“Interesting Patents, System for vertical farming, Eco-Friendly Lamps, Herbal edible coatings for fresh fruits and vegetables, IIT-Bombay highest grosser from patents, Dr Reddy’s loses patent dispute with Eli Lilly, Apple challenges Qualcomm’s patent in US, Raytheon Company gets coveted US patent no. 10,000,000, WIPO’s proposal creates flutters and other Weekly Patent News” presented by the Patent attorneys and experts of BananaIP Counsels, India’s leading Patent Firm.
Patent Fact of the Week
The first practical fountain pen design was patented in 1884 by Lewis Waterman. The Treaty of Versailles was in fact signed using a solid gold Waterman pen.
Indian Patent Statistics
A total of 1059 patent applications have been published in the 25th issue of the patent journal. Out of the 1059 applications, 127 applications account for early publications while 932 applications account for ordinary publications or publications occurring after the 18 month period. A total of 261 applications have been granted this week thus marking an increase of about 59.15% in comparison to the number of applications granted in the previous week.
Early Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 10 | 35 | 250% increase |
| Mumbai | 4 | 58 | 1350% increase |
| Chennai | 39 | 22 | 43.59% decrease |
| Kolkata | 30 | 12 | 60% decrease |
| Total | 83 | 127 | 53.01% increase |
Ordinary Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 215 | 471 | 93.95% increase |
| Mumbai | 109 | 122 | 11.93% increase |
| Chennai | 236 | 265 | 12.29% increase |
| Kolkata | 83 | 74 | 10.84% decrease |
| Total | 643 | 932 | 44.95% increase |
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (Previous Week): 726
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (This Week): 1059
Percentage difference: 45.87% increase
First Examination Report (FER) Statistics
A total of 1833 FER’s have been issued last week. Applicants and their agents can check if any of their patent applications have been examined by referring to the journal available here.
| City | No. of FER Issued |
| Delhi | 604 |
| Mumbai | 243 |
| Chennai | 672 |
| Kolkata | 314 |
| Total | 1833 |
PUBLICATIONS UNDER GRANT
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 51 | 70 | 37.25% increase |
| Mumbai | 14 | 43 | 207.14% increase |
| Chennai | 57 | 91 | 59.65% increase |
| Kolkata | 42 | 57 | 35.71% increase |
| Total | 164 | 261 | 59.15% increase |
Number of Applications published based on applicant city
Of the total 1059 patent applications published in the journal last week, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata have contributed a total of 112 applications. The total applications from each of the previously mentioned cities for the past week are as follows 29 applications from Chennai, 25 applications each from Bangalore and Mumbai, 24 applications from Delhi, 8 applications from Hyderabad and 1 from Kolkata.
| List of Cities | 1st January 2018 – 22nd June 2018 | 16th June 2018 – 22nd June 2018 |
| Delhi | 591 | 24 |
| Mumbai | 424 | 25 |
| Bangalore | 475 | 25 |
| Chennai | 294 | 29 |
| Hyderabad | 242 | 8 |
| Kolkata | 108 | 1 |
Total number of applications published by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2018 till date: 18701
- Early publications: 1769
- Ordinary Publications: 16932
Total number of patents granted by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2018 till date: 6780
- Delhi – 2577
- Mumbai – 791
- Chennai – 2086
- Kolkata – 1326
Indian Industrial Designs Statistics
The designs office has registered a total of 119 designs this week. The total designs registered from the 1st of January 2018 till date now adds to a total of 4676 applications.
Total designs registered in the previous Week: 137
Total designs registered this Week: 119
Percentage Difference: 13.14% decrease
Total designs registered from the 1st of January 2018 till date: 4676
Interesting Patents
From vertical farming systems to eco-friendly lamps that allegedly turn into medicine this week’s patent journal is replete with ‘Green inventions’. Read on for more.
Patent Application 1
Title of the invention: A SYSTEM FOR VERTICAL FARMING
Applicant: VIVEK SHARMA
Application No.: 201811021471
Abstract: “A system for vertical farming comprising of multiple stacks of auto irrigated RCC fixture (1) wherein water table is maintained at slit level above water permeable membrane. Fixture (1) carries the soil for growing crops. Water rises up in the soil due to capillary action. Moisture sensor (5) controls the flow of water in the system.” (The abstract text has been taken as is and has not been corrected for errors)
Patent Application 2
Title of the invention: ECO-FRIENDLY LAMP MADE UP OF COMPOSITION BASED ON PANCHAGAVYA WITH THE COMBINATION OF LEAVES USED IN TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINE
Applicant: THE ZERO BRAND ZONE PVT. LTD.
