Opinion ID: 806478
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: locating a porous material comprising a syn-

Text: thetic polymer under said cover at the wound; iv. adhesively sealing and adhering the periphery of said cover to tissue surrounding the wound to form a continuous seal; v. operably connecting said suction port with said vacuum system for producing said reduced pres- sure; vi. interposing a fluid trap between said suction port and said vacuum source; and vii. maintaining reduced pressure of at least 0.11 atm at the wound until the wound had progressed toward a selected stage of healing. ’651 patent col.25 ll.31–48. KINETIC CONCEPTS v. SMITH & NEPHEW 6 Figure 1 of the ’651 patent discloses the key components of the claimed apparatus: As depicted in this figure, the claimed apparatus includes: (1) a vacuum pump (30) ; (2) tubing (12); (3) an opencelled foam wound screen (10); and (4) an adhesive seal (18). ’651 patent col.6 ll.31–61; see also ’081 patent col.2 ll.30–35 (“FlG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a negative pressure device comprising a open-cell polymer screen, a flexible hose connecting the foam section to a suction pump, and a flexible polymer sheet overlying the foam-hose assembly to provide the necessary seal.”). To utilize the apparatus, “[f]irst, the open cell foam is cut to fit the shape of the wound and placed inside the wound. Then the adhesive seal is placed over the foam that is 7 KINETIC CONCEPTS v. SMITH & NEPHEW inside the wound.” Kinetic Concepts, Inc. v. Blue Sky Med. Grp., Inc., No. 08-cv-102, slip op. at 2 (W.D. Tex. Oct. 10, 2010) (order granting defendant’s motion for judgment as a matter of law of invalidity for obviousness) (ECF No. 605) (“JMOL Order”). Once the seal is in place, “[o]ne end of the tubing is placed through the seal into the foam and the other end is attached to the vacuum pump. The vacuum pump is turned on and, because of the tight seal around the wound, the edges of the wound immediately begin to move together.” Id.