Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company” or “Caliper”) have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules or regulations. The December 31, 2010 consolidated balance sheet has been derived from the Company’s audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP.  However, in the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring entries) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with Caliper’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2011, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year or for any future periods. For example, the Company typically experiences higher revenue in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year due to spending patterns of its customers, and may realize significant periodic fluctuations in license and contract revenue depending on the timing and circumstances of underlying individual transactions.

Summary of Significant Accounting Principles

The accounting policies underlying the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are those set forth in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the SEC on March 11, 2011. Those policies are not presented herein, except to the extent that new policies have been adopted or that the description of existing policies has been meaningfully updated.

Revenue Recognition

General Policy

Caliper recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, the fee is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured or probable, as applicable. Product revenue is recognized upon passage of title, which for the majority of sales occurs when goods are shipped under Caliper’s standard terms of “FOB origin.” Revenue associated with customer product purchases delivered under terms of “FOB destination” is deferred until the product is received by the customer. Revenues on shipments subject to customer acceptance provisions are recognized only upon customer acceptance provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met. In general, sales made by Caliper do not include general return rights or privileges. In the limited circumstance where a right of return exists, Caliper recognizes revenue when the right has lapsed. Based upon Caliper’s prior experiences, sales returns have not been significant and therefore a general provision for sales returns or other allowances is not recorded at the time of sale. Revenue from services offered by Caliper is generally recognized as the services are performed (or, as applicable, ratably over the contract service term in the case of annual maintenance contracts). Provision is made at the time of sale for estimated costs related to Caliper’s warranty obligations to customers.

Cash received from customers as advance deposits for undelivered products and services including contract research and development services, is recorded within customer deposits until revenue is recognized. Revenue related to annual maintenance contracts or other remaining undelivered performance obligations is deferred and recognized upon completion of the underlying performance criteria.

Product Revenue

Product revenue is recognized upon the shipment and transfer of title to customers and is recorded net of discounts and allowances. Revenues on shipments subject to customer acceptance provisions are recognized only upon customer acceptance provided all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Customer product purchases are generally delivered under standardized terms of “FOB origin” with the customer assuming the risks and rewards of product ownership at the time of shipping from Caliper’s warehouse. Revenue associated with customer product purchases delivered under terms of “FOB destination” is deferred until product is delivered to the customer. In accordance with Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2009-13, Caliper defers the relative selling price of any elements that remain undelivered after product shipment and/or acceptance (as applicable), such as remaining services to be performed.

Service and Annual Maintenance Agreements

Caliper’s general policy is to recognize revenue as services are performed, typically using the proportional performance method based upon defined outputs or other reasonable measures, as applicable, or ratably over the contract service term in the case of annual maintenance contracts. Customers may purchase optional warranty coverage during the initial standard warranty term and annual maintenance contracts beyond the standard warranty expiration. These optional service offerings are not included in the price Caliper charges customers for the initial product purchase. Under Caliper’s standard warranty, the customer is entitled to repair or replacement of defective goods.

Licensing and Royalty

Revenue from up-front license fees is recognized when the earnings process is complete and no further obligations exist. If further obligations exist, the up-front license fee is recognized ratably over the obligation period. Royalties and milestone payments under licenses are recorded as earned in accordance with contract terms, when third-party results are reliably measured and collectability is reasonably assured. Imaging patent rights granted to commercial imaging customers are recognized ratably over the term of the license.

Contract Revenue

Revenue from contract research and development services is recognized as earned based on the performance requirements of the contract. Non-refundable contract fees, unless based upon time and materials, time and expense, or substantive milestones, are generally recognized using the proportional performance method.

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities

Caliper measures fair value at the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.  Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820, Fair Value Measurements, prioritizes the assumption that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability (the “inputs”) into a three-tier fair value hierarchy.  This fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority (Level 1) to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority (Level 3) to unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, requiring companies to develop their own assumptions.

Observable inputs that do not meet the criteria of Level 1, and include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, are categorized as Level 2.  Level 3 inputs are those that reflect our estimates about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, based on the best information available in the circumstances.  Valuation techniques for assets and liabilities measured using Level 3 inputs may include methodologies such as the market approach, the income approach or the cost approach, and may use unobservable inputs such as projections, estimates and management’s interpretation of current market data.  These unobservable inputs are only utilized to the extent that observable inputs are not available or cost-effective to obtain.  Caliper’s investments are all classified as Level 1 inputs because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or market prices received from industry standard pricing data providers.   On June 30, 2011, Caliper’s investments were valued as follows (in thousands):

	Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)
Money market funds	$	3,086
Government treasuries and bonds	3,512
Commercial paper	700
U.S. corporate notes and bonds	3,970
U.S. Agency bonds	401
Other	354
Total	$	12,023

As of June 30, 2011, Caliper’s cash and available for sale securities of $34.3 million all have contracted maturities of less than one year, with the exception of three securities with an aggregate value of $2.0 million.  In addition, Caliper held securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of June 30, 2011; however, these unrealized losses were not material either individually or in the aggregate.

Income Taxes

Caliper accounts for income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740, Accounting for Income Taxes, and accounts for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in financial statements in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes. FASB ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for the recognition, measurement, and financial statement disclosure of uncertain tax positions. Unrecognized tax benefits are the difference between tax positions taken, or expected to be taken, in tax returns, and the benefits recognized for accounting purposes pursuant to FASB ASC 740. Caliper classifies uncertain tax positions as short-term liabilities within accrued expenses. For the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, Caliper’s tax provisions primarily relate to foreign taxes in jurisdictions where its wholly owned subsidiaries are profitable and in certain states, state income taxes.

Goodwill

Caliper performs a test for the impairment of goodwill annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that goodwill may be impaired. Because Caliper has a single operating segment, which is the sole reporting unit, Caliper performs this test by comparing the fair value of Caliper with its carrying value, including goodwill. If the fair value exceeds the carrying value, goodwill is not impaired. If the book value exceeds the carrying value, Caliper would calculate the potential impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of goodwill with the book value of goodwill. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the book value, an impairment charge would be recorded equal to the difference.  As of June 30, 2011, Caliper analyzed its goodwill for indicators of impairment, and concluded that there were none.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

There are no recently issued accounting standards, which, if adopted, would have a material impact on Caliper’s reported results of operations.