Christie, Parker & Hale Obtains Key Patent for GPS-Driven Utility Asset Management and Damage Prevention System and Method.

LOS ANGELES -- Christie, Parker & Hale LLP, one of Southern California's leading intellectual property law firms, announced today that the firm prosecuted a major patent application through issuance for its client Guardian ProStar, Inc. of Grand Junction, Colorado.

The patent, U.S. Pat. No. 7,482,973, pertains to GPS technology for managing and avoiding damage to buried utility assets under the ground, retrieval, and display processes that are required to make numerous business decisions including how, when and where excavators should or should not be digging the ground.

"We are pleased to have played a significant role in the issuance of this patent for our client," said Raymond R. Tabandeh, the CPH partner who prosecuted the patent. "Unintentional damage to buried utilities is a major problem in the U.S. and, in almost every case, caused by excavation activities during construction. It is typically the result of operators failing to have access to accurate data records of the buried infrastructure locations relevant to the digging operations."

Guardian ProStar Chief Executive Officer Page Tucker stated: "There are more than 20 million excavation activities performed annually and each new excavation operation risks conflicting with the more than 30 million miles of utilities installed underground throughout the U.S. In the most catastrophic instances, lives may be lost and an owner, agency or contractor is exposed to serious claims and litigation from major property and environmental damage. More commonly, though, inadvertent damage causes lights to go out, gas to leak into the atmosphere, or traffic flows disrupted.

"We believe that accurate display of buried utility location relevant to excavators is perhaps the most critical component to effective damage prevention practices. The patent also falls directly in line with other development projects we are involved in of advanced utility asset management solutions including RFID technology," Tucker concluded.

Tabandeh added that the Guardian ProStar patent is particularly timely, noting the Obama administration's stated plans to invest tens of billions of dollars upgrading the nation's current infrastructure. "I believe this patent and the patented system could play a significant role in providing millions of dollars in savings that would otherwise occur as a result of damaging buried utility assets by the planned constructions," Tabandeh said.

About Christie, Parker & Hale

Christie, Parker & Hale is a leading intellectual property law firm operating at the crossroads of science, technology and the law. Engaged exclusively in all aspects of intellectual property law, most of the firm's attorneys hold degrees in engineering or the sciences, bringing added value and perspective to client service. Drawing on a 54-year heritage, the firm continues to propel innovation and stimulate business growth by protecting its clients' most valuable assets - intellectual property. We can best serve our clients by developing long-term partnerships. Some of our most successful clients first came to us while still experimenting in their garages. Working hand-in-hand with them - we have obtained their first patent, guided them through their initial developments and watched them achieve market leadership. Guardian ProStar is a prime example

About Guardian ProStar

Guardian ProStar is a technology solutions provider of state-of-the-art solutions designed to deliver location based information with precision accuracy throughout an enterprise, including from the field to the office in real time. Our premier offering, ProStar Online[TM] is a web based service that transforms current GIS operations into an enterprise management system and dramatically improves all phases of asset management and damage prevention practices. ProStar Online[TM] combines with existing software and hardware solutions to streamline operations and work flow processes at every level. The system's unique Microsoft infrastructure integrates the office, field worker operations and excavation activities, simultaneously and in real time.

For more information about Guardian ProStar contact Page Tucker at [e-mail]