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Other intangible assets with definite lives (Notes) | 3 Months Ended
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Apr. 30, 2014
Other intangible assets with definite lives [Abstract] |
Schedule of Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Table Text Block] | Other intangible assets with definite lives. The Company owns several patents, including those covering features of its piping and electronic leak detection systems. The patents are not material either individually, or in the aggregate, because the Company believes sales would not be materially reduced if patent protection were not available. Patents are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over a period not to exceed the legal lives of the patents. The Company expenses costs incurred to renew or extend the term of intangible assets. Gross patents were $2.62 million and $2.60 million as of April 30, 2014 and January 31, 2014, respectively. Accumulated amortization was approximately $2.24 million and $2.23 million as of April 30, 2014 and January 31, 2014, respectively. Future amortizations over the next five years ending January 31 will be $37,800 in 2015, $47,300 in 2016, $43,500 in 2017, $40,400 in 2018, $31,400 in 2019, and $180,000 thereafter.
| Three Months Ended April 30,
| 2014 |  | 2013 |
Patent amortization expense |  | $13 |  |  | $14 |

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- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for indefinite-lived intangible assets (that is, those intangible assets not subject to amortization). This accounting policy also may address how the entity assesses whether events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life and how the entity assesses and measures impairment of such assets. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18780-107790 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 350 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2144471 + Details
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