Ann: General Manager Appointment , page-10

KK

As I understand it the patent applications must be completed.

If you have no patent protection you have no exclusivity of the system design and therefore no guaranteed income. This is the reason for the demonstration plant, to show that the Stroud/McChonachie system developed by AEB as a technology works, at a commercial scale. This is a crucial stage in the process. This will be done before independent evaluators, then reports will be written and formal patent applications made supported by the reports. This is a time consuming and exacting process but they will be moving quickly to get first in time patent registration in case any competitors are doing something similar.

Because patents are involved, the entire plant operations are necessarily shrouded in secrecy. This is of CRITICAL importance because any leaks could put the process into the public forum and deprive the system of having the quality of uniqueness and novelty that is essential for a successful patent. All this is entirely normal for managing a patent process and McConachie is a veteran of it having been part of such with Orica. (This time he has equity in his innovations).

So the plant may or may not be already be operational, BUT by the time ordinary people like us get to actually see it, the patent applications will be fully bedded down.

All this is a good thing, as far as I can work out. I have spoken to Peter Hatfield on this, and the rest joined the dots.

This is only to the best of my understanding. Hope it helps, but DYOR especially regarding patent application processes.

Any corrections cheerfully accepted.

DV