for 2006 Work/Life Awards

The state of Utah announced the finalists Monday for its 2006 Work/Life Awards. Winners will be announced in April.

In its eighth year, the awards program recognizes companies that value both the work and home lives of their employees, by providing excellent benefits and flexible work options, such as telecommuting, job sharing and compressed workweeks.

Finalist companies are divided into micro, medium and large categories. Large businesses are 1-800-CONTACTS, ARUP Laboratories, Citi Cards, L-3 Communications, Mountain America Credit Union, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, Stampin Up! and University Health Care.

Medium-sized finalists are Basic Research, Futura Industries, Kencraft Inc., Nicholas & Co., Redmond Inc., Sunshine Terrace Foundation, SYSCO Intermountain Food Services, The Leavitt Group, VISTA Staffing Solutions and Westminster College.

Small-business finalists are New Dawn Technologies Inc., Petzl America, Radius Engineering Inc., Sewell Direct and Utah Foster Care Foundation.

- Rosemary Winters

Chair maker files patent suit

Utah's LoveSac Corp. is going to court to protect trademarks on a popular line of frameless, stuffed bag chairs it has sold since 1998.

In its U.S. District Court complaint, the company alleges that a California competitor, Elite Products, has violated LoveSac's registered trademarks - including one specifically claiming sole possession of the "SAC" brand name.

LoveSac contends Elite sells numerous stuffed bag furniture products in violation of its rights, among them Kool SAC, NapSAC, Comfort SAC and others. The Utah company also alleges that Elite "utilizes methods claimed in the [LoveSac] patent in packaging its frameless furniture."

The suit seeks damages to be determined at trial, along with court costs and attorneys' fees for trademark infringement and unfair competition.

- Bob Mims

Neurological aid praised

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. has won honors from WIRED News for its new BrainGate System neural interface.

WIRED praised the product Monday as a breakthrough technology for paralytics, because it allows an artificial hand to be controlled by brain power alone. BrainGate also has been used successfully in tests to control light switches, open e-mail and play video games.

BrainGate's commercial release could be a year or more away. The product is undergoing a pilot study with patients suffering from severe spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy and "locked-in" syndrome -a rare neurological disorder that leaves victims mute and paralyzed.

The company - headquartered in Foxboro, Mass., but running its engineering, research and manufacturing out of Salt Lake City - encourages enrollment for that study through the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the Sargent Rehabilitation Center in Providence, RI.

- Bob Mims