method patent

method patent

A patent awarded by the US Patent Office for a method, process or procedure.
Federal legislation was proposed that would bar patents “for any invention or discovery of a method or process for performing a surgical or medical therapy, or making medical diagnosis.” The difficulty lies when the holder of an MP attempts to collect royalties for such diverse techniques as: stitchless incisions for cataract surgery, determination of foetal gender by ultrasound, vasodilator injections to treat male impotence, combination of drugs and vitamins to treat cancer, blood collections, pain therapy, suturing of internal organs, grafting, and diagnosing and treating heart disease.
For production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, such patents are preferably known as process patents.