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SEFE, Inc (OTCQB:SEFE) is a sustainability-focused technology company with its primary lab facilities based in Boulder, Colorado and corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

SEFE’s flagship project is the Harmony Collection System, an electrical power system which aims to harness static electrical energy in the atmospheric and converting it into usable power for electrical co-operatives, industrial applications, and relief organizations, among other potential clients. SEFE’s mission is to provide this energy to the public at a price point that is competitive with existing technologies.

COMPANY HISTORY SEFE was originally formed in 2008 as a collective to research the past, present, and potential future of atmospheric electricity and the possible ways for it to be safely harnessed and made available for prevalent use. This extensive research and design resulted in the formal application for SEFE’s first piece of intellectual property, the Atmospheric Electrical Generator (Subsequently issued by the USPTO as Patent Number 7,855,476), which is still deemed to be the core of SEFE’s Harmony project; as well as the application for SEFE’s Dynamic Converter System (subsequently issued by the USPTO as Patent Number . 2009 and 2010 saw SEFE grow its intellectual property portfolio to four pending patents (with the filing of patents for the Atmospheric Static Electricity Collector and the Atmospheric Electrical Generator with Change of State) and the development of several tests and prototype models. These prototypes and field tests revealed much about SEFE’s existing technology and solidified many key propositions that would drive the project forward.  Namely, these tests showed not only that there is an abundance of atmospheric electricity available in the environment, but also that it does not dramatically spike, though diurnal variations in the global electrical circuit lead to seasonal shifts in static field strength. As 2010 and 2011 wore on and SEFE learned more about how to make a viable product, the team also began to make inroads with potential clients for that product. Utility cooperatives, industrial concerns (especially mining and rural construction) and emergency relief organizations became the focus of these potential client relationships. SEFE is focused on building these relationships in order to ensure that we are following the necessary protocols to meet the needs for all of our potential clients. This time period also saw SEFE’s team grow to incorporate a team of physicists to thoroughly vet our technology for technical and economic feasibility. The research team is focused on addressing the scrutiny and testing of critics of the technology. They are also developing a marketing and grant writing plan. The research group continues to develop additional conceptual designs from the technology. As of February 2012, SEFE has built a proprietary detection system in order to specifically determine where the highest concentrations of atmospheric electricity might exist. This product will be a key component in streamlining the focus of the rollout of SEFE’s Harmony units and determining whether 24/7 utilization of the units is feasible. The team aims to have a Harmony prototype system completed by the end of the year.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY As of February 2012, SEFE has four issued patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), along with three pending patents and an ever growing number (currently 20) which are in various stages of filing and legal review (and therefore must remain private). This intellectual property consists of the following: ISSUED: 7,855,476 B2 Atmospheric Electrical Generator A mechanism to tap an electrical source which uses an aircraft (preferably a lighter than air balloon) tethered by a conductive line. The conductive line is extended/withdrawn by a winch motor to adjust the altitude of the aircraft. The conductive line is isolated from the ground and an electrical conductor is connected to the conductive line and to an electrical load. In this manner, static electricity generated in the atmosphere is gathered for use. This patent was issued by the USPTO in June 2011.

Issued: 8,102,078 Dynamic Electrical Converter System A dynamic electrical converter system configured to receive a variable voltage input which is then converted to a proper electrical configuration for a load. The converter assembly utilized multiple converters, each of which is configured to accept a unique range of voltages and from these voltages creating the desired electrical output configuration. A monitor checks the incoming voltage and by controlling switches going to each of the converters, selectively closes the circuit to the appropriate converter; thereby, routing the incoming voltage to the converter capable of addressing the incoming voltage. This Application was issued by the USPTO in January 2012.

Issued: 8,102,082 Atmospheric Static Electricity Collector An antenna for the collection of atmospheric static electricity in which an electrically conductive hub is suspended from a balloon or blimp via a tether. The hub is either solid or uses a spoke/arm arrangement. A number of rods extend from the hub enhance the collection of atmospheric static electricity. The collected atmospheric electricity is conducted from the rods to an electrical connection where the electricity is conducted to earth via a conductive line. This Application was issued by the USPTO in January 2012.

