Tag Archives: Patent No

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

22nd Century Group Announces U.S. Patent Issues for MPO Nicotine Biosynthesis Gene

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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22nd Century Group Announces U.S. Patent Issues for MPO Nicotine Biosynthesis Gene

CLARENCE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– 22nd Century Group, Inc. (OTCBB: XXII), a company that has developed groundbreaking technology for tobacco harm reduction products, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (US PTO) has issued Patent No. 8,410,341 for the N-methylputrescine oxidase (MPO) gene technology. MPO is essential for production of nicotine in the tobacco plant. As previously announced, the US PTO issued a Notice of Allowance on December 24, 2012 for this technology; however, yesterday’s issuance marks the official grant of the patent.

The allowed claims of Patent No. 8,410,341, entitled, NUCLEIC ACID ENCODING N-METHYLPUTRESCINE OXIDASE AND USES THEREOF, cover nucleic acids encoding MPO, methods for producing tobacco plants with either reduced or increased nicotine levels and tobacco plants produced by the foregoing. The US PTO granted Patent No. 8,410,341 on April 2, 2013 to the National Research Council Canada (NRC). 22nd Century is NRC‘s exclusive worldwide licensee of MPO and other technologies.

Patent No. 8,410,341 is the first MPO gene patent issued anywhere in the world. Including the patent term adjustment, this U.S. patent will expire in December 2027. Patent Application PCT/IB2007/003550 is the related international application to U.S. Patent No. 8,410,341. Additional MPO patent applications are pending in the U.S., Canada and China.

The MPO gene encodes a protein involved in a key step of nicotine biosynthesis. Scientists have attempted to clone the MPO gene for decades. MPO expression can be either down-regulated or up-regulated to produce tobacco plant varieties and tobacco products with a wide range of nicotine levels (from very low to high), or altered ratios of nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids such as anatabine and nornicotine. Dr. Jonathon Page and Enwu Liu of the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute are the inventors of the MPO technology. 22nd Century funded subject patent and research and development expenses at NRC from 2006 to 2008.

The MPO gene technology is one of several 22nd Century patent families representing the company’s second-generation gene technology for modifying the content of nicotine and other nicotinic alkaloids in the tobacco plant. 22nd Century’s vice president of research and development, Dr. Michael Moynihan stated, “We are very pleased that the US PTO has granted the MPO patent. Our second-generation technology has significant advantages over our first generation technology.”

22nd Century’s patent portfolio consists of 15 issued U.S. patents and 9 pending U.S. patent applications. Globally, 22nd Century owns or is the exclusive licensee of 109 issued patents in 78 countries plus an additional …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Patent Granted for Asymmetrical Wafer Configurations for Rubicon Technology

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Patent Granted for Asymmetrical Wafer Configurations for Rubicon Technology


Provides Tactile and Visual Indicators for Sapphire Wafer Orientation

BENSENVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NAS: RBCN) , a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent to Rubicon entitled, “Asymmetrical Wafer Configurations and Method for Creating the Same,” U.S. Patent No. 8,389,099. The patent covers the creation of visual and tactile indicators to make sapphire wafers asymmetric according to their crystalline orientation.

Sapphire wafers have specific orientation that is invisible to the naked eye. Rubicon has developed a simple, yet elegant, process to make wafers appear asymmetrical via visual or tactile inspection. This is important as LED and semiconductor manufacturers process sapphire wafers using specific crystalline orientations. The patent helps manufacturers in the LED and SoS/RFIC industries eliminate costly and unnecessary steps to determine orientation of sapphire wafers during processing, such as x-ray crystallography.

Epitaxy-ready wafers have either an orientation flat or an orientation notch, but this provides insufficient information: the wafer could be flipped front-to-back and still look the same yet be unusable in that state crystallographically. Only through repeated x-ray inspections could the manufacturer ensure that no wafers are reversed. If the wafers are made asymmetrical, operators at each stage of production can verify surface orientation quickly and economically, and will be confident that the wafers have been handled correctly.

