Alabama Patent of the Month – January 2021

Staying alert during long drives is important for road safety. On those drives, many of us choose to drink coffee to stay awake. We have all used cupholders before to hold our drinks or spare. But long drives often means we have to drive at night; and in the dark it can be hard to find things, which has resulted in spills for even the best of us. Well, T-H Marine Supplies, LLC has developed an innovative drink holder that features internal lighting to prevent spills and coffee massacres alike. 

Marine Supplies’ convenient design includes a drink holder, a ring insert, and a lighting device that attaches to the ring insert. The drink holders are mountable in a vehicle, so even if your car doesn’t have cup holders, you can now mount a drink holder to your console. Drink holders are made from plastic and stainless steel to accommodate different user needs. The internal lighting consists of an LED lighting device attached inside a ring insert. Part of the ring insert is made of translucent material, so the light is visible. The light can be positioned to illuminate the inside of the drink holder so as not to distract the driver, but just guide them to it. With this subtle lighting system and the ability to mount them in any vehicle, even boats, you can say goodbye to spills and hello to your fresh coffee. 

Are you adapting existing technology for a new application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

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The Research & Experimentation Tax Credit (or R&D Tax Credit), is a general business tax credit under Internal Revenue Code section 41 for companies that incur research and development (R&D) costs in the United States. The credits are a tax incentive for performing qualified research in the United States, resulting in a credit to a tax return. For the first three years of R&D claims, 6% of the total qualified research expenses (QRE) form the gross credit. In the 4th year of claims and beyond, a base amount is calculated, and an adjusted expense line is multiplied times 14%. Click here to learn more.

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Swanson Reed is one of the only companies in the United States to exclusively focus on R&D tax credit preparation. Swanson Reed provides state and federal R&D tax credit preparation and audit services to all 50 states.

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