Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janet Ballone on October 13, 2012 at 4:43pm

I don't quite understand this but I hope Insulet doesn't go out of business. I love my OmniPod. And if they are closed down, what do WE do?

Permalink Reply by Tonya H on October 13, 2012 at 4:47pm

Here's what I read a few days ago about this. I find this all very disappointing. Medtronic doesn't even make a patch pump.

http://www.massdevice.com/news/diabetes-medtronic-sues-insulet-over...

Permalink Reply by jbowler on October 13, 2012 at 5:08pm

Insulet can simply modify their pods to remove the beep when a command is received; it's not necessary because the PDM verifies the status of the pod after every command and the beep doesn't guarantee anything - it can't be heard in a noisy environment.

Patenting just a remote control, without something extra, must surely be impossible; it's more than 100 years now since the original remote control patent:

http://www.google.com/patents/US613809

The original patent is pretty general, and subsequent technical developments have resulted in a whole set of off-the-shelf electronic components allowing implementation of arbitrary device control.

On the other hand Medronic's patents, at least from the description, are fundamentally flawed because simple remote control is not sufficient for an insulin pump. There has to be two way communication to ensure that the system is fail safe. My guess is that Insulet has patents on aspects of this. The Tesla patent above did not cover feedback and the commonly found remote control systems have no feedback to the controller.

John Bowler

Permalink Reply by Tonya H on October 13, 2012 at 7:44pm

I would prefer if the pods did not beep anyway. Is this Medtronic's main claim re: patent infringement?

Permalink Reply by jbowler on October 14, 2012 at 6:44pm

I haven't read the claims; the links above just lead to summaries, no one has downloaded the actual patents to the web site. I'm guessing that it is the audible feedback which is the guts of the claim since everything else in the summary is obvious and/or not specific to a remote control insulin pump.

Permalink Reply by garidan on October 15, 2012 at 12:19am

Are you sure the links are not the patent themself ? They are pretty long docs (see http://www.ptodirect.com/Results/Patents?query=PN/(7109878))

Permalink Reply by Rebecca on October 13, 2012 at 5:25pm

Anyone else wondering why it's taken (I'm not sure how old Insulet is) but at least over 5 years for them to do this?

Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on October 14, 2012 at 9:41am

That was my question as well.....here's hoping it takes another 7 years for legalities to kick in. Maybe by then there will be better options for us anyway. Who is closer to the artificial pancreas, I wonder. It does make one feel unfavorably toward Medtronic.

Permalink Reply by garidan on October 14, 2012 at 12:05pm

As I reported "below", Medtronic says it sent a letter on 2005 an another one on 2007.
It will be interesting to see if they'll do something with Roche too, which is coming in the USA with its Combo micro, with a color remote control.
Animas Vibe is without remote, and I wonder if they received a letter too and decided to avoid problems.

The loosers are we all diabetics. I hope somebody finds "previous art", something delivering "liquids" even in the hospital and controlled by a remote, before 1998. Does anybody know ?

Otherwise I think a boycottage cold be justified by Medtronic behaviour as a monopolist on micro pumps remotely controlled (any patch pump like Omnipod,Solo,Jewel pump and many tethered pumps like Animas Ping, Roche and Dana)

Permalink Reply by Natasha Bowlds on October 13, 2012 at 6:23pm

Medtronic is who sued the company who made the Cozmo right? That's why I always swore I would never buy a pump from them. It makes me so mad that our ability to manage this disease has to be subjected to their games.

Permalink Reply by Janet Ballone on October 13, 2012 at 6:26pm

Very well said.

Permalink Reply by Rebecca on October 13, 2012 at 7:35pm

I don't know much about legal issues but any chance we can sue Medtronic for trying to create an insulin pump monopoly? Probably not but it upsets me that when they can't get patients fairly by offering the best equipment and service they get them unfairly by making it so no one else can operate in the field.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page