Rubicon’s patent demonstrates several different solutions for making sapphire wafers asymmetric. In one solution, a rounded corner on the orientation flat or notch allows a user to easily determine that the wafer has not been reversed. In another solution, both corners of the flat are rounded to different radii. These differences are enough to determine orientation by touch or visual inspection. The technique can be applied to other substrates including silicon, silicon oxide, aluminum nitride, germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, and amorphous analogs.

“This new patent demonstrates our ongoing commitment to refine our products for our customers and deliver innovations that deliver real value,” said Raja M. Parvez, President and CEO of Rubicon Technology. “For Rubicon’s customers in the LED and SoS/RFIC markets, the crystal orientation is a critical factor in their manufacturing processes. This patent provides a …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

US Patent Office Grants Patent Claiming Dosing Regimen for TECFIDERA™ (Dimethyl Fumarate)

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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US Patent Office Grants Patent Claiming Dosing Regimen for TECFIDERA™ (Dimethyl Fumarate)

– Patent Offers Protection Until 2028 and Strengthens Growing Product Patent Portfolio –

– European Patent Office Also Determines Patent Application Covering the Same Dosing Regimen Allowable –

WESTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Biogen Idec (NAS: BIIB) today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. Patent No. 8,399,514, which offers additional protection for TECFIDERA™ (dimethyl fumarate), the company’s oral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The patent, which will expire in 2028, covers the dosing regimen of daily administration of 480 mg of TECFIDERA. This regimen is included in the proposed marketing application for TECFIDERA, which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The patent for this dosing regimen is recognition of the remarkable innovation TECFIDERA represents for the MS community,” said George A. Scangos, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Biogen Idec. “The tremendous research investment required to study and validate the patented dosing regimen is an example of innovation that leads to meaningful benefits to patients.”

The European Patent Office also recently determined that Biogen Idec‘s application for a patent covering the same dosing regimen of TECFIDERA is allowable. Once granted, this patent would also expire in 2028.

The TECFIDERA dose regimen patents add to the growing portfolio of granted patents covering TECFIDERA.

About TECFIDERA

TECFIDERA is the only currently known investigational compound for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) that has experimentally demonstrated activation of the Nrf-2 pathway. This pathway provides a way for cells in the body to defend themselves against inflammation and oxidative stress caused by conditions like MS.

In 2011 and 2012, Biogen Idec announced positive data from DEFINE and CONFIRM, two global, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials that evaluated 240 mg of TECFIDERA, administered either twice a day (BID) or three times a day (TID), for two years. TECFIDERA is currently under review by regulatory authorities in the United States, European Union, Australia, Canada and Switzerland.

About Biogen Idec

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Illumina Announces Outcome of Its Patent Litigation Against Syntrix Biosystems, Inc.

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Illumina Announces Outcome of Its Patent Litigation Against Syntrix Biosystems, Inc.

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Illumina, Inc. (NAS: ILMN) today announced that a federal jury in Tacoma, Washington found that Illumina’s BeadChip array product infringed U.S. Patent No. 6,951, 682, asserted by Syntrix Biosystems, Inc. The federal jury ordered Illumina to pay approximately $96 million in damages to Syntrix based on a royalty rate of six percent for BeadChip products sold by Illumina from 2005 through May 2012. United States District Court Judge Benjamin H. Settle, however, dismissed from the case claims that Illumina’s alleged infringement was willful and that Illumina misappropriated Syntrix’s trade secrets. The Syntrix patent expires on September 17, 2019.

Illumina continues to believe that Syntrix’s claims are without merit. Illumina intends to file post-trial motions asking the court to vacate the jury’s finding and to rule as a matter of law that the BeadChip does not infringe Syntrix’s patent.

Jay Flatley, Illumina’s President and CEO, stated, “We strongly disagree with this verdict and plan to appeal the present finding of infringement. In the meantime, we will continue to sell the products that are the subject of this suit and no damages will be payable to Syntrix until all appropriate appeals have been taken, which may take a number of years.” Mr. Flatley continued, “Our BeadChip products are based on Dr. David Walt‘s technology that was licensed from Tufts University when Illumina was founded in 1998. Like many other companies, we respect the valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others. Consistent with our policy, we believe we acted properly with respect to the Syntrix ‘682 patent. We continue to feel very strongly about our position that Syntrix’s allegations are without merit and that, ultimately, our position will be vindicated.”

