Medical Robotics:Patents: Exploring the world of

inventionJay Bhatt

bhattjj@drexel.eduhttp://www.library.drexel.edu/engineering

New research initiatives being developed in institutions, universities and organizations◦ Drexel no exception◦ Multidisciplinary Fields: Nanoscience, Medical Robotics,

Plasma Medicine, Biology, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Translational Research and many more

◦ More research being done and more expected Huge potentials for innovation

◦ Patents and Intellectual Property Implications Increased need for faculty and students to learn about

inventions

Impetus on Interdisciplinary Research

What is a patent?◦ “A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right

to the inventor.”

Patent Granting Institutions:◦ US Patent and Trademark Office◦ Canadian Intellectual Property Office◦ European Patent Office◦ China Patent & Trademark Office◦ Japan Patent Office◦ and many others…

Patent Searching

Intellectual Property at Drexel

IP scene at Drexel encompassing many subject areas

Engineering, Sciences, and College of Medicine, etc.

Interdisciplinary focus - (Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Chemistry, Bionanotechnology)

Graduate and Undergraduate Research

Drexel, Penn and Ben Franklin partnersform the Nanotechnology Institute in 2000◦ Facilitate commercialization of IP discoveries by

NTI –member institutions◦ NTI accelerates regional economic development

by connecting industry with university assets◦ Vision for region’s economic growth as new

technologies emerge in the marketplace◦ Implications of research and courses being

taught at Drexel◦ Need to increase awareness of patents and

patent searching is growing fast The Office of Technology Commercialization at Dre

xel

Why Patent information is gaining momentum at Drexel?

Patent Policy Objectives-Drexel

Case Study – Medical Robotics

Challenges ◦ Interdisciplinary Field◦ Diverse Student Background◦ Interdisciplinary – students needs understanding

of those subject areas◦ Patent searching and understanding necessary

Need for learning about basics of patent searchingcrucial

Engaged learning through class assignments (an example of integrated learning)

Example of a class assignment

A successfully completed project must include (over the two terms) detailed design/response to: ..

What are the current state of the art available solutions?

What is the impact on the medical workflow of the system?

What are the challenges in introducing the solution to the market?

What are the drawbacks of the proposed solution? What is the Intellectual Property (IP) landscape for the

proposed system? What is IP protectable design of the system?

Drexel Student Learning Priorities

What is a Paptent?

Patent Searching

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=5&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=%22minimally+invasive+surgery%22&s2=robotics&OS=%22minimally+invasive+surgery%22+AND+robotics&RS=%22minimally+invasive+surgery%22+AND+robotics

◦ What is a USPC classification schedule?

System using a 3 digit class. Subclass is a number up to 6 digits -last three digits are decimal places. See http://www.intellogist.com/wiki/US_Patent_Classification_System

Similar grouping of patent art. A single invention in multiple classification codes (U.S. Patent

Classification Code) For example, 318/568.21 ; 318/560; 318/567; 318/568.1;

318/568.11; 318/568.2◦ See Classification Help

and Glossary

◦ How does classification help in searching for patents?

Patent Classification

Patent classification

Keyword searching problematic◦ Searches locate words not concepts

◦ Difficult to search all the terms representing a concept

◦ Language issues

◦ International databases miss non-Englishdocuments (using only English keywords)

◦ USPC – 470 classes, app. 150,000 subclasses

Why use Patent classes?

United States Patent 8,541,970 Software center and highly configurable robotic systems for surgery and other uses .

Current U.S. class: 318/568.21 ; 318/560; 318/567; 318/568.1; 318/568.11; 318/568.2

http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc318/sched318.htm

Class 318: ELECTRICITY: MOTIVE POWER SYSTEMSSubclass 568.21 ….Including end effector (e.g., gripping jaw,

micromanipulator, etc.)

Clicking on ‘P’ retrieves all patents for class 424 subclass 9.1.

Patent Searching using classes and subclasses

   

Patent Searching

USPC Classification

http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc318/sched318.htm

Cooperative Patent Classification – CPC

What is CPC?

Browsing CPC Scheme

Mapping USPC to CPC http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/index.htm

Statistical mapping of USPC to CPC for Class 318View Most statistically relevant CPC Subclasses

Google Advanced Patent Search http://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search

Searching by CPCclass

Find one patent using class 977/774.◦ What is the title of the patent you found?◦ What type of patents are we going to find in this

class/subclass combination?◦ Find a patent on “Quantum Dots’?◦ What is the patent application number? When

was this patent filed?

◦ What other classes/subclasses your patent recommends for additional references?

◦ What is the Current International Class for this patent?

Excercise

For more information:

Patents, FDA approved medical devices and Intellectual Property(Search in Library Website using keyword - patents

Classification http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/index.htm

World Intellectual Property Organization – International Patent Classification - http://www.wipo.int/wipogold/en/

Questions: Jay Bhatt, Liaison Librarian for Engineeringbhattjj@drexel.edu

Thank You!