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GEN-ERIC Patent News Tuesday, April 22,
2003
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to Access any Area of Interest Headlines News Patents of the Day Access Official Gazette and
Notices Patents Available for Licensing Patent Employment
Opportunities
Printer Friendly Version ================================================== HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours
ago..) The Smart Sleep Patent of the Day goes to
United States Army for a Method and system for predicting human cognitive
performance
The Space Funeral Patent of the Day goes to an
Inventor from Kansas for Cremation on atmospheric reentry
Index ================================================== NEWS GlaxoSmithKline settles patent suit over Paxil
http://www.islandpacket.com/24hour/business/story/859542p-6011910c.html GlaxoSmithKline
PLC has agreed to settle patent litigation against a generic drug company over a
proposed generic version of Glaxo's best selling drug, the anti-depressant
Paxil. Glaxo said Friday the settlement will allow Pharmaceutical Resources
Inc.'s Par Pharmaceutical Inc. to distribute in Puerto Rico substitutable
generic tablets, supplied and licensed from Glaxo for a royalty. Par had
received distribution rights from Pentech Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held
company based in Illinois, which has submitted a new drug application to the
Food and Drug Administration for the generic capsule version of the
anti-depressant drug.
Index GenSci pays $7.5M to settle patent suit
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035781100279& call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705923364 Canadian
biotechnology company GenSci Regeneration Sciences Inc. has agreed to pay $7.5
million US in a conditional agreement to settle patent litigation brought by
Osteotech Inc. GenSci — operating under Chapter 11 protection from creditors in
the United States since a California jury verdict in late 2001 — said Monday
that the conditions of the agreement include that GenSci arrange a letter of
credit or other security to back up its promise to pay $1 million US when it
emerges from bankruptcy protection, to be followed by payments of $325,000 each
quarter.
Index MIT Loses Patent Lawsuit http://www-tech.mit.edu/V123/N20/20lockheed.20n.html MIT lost a
patent infringement lawsuit against Lockheed Martin Corp. that sought royalties
for Lockheed’s operation of two United States ground stations for Inmarsat, a
global satellite telephone system. Chief Judge William G. Young of the federal
district court in Boston ruled that no reasonable jury could find that
Lockheed’s operation of two Inmarsat ground stations infringed an MIT patent on
a technique for compressing speech signals. MIT will not appeal the ruling, said
Lita Nelsen, director of the MIT’s Technology Licensing Office. The lawsuit was
noteworthy for several reasons. It is the first time anybody can remember that
MIT has lost a patent infringement lawsuit. Neither The Tech nor Jack Turner,
the TLO associate director, could find or recall a previous loss for MIT. Almost
all MIT-filed patent infringement suits end before trial when the defendant
agrees to pay for a license.
Index ================================================== PATENTS OF THE DAY
6,553,252
Method and system for predicting
human cognitive performance
Background: Adequate
sleep sustains cognitive performance. With less than adequate sleep, cognitive
performance degrades over time. using computer-based cognitive performance
tests, it has been shown that total sleep deprivation degrades human cognitive
performance by approximately 25% for each successive period of 24 hours awake.
However, it also has been shown that even small amounts of sleep reduce the rate
of sleep loss-induced cognitive performance degradation. "Sustaining Performance
During Continuous Operations: The U.S. Army's Sleep Management System,"
discloses that a single 30-minute nap every 24 hours reduces the rate of
cognitive performance degradation to 17% per day over 85 hours of sleep
deprivation. This suggests that recuperation of cognitive performance during
sleep accrues most rapidly early in the sleep period. No other factor besides
the amount of sleep contributes so substantially and consistently to the normal,
daily variations in cognitive performance.
Abstract: An
apparatus and method for predicting cognitive performance of an individual based
on factors including sleep history and the time of day. The method facilitates
the creation of predicted cognitive performance curves that allow an individual
to set his/her sleep times to produce higher levels of cognitive performance.
The method also facilitates the reconstruction of past cognitive performance
levels based on sleep history.
