ABSTRACT
The history of SMC development will be summarized along with the products that each of those developments enabled. A timeline will be developed to show how improvements led to ever more advanced applications. Upon reaching the modern era as defined by enforceable term patents, the intellectual property landscape will be discussed through reference to specific patents and the technologies that are protected by those monopolies. The chapter will conclude with an identification of aspects of SMCs that can/need to be developed to enable the next generation of products.
