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GEN-ERIC Patent News
Tuesday, March 11, 2003


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Patents of the Day
Patents Available for Licensing
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HEADLINES   (patents issued a few hours ago..)
The BioBot Patent of the Day goes to Intelligent Inference Systems of Sunnyvale
for a Biologically-inspired multi-segmented robot

The Chance Patent of the Day goes to Insightful Corporation of Seattle
for a Contest Server

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NEWS
Bristol-Myers settles charges with FTC by agreeing to patent limits

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/5343723.htm

Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. settled federal charges yesterday that it blocked the sale of lower-price, generic versions of three of its drugs. The Federal Trade Commission said the company tried to limit competition for its anticancer drugs Taxol and Platinol and antianxiety drug BuSpar. The company's actions protected nearly $2 billion in annual sales, according to the FTC. "Through Bristol's decade-long pattern of alleged anticompetitive acts, Bristol avoided competition by abusing federal regulations," Joe Simons, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, said. He said the company deceived the Patent and Trademark Office to obtain patent protection, and paid a rival company more than $70 million to not bring generic drugs to market.

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E-centives Files Patent Lawsuit Against Coupons, Inc.
http://www.optinnews.com/read-article.php?id=1598

E-centives, Inc., a provider of online direct marketing technologies and services, recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Coupons, Inc. in Federal Court in Maryland based on two patents relating to online coupons, U.S. Patent No. 6,336,099 and U.S. Patent No. 6,321,208. According to E-centives, they have taken this action to protect its intellectual property and investment. “We contacted Coupons, Inc. prior to serving them with the lawsuit and offered them a license. Their refusal forced us to serve them to protect our intellectual property,” said Kamran Amjadi, CEO of E-centives, Inc.

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University's Drug Patent Is Invalidated by a Judge
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/06/business/06DRUG.html?ex=1047963600&en=c8650652c661b367&ei=5040

A federal judge yesterday invalidated a broad patent held by the University of Rochester on a popular class of painkillers and dismissed the school's lawsuit seeking royalties from Pharmacia and Pfizer on sales of their big-selling drug Celebrex. The decision is a big blow to the university, which had envisioned billions of dollars in royalties that would have helped turn its medical school into a research powerhouse. When the patent was granted and the patent infringement lawsuit was filed in April 2000, school officials predicted the patent might become the most lucrative ever held by a university. That is because Celebrex is one of the world's best-selling drugs, with worldwide sales of $3 billion last year, of which $2.4 billion came from the United States.

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PATENTS OF THE DAY
6,532,400 Biologically-inspired multi-segmented robot

Abstract:  A biologically inspired, multi-segmented robot is provided, wherein the biologically inspired, multi-segmented robot employs a logic-based technique to control mobility, rather than a mobility control technique that relies on complex mathematical models. The robot is biologically-inspired in that it employs certain artificial, anatomical and neuro-physiological features that are similar to features found in actual biological systems, including a host of artificial joints and muscle-like actuators. These anatomical and neuro-physiological features exhibit certain built-in, mechanical constraints, which provide mechanical feedback that is similar to the type of feedback that is inherent in genuine biological systems. In addition, the robot employs one or more sensors which are capable of measuring the status (e.g., the position) of the robot. A controller then uses the sensor data to activate functional groupings of the muscle-like activators to control mobility.
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6,532,448 Contest Server

Abstract:  An automated system and method for providing a contest to multiple, geographically dispersed contest participants is disclosed, in which the participants are interconnected by a computer network such as the internet, and in which a contest participant's individual chance of winning the contest is increased in response to the performance of certain actions associated with the contest. The actions provide a contest sponsor with information about the participant, or expose the participant to predefined advertising information. The disclosed system provides feedback to participants regarding their current chances of winning the contest, in response to performance of one or more of the actions associated with the contest.
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PATENTS AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING
to Learn More or to List a Patent

Implantable fuel cell

This invention makes use of an electrostrictive material
to increase the efficiency of a fuel cell as used for the
production of power within a human.

Laptop Display
The invention includes a computer projector in a portable computer or PDA device. The lightweight, relatively low power display, only adds a few ounces of weight to the computer. It can project a large image display on a screen or wall. In several configurations taught by the patent, the LCD and active matrix displays, a considerable component of the cost of any computer or laptop, are eliminated. The projection device images onto the laptop cover panel, saving hundreds of dollars in manufacturing cost. Put the display cover in the projector position and you can project an image onto a large wall for group viewing.

Other Patents
CONCRETE FINISHING TOOL
CHEMBLOX EDUCATIONAL MOLECULAR MODELS
BOAT LOADING GUIDANCE DEVICE

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PATENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
to Learn More or to List a Job


Patent Attorney
Fortune 500 consumer-products company seeks two patent attorneys for patent application preparation and prosecution. Positions are initially on full-time contract basis, with the likelihood of permanent employment in Long Island R&D headquarters upon satisfactory completion of contract term. Candidates should be admitted to practice before the USPTO, have a technical background in chemistry, biochemistry and/or biology, and at least five years’ continuous experience in patent preparation and prosecution.

Chief Patent Counsel
Develop and maintain company patent applications, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, licensing and research agreements, and intellectual property aspects of contracts and agreements. Prepare legal opinions and analysis of patents; review and draft significant corporate legal documents. Evaluate the validity of competitors' patents and potential company product infringement upon valid patents of competitors.

Qualifications: Must be a Bar member and have a degree in Law, with at least five years' Patent Law experience, preferably in the electro-optical area.
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