A Board Certified Patent Attorney

Archive for the ‘Patents’ Category

University of Florida Mechanical Engineering Student Files for Patent on Orthopedic Robot

A University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering student, Scott Banks, has designed a robot to shadow and shoot X-ray video of orthopedic injury patients according to an article in Physorg.com.   The robot augments static images of patients’ bones, muscles and joints with active video showing interior views during mormal activity.   The University of Florida has filed a patent application on the new technology. The article does not go into details on whether the patent covers the apparatus or the method.   Keeping details about the scope of claim protection sought in a pending patent application is prudent during the time period between the filing of a patent application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the actual issuance of the patent gran

Florida Company Gives New Meaning to Cold Cash

According to an article in Anderson Independent-Mail, Ice House America, a Florida-based company, has patented an ice machine that dispenses both 16-pound bags and 20-pound loads of loose ice, at a cheaper cost than those of grocery or convenience stores. These ice-houses are capable of producing more than 500 16-pound bags of ice per day.   This new technology being patented by the United States Patent & Trademark Office, still needs some tweaking, but this isn’t stopping Ice House America’s owners from taking the idea worldwide and expanding dealerships to the rest of the county, as well as locations in Central and South America.   If you have a innovative idea such as this and are considering filing a patent application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, I suggest you contact a patent l

Patent Eases Elimination (Ah, What Sweet Release)

Ginacor, Inc. has patented and is now ready to market its HealthStep bathroom device for enabling effective bowel elimination. An article at send2press.com reports that Ginacor, Inc. has also received the approval of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). HealthStep helps a person eliminate with less effort and is a blessing for all who are suffering from hemorrhoids, constipation, bloating, and other acute forms of bowel disorders. Following doctor recommendations (not to mention common sense) that the best posture for eliminating bowels is the squatting position, this simple invention follows the squatting tradition. Ginacor is based in Seattle, WA. HealthStep is an anatomically engineered device that has precisely angled foot rests for positioning the body for complete elimination and at the same time maintains the convenience and

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Based Generic Drug Manufacturer, Andrx Corporation, Found Not Guilty of Patent Infringement

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, based pharmaceutical company, Andrx Corporation, has been successful in its defense of a patent infringement lawsuit brought by UK-based AstraZeneca PLC over its Toprol-XL hypertension treatment.   As the patents on AstraZeneca’s drug were found be be invalid, Florida based Andrx Corporation may be permitted to continue producing the medication for hypertension treatment, according to an article in Bloomberg News.   According to the Bloomberg article, Fort Lauderdale, Florida based Andrx Corp. may be entitled to 180 days of exclusivity on the 50 milligram dose of generic Toprol-XL and is awaiting approval for varying strengths of its extended-release tablets from the F.D.A.   Although a granted U.S. patent is entitled to

Boca Raton Company Victorious in First Patent Infringement Case

Lexington International, LLC, a Florida company based in Boca Raton, prevailed in its patent infringement lawsuit against Phototonic Research and LBI Investments, Inc. According to the article in PR Web, Lexington International, LLC, which manufactures and distributes the HairMax LaserComb internationally, initiated the litigation to send a message to manufacturers of substandard products on the market disguising themselves as the patented HairMax LaserComb, infringing on itellectual property rights and damaging the consumer as well.   Infringement of intellectual property, including patents and trademarks, is a very serious matter. If you have any questions or concerns regarding enforcement of your patent or trademark rights, please contact a qualified intellectual property attorney that can address these issues

Invent Something? Plan Marketing Carefully” Offers Good Advice

In a column in the The Herald in Bradenton, Florida, entitled “Invent Something? Plan Marketing Carefully“, business columnist Jerry Osteryoung offers good advice to inventors looking to hire a patent attorney to assist them in securing legal rights to their ideas.   Jerry Osteryoung is a finance professor at Florida State University and executive director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University’s College of Business.   Jerry makes some good points in his column and I agree with much of the advice given. I would be careful, however, in judging a patent attorney’s capabilities by the average amount of time it takes to get a patent issued.   The time it takes to get a patent from filing to issuance is largely dependent upon a number of factors

Business Method Patent on Selling Cereal Plagues Florida Business

Florida businessman Rocco Monteleone was in for a surprise patent dispute after he opened up a cereal cafe in Gainesville, Florida.   He received a letter from an attorney representing Cereality, Inc., a company claiming exclusive rights to their patent pending system and method of selling cereal, according to an article in In These Times.   Click here to read the complete article.   Business method patents have proliferated after the landmark Supreme Court case State Street Bank v. Signature Financial Group, Inc. and the category of patentable ideas has expanded much beyond what it typically considered the realm of subject matter subject to a patent.   When most people think of patents, they automatically think of a new mechanical product, a chemical composition, or a manufacturing process. Since

Florida Patent Holder Wins $48 Million Judgment

A small Pinellas park business, AlphaMed Pharmaceutical Corp., has been awarded $48-million in compensatory damages arising from the alleged fraudulent sale of its patent on a new drug according to an article in the St. Petersburg Times.   Arriva Pharmaceuticals Corp. and a private investigation firm were found guilty of unfair competition, sealing trade secrets, and interfering with AlphaMed’s business.   The trial was held in federal court in Miami, Florida, and the jury decision came Monday, December 19, 2005, after five days of deliberation. Click here for the complete St. Petersburg Times article.