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Articles by Dave Head
Patented: Citi’s AI-Generated Suspicious Activity Reports and 105 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
A largely Irving-based team has patented a system that uses AI to help New York-based banking giant Citibank fight financial crime. The company, which has a large corporate office in Las Colinas, received a utility patent for systems and methods to draft suspicious activity reports using large language models. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office made the award Sept. 22. The patent took 666 days from its application in November 2024 to grant.
Patented: Lennox’s Machine-Learning Thermostat Scheduling and 105 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Richardson-based Lennox Industries, a subsidiary of Lennox International (NYSE: LII), has patented a heating, ventilation and air conditioning control device. The patent application describes a device that uses machine learning to predict when a building is occupied and adjust its schedule based on how aggressively the user wants to save energy. The patent took 1,180 days from its application in June 2023 to grant the week of Sept. 15.
Patented: Solo Brands’ Stove Spark Arrestor and 131 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Grapevine-based Solo Brands won a patent for a combustible fuel-burning stove with a top designed to block sparks or embers produced by the stove. The utility patent fits with the company’s line of outdoor lifestyle products, which include Solo stoves, Chubbies-brand apparel and watersports equipment. The patent filing listed four inventors: Alexander K. Maghsadi of Lewisville, Eric H. Jan of Lehi, Utah, and Jeffrey H. Jan and Spencer H. Jan of Keller.
Patented: ProtectMed’s Breast and Thyroid Radiation Shield and 113 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Dallas-based ProtectMed LLC received a patent for a radiation shield that protects healthcare workers’ breast, underarm and thyroid tissue. The award came the week of Sept. 1, a week when North Texas ranked No. 10 among 250 metro areas for patent production. The patent names three inventors: Dallas interventional radiologist Chet Rees, Fort Worth breast surgical oncologist Lauren Ramsey and Ryan Baldwin of Seattle.
Patented: Urban Air Founder’s Indoor Slide Designs and 175 More Inventions Across North Texas
Unleashed Brands founder and CEO Michael Browning Jr. received patents for the design of two slides in use at the Bedford-based company’s Urban Air Adventure Parks. The awards came the week of Aug. 25, a week in which North Texas ranked No. 8 among 250 metro areas for patent production. The patents cover the design of a tube slide and a flat racer slide.
Patented: Traxxas’ New Model Vehicle Designs and 173 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
McKinney-based radio-controlled vehicle maker Traxxas L.P. won five new design patents the week of Aug. 18. The patents cover three model vehicle bodies, a grill guard and a bumper and come at a time the company has been promoting its product innovation. In June, Traxxas announced an upgrade to its electric motors. Its new Velineon 3s Brushless Power System is designed to deliver improved torque, efficiency and durability in the company’s 1/10-scale vehicles, Traxxas said in the announcement.
Patented: Nanoscope Instruments' Low-Vision Function Test and 134 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Bedford-based Nanoscope Instruments Inc. received a patent for a system that measures how much usable vision a patient has left by tracking how they move through a space and handle objects. Nanoscope Instruments makes biomedical imaging products for ocular research and is part of the Nanoscope family of companies, which includes the late-stage clinical biotechnology company Nanoscope Therapeutics.
Patented: BuzzBallz's Pop-Top Cocktail Container and 158 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
BuzzBallz LLC, the Carrollton company that built a national ready-to-drink cocktail brand around a hand-sized plastic sphere, received a patent for a container that pairs a plastic body with a metal pop-top lid. The sole inventor listed on Patent No. 12698123-B1 is Merrilee Kick of Plano, who founded BuzzBallz in 2009. Her startup story began while she was teaching at Plano West High School, getting a divorce and looking for a business venture to help pay the bills.
Patented: Scottish Rite's Magnetically Released Suture Anchor and 108 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children won a patent for a suture anchor that a surgeon can loosen after surgery with a magnet held outside the patient’s body. All three listed inventors work in North Texas. A suture anchor fastens a stitch to bone. In this design, a magnet built into the anchor rests in a first position that keeps the suture under tension. Bringing an external magnet near the patient shifts the internal magnet to a second position, thereby releasing the tension in the suture.
Patented: Textron’s Modular Tandem Tiltrotor and 176 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Textron Innovations Inc. won a patent for a tiltrotor aircraft that carries its rotor assemblies at the front and back of the fuselage rather than on the wingtips. All six listed inventors work in North Texas. Tiltrotors swivel their rotors between a vertical position for takeoff and landing and a horizontal position for forward flight, so the aircraft can lift off like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane.
