Case: Patents/Obviousness (P.T.A.B.)

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board found that challenged claims of Stratus Medical LLC’s patent directed to improved systems and methods for performing radio frequency neurotomy are unpatentable as obvious over prior art, in an inter partes review by Avanos Medical Inc. According to the board, the challenged claims are obvious over various combinations of prior art, including prior art that discloses a radio frequency ablation device for the destruction of tissue masses, an ablation probe with a distal inverted electrode array, and a deflectable sheath handle assembly and method. And the board denied the parties’ motions to exclude.