About Illumina

Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and function. We provide innovative sequencing and array-based solutions for genotyping, copy number variation analysis, methylation studies, gene expression profiling, and low-multiplex analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein. We also provide tools and services that are fueling advances in consumer genomics and diagnostics. Our technology and products accelerate genetic analysis research and its application, paving the way for molecular medicine and ultimately transforming healthcare.

Forward-Looking Statements

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

IPG Photonics Acquires Mobius Photonics to Accelerate UV Laser Development

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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IPG Photonics Acquires Mobius Photonics to Accelerate UV Laser Development

Acquisition Broadens Opportunities in Fine Processing Markets

OXFORD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– IPG Photonics Corporation (NAS: IPGP) today announced the acquisition of privately held Mountain View, California-based Mobius Photonics to accelerate its entry into the UV laser market and deepen IPG’s development team. Mobius provides high-power pulsed UV fiber lasers for micromachining, such as dicing and scribing of wafers, and VIA drilling and solar hybrid panel processing.

“The acquisition of Mobius Photonics will augment our current development efforts in UV fiber lasers to quickly penetrate the UV laser market, which we believe could be a significant sales driver for IPG in the coming years. Mobius has deep expertise in UV lasers, a strong patent portfolio and proprietary techniques relating to UV lasers,” said Dr. Valentin Gapontsev, IPG Photonics’ Chief Executive Officer. “The market has been waiting for a cost-effective, reliable and stable UV fiber laser. Now that we can combine Mobius’ UV laser expertise experience with IPG’s low-cost, proprietary fiber, pump diode and component technologies, we believe that we can effectively build a presence in the fine processing market.”

“This combination will enable us to leverage IPG’s industry-leading fiber laser technology to advance Mobius’ UV technology and provide our customers with low-cost advanced UV fiber lasers,” said Dr. Robert Byer, Mobius’ Co-Founder and Chairman. “We are proud of the accomplishments of our talented team and look forward to the many opportunities resulting from this transaction.”

Kiyomi Monro, Mobius’ CEO added, “I am pleased that the Mobius team will join IPG, a company clearly committed to investing in technology and the people behind it.”

In the acquisition, IPG acquired an exclusive license of U.S. Patent No. 5,745,284, an early and broad patent claiming pulsed fiber lasers with frequency conversion into UV light, as well as other Mobius patents, licenses and trade secrets.

The employees from Mobius will become part of the IPG Silicon Valley Technology Center. Mobius had revenue from operations of approximately $1.4 million for 2012.

About IPG Photonics Corporation

IPG Photonics Corporation is the world leader in high-power fiber lasers and amplifiers. Founded in 1990, IPG pioneered the development and commercialization …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Is Google Maps Going To Be Banned In Germany?

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By Tim Worstall, Contributor This would be annoying at a personal level as well as being slightly strange on the larger one. For we use Google Maps in Germany to guide trucks to a mining site. But that’s of course a minor point as compared to the possible outcome of this case detailed by Florian Mueller. It looks like Microsoft has a very good chance of prevailing in a patent trial against Motorola Mobility and Google over an issue crucial for the use of Google Maps: ….inclined to hold Google Inc., its subsidiary Motorola Mobility LLC and MMI’s German subsidiary liable for infringement of a key Microsoft patent, EP0845124 on a “computer system for identifying local resources and method therefor”, which is the European equivalent of U.S. Patent No. 6,240,360. And this would mean: Microsoft is seeking, and now very likely to obtain, a German patent injunction against the Google Maps service, the Google Maps Android client app, and web browsers providing access to Google Maps. In order to comply with the injunction that looms large, Google would have to disable access to Google Maps from computers using a German IP address, discontinue shipping the Google Maps Android app in the German market, and distribute web browsers in Germany only if they block access to Google Maps in a way comparable to Internet filters used for the purpose of parental controls. This is really about something larger than Maps though. There’s two parts to this. A finding of patent violation in a German court does not bind courts in other jurisdictions. But it will be influential on any similar cases: most especially in other EU courts. So assuming that Microsoft prevails here we will presumably see it taking the same issue to other jurisdictions where it has the same patent. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest