Never before has an employee from the University of Southern Indiana received a patent for an invention until now. 

Professor Paul Kuban first applied for a patent for his invention, the CAN-Bee, in 2007. The Center for Applied Research created the process by which he was able to obtain the patent. 

After years of swimming through red tape and paperwork, he received a patent for his invention Aug. 2. Kuban began research on his CAN-Bee in 2005.

“I was looking for topics on which to base my Ph.D dissertation,” Kuban said. “ I was quickly becoming an expert on Controlled Area Networks (CAN), and a new wireless standard (ZigBee) had just been released.”

At that point, Kuban conjured an idea. He created an interface system that allowed the CAN and ZigBee to communicate and function together, hence the name CAN-Bee. Kuban described the CAN-Bee as “having Wi-Fi for a car.” 

Among other uses, one might go to a mechanic where they would wirelessly scan your car for problems, but this technology does not only apply to the automotive industry. The product can be used for factory automation and medical equipment.

The CAN-Bee can be used to constantly track a hospital patient’s condition, even as they are being moved between rooms.

“We can even run a robot on a factory floor,” Kuban said.

Before if a robot ran a machine in factory, it had a wire connecting with the computer. But now robots even have more opportunities.

There are few experts on CAN, and ZigBee was a new standard.

 “I happened to notice that these networks both meshed well,” Kuban.

As for the potential market value, Kuban had no comment. The University pursued the patent with the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC) to turn his idea into a financial success. Other companies, such as OMRON, with similar yet less capable and more expensive products, have seen sales reach as high as $270 million.

“It’s still too early to tell,” Kuban said. “It’s not like Facebook or an iPad. There is a smaller customer platform that we have to land on.”

Kuban and representatives from IURTC will be presenting the product at a few technology showcases starting in Fort Wayne, Ind.

 “We are all very proud of Dr. Kuban’s accomplishment here,” Associate Professor of Engineering Zane Mitchell said. “I believe students should look at this and see that you can practically, not just theoretically, apply what you learn in engineering.”