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Technology Stocks : White light from LED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Finley who wrote (79)	12/3/1999 3:49:00 PM
From: kinkblot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 565

Gentex illuminator assembly patent In the second quarter of 1998 they introduced an auto-dimming mirror with map lamps utilizing LEDs. The patent below relates to that, their first generation technology: U.S. #5,803,579, issued 09/08/93 to Turnbull et al., Illuminator assembly incorporating light emitting diodes patents.ibm.com In the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION, there's an extensive discussion of color constancy. These guys know a thing or two about color perception. They also cover the ongoing evolution of white light sources for illumination in automobiles. From the DETAILED DESCRIPTION, where they discuss an assembly made from LED chips: When a plurality of LEDs is so mounted, the result is a "chip-on-board" LED array which in its entirety can then be incorporated into other assemblies as a subcomponent. Individual LED chips suitable for the present invention are available from Hewlett Packard, Showa Denko, Stanley, and Cree Research, to name just a few. Of course, the second generation may be completely different... WT, Pollock fan

To: John Finley who wrote (79)	12/3/1999 7:07:00 PM
From: Turs	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 565

Hey, guys. I've been an owner of GNTX since mid-'95 at $4 5/8. Have basically held, picking up on severe sell-offs and selling some only once (this year at $33). GNTX is a tremendous company with a strong engineering bent. The cyclicality of the auto industry is not much of an issue for them at this point because they are penetrating new vehicles at such a rapid rate (25%+/yr) that a little unit volume drop in vehicle production won't cut into growth too much. Less than 6% of worldwide vehicles carry an interior EC mirror and less than 2% carry an outside one. So, there is plenty of room for further penetration/growth. I had bulked up on the stock at $16 1/2, expecting the EC glass announcement. The LED thing was just a bonus - and a hell of a bonus! Actually sold 75% of that purchase today at $26 3/4 - 65% in 3 weeks was over the top! BTW, the patent referred to in the note I'm replying to is from ANOTHER company called Gentex Corp. but it is a different (and privately-held) entity. They are based in Carbondale while GNTX the mirror maker is based in Zeeland, MI. It's kind of confusing since they are into similar types of things, but there isn't a relationship between the two. I hope the private company never goes public, or it will be a mess! Turs