Index
6,550,114
Cremation on atmospheric reentry
Background: One in
five Americans choose cremation for themselves or their loved ones. Although
historically uncommon in the United States, cremation is becoming more popular
as an alternative to internment. In California, for example, the rate of
cremation over burial is approximately 42%. In Nevada, the rate is approximately
57%. Hawaii leads the rest of the country at approximately 59%. Overseas, Japan
has the highest cremation rate at over 95%. The overall rate in the United
States is expected to increase over the next decade from the low twenties to
nearly 38%.
Although the choice to cremate is becoming increasingly
popular, relatives of the deceased are often at a loss for how to memorialize
the cremated remains. Sometimes the deceased has indicated a preference to have
their ashes scattered or spread in a favorite location. The family members of
the deceased, however, often feel uncomfortable performing the task. The process
can be awkward and can result in ashes blowing back onto the deceased's
relatives during the scattering, causing great dismay. Seeing the remains of a
loved one become a dusty film on the ground or water can be a disappointing and
even traumatic sight for friends and relatives. Even if the cremated remains are
merely kept in an urn or other container, eventually they must be disposed of by
someone, and the remains may end up in the hands of strangers through estate
sales or auctions following the death of those close to the
deceased.
Summary: The method of the present invention
provides for delivering human remains to the outer atmosphere or beyond and
causing or allowing them to reenter the Earth's atmosphere for the purpose of
combustion, and therefore cremation, on reentry. The method of the present
invention includes providing the body of a deceased human, preparing the body
for cremation in a manner similar for cremation in a crematorium, wrapping or
enclosing the body in a combustible container, transporting the body to the
outer edges of the Earth's atmosphere or beyond, and placing the body in a
trajectory that will eventually cause it to thereafter fall toward the Earth and
combust due to heat generated by friction as the body passes through the
atmosphere. Reentry may be directed to occur soon after launch, or the body may
be placed in an orbit that will degrade over a long period of time prior to
descent and combustion. This novel method of cremation provides a means of
dispersing the deceased's cremains throughout the upper atmosphere thereby
enabling individuals to have their ashes "scattered" in a manner, and to a
degree, never before available. In addition, the present invention allows
relatives and friends of the deceased to participate in and even view the
cremation process as a pleasing and dramatic farewell to their loved one.
Index ================================================== ACCESS OFFICIAL GAZETTE AND
NOTICES Access this week's Official
Gazette http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week16/OG/classIndex.htm
Excerpt
from OG Notices
Reissue Applications Notice
Changes to Implement Electronic Maintenance
Index ================================================== PATENTS AVAILABLE FOR
LICENSING
to Learn More or to List a Patent
Financial screening system In an
on-line financial screening service, a database of financial and intellectual
property information is searched to find at least one financial security
matching user defined financial search criteria. Selection preferences for a
financial security are defined as search criteria. The databases are repeatedly
searched for records matching the financial selection criteria preferences of
the user. Financial securities meeting the users search criteria are then
matched to an intellectual property database to determine the number of patents
a financial security has been issued
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
Index ================================================== PATENT EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
to Learn More or to List a Job
Senior IP Counsel The
attorney will support the legal requirements of the Company relative to all
pertinent intellectual property activities by developing and implementing
strategies and procedures for protecting and asserting the intellectual property
rights of the Company. This position reports to the Associate General Counsel,
IP.
JD or equivalent plus California Bar admission required. 6 years of
IP and general transactional experience with a nationally recognized law firm
and/or major corporation. Significant experience managing IP for biotech or
pharmaceutical products and technology. General corporate, as well as merger and
acquisition experience preferred.
Patent Counsel Mid-level
experienced Patent Agent or Patent Attorney for vegetable seed company whose
responsibilities will include preparing and prosecuting biotechnology, plant
breeding and plant pathology patent applications - 80+%; assisting in managing
activities of outside international patent counsel, training activities and
supporting the Research & Development team.
Requirements include a
M.S. or preferably a Ph.D. in biology, biotechnology or plant science, a minimum
of 3 years and a maximum of 7 years of hands on experience with relevant plant
genetics, plant breeding, biotechnology, molecular or cellular biology patent
application drafting and prosecution, previous experience as in-house patent
counsel at a corporation is beneficial
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