Application No.: 201721043812
Abstract: “The present invention relates to lamp made using a novel composition based on Panchagavya with the combination of leaves used in traditional herbal medicine for making lamp suitable for lighting at temples, homes. The present invention more particularly relates a lamp which gets burnt completely and leaves behind useful ash/residue/bhasma which can be used in a number of useful applications.” (The abstract text has been taken as is and has not been corrected for errors)
Patent Application 3
Title of the invention: HERBAL EDIBLE COATINGS FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Applicant: Pankaj Garg
Application No.: 201811021634
Abstract: “The Herbal Edible Coating developed from corn starch by incorporating aqueous Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaves extract. The corn starch is a polysaccharide derived from Maize (Corn-Zea mays) and beeswax is lipid based material, have the ability to prevent the gases and moisture loss. Tulsi is useful and sacred herb which is used in medicinal purpose from many years. Tulsi leaves extract have many health beneficial properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, many others as well as it is act as natural preservative. Tulsi (O. sanctum), corn starch and beeswax are natural components of Herbal edible coating which is fit for human consumption and beneficial for human health, it is the unique or novel character of this invention. The main purpose of this invention is to increase the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables by application of herbal non poisonous coating on fresh produce. The corn starch and beeswax herbal edible coating is applied as a thin layer on fresh produces which act as a protective covering against microbes, moisture, gases (CO2 and O2) and physical damages. The corn starch and beeswax herbal edible coating is environment friendly product So, it is a good option to replace the polymer packaging.” (The abstract text has been taken as is and has not been corrected for errors)
Indian Patent Updates
IIT-Bombay highest grosser from patents
IIT-Bombay appears to have come up as the highest grosser in terms of the revenue it generates from its patents. With an average annual earning of Rs 2.2 crore, IIT-B has trumped its other counterparts at Delhi, Kharagpur and Madras which generate Rs 35.71 lakhs, Rs 49.95 lakh and Rs 2.18 crore respectively.
Source: Here
Patent /Design Infringements, Disputes, Licensing and Settlements.
Dr. Reddy’s loses patent dispute with Eli Lilly
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has passed a ruling the favor of Eli Lilly and Company in a patent litigation involving the drug – Alimta. The court in its ruling held that Dr. Reddy’s would be infringing Eli Lilly’s patent over Alimta if it markets the alternative salt forms of pemetrexed prior to the patent’s expiration in May 2022. In a separate decision on June 15, the District Court also ruled in favor of Lilly in the case of Eli Lilly and Company Vs Hospira, Inc. which means that both Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories and Hospira will be prevented from launching their alternative salt forms of the pemetrexed until the patent expires.
Apple challenges Qualcomm’s patent in US
Apple has gone at it again by filing petitions challenging four of Qualcomm’s patents in the US. In the petitions filed with the USPTO, Apple has asked the patent office to cancel four Qualcomm patents, saying they don’t cover new ideas. The patents being challenged involve ways to automatically focus a digital camera; a device that functions as both a phone and personal digital assistant; touch-sensitive displays; and circuit memory.
Three judges with the review board will consider the petitions and any response from Qualcomm, and will make a preliminary decision on whether Apple has a chance of winning its arguments. If so, it will institute a formal review and issue a final decision in a year.
International Patent Updates
Raytheon Company gets coveted US patent no. 10,000,000
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the 10 millionth patent (Patent no. 10,000,000) on the June 19th 2018 to a US based defense company called Raytheon. What makes the patent special apart from the patent number is the fact that it is the first patent certificate to sport the new patent cover design and has been signed by the President of the United States himself. The patent has been granted for an invention titled “COHERENT LADAR USING INTRA-PIXEL QUADRATURE DETECTION” accessible for viewing here.
WIPO’s proposal creates flutters
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is considering a proposal to permit countries to outsource their patent examination duties to patent offices of other countries. This has created flutters amongst various nations and public health circles. India is expected to voice its objection to this attempt to amend a treaty regulation as the move would affect the sovereign rights of smaller countries who do not have the capacity to process their own patents. The proposed amendment to PCT Regulations is being seen as yet another attempt to undermine the flexibilities of the TRIPS agreement.
Author: BIP’s Patent Attorneys
Led by Senior Partners, Somashekar Ramakrishna, Nitin Nair and Vinita Radhakrishnan, BIP’s Patent Attorneys are among the leading patent practitioners in the country. They work with clients such as Mahindra and Mahindra, Samsung, HCL, Eureka Forbes, and Titan. They specialize in IT/Software, Electronics/Telecom, Mechanical, Automotive, and Bio/Pharma domains, and help clients with patent filing, prosecution, management and strategy in India, and across the world.
The weekly patent news initiative is a part of their pro bono work, and is aimed at spreading patent awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
If you have any questions, you may write to BIP’s Patent Attorneys – contact@bananaip.com.
