US 10980926

A concise summary of US Patent 10,980,926, including litigation activity, is provided below.

Summary of US Patent 10,980,926

Title: System and method for collecting plasma

Assignee: Haemonetics Corp.

Inventor: Michael Ragusa

Filing Date: May 4, 2020

Issue Date: April 20, 2021

Abstract: The patent describes a method for collecting plasma that involves determining a donor's weight and hematocrit. Blood is withdrawn from the donor and mixed with an anticoagulant before being separated into plasma and other components. The system calculates the percentage of anticoagulant in the collected plasma and the volume of "pure plasma." The collection process continues until a target volume of pure plasma is obtained.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent has three independent claims: Claim 1 (a method), Claim 8 (a system), and Claim 15 (a method for programming a device).

• Claim 1 (Method for collecting plasma): This claim outlines a multi-step process for plasma collection. First, the donor's weight and hematocrit (the ratio of red blood cells to total blood volume) are determined. Based on these, a target volume of pure plasma and the expected volume of anticoagulant are calculated to determine a total target collection volume. Blood is then drawn, mixed with a specific ratio of anticoagulant, and separated. The plasma component is collected until this total target volume is reached.

• Claim 8 (System for collecting plasma): This claim describes the physical components of a system designed to perform the plasma collection method. It includes a venous-access device (like a needle), a blood component separation device, a blood draw line with a pump, an anticoagulant line, and a controller. The controller is programmed to calculate the volume of anticoagulant to be collected, a target volume of pure plasma based on the donor's weight and hematocrit, and a final target collection volume. The system is configured to stop the process once the target collection volume is reached.

• Claim 15 (Method for programming a blood component processing device): This claim focuses on the programming of the collection device. It involves a control system receiving the donor's weight and hematocrit. The system then calculates the expected volume of anticoagulant and a target volume of pure plasma. From these calculations, a total target collection volume is determined, which is then programmed into the device's controller as the endpoint for the blood processing procedure.

Litigation

As of the current date, US Patent 10,980,926 has been the subject of a Post-Grant Review (PGR) petition. A PGR is a trial proceeding conducted at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to review the patentability of one or more claims in a patent.

Specifically, Terumo BCT Inc. filed a PGR petition against Haemonetics Corp. challenging the validity of this patent. The outcome of this proceeding could affect the enforceability of the patent's claims. No further information on the status of this petition is available from the provided search results. There is no indication of any litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 at this time.