Posts in Technology & Innovation

Written by David J. Kappos, former Director of the USPTO: “The language of the Myriad decision did not on its face mandate drastic, innovation-dampening action. The Supreme Court chose to narrowly decide the Myriad case, stating that a DNA segment merely “found” from nature without further human innovative intervention is not patentable subject matter… Indeed, the stakes are high – the decision and the USPTO’s interpretation may impact a number of industries that depend on patent protection to provide products, goods and services to the market and jobs to Americans, not to mention the future of life-saving medical discoveries. Of the over 300 drugs on the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List, fewer than a dozen were brought to market without having received patent protection. From the ibuprofen ubiquitous in the world’s medicine cabinets to breakthrough treatments for epidemics like the HIV-inhibitor AZT, the patent system has long played a pivotal role in global health.”

A specialized type of content management system for brokering knowledge between experts and individuals who need various kinds of technical help is the focus of today’s featured patent application. Google is trying to protect a system for requesting know-how from an expert in return for virtual credits. Other patent applications have been filed to protect systems for better ranking of news stories as well as methods for providing contextual definitions of selected text within a document. Google is one of America’s top patent assignees over the past few years, and in recent weeks the company has been issued patents for technologies ranging from music recommendation services to routing systems incorporation public transit options. We were very intrigued by one patent protecting a method of providing advertisements to local devices seeking to drive those browsing the Internet into actual retail stores. Another patent protects methods of applying more relevant ads to web pages using content inferences made from analysis of links contained on the web page.

Rather than profile a single company we looked at patents and patent applications from the likes of Bank of America, American Express, Capital One and more. Our recent review of the sector continues to show us some astonishing inventions. Today’s featured patent application comes from Capital One and protects an attachment to mobile devices which establishes a network for handing digital transactions. This attachment would enable a user’s device to be retrofitted so that it can be easily operated as a digital wallet. Methods of tracking online payments through mobile devices, as well as a system for quickly processing loans for online auto sales, are discussed in other patent applications we discuss.

There are those who argue against the patentability of software as a whole – never mind finding a test as to what software (or computer-implemented) claims should be patentable. We disagree. Why? Well, the notion that software should not be patentable necessarily indicates that the software industry itself is not capable of innovation worthy of patent protection! Yet, in a country where patent rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, should not all fields of innovation be treated equally under the law? Should we not avoid becoming a country where one field of endeavor (e.g., pharmaceuticals or electronics) is deemed more “patent worthy” than other fields (i.e., computer science and information technology)!? To answer these questions in the negative seems silly to us.

Today we take our first in-depth look at the inventions which have lately sprung from the minds of researchers and developers working at Xerox. We start with an extensive look at one patent application filed by Xerox that would protect a method for less intrusive monitoring of a patient’s respiratory functions. This system uses 2D video in conjunction with a distortion pattern worn on the subject’s chest to determine lung volume and activity. Other patent applications we feature today discuss a variety of environmentally-friendly and sustainable inks as well as one innovation that would allow copy machines to detect that a human operator is nearby and enter normal operating mode. Our look at Xerox’s recently issued patents show a much wider scope of innovation, including a couple of patents protecting technologies to improve public transportation and intelligent transport systems (ITS). Another intriguing patent protects a method for embedding infrared marks on a document to prevent against forgery. Sentiment analysis of informal language found on social media networks is the focus of another patent which we discuss below.

What we’re seeing today is a preponderance of research and development in the fields of skin and optical care. Our featured patent application today describes a system meant to enable consumers to better find skin care products and assess the probable results of use. This Internet-based recommendation system involves multiple filtering methods for helping the system more accurately provide product recommendation based on consumer needs. We’ve also explored some intriguing innovations in contact lenses and skin care products, including multiple skin treatments for oily skin that reduce skin dehydration. Of the many patents issued recently to Johnson & Johnson, most have been assigned to its visual care subsidiary to protect more improvements to visual aids. A trio of patents we cover today involve various contact lens upgrades, including one patent protecting a more comfortable contact lens which incorporates electronic elements. A system for detecting and treating pre-emerging pimples, as well as a one-piece housing with inserts for various personal care treatments, are also protected in other patents that we discuss below.

As the Supreme Court contemplates the patent eligibility of computer systems, the National Inventors Hall of Fame will induct three IBM (NYSE: IBM) engineers for their invention of the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), which was developed more than 70 years ago to rapidly and accurately perform complex mathematical calculations. The ASCC was a precursor to today’s cognitive computing systems like IBM Watson, which rapidly analyze data and learn and interact naturally with people. The ASCC ushered in the programmable computing era, which would ultimately provide the ability to put a man on the moon and to make the Internet a reality.

We begin with an extended look at one patent application development to comply with strict guidelines in the field of disinfecting solutions for public health concerns. Procter & Gamble has developed a cleaning solution designed to meet tough standards in the field of sanitation developed by the European Union. Products for incontinence and tooth whitening, along with some aesthetic improvements to sanitary paper products, are at the core of a few other patent applications that we noticed. Interestingly enough, in light of the above article from The Hill, we found a patent recently issued to P&G from the USPTO that protects a chemical test kit meant to determine the authenticity of consumer products. It would allow a manufacturer to determine that a counterfeit is being sold under a brand’s name. Other issued patents include a couple protecting methods of improving taste and odor in an array of home and personal care products from toothpastes to heated air wicks.

On May 20, 1873, an icon American fashion was born, or at least patented, when the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 139,121, titled Fastening Pocket-Openings. The ’121 patent, which was granted to Jacob W. Davis and jointly assigned to himself and to Levi Strauss & Company, ushered in the era of denim blue jeans. The ’121 patent specifically related to copper rivet fasteners for denim trousers, which proved to be extremely desirable and durable.

The license agreement grants Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, rights for the development and commercialization of XenoPort’s promising oral treatment for alcohol use disorders, a condition affecting more than 140 million people worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Reckitt will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize arbaclofen placarbil worldwide for all indications, subject to certain rights by XenoPort to negotiate with Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals on collaborations for non-addiction indications.

This system is able to monitor various pieces of data to inform system decisions on whether on-board entertainment, safety or navigational systems should be operated in a low-power state. Another patent we discuss features similar methods of determining whether a device should stop running certain applications… Digital security is a major focus among technology developers, and our coverage of Broadcom’s recently issued patents features a trio of systems in this field, including methods of securing the authorization to access multimedia access based on GPS information. We also found a couple of additional patents protecting inventions related to multimedia systems, including systems for listening to audio clandestinely in public environments as well as methods for reducing blurring or other rendering problems in three-dimensional video.

Although the IBM news release did not contain any specific reference to a patent or patent family that represents this innovation, IBM acknowledges that the company holds 1,560 cloud patents. A quick patent search for patents that may relate to the described innovation uncovered U.S. Patent No. 8,429,659 (“the ‘659 patent”), which is titled Scheduling jobs within a cloud computing environment. The innovation described in the ‘659 patent provides an approach to prioritizing jobs within a cloud computing environment so as to maximize positive financial impacts (or to minimize negative financial impacts) for cloud service providers, while not exceeding processing capacity or failing to meet terms of applicable service agreements.