Nice post rob!
rob:"I leave it to Oogee our resident patent-master, to check the POET patents' language if he's so inclined."
You're too kind:)
While I can't claim to have read Geoff's patents with grammar errors in mind, I have read some of the key ones with attention toward certain phrases intended to broaden the scope. He's always careful to use the term "preferred embodiment" when describing his inventions, leaving the door open for other embodiments.
But the statement that best exemplifies Geoff's concern over the breadth of his patents might be this very explicit quote given in the critical "Optoelectric Integrated Circuit" (below)
"There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of an optoelectronic integrated circuit employing quantum dots embedded in one or more quantum wells and a method of fabricating the same. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Thus, while particular group III-V material system and heterostructures have been disclosed, it will be appreciated that other III-V material systems and heterostructures can be used to realize the optoelectronic integrated circuitry as described herein. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed."
https://www.google.ca/patents/US20140050242
It's worth mentioning that POET has been heard to say that our fabrication process is compatible with GaN - a very popular III-V material. Statements like the above allow for POET benefit from POET-like developments in GaN by anyone else.
EDIT: for fun I searched for the phrase "several embodiments" within Geoff's patent search and is seems that he always includes this statement.
Here is a search with that phrase:
https://www.google.ca/search?tbo=p&tbm=pts&hl=en&q=ininventor:%22Geoff+W.+Taylor%22#q=ininventor:%22Geoff+W.+Taylor%22+%22several+embodiments%22&hl=en&tbs=sbd:1&tbm=pts&start=10
