PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15743763
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2018-07
Patent Classification: ["424", "426000"]

Abstract:
Hollow fiber drug delivery devices are described. Device can contain structural or solid fibers. Fabric can be formed by fibers being interwoven or joined to each other. All or some of the fibers can be resorbable. Fibers can be subdivided, by deformations or closure points, into numerous compartments that separately deliver drug. Deformations can be located at points of fiber intersection or joining. Different drug or drug formulation can be provided in different places. Fibers can be given appropriate surface treatments or coatings to achieve desired properties such as wetting of pores and surfaces. Different release characteristics in different directions can be achieved. The hollow fibers can contain solid particles of drug, and can contain gel. Possible applications include hernia meshes, pouches, sutures, catheters, wound dressings, stents, nerve regrowth guides, refillable/drainable devices, and devices that deliver drug to lymphatic flow.

Claim (Index 1):
A medical device configured for implantation within a subject's body, comprising:\n one or more hollow, non-metallic fibers having native-permeable walls that define interior lumens, wherein a drug is located in at least some of said lumen, wherein the walls comprise pores, wherein said walls provide a drug release rate that after implantation provides a pharmaceutically effective amount of drug, and wherein: (a) the hollow, non-metallic fibers are comprised in a fiber-complex, which is a fabric construct or a yarn construct, or (b) at least some of said lumens further contains a polymeric substance, said polymeric substance having a molecular weight such that said polymeric substance is resistant to passing through said wall, said polymeric substance comprising (i) a polymeric substance that absorbs water when in the presence of aqueous bodily fluids, (ii) a viscosity-enhancing or gel-forming substance that produces a high viscosity liquid or a gel when in aqueous solution, or (iii) a swellable material that increases its volume upon absorption of bodily fluids, or (c) the permeable wall comprises a base material that is treated to render it more hydrophilic than in its untreated condition, or (d) different parts of said lumen(s) contain a distinct second drug or a formulation of the first drug that is different from a formulation of the drug compared to fibers in another part of said device, or (e) the hollow, non-metallic fiber or fibers are comprised in a suture and are attached to suture lead end that has a sharpness and stiffness selected for use as a suture lead, or (f) the medical device further comprises a reservoir of drug, the reservoir in fluid communication with the hollow, non-metallic fibers, or (g) one or more of the hollow, non-metallic fibers terminates in (i) a port configured to provide a fluid connection to a conduit for filing or draining that hollow fiber from outside the subject's body or (ii) a fluid connection to such a conduit, or (h) one or more of the hollow, non-metallic fibers is arrayed along a catheter, or (i) one or more of the hollow, non-metallic fibers having end(s) fixed in a potting material configured to provide a connector to a supply or drain line, or (j) a said hollow, non-metallic fiber has one or more deformations at selected place(s) along its length that obstruct fluid communication in the fiber interior, said the walls of hollow fiber exhibiting a molecular weight cutoff of about 500 Daltons or higher (e.g., about 1,000 Daltons or higher, or about 2,000 Daltons or higher); or (k) a device according to one of (a) through (j), wherein the device is resorbable; or (l) any combination of the foregoing.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 9.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.76087
- Patent Class: 424.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14073734', '14968456', '12269838', '11148011', '11759387']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7320441999744027
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4830856869222976
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7071483486691923
- Mean Citation Score: 163.29429
- Max Citation Score: 172.24348
- Similarity Product: 124.69974804611444

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 0
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 0
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test