See this week's breakthrough USPTO patent grants!

Table of Contents

• This Week's Patent News

• Weekly Statistics

• Main Article

• Trivia (question)

• Featured Inventor

• Today in Patent History

• Our Features

• Centurion Patentors

• Trivia (answer)

• Recommendations

This Week's Patent News:

1. Alpha Modus Sues OptiSigns Over Retail Tech Patents. Alpha Modus Holdings has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against OptiSigns in the U.S. District Court, claiming unauthorized use of its retail marketing technologies. The lawsuit cites multiple patents related to consumer engagement at the point of decision.

2. ToolGen Files UK Lawsuit Against Vertex Over CRISPR Therapy. ToolGen has sued Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the UK, alleging patent infringement over CASGEVY, a genome editing therapy. ToolGen holds patents for CRISPR RNP technology worldwide, including in Europe, and challenges Vertex’s use of its innovations.

3. Canon Requests Removal of Infringing Toner Cartridges from Amazon. Canon has submitted an infringement report to Amazon, seeking the removal of certain toner cartridge listings. The company alleges that the products infringe its U.S. patent related to printer technology.

4. China Invalidates LG Chem’s Cathode Patent Amid Battery Tech Dispute. China’s intellectual property authority has invalidated LG Chem’s cathode patent, citing insufficient technological details. This escalation adds to the ongoing battery tech competition between Korean and Chinese manufacturers.

How Simple Science and Global Innovation Turned Disposable Hand Warmers into a Winter Essential

The Japanese company Mycoal, founded in 1978, is credited with refining the technology behind disposable warmers. These warmers combine finely powdered iron, salt, and water with a dash of activated carbon and vermiculite for good measure. When exposed to air, this mixture reacts to produce heat in a safe, controlled manner. Mycoal’s innovation proved so effective that it set the gold standard for warmers, quickly spreading to outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, and, inevitably, the rest of the freezing populace.

In the United States, HeatMax (founded in 1988) brought HotHands to market, making them a winter staple. The entrepreneurial vision of HeatMax’s founders turned what was once a niche product into a household name. They saw beyond ski slopes and cold-weather athletes to the broader market: parents at kids soccer games, ice fishermen, and city dwellers braving the elements during commutes.

One can’t help but marvel at the brilliance of the idea. Here’s a product that essentially asks you to pay for rusting metal but wraps it in packaging that screams innovation. It’s a delightful irony that what might have seemed like a throwaway science experiment in a high school lab now generates millions of dollars in sales annually. But perhaps the true genius of HotHands lies in their chemistry and promise: to make winter a little less miserable, one toasty hand at a time.

Please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to find out.

Daniel Caris: Innovating Clean Energy from Plastic Waste

Caris is the founder of Caris Inc., the company behind the CarisMatic Generator, a patented, shoebox-sized device designed to convert plastic waste into electricity. Unlike conventional recycling, which fails to process the majority of plastic waste, Caris’s technology leverages the thermal potential of discarded plastic, transforming it into an energy source rather than relegating it to landfills. The generator employs a combination of electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical systems, culminating in a bladeless turbine based on Nikola Tesla’s 1913 design. The result is a near-zero-emissions energy solution that not only cleans the environment but also provides a scalable alternative to fossil fuels.

Before founding Caris Inc., Caris built a distinguished career in engineering, serving as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer for a multinational corporation and earning membership in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. His extensive patent portfolio includes innovations in mechanical lifting devices, pool sweep backup valves, and traction indicators. A former NASCAR race car engineer and a consultant in industrial manufacturing, Caris’s expertise spans from prototype development to large-scale production.

Caris holds a degree in mechanical engineering from San Jose State University and has also acquired Technical Education Teaching Credentials through the State of California. His lifelong pursuit of transformative technology continues to redefine the intersection of environmental responsibility and energy independence.

For more on Caris’s groundbreaking work, visit www.carismatictechnology.com.

Congratulations to last week's Centurion Patentors!
We are excited to welcome the following inventors into these prestigious patent clubs:

For more info about their research & patents, click here

The answer is:

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former CEO of Theranos, is currently incarcerated at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. She has 151 patents. This minimum-security facility is located approximately 100 miles from Houston, where Holmes spent part of her youth. Holmes began serving her 11-year sentence in May 2023 after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy related to her company's blood-testing technology. Her projected release date is March 19, 2032. While incarcerated, Holmes has engaged in various activities, including working as a reentry clerk and teaching French to fellow inmates. She has also expressed a continued interest in healthcare innovation, reportedly working on new patents from prison. ​