Helping Loughborough Based Dynamic Flow Technologies Obtain Patent Protection for its Smart Water Meter

After seven years of hard work the company devised a solution thanks to £1.4m provided by shareholders, Government grants – including money from the European Union – and two industry partners, Elster, who manufacture meters and are now part of Honeywell, and Wessex Water.

The meter aims to tackle the problem of bills arriving from water companies that cover both the supply of clean water and the treatment of used water. For many companies the cost charged for treatment does not reflect the volume of waste water.

Martin commented, “The potential of industries, particularly those that use a lot of water such as brewing, food processing, textile manufacturing and sports centres and councils which use water for landscaping is limitless and there are possible major annual cost savings after the initial installation. “We know of one, a commercial launderette, who by using our meter is already saving £600 a month.”

The device is a small box that uses low-energy microwaves to measure the effluent. The box is fitted to pipes either as a building is being constructed or at a later time. The meter is also currently in use in several buildings at Loughborough University, where the company is based at the Advanced Technology Innovation Centre.

Swindell & Pearson first lodged a patent application in 2010. Patents were granted in the UK in 2014 and the USA this year. A European patent is pending. “Eventually, we would like to see it as a global standard product,” said Martin.

“We are delighted with Swindell & Pearson's achievements and the fact that they have been sympathetic to our needs as a small business,” Martin added.

The waste water meter also has other applications such as measuring surface water drainage, leakage and even blockages whilst there is significant potential for future developments,

Swindell & Pearson IP Director, Scott Harrison, who helped Dynamic Flow Technologies obtain the patents, said: “Dynamic Flow Technologies is a superb example of a small British hi-tech business that has developed an innovative product to serve a genuine need. We’re proud to be helping them to push their business forwards.”

If you have questions relating to this article or to find out how Swindell & Pearson can help you protect your inventions then please get in touch with your usual contact at Swindell & Pearson or Scott Harrison at [email protected]. Scott is a patent attorney and is responsible for Swindell & Pearson’s Wolverhampton office from where he helps local businesses and individuals obtain IP rights.