Issued: 8,102,083 Atmospheric Electrical Generator with Change of State A mechanism to tap an electrical source which uses an aircraft (10) (preferably a lighter than air balloon) tethered by a conductive line (12). The conductive line (12) is extended/withdrawn by a winch motor (13, 14) to adjust the altitude of the aircraft (10). The conductive line (12) is isolated from the ground (17) and an electrical conductor (6) is connected to the conductive line and to an electrical load (5). In this manner, static electricity generated in the atmosphere is gathered for use. This Application was issued by the USPTO in January 2012.

Pending: S/N 13/103,988 Strain Reduction On A Balloon System In Extreme Weather Conditions Strain reduction on a balloon system in extreme weather conditions. The strain reduction is achieved by using an elastic bungee between a balloon and the tether attached to the balloon. As wind pushes on the balloon, immediate pressure caused by the wind is cushioned on the elastic bungee rather than on the balloon or the tether, thereby reducing immediate force and tension on either the balloon or the tether. Thus, the balloon system that includes the balloon and the tether is protected from damage that can possibly be caused by tension due to pressure. This patent was filed with the USPTO on May 9, 2011

Pending: S/N 13/103,963 Atmospheric Energy Collection An atmospheric energy collector. The atmospheric energy collector includes of a windsock arrangement that has a large up-wind opening on one side and that tapers from the larger up-wind opening on the one side to a small down-wind opening on the other side. The up-wind side is secured to a tether such that an electrically conducting material (e.g. metal) included in construction of the atmospheric energy collector is connected to the tether. The windsock arrangement is extended outwards by wind and the like atmospheric conditions such that the electrically conducting material collects the atmospheric energy and transfers the collected energy to the tether. This patent was filed with the USPTO on May 9, 2011

PENDING: S/N 13/106,759 Collection of Atmospheric Ions A method for collection of atmospheric ions subject to an electron avalanche associated with a gas multiplication effect between parallel plate collectors. A voltage source can be provided. The voltage source can provide a voltage that can cause a high electric field between two consecutive plates of the plurality of parallel plates. The high electric field can cause an electron avalanche that can cause electron multiplication. Energy associated with these multiplied electrons can be extracted, and studied to give insight into where the most  abundant  source  of  atmospheric  charge  is  located. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described. This patent was filed with the USPTO on May 12, 2011.

INDUSTRY BACKGROUND Atmospheric energy is by no means a new science, but proponents of this kind of technology would agree that it has been rather a neglected one. A great deal of the work in the atmospheric energy field was led by H. Plauson, an Estonian engineer and inventor in the 1920’s. Plauson was the director of the Fischer-Tropsch “Otto Traun Research Laboratories” in Hamburg, Germany and focused on the conversion of static atmospheric energy in the form of high voltage – low current power into useful AC power. He also published “Production and Utilization of the Atmospheric Electricity”. (Wikipedia, 2011) Plauson’s tethered balloons were able to generate power day and night without interruption. It is possible that with Nikola Tesla’s electromagnetic motor/generators driven by fossil fuels, this work became uncompetitive and was abandoned on an economic basis. It is important to note, however, that Plauson’s power production methods are comparable with modern solar photovoltaic systems of similar scale (MIR, 2005), as well as to pay attention to the changes in economics available today since there has been a recent public shift away from a dependence of fossil fuels. Plauson’s research was continued in the 1970’s by O. Jefimenko’s work in electrostatic motors driven by static electricity from the atmosphere. The electrostatic motor was actually the first patented motor. This device, created by Benjamin Franklin in the 1880’s, uses electric fields rather than magnetic fields to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy (or vice a versa). Jefimenko and others have called for research in the neglected field of electrostatic motors to be renewed. Jefimenko’s electrostatic motors are driven by fair-weather atmosphere. This is based again on the abundance of positive ions up to an altitude of 20 km above the earth’s surface, with the greatest concentrations located near the surface. Dr. Jefimenko points out, "It is clear that electrostatic motor research still constitutes an essentially unexplored area of physics and engineering, and that electrostatic motor research must be considered a potentially highly rewarding area among the many energy-related research endeavors."