Dallas’ Trinity Consultants Gets New Owner as Veritas Capital Strikes Deal Original
Dallas-based environmental, engineering and science consulting firm Trinity Consultants is getting new ownership. New York-based Veritas Capital has agreed to acquire the business from its private equity owner, Oak Hill Capital, which has owned Trinity for about five years. Oak Hill will reinvest in Trinity and stay on as a minority shareholder, the firms said in an announcement.
American Airlines Lands First U.S. Passenger Flight Powered by Fuel Made from Waste Carbon at DFW Original
Fort Worth-based American Airlines has flown what it says is the first U.S. commercial passenger flight to use synthetic jet fuel made from waste carbon dioxide and renewable electricity, delivered through a commercial airport’s fuel system. The flight landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The electro sustainable aviation fuel, or eSAF, came from California-based Infinium’s Pathfinder facility in Corpus Christi.
Patented: Solenic Medical’s Implant-Infection Device and 120 More Inventions Across North Texas Original
Addison-based Solenic Medical won a patent for technology that uses alternating magnetic fields to fight infections on metallic medical implants. Its alternating magnetic field technology is at the core of a treatment platform the company is now moving into a pivotal clinical trial. The patent covers a system for positioning a treatment coil relative to a metallic implant so the alternating magnetic field can be applied at the correct orientation, guiding a user to reposition the coil when needed.
Patented: Nacuity’s Vision-Loss Drug Method and 124 More Inventions Across North Texas
Fort Worth-based Nacuity Pharmaceuticals won a patent for a method of treating retinitis pigmentosa — an inherited, progressive form of blindness — using an oral antioxidant drug called N-acetylcysteine amide, or NACA. The patent covers administering a therapeutically effective dose of NACA to patients with retinitis pigmentosa, including cases tied to Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that combines vision and hearing loss.
THIS WEEK, BY THE NUMBERS Week of June 23, 2026 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19100) Original
McKinney-based Cardio Voyage Innovations won a patent for a method designed to replace both a patient’s aortic and mitral heart valves at the same time — through a catheter, without open-heart surgery. The system threads a guide catheter into the heart and advances a support wire across both valves. A two-segment transcutaneous dual valve replacement (TDVR) device then travels over the wire and expands to anchor in each valve simultaneously.
American Airlines Plans 3 Passenger Upgrades at DFW Original
Fort Worth-based American Airlines is expanding its premium customer experience at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The investment includes a dedicated Flagship check-in area and two new lounge concepts at the airline’s largest and busiest hub.
THIS WEEK, BY THE NUMBERS Week of June 16, 2026 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19100)
Don’t indent paragraphs. Add in-text hyperlinks that you recommend. Fort Worth-based American Airlines received a patent for a system designed to reduce the time it takes to prepare an aircraft at a gate for its next flight. The gate monitoring system uses a camera and computer to monitor activity and send alerts when what’s happening doesn’t comply with a predetermined schedule. It was invented by three people: Krunalkumar Patel of Irving, Murali Ande of Flower Mound and James Hill of Fort Worth.
Plano-Based Diodes to Acquire San Diego's ElevATE Semiconductor for $250M Original
Plano-based Diodes Incorporated announced its plans to acquire ElevATE Semiconductor Inc. for $250 million. ElevATE is a fabless semiconductor company based in San Diego. Its focus is on designing low-power, high-density integrated circuits for the automated test equipment industry, known as ATE. Chipmakers use ATE to test semiconductors during production, so demand for this type of integrated circuit, or IC, has been booming.
MTU Maintenance Fort Worth Celebrates New Alliance Facility Original
North Texas’ aviation industry marked a new altitude this week with the official opening of MTU Maintenance Fort Worth’s modernized facility at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. MTU Maintenance Fort Worth’s approximately 460,000-square-foot facility is a main hub for the Germany-based MTU Aero Engines’ work in North America. It inducted its first CFM International LEAP-1B engine, which belongs to Brazilian airline GOL Linhas Aéreas (GOL).
THIS WEEK, BY THE NUMBERS Week of June 9, 2026 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (19100) Original
Dallas-based Topgolf received a patent for technology that helps targets at its venues read golf balls containing radio-frequency identification tags. The patent, for a Galton configuration in golf ball receiving apparatus and systems, is a continuation of an earlier patent and lists four North Texas-based inventors: Brian David Burdette of McKinney, Gabriel Heath Denk of Wylie, Justin Dean Pendleton of The Colony and Michael Ryan Petri of Carrollton.
