THE COMPANY AND ITS SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Cash equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid financial instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consists of mainly trade receivables due from customers for the sale of our products. Payment terms vary on a customer-by-customer basis, and currently range from cash on delivery to net 60 days. Receivables are considered past due when they have exceeded their payment terms. Accounts receivable have been reduced by an estimated allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company estimates its allowance for doubtful accounts based on facts, circumstances and judgments regarding each receivable. Customer payment history and patterns, length of relationship with the customer, historical losses, economic and political conditions, trends and individual circumstances are among the items considered when evaluating the collectability of the receivables. Accounts are reviewed regularly for collectability and those deemed uncollectible are written off. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had an allowance for doubtful accounts of $52,000 and $49,000, respectively.

Inventory

 Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Work in process and finished goods are comprised of labor, overhead and raw material costs. Labor and overhead costs are determined on a rolling average cost basis and raw materials are determined on an average cost basis. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company established an allowance for slow moving and obsolete inventory of $500,000 and $449,000, respectively.

Income taxes

The Company follows ASC 740 “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”) which prescribes the asset and liability method whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted laws and tax rates that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance for any tax benefits that are not expected to be realized. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that such tax rate changes are enacted. Under ASC 740, tax benefits are recorded only for tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Unrecognized tax benefits are tax benefits claimed in the Company’s tax returns that do not meet these recognition and measurement standards.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Reform Act was signed into law. This legislation significantly changes U.S. tax law by, among other things, lowering corporate income tax rates, implementing a territorial tax system and imposing a repatriation tax on deemed repatriated earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Reform Act permanently reduces the U.S. corporate income tax rate from a maximum of 35% to a flat 21% rate, effective January 1, 2018.

On December 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 to address the application of GAAP in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Reform Act. Although the Company is unable to make a reasonable estimate on the full effect on our income taxes as of the date of this report, the Company has recognized the provisional tax impact related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities and included these amounts in its financial statements for Fiscal 2017. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to reverse. As a result of the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% under the Tax Reform Act, the Company revalued its net U.S. deferred income tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 from $5,400,000 to $3,600,000, a decrease of $1,800,000. In addition, the deferred income tax asset valuation allowance increased by $1,800,000 as a result of the reduction in the corporate income tax rate.

The ultimate impact may differ from the provisional amounts, possibly materially, due to, among other things, additional analysis, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company has made, additional regulatory guidance that may be issued, and actions the Company may take as a result of the Tax Reform Act. The accounting is expected to be complete when the Company’s 2017 U.S. corporate income tax return is filed in 2018.

Depreciation and amortization

Property, plant and equipment are depreciated on the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives; generally 3-5 years for equipment and 30 years for buildings. Leasehold improvements and capitalized lease assets are amortized by the straight-line method over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the term of the lease. Intangible assets include the cost of patent applications, which are deferred and charged to operations over 19 years. The accumulated amortization of patents is $175,000 and $171,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Annual amortization expense of such intangible assets is expected to be $7,000 per year for the next 5 years.

Revenue recognition

The Company recognizes revenue upon shipment to the customer. The Company's price is fixed and determinable at the date of sale. The Company does not have any obligation for customer acceptance. In the case of distributors, the Company does not have any obligation to bring about the resale of the product. All customers have payment terms that range from payment with order and net 60 days from the date of invoice. In all cases, the Company expects to receive payment as the customer is billed. There is no variable or contingent component to the Company’s sales. Our contract manufacturing customers also have fixed prices and the Company expects to receive payment as the customer is billed.

ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” was issued in May 2014 and it provides guidance for revenue recognition. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current guidance. Examples of the use of judgments and estimates may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The update also requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. ASU 2014-09 provides for two transition methods to the new guidance: a retrospective approach and a modified retrospective approach. In August 2015, ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date” was issued as a revision to ASU 2014-09. ASU 2015-14 revised the effective date to fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Subsequently, additional updates were issued related to this topic, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20. Early adoption of ASU 2014-09 is permitted but not prior to periods beginning after December 15, 2016 (i.e. the original adoption date per ASU No. 2014-09). The Company is adopting ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of Fiscal 2018 and it will not have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

Shipping and handling

Shipping and handling fees charged to customers are included in net sales, and shipping and handling costs incurred by the Company, to the extent of those costs charged to customers, are included in cost of sales.

Research and development

Research and development (“R&D”) costs are charged to operations when incurred. These costs include salaries, benefits, travel, costs associated with regulatory applications, supplies, depreciation of R&D equipment and other miscellaneous expenses.

Net loss per common share

Basic loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares during the period.

