US 11738124

Technical Analysis of U.S. Patent 11,738,124

Date of Analysis: May 13, 2026

This report provides a concise summary of United States Patent 11,738,124, including its key bibliographic details and a plain-language overview of its independent claims.

Bibliographic Information

• Title: System and method for collecting plasma.
• Assignee: Haemonetics Corporation.
• Inventor: Michael Ragusa.
• Filing Date: September 13, 2022.
• Issue Date: August 29, 2023.
• Abstract: A method for collecting plasma includes determining the weight and hematocrit of a donor, and inserting a venous-access device into the donor. The method then withdraws blood from the donor through a draw line connected to a blood component separation device, and introduces anticoagulant into the withdrawn blood. The blood component separation device separates the blood into a plasma component and a second blood component, and the plasma component is collected from the blood component separation device and into a plasma collection container. The method may then calculate (1) a percentage of anticoagulant in the collected plasma component, and (2) a volume of pure plasma collected within the plasma collection container. The volume of pure plasma may be based, at least in part, on the calculated percentage of anticoagulant. The method may continue until a target volume of pure plasma is collected within the plasma collection container.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

U.S. Patent 11,738,124 contains two independent claims: claim 1, which describes a method, and claim 11, which describes a system.

• Independent Claim 1 (Method): This claim outlines a method for collecting plasma from a donor. The key steps are:

  1. Determining the donor's weight and hematocrit (the proportion of red blood cells in their blood).
  2. Drawing whole blood from the donor.
  3. Mixing the drawn blood with an anticoagulant.
  4. Separating the anticoagulated blood into plasma and other blood components.
  5. Collecting the separated plasma component.
  6. Crucially, the method involves calculating the actual volume of anticoagulant that is present in the collected plasma.
  7. Based on this, it then calculates the volume of "pure plasma" (plasma without the anticoagulant).
  8. The process is repeated until a specific target volume of this pure plasma is collected.

  In essence, this method aims to collect a more precise and standardized amount of pure plasma from each donor, regardless of individual variations in their hematocrit, by accounting for the volume of anticoagulant added during the process.

• Independent Claim 11 (System): This claim describes the physical system designed to carry out the method of claim 1. The system consists of:

  1. A venous-access device (like a needle) to draw blood and return other components to the donor.
  2. A blood component separation device (e.g., a centrifuge) to separate plasma from other blood parts.
  3. Tubing (a blood draw line and an anticoagulant line) to transport the fluids.
  4. Pumps to control the flow of blood.
  5. A central controller (a computer) that operates the system.

  The inventive feature of the system lies in the controller's programming. It is configured to calculate the volume of anticoagulant in the collected plasma (based on the donor's hematocrit) and then determine the volume of pure plasma. The controller is programmed to automatically stop the collection process once a predetermined target volume of pure plasma has been reached.

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Legal Status and Proceedings

As of the date of this analysis, it is important to note that U.S. Patent 11,738,124 is the subject of post-grant proceedings. An Inter Partes Review (IPR) was instituted by Terumo BCT, Inc. against Haemonetics Corporation (Case IPR2025-01374) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The institution date was January 27, 2026. An IPR is a trial proceeding conducted at the USPTO to review the patentability of one or more claims of a patent. The outcome of this proceeding could affect the validity of the claims described above. No dockets related to this patent were found for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for 2026 at this time.