Irving-based Caterpillar Commits $5M to Texas Workforce Training Original
Caterpillar Inc. is investing $5 million in workforce training and development programs in Texas to strengthen the manufacturing industry’s talent pipeline as it undergoes a digital transformation. The award is part of the heavy equipment manufacturer’s five-year, $100 million Building the Future Workforce Initiative and the first it’s made in the state. “Texas is well known for having high-skilled job training programs,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Can you identify these famous UK landmarks from a close-up?
Karlina Valeiko 05 October 2026 The UK from a different perspective The UK is home to countless world-famous attractions that are instantly recognisable. But what if we were to zoom right in? Can you guess these famous landmarks in the UK from their super close-ups? Click through our quiz to test your knowledge.
Fast Hippo Media Acquires Plano Website Design Original
Frisco-based digital marketing agency Fast Hippo Media acquired Plano Website Design, a Plano-based agency focused on web design, SEO, answer engine optimization, and digital marketing. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal. Plano Website Design will continue to operate under its own brand name, and its office on Legacy Drive joins Fast Hippo Media’s locations in Frisco, Dallas, and Colorado Springs. There are no staff reductions following the acquisition.
Plano’s Ryan LLC Expands European Operations with Acquisition of Svalner Atlas Advisors
In a move that expands its European reach, Plano-based tax services and software provider Ryan LLC is acquiring Svalner Atlas Advisors, a Stockholm-based independent tax and transaction advisory firm. Svalner Atlas Advisors has more than 50 partners and 4,000 clients in offices across Scandinavia and Amsterdam. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Fabulous photos of fascinating Roman ruins around the world
Gemma Prince 06 August 2025 Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature
12 underrated national parks around the world
Beyond the well-trodden paths of Yellowstone and the Serengeti lies a number of lesser-known, yet equally majestic national parks. These are the underdogs of the wilderness world, each a treasure trove of natural wonders and adventures waiting to be discovered.
8 common home renovations and how much they will cost
Before you start any kind of renovation work, it's important you know what permissions you need and regulations you must adhere to. In the UK, there are several alterations you can make to your home under permitted development rights, however, more significant structural changes may require planning permission to be granted by your local authority. This process can take several weeks and submissions for alterations/extensions cost £258 in England and £300 in Scotland.
Preventing MSDs: how handling equipment design is helping
Although accidents and fatalities tend to make the headlines whenever forklift safety is discussed, I’m pleased to see the focus is shifting to the profound impact of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Read on and I’ll share some examples of recent innovations designed to help alleviate the problem. Of course, concern about the numbers of workers killed or injured each year in accidents involving materials handling equipment is legitimate.
Sustainability and safety in business: finding the right balance
As the UK moves towards Net Zero, an ever-growing focus among businesses on sustainability and reducing environmental impact has resulted in the topic moving up the Board agenda in recent years. At the same time, set against a backdrop of several years of heightened awareness of the importance of health and safety since Covid, the scope for potential conflict exists between the two agendas. The majority of people believe that sustainability can positively impact safety.
Thorough Examination: who’s the key person?
The problem stems from the fact that – unlike the automotive sector – there was never a government-defined testing procedure comparable to the MOT. Rather, individual companies could set up their own procedures and inspection checklists. That all changed almost 20 years ago, when the two leading bodies in the materials handling sector joined forces to create an accrediting body: CFTS. Its mission, to deliver a national, comprehensive scheme that complied fully with HSE guidelines.
alcohol testing at work |
Over recent years, there has been a gradual escalation in reports of substance use, whether drugs or alcohol, which has a clear effect on employee safety in the workplace. Publicity of this trend was at its height during the pandemic, but the problem hasn’t gone away and furthermore there is evidence to suggest that mental health – a condition which according to the charity Mind, affects one in four each year in the UK – and substance abuse may be linked.
#DataPrivacyDay: Are Your Employees Putting You at Risk?
Pity the cybersecurity department. If people weren’t messing up their perfectly constructed systems, business data would stay safe and secure. However, without the people, there is no business. How do we resolve human behavior introducing risk into a business? Whether it’s taking a more relaxed view when it comes to opening emails or mixing the use of personal and business devices, applications and websites at home, people will naturally use workarounds and shortcuts simply to get the job done.
15 brilliant British weekend breaks your kids will love too
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