Potential common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:

	December 31, 2017		December 31, 2016
Warrants		2,060,000		2,060,000
Options		2,147,000		2,107,000
Total		4,207,000		4,167,000

For Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016, the number of securities not included in the diluted loss per share was 4,207,000 and 4,167,000, respectively, as their effect was anti-dilutive due to net loss in each year.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Our management believes the major estimates and assumptions impacting our financial statements are the following:

· estimates of the fair value of stock options and warrants at date of grant; and

· estimates of accounts receivable reserves; and

· estimates of the inventory reserves; and

· deferred tax valuation.

The fair value of stock options and warrants issued to employees, members of our Board of Directors, and consultants in connection with debt financings is estimated on the date of grant based on the Black-Scholes options-pricing model utilizing certain assumptions for a risk free interest rate; volatility; and expected remaining lives of the awards. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of share-based payment awards represent management's best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management judgment.

As a result, if factors change and the Company uses different assumptions, the Company's equity-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future. In addition, the Company is required to estimate the expected forfeiture rate and only recognize expense for those shares expected to vest. In estimating the Company's forfeiture rate, the Company analyzed its historical forfeiture rate, the remaining lives of unvested options, and the amount of vested options as a percentage of total options outstanding.

If the Company's actual forfeiture rate is materially different from its estimate, or if the Company reevaluates the forfeiture rate in the future, the equity-based compensation expense could be significantly different from what we have recorded in the current period.

Impairment of long-lived assets

The Company records impairment losses on long-lived assets used in operations when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amounts of those assets.

Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other liabilities approximate their fair value based on the short term nature of those items.

Estimated fair value of financial instruments is determined using available market information. In evaluating the fair value information, considerable judgment is required to interpret the market data used to develop the estimates. The use of different market assumptions and/or different valuation techniques may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.

Accordingly, the estimates of fair value presented herein may not be indicative of the amounts that could be realized in a current market exchange.

ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC Topic 820”) establishes a hierarchy for ranking the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. ASC Topic 820 requires that assets and liabilities carried at fair value be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:

Level 1: Unadjusted quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, unadjusted quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs other than quoted prices are observable for the asset or liability.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

The Company endeavors to utilize the best available information in measuring fair value. Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in estimating its fair value disclosures for financial instruments:

Cash and Cash Equivalents—The carrying amount reported in the balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents approximates its fair value due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.

Line of Credit and Long-Term Debt—The carrying amounts of the Company’s borrowings under its line of credit agreement and other long-term debt approximates fair value, based upon current interest rates, some of which are variable interest rates.

Accounting for share-based payments and stock warrants

In accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 718, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation”, the Company recognizes share-based payment expense for stock options and warrants. The weighted average fair value of options issued and outstanding in Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016 was $0.13 in each year. (See Note H [2] – Stockholders’ Equity)

The Company accounts for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC Topic 815”). The guidance within ASC Topic 815 requires the Company to recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the statement of financial position unless the contract, including common stock warrants, settles in the Company’s own stock and qualifies as an equity instrument. A contract designated as an equity instrument is included in equity at its fair value, with no further fair value adjustments required; and if designated as an asset or liability is carried at fair value with any changes in fair value recorded in the results of operations. The weighted average fair value of warrants issued and outstanding was $0.18 in both Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016. (See Note H [3] – Stockholders’ Equity)

Concentration of credit risk

The Company sells products primarily to United States customers and distributors. Credit is extended based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition.

At December 31, 2017, one customer accounted for 38.4% of the Company’s net accounts receivable. A substantial portion of this balance was collected in the first quarter of the year ending December 31, 2018. Due to the long standing nature of the Company’s relationship with this customer and contractual obligations, the Company is confident it will recover these amounts.

At December 31, 2016, one customer accounted for 31.5% of the Company’s net accounts receivable. These amounts were collected in Fiscal 2017.

The Company has established an allowance for doubtful accounts of $52,000 and $49,000 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, based on factors surrounding the credit risk of our customers and other information.

Two of the Company’s customers accounted for 35.1% and 14.6% of net sales of the Company in Fiscal 2017.

Two of the Company’s customers accounted for 30.9% and 15.5% of net sales of the Company in Fiscal 2016.

The Company maintains certain cash balances at financial institutions that are federally insured and at times the balances have exceeded federally insured limits.

Reporting comprehensive income

The Company reports comprehensive income in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 220, “Reporting Comprehensive Income” (“ASC Topic 220”). The provisions of ASC Topic 220 require the Company to report the change in the Company's equity during the period from transactions and events other than those resulting from investments by, and distributions to, the shareholders. For Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016, comprehensive income was the same as net income.

Reclassifications

Certain items have been reclassified from the prior years to conform to the current year presentation.

