Intellectual property
Patents and intellectual property
Four applications on file, a defensive pledge, and a staged disclosure policy. The core stays open under CERN-OHL-S v2; client-specific applications fund the open work.
Our approach
Three documents set out how we open our work, how we use patents, and how we release hazardous steps safely. Each is a public draft.
Open Technology Charter
Why and how we open our work.
Read →Patent Non-Assertion Pledge
Patents, used defensively. Draft
Read →Staged Disclosure Policy
Safety before the step-by-step.
Read →How it stays open and funds itself
The membrane, cells, and general methods. Released under CERN-OHL-S, free for everyone to use, sell, and improve, as long as improvements stay open.
Work specific to one client’s feedstock, site, or product. Licensed commercially, which funds development of the open core.
Patent portfolio
Four applications are on file: one US nonprovisional and three US provisionals. Two are published here in full; the other two are listed while their details stay private.
Ion exchange membrane
CERN-OHL-S v2US application No. 19/531,984
Released under CERN-OHL-S and committed to the Patent Non-Assertion Pledge: we will not assert it against anyone who releases their own work on this technology openly, whether they built from our design files, from the published application, or from their own bench work. The low-cost recipe is public on GitHub.
Patent PDFGraphite electrode cap
CERN-OHL-S v2US application No. 64/091,823
Released openly under CERN-OHL-S. The full method and drawings are public in the provisional filing.
Patent PDFSlide-in membrane carrier
Pending releaseUS application No. 64/178,789
Filed October 17, 2026. Covers how a membrane carrier slides into a divided cell and seals, so a membrane can be changed or upgraded without taking the cell apart. Release under the Open Technology Charter is pending; the filing stays private until then.
Aluminum REDACTED
ConfidentialUS provisional application on file
Filed with the USPTO in 2026. The number, title and claims stay confidential for now.
Patent & disclosure status
Rowow LLC. Last updated 2026-10-17. The single public record of what we have proposed to pledge, what we are holding back, and where each item sits.
Pledged patents (proposed)
Patents we propose to commit to the open commons under the Patent Non-Assertion Pledge, for the life of each patent. Once adopted, the pledge is not asserted against anyone who publicly releases the complete design and process documentation for what they make from this technology, under CERN-OHL-S or an equally reciprocal license, wherever they learned it. The one defensive exception is stated in the pledge. If you only buy, use, repair or resell a product that we or a qualifying builder sold, the pledge asks nothing of you.
| Patent or application | Covers | Status | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| US app. No. 19/531,984 | Low-cost heterogeneous ion exchange membrane and its process | Proposed 2026-06-18 | CERN-OHL-S |
| US app. No. 64/091,823 | Graphite electrode cap | Proposed 2026-06-18 | CERN-OHL-S |
Reserved patents, pending release
| Item | Status | Released when |
|---|---|---|
| Slide-in membrane carrier, US app. No. 64/178,789 | Provisional filed 2026-10-17 | A release decision under the Open Technology Charter |
| Aluminum REDACTED | Provisional on file, confidential | Not scheduled |
Staged disclosure status
| Item | Tier | Status | Waiting on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ion exchange membrane recipe | Open | Released under CERN-OHL-S | none |
| General Safety Framework | Tier 0 | Drafted, pending review | safety-professional review |
| Process build guides and design files | Tier 1 | Staged | M2 per-process safety module |
| Keystone process inventions | Tier 2 | Held | M3 provisional, plus M1 and M2 |
Gates: M1 general safety, M2 per-process safety, M3 provisional on file, M4 system at Technology Readiness Level 8. Detail in the Staged Disclosure Policy.
Request for comment
These are public drafts. Help shape them.
We are sharing this early, before formal legal review, to gather feedback from the community it is meant to serve. Tell us what is unclear, what is missing, or what could be stronger.
Email info@rowow.net