[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 67 (Thursday, April 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8346]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 7, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Technical Information Service

 

Prospective Grant of Co-Exclusive Patent Licenses

    This is notice in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 CFR 
404.7(a)(1)(i) that the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 
U.S. Department of Commerce, is contemplating the issuance of grant co-
exclusive licenses in the United States to practice the invention 
embodied in U.S. Patent No. 4,616,316 (Serial No. 6-458,312), titled 
``Medication Compliance Monitoring Device Having Conductive Traces upon 
a Frangible Backing of a Medication Compartment,'' to Medical 
MicroSystems, Inc., having a place of business in Clarkson Valley, 
Missouri, and Medical Technology Systems, Inc., having a place of 
business in Clearwater, Florida. The patent rights in this invention 
have been assigned to the United States of America.
    The prospective co-exclusive licenses will be royalty-bearing and 
will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 
404.7. The prospective co-exclusive licenses may be granted unless, 
within sixty days from the date of this published Notice, NTIS receives 
written evidence and argument which establish that the grant of the 
licenses would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 
and 37 CFR 404.7.
    The present invention is a medication compliance monitoring system 
consisting of a blister pack having an array of plastic blisters 
defining compartments for medication, with a frangible nonconductive 
backing sheet having conductive traces behind the compartments which 
are respectively ruptured when the medication doses are removed. The 
blister pack is detachably connected to an electronic memory circuit 
via a multi-terminal male connector tab on the backing sheet, wired to 
the conductive traces, and a corresponding female connector with 
terminals wired to the electronic memory circuit. The electronic memory 
circuit addresses each individual trace periodically at a constant time 
interval over a predetermined extended period of time to determine if 
it is intact. The electronic memory circuit detects the ruptures and 
stores the time data thereof over said extended period of time. During 
the patient's follow-up visit a microcomputer is employed to retrieve 
the dose-removal-time data from the memory circuit; it processes the 
data and provides a display of the compliance information. A socket 
adapter is used to alternately configure the electronic memory circuit 
for data acquisition and extraction. The socket adapter is in the form 
of a multiple-pin jumper plug engageable in a multi-contact socket 
connected to the memory circuit. Insertion of the plug configures the 
memory circuit for data acquisition. Removal of the plug configures the 
memory circuit for data retrieval and processing by the microcomputer. 
In a typical embodiment there are 42 blisters whose associated 
conductive traces are addressed every 15 minutes over an extended time 
period which may be as much as 85 days.
    The availability of S.N. 6-458,312 for licensing was published in 
the Federal Register Vol. 48, No. 54, p. 11483 (March 18, 1983).
    A copy of the instant patent is available for $3.00 (payable by 
check or money order) from the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, 
Box 9, Washington, DC 20231.
    Inquiries, comments and other materials relating to the 
contemplated license must be submitted to Neil L. Mark, Center for the 
Utilization of Federal Technology, NTIS, Box 1423, Springfield, VA 
22151. Properly filed competing applications received by the NTIS in 
response to this notice will be considered as objections to the grant 
of the contemplated license.

Douglas J. Campion,

Acting Director, Office of Federal Patent Licensing.

[FR Doc. 94-8346 Filed 4-7-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-04-M