“More Publications by Patent Office, Smart Safety Helmet and Smart airbags for two-wheelers, wireless fuel monitors, Indian patent office refunds fees, Recommendation to deny writ filed in Samsung Vs Apple, Aspen Aerogel Vs Alison Hi-tech Co. and Nano tech co., JPO & Standard essential patents negotiation guidelines, WIPO boosts access to Pharmaceutical related patent information, BIP Tip of the week”, presented by the Patent attorneys and experts of BananaIP Counsels, India’s leading Patent Firm.
Patent Quote of the Week
“An Ever-greening Patent is a myth. So is the philosopher’s stone” -Vinita Radhakrishnan
Indian Patent Statistics
A significant increase was seen in the number of applications published by the Indian Patent office this week compared to the last. A total of 828 applications were published this week across patent offices. This marks a 16.28% increase when compared to the week before. However, there has been a decrease of 32.02% in the number of grants this week.
Early Publications
Ordinary Publications
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 274 | 192 | 29.92% decrease |
| Mumbai | 145 | 137 | 5.51% decrease |
| Chennai | 239 | 407 | 70.29% increase |
| Kolkata | 6 | 19 | 216.66% increase |
| Total | 664 | 755 | 13.70% increase |
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (Previous Week): 709
TOTAL PUBLICATIONS (This Week): 828
Percentage difference: 16.78% increase
PUBLICATIONS UNDER GRANT
| City | Previous Week | This Week | Percentage of change |
| Delhi | 112 | 78 | 30.35% decrease |
| Mumbai | 11 | 15 | 36.36% increase |
| Chennai | 109 | 76 | 30.27% decrease |
| Kolkata | 49 | 22 | 55.10% decrease |
| Total | 281 | 191 | 32.02% decrease |
Number of Applications published based on applicant city
This week 84 applications have been published in Mumbai, 61 in Bangalore and 43 in Chennai.
| List of Cities | 1st January 2017 – till date | 30th September 2017 – 6th October 2017 |
| Mumbai | 1091 | 84 |
| Bangalore | 981 | 61 |
| Delhi | 664 | 27 |
| Chennai | 645 | 43 |
| Hyderabad | 335 | 22 |
| Kolkata | 111 | 6 |
Total number of applications published by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2017 till 6th October 2017: 23796
- Early publications: 2273
- Ordinary Publications: 21523
Total number of patents granted by the Indian Patent Office from the 1st of January 2017 till 6th October 2017: 9053
- Delhi – 4053
- Mumbai – 1062
- Kolkata – 1758
- Chennai – 2935
Indian Industrial Designs Statistics
Total designs registered in the previous Week: 186
Total designs registered this Week: 166
Percentage Difference: 10.75% decrease
Total designs registered from the 1st of January 2017 till date: 7183
Interesting Patents and Designs
Smart safety helmets, airbags for two-wheelers and fuel quantity tracking device
This week we have uncovered interesting patents pertaining to inventions that enable safe and smart technology for the riding of a two-wheeler! The details of the applications have been given below:
Patent Application 1: Now helmets are not only safe but also smart!
Title: SELF-POWERED SAFETY HELMET
Application No. 201721033251
Applicants: Suhas Deshmukh, Amit Dusane
Abstract: “The present invention ensures the helmet is worn by the user and without which the vehicle will never start. It consists a mechanical switch(limit switch) for helmet (safety device for two wheeler), master Bluetooth module; solar panel with rechargeable battery mounted inside the helmet, limit switch for start and stops the ignition of two wheeler, LED(Light Emitting Diode) matrix for direction indication and tail light signal, salve Bluetooth module, ignition key and its set. Present invention ensures the wearing of helmet by driver of the two-wheeler, if helmet is not worn then signal will be generated to microcontroller which will further doesn’t allow to start the engine. This will ensure the safety of the user during accident and avoids heavy injury to head and brain. After wearing helmet limit switch will get activated which is connected to master Bluetooth mounted inside the helmet. Bluetooth communicates to slave circuitry of which is mounted on to vehicle which further activate relay. When ignition key and relay signal will start the ignition of the vehicle, which will ensure the wearing of helmet by user and will safeguard from any accident. Further, helmet contains a solar panel on the surface to power the microcontroller, a Bluetooth module, a voltage regulator, a limit switch. Rechargeable battery is also mounted to ensure the continuous charging of the power through solar panels.
” (Abstract has been taken from the patent application as is and has not been corrected.)
