the patent protection of the HTL technology for petroleum upgrading and opens up additional HTL patenting opportunities for Ivanhoe Energy. Not only will this be the first patent issued directly in Ivanhoe Energy's name, it also has the effect of significantly extending our HTL patent protection."
All of the original HTL-related patents were issued in Ensyn's name, with exclusive rights to the patented petroleum applications granted to Ivanhoe Energy.
Counterparts to this family of U.S. patent applications have been filed and are pending in many other petroleum producing countries, including Canada and a number of countries in South America, the Middle East and Asia.
Robert Graham, Ivanhoe Energy director and Ensyn Group co-founder said, "The allowance of this patent protection in the U.S. confirms that the HTL intellectual property is unique, inventive and proprietary. This strengthens our belief and confidence that a similar level of additional patent protection should be received in the other countries in which we have filed applications."
Ivanhoe Energy's proprietary, patented heavy oil upgrading technology (HTL) upgrades the quality of heavy oil and bitumen by producing lighter, more valuable crude oil, along with by-product energy that can be used to generate steam or electricity. In the process of targeting specific commercial applications, Ivanhoe Energy has developed what are believed to be patentable innovations, and expects that new innovations, improvements and optimizations will be continually integrated into the HTL process and protected as the HTL technology progresses.
The new patent protection will address the production of a light vacuum gas oil (VGO) product from whole and fractionated bitumen feedstocks, using Ivanhoe Energy's HTL technology. Bitumen, also called asphalt or tar, is the heaviest category of petroleum and occurs in solid and semi-solid forms and includes both naturally occurring petroleum, such as the bitumen found in the Alberta oilsands, as well as manufactured bitumens, such as vacuum tower bottoms (VTBs), which are produced from lighter oils by fractional distillation.
Ivanhoe Energy is an independent international oil and gas development and production company focused on pursuing long-term growth in its reserves and production using advanced technologies, including its proprietary heavy oil upgrading process (HTL), enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques and the conversion of natural gas to liquids (GTL). Core operations are in the United States and China, with business development opportunities worldwide.
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