Emission-Reducing Engine Technology Earns Engineers National Inventor of the Year Award

Intellectual Property Owners Assoc. Honors Duo for Caterpillar's ACERT(R) Technology

WASHINGTON, July 13 -- Millions of Americans, including children exposed to exhaust from school buses and others who encounter diesel fumes in cities and on highways, can breathe easier thanks to the work of two engineers who are being honored today with the 31st annual National Inventor of the Year Award. Presented by the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), the award is the most prestigious of its kind, having gone previously to those responsible for the Jarvik Seven Artificial Heart, Bose speaker technology and other patented "breakthrough" inventions.

Jim Weber and Scott Leman are members of the team of professionals behind the success of Caterpillar's emissions-reducing ACERT(R) engine technology. Available in most of its on-highway truck and bus engines, the company says the patented technology will reduce emissions 90 percent by 2007. It helped Caterpillar become the first engine manufacturer to earn EPA certifications for 2004 lower-emission standards. ACERT(R) stands for Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology.

"Jim Weber and Scott Leman's efforts to produce more environmentally- friendly diesel engines highlight the value of creativity and the importance of patents," said Herbert C. Wamsley, executive director of IPO. "Because of their ingenuity, and because a sound patent enabled their company to invest heavily in research and development, millions of Americans can breathe easier."

Weber and Leman invented an air management system that couples precise valve control and series turbochargers to provide optimal quantities of cool, clean air to the combustion chamber, enabling airflow that is tailored to yield best possible emissions and fuel economy. This invention, combined with advanced fuel systems, engine electronics and effective after-treatment make up ACERT(R) technology, which reduces emissions in a cost-effective manner. Caterpillar will provide engines with ACERT(R) technology that will achieve 2007 emissions and performance standards by mid-2005.

Founded in 1972, IPO is a national trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets in all industries and fields of technology. IPO was established to broaden public understanding of intellectual property rights. Members include large and small businesses, universities, intellectual property attorneys, and independent inventors and authors. To be eligible for the Inventor of the Year Award, an invention must have been patented or first marketed in the past four years. Past winners include: Paul Macready for the "Gossamer Condor," a human-powered flying device, Robert Jarvik for the Jarvik Seven Artificial Heart, James L. Fergason for liquid crystal displays, and Amar G. Bose for a folded waveguide loudspeaker system.