Company patents
Ethicon, Inc.
Ethicon Inc. appears to be significantly re-evaluating its patent strategy, with a notable decline across its core medical device categories like Sterilization & Biocompatible Materials (down 52.0% YoY in 2025) and Medical Diagnostics & Surgery (down 54.5% YoY in 2025). While most categories show a sharp decline in patenting activity, the company shows a surprising, albeit small, emerging focus in Pharmaceutical Preparations, which saw a 150.0% YoY growth in 2024 and a 50.0% YoY growth so far in 2026, suggesting a potential shift towards pharmaceutical innovations.
Patent Trend by Technology Area
Yearly patent publications since 2023
Product themes
Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.
152 US filings (since 2023) · 12 categories · 23 themes
Polymer compositions tailored for medical and biological applications, including implantable devices, drug delivery systems, and diagnostic tools, emphasizing properties like biocompatibility, hydrolysis resistance, optical clarity, and specific mechanical characteristics.
Engineering and material considerations for devices used in minimally invasive procedures, focusing on mechanical properties, deployment mechanisms, and interaction with biological tissues.
Focuses on the mechanical design, articulation, and actuation of hand-held or robotic surgical instruments, including improvements in stapling, cutting, grasping, and tissue manipulation.
Materials and structures designed for implantation or tissue regeneration, focusing on properties like biodegradability, mechanical strength, cellular integration, and long-term in-vivo stability.
Design and application of devices that are inserted into the body or implanted to treat diseases, modulate physiological functions, or repair anatomical structures.
Methods and apparatus for disinfecting or sterilizing medical devices, waste, or environments, often employing radiation, chemical agents, or thermal processes, and including monitoring systems.
Synthesis and modification of polysiloxane polymers to introduce specific functional groups or structures, enhancing properties for applications like composites, coatings, biomedical uses, or powder treatment.
Novel formulations and mechanisms for initiating or controlling the polymerization and cross-linking of adhesives, including dual-curing systems, radical polymerization, and partial curing for tailored material properties.
Systems that integrate digital technology, sensors, or connectivity to monitor, track, or automate aspects of medication administration, often providing data feedback, personalized recommendations, or secure logging.
Minimally invasive medical devices, typically flexible tubes, inserted into body lumens to deliver substances, remove obstructions, or perform localized treatments like ablation, dialysis, or drainage.
Development and application of polymer compositions designed for reprocessability, recyclability, or incorporating sustainable additives, often featuring reversible bonds or bio-based components.
Spraying devices designed to handle, mix, or independently dispense multiple distinct fluid components, often with mechanisms for selection, blending, or sequential application.
Systems and methods that use imaging technologies, computer vision, and augmented reality to provide real-time guidance, localization, and visualization during surgical procedures or for detailed anatomical assessment.
Synthesis and modification of high-performance thermoplastic polymers, such as poly(arylene ether ketone) (PAEK) or polycarbonates, to achieve enhanced thermal stability, mechanical strength, or specific processing characteristics.
Systems and methods for accurately controlling the volume, location, and characteristics of sprayed fluids, often involving sensors, feedback, or specific nozzle geometries for precise application.
Additives or compositions specifically formulated for surface application or modification to impart protective, decorative, or specialized functional properties to polymer products.
Systems and processes for applying coatings, films, or materials onto surfaces in manufacturing or industrial contexts, often involving automated movement, surface preparation, or post-application treatment.
Implantable devices used for the fixation, fusion, or replacement of bone structures, particularly in the spine and extremities.
Systems specifically engineered to use sprayed liquids or aerosols for cleaning surfaces, removing residues, or distributing disinfectants in various environments.
Methods and equipment for continuously shaping plastic materials by forcing them through a die, often involving screw extruders, heating elements, and downstream calibration.
Implantable devices designed to repair, replace, or assist the function of blood vessels or heart structures, including stents, valves, and annuloplasty rings.
Design and synthesis of acyclic or carbocyclic organic compounds that selectively modulate specific biological targets or pathways for the treatment of diseases.
Development of therapeutic approaches involving the genetic modification of cells (e.g., T cells, stem cells, macrophages) or the use of viral/non-viral vectors to deliver genetic material for disease treatment.
Patents
Showing 1-10 of 342