With its issuance of an official “Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate” earlier this month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed the validity of a patent held by Bal Seal Engineering Inc. for the use of a Canted Coil Spring-based electrical connector in active implantable medical devices. The move re-affirms the USPTO’s December 2004 granting of U.S. Patent #6,835,084 B2 to Bal Seal, a Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based designer and manufacturer of medical connectors and connector systems.
According to the Aug. 1, 2013 Certificate, the USPTO not only confirmed un-amended original claims in the patent for medically implantable electrical connectors, it also allowed an additional 39 claims based on submissions presented by the company. The Certificate effectively strengthens the scope of the patent for medical connectors and adds claims to Bal Seal’s portfolio, which includes latching, holding and locking patents, for active implantables.
Bal Seal President and CEO Rick Dawson says he is “pleased with the determination,” adding that it underscores his company’s role in developing standard-setting technology used worldwide for making connections in implantable devices.
“It’s an affirmation of our patent,” Dawson says of the Certificate, “but it’s also an acknowledgment of the fact that our spring-based connectors have been and will continue to be the product of innovation, not duplication. We’re pleased to have a validation of the value that our engineering work and experience have brought to this industry.”
Bal Seal’s offering for medical implantables consists of several spring and groove configurations, as well as Bal Conn electrical connectors, which consist of a Bal Seal Canted Coil Spring retained in a housing made from biocompatible metals. The company also offers its SYGNUS Implantable Contact System, which packages Bal Conn connectors and precision-engineered silicone seals in a pre-tested “stack” that reduces development time and costs for device makers. Bal Seal medical connectors are used in the header cavity of implantable devices, where critical connections are made to ensure the reliable, consistent delivery of electrical therapies to the heart, spine, brain, and other areas of the body.