Håkan Lans

Håkan Lans
Born	Anders Håkan Lans (1947-11-02) 2 November 1947 (age 77)
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Inventor

Anders Håkan Lans (born 2 November 1947 in Enskede) is a Swedish inventor. He holds two patents:

• a memory controller for a framebuffer: "Data processing system and apparatus for color graphics display".^[1] Framebuffer with memory controllers had been in common use for years at the time of this 1979 patent filing.
• a calligraphic display "Arrangement for producing a pattern on a light-sensitive surface"^[2]

STDMA

Håkan Lans is the designer of a tracking system which makes use of a Self-Organized Time Division Multiple Access (STDMA) datalink. The STDMA datalink is currently in use in Automatic Identification System (AIS). AIS is a short range coastal tracking system which is mandatory aboard international voyaging ships with gross tonnage (GT) of 300 or more tons, and all passenger ships regardless of size.

STDMA is also in use as one of the three physical layer models proposed for Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), a cooperative surveillance technique for air traffic control which is in the process of implementation.

Lans has his own company, GP&C Systems International AB, which is focused on marketing STDMA.

Legal disputes

Concerning the patent on the framebuffer controller, in 1997 Lans as an individual sued several companies, including Compaq, Gateway and Hewlett-Packard, for not paying royalties, and allegedly infringing on his patent. The defendants counterclaimed that the patent was assigned to Uniboard AB, a company wholly owned by Lans. The judge ruled that this was the case and thus Lans lost the case. This has led to a dispute between Lans and his attorneys, who Lans has sued for misconduct. This suit was settled in April 2012.^[3] An allegation was presented on Swedish National Television that an attorney's conduct was due to alleged connections with The Pentagon, in order to stop Lans' progress on his STDMA patent.^[4]

Another debate is regarding STDMA. There was a patent application for the system, but a US patent ex-parte reexamination certificate was issued in 2010 canceling all claims.^{[5][citation needed]}

See also

• Automatic Identification System (AIS)
• ADS-B#VDL mode 4

References

1. US patent 4303986, Lans, Håkan, "Data processing system and apparatus for color graphics display", issued 1981-12-01 
2. US patent 4717928, Lans, Håkan & Cano, Jean, "Arrangement for producing a pattern on a light-sensitive surface", issued 1988-01-05, assigned to Inrad S.A 
3. "Håkan Lans pustar ut efter förlikning - NyTeknik". nyteknik.se. 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
4. Sveriges Television Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine, Uppdrag Granskning.
5. USPTO ex-parte reexamination certificate (7428th), issued on March 30, 2010

External links

• GP&C Systems International AB
• The story as told from Lans side