Patent Chief Nixes iRhythm Challenges Citing Decade-Old Tech (1)

The US Patent and Trademark Office denied iRhythm Technologies Inc.'s challenges to four patents covering medical technology used to monitor vital signs, relying on the inventions’ inception as early as 2012.

The June 6 decision by acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart cited “settled expectations” as a key factor against reviewing the patents’ validity, despite acknowledging “several arguments” favored iRhythm. iRhythm was aware of one of the patents as early as 2013, she said, noting the company cited the then-pending application in its own patent application. iRhythm’s failure to seek review earlier outweighed other factors.

The decision drew sharp criticism from ...