Patent Application Filings
The Company is in the process of establishing a significant portfolio of intellectual property through the filing of scandium related patents both in the US and abroad.
To date, the following seven US patents have been granted to the Company:
| TBD 10,450,634 | Scandium Master Alloy Production Scandium-Containing Master Alloys And Method For Making The Same |
| 10,378,085 | Recovery Of Scandium Values Through Selective Precipitation Of Hematite And Basic Iron Sulfates From Acid Leachates |
| 10,260,127 | Method For Recovering Scandium Values From Leach Solutions |
| 9,982,326 | Solvent Extraction Of Scandium From Leach Solutions |
| 9,982,325 8,372,367 | Systems And Methodologies For Direct Acid Leaching Of Scandium-Bearing Ores System and Method for Recovering Boron Values from Plant Tailings |
Below is a list of thirteen US patents that have been filed, but have not been granted yet:
| US20200001407 | Control Of Recrystallization In Cold-Rolled AlMn(Mg)ScZr Sheets For Brazing Applications |
| US20190161827 | Extraction Of Scandium Values From Copper Leach Solutions |
| US20160289795 | Systems and Processes for Recovering Scandium Values From Laterite Ores |
| US20190218645 | Direct Scandium Alloying |
| US20120305452 | Dry, Stackable Tailings and Methods for Producing the Same |
| US20110298270 | In Situ Ore Leaching Using Freeze Barriers |
| US2012005585l | Low Carbon Dioxide Footprint for Coal Liquefaction |
| US20120204680 | System and Method for Recovery of Nickel Values From Nickel-Containing Ores. |
| US20120207656 | System and Method for Recovery of Scandium Values From Scandium-Containing Ores |
| Provisional (4) | Titles not yet publicly disclosed |
Patent Applications Discussion:
These patents and patent applications cover novel, unique flowsheet designs, applicable to both scandium extraction and other metals extraction;
The patented designs on scandium are largely supported by test work done with Nyngan Scandium Project resource material and known design parameters;
The scandium patents cover HPAL system material flows, solvent extraction (SX), ion exchange systems (“IX”), atmospheric tank and heap leaching systems and techniques, and processes for directly making select master alloys containing scandium; and
A number of the scandium-focussed designs are incorporated as part of the DFS.
Recovery by-product scandium from certain other mineral resources is also covered.
Recovery of base metals, such as copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese and aluminum from process solutions or waste products is also covered.
Use of scandium in lithium-ion batteries is addressed.
These patent applications, filed with the US Patent Office, protect the Company’s position and rights to the intellectual property (IP) contained and identified in the applications as of the date filed, within the worldwide jurisdiction limits of the US patent system. Review by the US Patent Office will take further time, but the dates of filing these patents define the basis of IP ownership claims, as is generally afforded U.S. patentholders.
The Company intends to utilize the IP contained in these process patents in the development of process flowsheets for recovery of scandium from its Nyngan Scandium Project, as well as its Honeybugle project, and potentially from future by-product opportunities from leach solutions and/or waste products.
The Company believes that patent protection of these specific, novel process designs will be granted. Many of the basic design elements contemplated in the Nyngan Scandium Project flowsheet are commonly applied to other specialty metals, particularly nickel. However, the application of these basic design elements has not been commonly applied to scandium extraction from laterite resources, and there are enough intended and required operational differences in the application to permit the Company to patent-protect IP on those differences.
These patent claims are the result of ten years of metallurgical test work with independent resource laboratories and specific design work by Willem Duyvesteyn, the Company’s Chief Technology Officer. This work is ongoing. Patent protection on flowsheet intellectual property will serve to limit or prevent the unauthorized use of that IP by others without the Company’s consent. We believe these filings are an important action to protect the ownership of a Company asset, on behalf of all SCY shareholders.