Intellectual Ventures, the Bellevue-based patent collecting firm founded by former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold, just made a significant addition to its portfolio.

The firm has acquired more than 140 U.S. patents and "a substantial number" of pending patent applications that once belonged to Transmeta, a microprocessor and semiconductor company that recently became part of Novafora.

Intellectual Ventures describes the Transmeta patents this way:

Intellectual Ventures has sparked controversy with its business model. The firm has purchased a vast store of technology patents -- reportedly numbering in the thousands -- from companies, universities and individuals, and generated some patent applications through in-house brainstorming sessions. It bundles the patents and licenses them to industry.

Many, however, suspect Intellectual Ventures will someday use lawsuits to pressure companies to pay for the use of its intellectual property. Myhrvold has said he does not intend to litigate, but hasn't entirely ruled it out.

The firm has satellite offices in Silicon Valley, Chicago, Austin, Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, and Bangalore.