Cost-Basis Investment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Cost-Basis Investment

On April 20, 2011, the Company purchased 363,636 shares of common stock of ClearSign Combustion Corporation, a privately-held Washington corporation (“ClearSign”), for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1,000,000, or $2.75 per share, in connection with ClearSign’s private offering of up to $3,000,000 of its common stock (the “ClearSign Offering”). Due to a 1.25-for-one stock split, which occured subsequent to this purchase, the Company now holds 454,545 shares of common stock of ClearSign. ClearSign is an early-stage clean energy company focused on developing technology to increase energy efficiency in most types of industrial combustion systems.

This investment has been accounted for as a cost-basis investment, as the Company owns less than 20% of the voting securities and does not have the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies of the entity. Although ClearSign has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 (as amended) for the initial public offering of its common stock, it has not yet been declared effective, and accordingly, the Company’s investment is in an entity that is not publicly traded and, therefore, no established market for the securities exists. The fair value of a cost-method investment is not estimated if there is no identified event or change in circumstances that would have a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the investment. The Company’s cost-method investment is carried at historical cost in its financial statements and measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. If the Company believes that the carrying value of the cost basis investment is in excess of estimated fair value, the Company’s policy is to record an impairment charge in “Other income (expense)” in the accompanying statements of operations. The Company regularly evaluates the carrying value of this cost-method investment for impairment. As of December 31, 2011, the Company believes that no event had occurred that would adversely affect the carrying value of this investment, and accordingly, the Company did not record any impairment charges relating to this investment during the three and nine months ended December 31, 2011.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for investments accounted for under the cost-method. The carrying amount of such investments may be adjusted, for example, distributions in excess of cost (return of capital) or for other-than-temporary impairments. The cost method and lower-of-cost or market, an adaptation of the cost method, is generally followed for most investments in noncontrolled corporations, in some corporate joint ventures, and to a lesser extent in unconsolidated subsidiaries in which the entity does not have the ability to exercise significant influence.

+ References+ Details