New accounting pronouncements

In the year ended December 31, 2017, we adopted the following accounting standards set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”):

ASU 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory”. ASU 2015-11 was issued in July 2015. ASU 2015-11 applies to inventory measured using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) or average cost methods. Under the updated guidance, an entity should measure inventory that is within scope at the lower of cost and net realizable value, which is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. The Company adopted ASU 2015-11 in the quarter ended March 31, 2017, and it did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

ASU 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. ASU 2016-09 was issued in March 2016 and it simplifies several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, forfeitures, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods. Early adoption is permitted. An entity that elects early adoption of the amendment under ASU 2016-09 must adopt all aspects of the amendment in the same period. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 in the quarter ended March 31, 2017 and it did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

ASU 2015-17, “Income Taxes”. ASU 2015-17 was issued in December 2015 and addresses simplification of the presentation of deferred income taxes. The amendments in ASU 2015-17 require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this update apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position. The current requirement is that deferred tax liabilities and assets, net of a tax-paying component of an entity be offset and presented as two amounts; one current and one long-term. ASU 2015-17 is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption was permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2015-17 in the quarter ended March 31, 2017 and it did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

The following accounting standards have been issued prior to the end of Fiscal 2017 but, did not require adoption as of Fiscal 2017:

ASU 2017-11, “Earnings Per Share, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, Derivatives and Hedging”. ASU 2017-11 was issued in July 2017. The amendments in ASU 2017-11 change the classification analysis of certain equity-linked financial instruments (or embedded features) with down round features. When determining whether certain financial instruments should be classified as liabilities or equity instruments, a down round feature will no longer preclude equity classification when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. The amendments also clarify existing disclosure requirements for equity-classified instruments. As a result, a freestanding equity-linked financial instrument (or embedded conversion option) would not be accounted for as a derivative liability at fair value as a result of the existence of a down round feature. For freestanding equity classified financial instruments, the amendments require entities that present earnings per share (EPS) in accordance with Topic 260 to recognize the effect of the down round feature when it is triggered. That effect is treated as a dividend and as a reduction of income available to common shareholders in basic EPS. Convertible instruments with embedded conversion options that have down round features are now subject to the specialized guidance for contingent beneficial conversion features (in Subtopic 470-20, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options), including related EPS guidance (in Topic 260). ASU 2017-11 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of ASU 2017-11.

ASU 2017-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718)”. ASU 2017-09 was issued in May 2017. The amendments in ASU 2017-09 provide guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. More specifically, that an entity should account for the effects of modification unless all the following are met: 1) the fair value, calculated or intrinsic value of the modified award is the same fair value, calculated or intrinsic value of the original award immediately before the original award is modified, 2) the vesting conditions of the modified award are the same as the vesting conditions of the original award immediately before the original award is modified and 3) the classification of the modified award as an equity instrument or a liability instrument is the same as the classification of the original award immediately before the original grant is modified. The current disclosure requirements in Topic 718 apply regardless of whether accounting modification is applied. ASU 2017-09 is effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods; beginning after December 15, 2017.The Company expects to adopt ASU 2017-09 in the first quarter of Fiscal 2018 and does not believe it will have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805)”. ASU 2017-01 was issued in January 2017. The amendments in ASU 2017-01 clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and should be applied prospectively on or after the effective date. The Company expects to adopt ASU 2017-01 in the first quarter of Fiscal 2018 and does not believe it will have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

ASU 2016-02, “Leases”. ASU 2016-02 was issued in February 2016 and it requires a lessee to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset on its balance sheet for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months. Lease classification will determine whether a lease is reported as a financing transaction in the income statement and statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-02 does not substantially change lessor accounting, but it does make certain changes related to leases for which collectability of the lease payments is uncertain or there are significant variable payments. Additionally, ASU 2016-02 makes several other targeted amendments including a) revising the definition of lease payments to include fixed payments by the lessee to cover lessor costs related to ownership of the underlying asset such as for property taxes or insurance; b) narrowing the definition of initial direct costs which an entity is permitted to capitalize to include only those incremental costs of a lease that would not have been incurred if the lease had not been obtained; c) requiring seller-lessees in a sale-leaseback transaction to recognize the entire gain from the sale of the underlying asset at the time of sale rather than over the leaseback term; and d) expanding disclosures to provide quantitative and qualitative information about lease transactions. ASU 2016-02 is effective for all annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2019, and is required to be applied retrospectively to the earliest period presented at the date of initial application, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02.

ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, issued in May 2014, provides guidance for revenue recognition. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current guidance. Examples of the use of judgments and estimates may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The update also requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. ASU 2014-09 provides for two transition methods to the new guidance: a retrospective approach and a modified retrospective approach. In August 2015, ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date” was issued as a revision to ASU 2014-09. ASU 2015-14 revised the effective date to fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Subsequently, additional updates were issued related to this topic, ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-12 and ASU 2016-20. Early adoption of ASU 2014-09 is permitted but not prior to periods beginning after December 15, 2016 (i.e. the original adoption date per ASU No. 2014-09). The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of Fiscal 2018 and it did not have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

Any other new accounting pronouncements recently issued, but not yet effective, have been reviewed and determined to be not applicable or were related to technical amendments or codification. As a result, the adoption of such new accounting pronouncements, when effective, is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.