Tag: patent
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USPTO Updates Patent Examiner Guidelines
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has proposed a supplement to its patent examiner guidelines that the agency says will clarify the scope of patent rights to the public. USPTO released the proposed guidelines in the Federal Register for a 60-day public comment period. The new guidelines address section 112 of the Patent Act,…
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Asian Patents Jump in 2010, Decline in U.S., Mixed in Europe
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reports today that the number of patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) increased in 2010, with the largest percentage gains recorded in Asia. Provisional data for 2010 indicate that 162,900 international patent applications were filed in 2010 compared to the 155,398 applications filed in 2009, an increase…
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New Techniques Developed to Bind Peptides, Proteins
Research chemists at University at Buffalo in New York have devised two new ways of binding peptides to helix-shaped proteins, making the peptides more resistant to enzymes and more valuable in therapies. One of those binding techniques, called photoclick stapling, is described in a paper published online last month in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal…
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U.S., Europe Agree on Patent Classification Principles
The U.S. and European patent authorities have agreed on the principles for a new system of classifying patents in their respective jurisdictions. A common classification system is expected to make it easier to search for patents across national boundaries. The United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) and European Patent Office (EPO) agreed that the new…
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USPTO Gives Details of New Expedited Review Process
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released more details of its program that lets patent applicants choose the speed at which their application is processed. The program consists of three tracks, with higher fees charged for faster patent processing. USPTO plans to publish tomorrow (4 February) in the Federal Register a notice of the…
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Patent Granted for Lung Disorder Treatment
Discovery Laboratories Inc., a biotechnology company in Warrington, Pennsylvania, said today the company received a U.S. patent for its treatment of pulmonary inflammation. The patent — number 7,863,241 — expires in 2023. Discovery Labs says the patent covers its KL4 peptide (also known as sinapultide), an engineered pulmonary surfactant that lowers surface tension and promote…
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Study: Longer Drug Exclusivity Hikes Costs, Adds Approvals
A new study in the January 2011 issue of the journal Health Affairs (paid subscription required) calculates the financial and social costs of regulations that limit access to pharmaceutical companies’ clinical trial data, used in the manufacture of generic drugs. The study suggests that extending the term of exclusive access for that data would likely…
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Univ. Faculty Develop, Patent Radiation Detection Device
Physics and engineering faculty members at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis have invented a new radiation detection and measurement device that they say can help clean up sites with radioactive contamination, making the process faster, more accurate and less expensive. The university says a patent has been granted for the device and has begun…
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Profs Develop Dyes to Help Solar, Hydrogen Fuel Processes
Chemistry professors in Buffalo and Rochester, New York have synthesized new photo-sensitizing dyes that increase the efficiency of producing solar electricity and hydrogen fuel, for which light is a key ingredient. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has cleared the way for a patent on this technology. The research team, led by University at…
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Collaboration Develops, Patents Fish Hatchery Vaccine
A team of researchers from University of Idaho in Moscow, Clear Springs Foods Inc. in Buhl, Idaho, and the Agricultural Research Service of USDA, have developed a coldwater disease (CWD) vaccine. CWD is a bacterial disease caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, and results in a lethal infection causing losses of hatchery-reared salmonids — e.g., salmon, trout,…