Patent Application 2: Air bags for two-wheelers
Title: AUTOMOTIVE SMART TWO-WHEELER AIR-BAG SYSTEM
Application No.: 201741034840
Applicants: BHARATH UNIVERSITY
Abstract: “This invention relates to an automotive safety system comprising the installation of air bags in a two wheeled automobile. The air bags are installed on both sides of the vehicle. Sensors positioned in various parts of the vehicle detect the incidence of a collision and this signal is sent to a control unit which directs the deployment of the airbags in a matter of milliseconds.” (Abstract has been taken from the patent application as is and has not been corrected.)
Patent Application 3: Digital system to ascertain quantity of fuel
Title: WIRELESS QUANTITY MONITORING SYSTEM FOR FUEL TANK.
Application No.: 201741033698
Applicants: MUTHUSAMY, Shanmugaraja
Abstract: “The present invention relates to the fuel tank of two wheeled vehicles and more particularly relates to fuel quantity measuring, device and wireless communication device. The wireless quantity monitoring system for fuel tank comprises a floating arrangement, transmitting means and a Lid wherein said fuel tank Lid consists fuel quantity display device which comprises at least a sensing means, a control unit and a power supply means and said control unit is wirelessly connected with the display unit. When the Lid js opened, the sensing means sends signal to the control unit and said control unit communicates to the display unit and the display fuel quantity value is changed as ZERO.” (Abstract has been taken from the patent application as is and has not been corrected.)
Government news and updates
Indian patent office refunds fees!
Indian patent office has initiated the refund of examination fees for applications for which a request for withdrawal was filed after the request for examination was filed. 90% of the fees of the request for examination is refunded after filing of Form 29 before the Indian patent Office. Indian patent office has published the list of 555 such applications for which request for withdrawal was filed during July 2017 to September 2017.
Patent disputes, infringement and settlements
US Department of Justice recommends Supreme Court to deny review of writ filed by Samsung against Apple
US department of Justice has recommended to Supreme Court to deny Samsung’s request to review an aspect of legal battle between Apple and Samsung. Samsung filed a Writ of certiorari in March this year and requested Supreme Court to review an aspect of a patent infringement case in which Apple was awarded $ 120 Million in 2014. Apple argued that the High Court need not look into this matter and the US Department of Justice agrees with Apple and has recommended the Supreme Court to deny the review.
Aspen Aerogel wins initial determination in a patent infringement complaint.
In a case that began in 2016 wherein Aspen Aerogel sued Asian manufacturers Guangdong Alison Hi-tech Co. and Nano tech co. for infringing several patents linked to Silica aerogel blankets which have aerogel particles embedded within their fibrous material which have a significant thermal insulation potential and a highly complex manufacturing process. Patent infringement complaints were filed in US and Germany. A recent announcement was made by Aspen Aerogel that they have won the Initial determination in the US international trade commission investigation. Investigation before the German authorities are still ongoing.
International News
Japanese government to issue Standard Essential Patents (SEP) negotiation guidelines
JPO will issue guidelines on licensing negotiations for standard essential patents and intends to release a policy document outlining the recommendations for good faith and reasonable royalties in SEP negotiations. This has been announced after a long public consultation period.
The purpose of new SEP guidelines is to prevent SEP disputes, and ensure prompt resolution of issues that arise. SEP licenses are not just being negotiated by companies related to information technology but also wide range of companies outside the telecommunications sector, which has produced a wide gap in royalty expectations. JPO proposes to make recommendations in areas of appropriate licensing negotiation methods and reasonable royalty levels.
WIPO partners with IFPMA for Pat-INFORMED
WIPO and International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) have signed an agreement to establish the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines. This initiative is named “Pat-INFORMED,” The newly launched partnership intends to promote the accessibility of patent information for health agencies which focus procurement of medicines. “Pat-INFORMED,”
Through Pat-INFORMED public patent information can be linked to registered medicines in a new online global gateway. This will help health professionals to navigate the medicine-procurement process which in turn will benefit their citizens. It will act as a global gateway to medicine patent information and will offer new tools and resources to determine the existence of patents relevant to products sought by procurement bodies’ disease-management strategies or other work addressing public health needs. It is expected to be operational by mid-2018
BananaIP’s Patent Tip of the Week
Filing patents at the right time is a strategy in itself. Filing too soon or too late can be detrimental to the value the patent is capable of bringing to business. For example, a pharmaceutical drug, to get approved, can take anywhere between 7 to 10 years. Filing a patent too early in such situations can eat into substantial market life of the product. However, especially in businesses with high competition, the possibility of two entities coming up with similar inventions simultaneously is high and hence to avoid losing the right to patent, filing diligently is important.
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 – [email protected].
