The “Cellular board with a slatted core” technology consists of the right to obtain a patent for an invention (patent application No. P.410354 of December 3, 2014) and of unpatented non-public know-how.
The cellular board with a slatted core, made especially of fast-growing trees with low mechanical strength, is used as a component in furniture construction. The cellular board comprises cladding layers, conveniently made of three-ply poplar plywood. A core is positioned between the plies, preferably made of solid poplar wood slats. The core has the form of a lattice composed of three or more layers in which the construction element is made of wood slats with fibers arranged along their longitudinal axis. The fibers of adjacent slat layers are arranged perpendicularly to one another. The slats are arranged parallel to each other in each layer, maintaining a gap of 0.5 widths of the slat. The density of the slats is the same in each layer. The slats are connected with each other by means of a glue connection at the cross-points of the slats of adjacent layers. The slats of the outer layers of the core are connected to the cladding boards over the entire surface by means of an adhesive joint. According to the invention, the cellular board is characterized by high bending strength at low weight. The weight and bending strength can be adjusted with the spacing of the slatted core. As the solution relies on fast-growing tree species, it enables tapping into raw material resources which have not been used so far in the production of structural elements. According to the invention, the cellular board can be used as a load-bearing structural element of furniture installed horizontally.
The “Cellular board with a slatted core” technology covered by the technology package was developed at the Department of Furniture Design, Faculty of Wood Technology of the Poznań University of Life Sciences, in cooperation with scientists from the Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics of the Stanisław Staszic AGH University of Science, under a project covered by the Applied Research Program No. PBS1/A5/4/2012 “Acoustically passive materials for furniture production.” Professor Jerzy Smardzewski, Ph.D., was the project manager.
After the completion of the research, University employees who co-authored the technology reported the outcomes of scientific research and the related know-how to the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer as per the applicable procedure. The report on the outcomes triggered a dedicated procedure to make the decision on the commercialization of the solution in accordance with the Management rules for copyrights, related rights, industrial property rights and the principles for commercialization at the Poznań University of Life Sciences. In parallel to the preparation of the technology package for commercialization, agreements on shared rights to technologies were made and entered into between the Poznań University of Life Sciences and the Stanisław Staszic AGH University of Science, because the allocation of rights to technologies resulting from the research was not regulated under the rules of the Applied Research Program. The Director of the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer issued a favorable opinion on the suitability of the technology for commercialization. The opinion was accepted by the competent Deputy Rector. As a next step, the Board in charge of Commercialization and Intellectual Property of the University adopted a resolution authorizing the University to launch the commercialization process. Next, the Center hired an independent expert company to carry out a market valuation of the technology package for acoustic upholstered furniture (the technology referred to above is a part of the package). Authors of the solution contributed to the valuation process with their expertise in wood technology. Upon meeting the internal procedural requirements, an invitation to submit offers for the purchase of technology package licenses or acquisition of technology rights was published at the website of the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer. Note that potential tenderers had the option to tender for the purchase of licenses or for the acquisition of rights to the entire package or selected technologies. A proposal to acquire the technology package was submitted by Osika Meble Spółka Jawna. In September 2017, after negotiating the conditions governing the acquisition of rights to specific know-how covered by the technology package, Osika Meble Spółka Jawna and the Poznań University of Life Sciences signed the agreements on the acquisition of technology rights.
By virtue of the agreement, the licensee is required to provide the licensor with written annual reports on the implementation progress of the licensed technology. The first implementation report should be submitted no later than on September 28, 2020.