Diabetes: Medtronic sues Insulet over OmniPod device

oh wait, does the vibe come with a remote? Like the ping?

These newer lawsuits, including the ones against animas in the US, are all based off the remote feature. Not the bolus calc anymore. Maybe they've given up on that?

 

No, the vibe doesn't come with a remote.

I think that Animas finally did what Insulet and Accu-Chek and Tandem have done - find a way to avoid the dial up without infringing MM's patent.

Or the U.S. version of the Vibe might still have the dial up. Who knows?

 

Can someone please explain to me what Dial up refers to?

 

I'm having trouble finding exactly what the original cozmo lawsuit was about but I was almost positive that was one of the things. But I do know also that cozmo also had the attached meter which beamed info to the pump, and while it wasn't a handheld device I think it was also included.

the original lawsuit references these two patents:
"MiniMed filed a patent infringement complaint against
Smiths for the infringement of United States Patent No.
6,554,798 B1 (the "'798 patent") and United States Patent No. 5,655,065 (the "'065 patent"),"

Neither seems to be the same now or my searching is sucky.
Maybe minimed has let that patent go?

oh wait, here is the first: http://www.knobbemedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/6554798.pdf

 

Vibe has no remote, but has Dexcom G4 included..

Dan - on Animas 2020 and Ping pumps, the pump will work out the recommended bolus, but then you have to use the UP arrow to dial the actual amount to be delivered to match the recommended dose and then "go"..

 

on the minimed pump you are presented with a bolus calculation estimate which you can manually change or simply accept by hitting act. You do not need to enter further information.

on animas you are presented with a bolus calculation estimate which you cannot immediately accept. You must manually re-input the dose into the pump, either as presented or changed. We all simply refer to that as 'dial up' a dose.

 

So if I understand this correctly the issue MM has with Insulet is that they have parameters within the PDM that based on my BG and Carbs I enter an insulin amount is suggested that I can simply hit confirm and the POD delivers the insulin. Of course those calculations also require IC/IS/IOB numbers etc...

 

No, I think the current lawsuit is entirely about the remote bolusing.

 

Oh ok thanks..

So what is the issue with a remote bolus? One device sends an RF wireless signal to another device.

 

Well, Medtronic's patents with respect to their remotes are a good deal more involved than that. It's impossible to tell from their complaint, but obviously they think their patents were infringed upon in some way.

 

That is what I am trying to understand. I used to work with an IT firm who created wireless applications and it is just that simple. I personally don't see what the issue is with the remote but I guess time will tell.

 

I think that's why these other companies have been trying to ignore and / or fight it.

 

Post 14 links to the patents in question if you want to read them. Like I said above, I'm not a scientist nor an engineer. My experience is with the litigation of patents. I was always provided J.D/PhDs to tell me whether there was patentability/infringement. In this case, patentability is presumed, since the PTO granted the patents.

 

I tried to read them but man way to wordy for me...

 

Yes, they are yawn-inducing, aren't they?

Like I said above, I have absolutely NO opinion on whether Insulet or Animas has infringed on MM's patents. My responses in this thread have been intended to refute the apparently pervasive notion that Medtronic is any more litigious than any other corporation its size, and specifically that their lawsuit "killed" Cozmo. Smiths Medical is plenty large enough to absorb the litigation costs from that lawsuit - corporations budget for legal fees. Small market share killed Cozmo, not the Medtronic litigation.

 

I am going to be seriously p.o'ed if this lawsuit put Insulet out of business. We love using the pod, Alex has no interest in any other pump, and we love being tubeless. Grrrrrrrr.




....... I seriously need to update sig line....

 

After perusing the patents it appears to me that medtronic was patenting a remote controlled pump that still connected to the body using tubing and not directly attached to the body like Omnipod. The patent talks about the pump being sized to put in a pocket. I don't know if that is a substantial enough difference to not infringe on the medtronic patents.

 

It's always about money

One of the key strategies surrounding IP is to win a very large award and you can't expect to cash in if you sue a small company. Rather, you wait for them to become successful with enough cash on hand to be in a position to pay you treble damages vs. declare bankruptcy.

On the other hand, these patents are painfully obvious. Lastly, the whole game of IP in medical devices is full of intrigue, thievery and bravado. At the end of the day the company with the most $ and best attorneys wins almost every time. It's a safe bet for a company like Medtronic to invest in IP they can borrow from anywhere (ala Steve Jobs philosophy for Apple) and file suit at the right time.

Bottom line is if you have a good idea you need to pursue it.

You can see how this strategy works out if you follow RIM (Blackberry) and their eventual settlement. If they didn't grow their company they had nothing. When they did become a multi-billion $ company, in spite of the lawsuits, they only paid a small portion of their revenue which was already reserved to pay for that eventuality. "On March 3, 2006, after a stern warning from Judge Spencer, RIM and NTP announced that they had settled their dispute. Under the terms of the settlement, RIM has agreed to pay NTP $612.5 million (USD) in a ?full and final settlement of all claims.? In a statement, RIM said that ?all terms of the agreement have been finalized and the litigation against RIM has been dismissed by a court order this afternoon. The agreement eliminates the need for any further court proceedings or decisions relating to damages or injunctive relief.? The settlement is believed low by some analysts, because of the absence of any future royalties on the technology in question" from Wikipedia. References the story on MSNBC here.

 

Medtronic needs more engineers and less lawyers

Being a Smith's Medical Cozmo user for 9 years, and being deeply resentful that Medtronic caused Cozmo's demise, I feel that they need more engineers and fewer attorneys. I, for one, will never, never buy another Medtronic device.

 

Sigh. Cozmo didn't sell enough pumps. That is what caused their demise.