FlashPoint Awarded Five Patents

Received this press release today which outlines FlashPoint's five new patents on Digital Imaging Operating System technology, they apparently already hold 17 patents, 80 more pending in the US and 42 in other countries... quite a grip.

FlashPoint Awarded Five Patents for Innovations in Digital Imaging Technology

Digita Becoming Standard Software Platform for Next-Generation Digital Imaging Appliances

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 08, 2000 -- FlashPoint Technology Inc., creator of Digita, the industry's first standardized software platform for digital imaging appliances, today announced it has furthered its leadership in the imaging industry with five new patents.

The new patents reflect innovations in image decompression, screen design, slide show creation, the addition of sound to images, and image display methods in digital cameras. The patents generate additional momentum behind FlashPoint's creation of an intelligent software platform for all-digital photography and imaging products. Of the five, two were granted in
the United States and three in Taiwan.

"The five patents strengthen FlashPoint's intellectual property position as we continue to define a cohesive and powerful software platform for digital imaging," said Stephen D. Saylor, executive vice president and general manager for FlashPoint. "FlashPoint technology breakthroughs advance digital imaging into new and exciting applications. The patents allow us to build a solid infrastructure for next generation imaging products."

The five new patents solidify FlashPoint's position in vital intellectual property areas of the digital imaging-operating environment. This brings the number of core patents FlashPoint holds in imaging appliance technology to 17, with 80 patents pending in the U.S. and 42 pending in other nations. Altogether, FlashPoint and its partners have filed more than 150 patents to date, worldwide.

FlashPoint's two newest U.S. patents are:

· U.S. Patent No. 6,020,920 entitled "Method and System for Speculative Decompression of Compressed Image Data in an Image Capture Unit issued on Feb. 1, 2000. More information about this patent is available on the Web at
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US06020920__

· U.S. Design Patent D0418,826 is called "Image for Display Screen of a Digital Camera" and was issued Jan. 11, 2000, covering the ornamental design of one screen of the Blizzard GUI. More information about this patent is on the Web at
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=USD0418826__

The three new patents issued in Taiwan involve methods for creating an automated slideshow, the addition of sound to images, and a method of displaying display images.

The Digita Standard

FlashPoint's Digita is an open imaging platform that empowers photographers, mobile professionals, and software developers. Third parties can customize and enhance the product's capabilities, by adding imaging applications directly in the camera or other imaging device. Digita drives the next generation of intelligent digital photography products including HP's PhotoSmart C500, C912 and C618, the Kodak DC220, DC260, DC265, and DC290, and the Minolta Dimâge EX ZOOM 1500 digital cameras, as well as the Epson Print-On (PT-100 and PT-110) digital photo printers.

About FlashPoint

FlashPoint Technology, Inc. designs, develops and markets complete software solutions for digital photography and imaging devices. The company's Digita operating environment is licensed by leading manufacturers including Asahi Optical Corp (Pentax), Epson, Hewlett-Packard Company, Kodak, and Minolta. The first Digita-enabled camera - the Kodak DC-260 - has won numerous awards including PC/Computing Magazine's MVP Award, and an International
Digital Photography Advancement Award for most compelling core technology of 1998. Mobile Computing and Communications Magazine named its successor, the Kodak DC-265 digital camera, Best Camera of 1999. For more about Digita and FlashPoint, call 888-820-3644 or visit the firm's web site at www.flashpoint.com.