How Medical Ports Show Power Injection Rating on X-rays
This patent describes a medical port that has special X-ray visible markings to clearly show if it's safe for high-pressure injections, helping doctors avoid mistakes after the port is inside a patient.
Original patent title: “Venous access port with molded and/or radiopaque indicia”
This patent describes a medical port that has special X-ray visible markings to clearly show if it's safe for high-pressure injections, helping doctors avoid mistakes after the port is inside a patient. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a venous access port assembly that includes a base, a peripheral surface, and a septum. The key feature is the peripheral surface, which has X-ray discernable indicia, or markings, that identify the port as safe for power injection. These markings are integrally molded into the surface. For example, the peripheral surface itself might be made of an X-ray visible material, and the markings could be either more of that material or tiny voids (empty spaces) within it. Alternatively, the surface could be mostly transparent to X-rays, with the markings created by applying an X-ray blocking substance, or by making voids in that applied substance. This allows medical staff to confirm the port's capabilities even after it has been surgically placed inside a patient.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover venous access ports that lack X-ray discernable indicia to identify power injection rating.
- Does not cover indicia that are not integrally molded into the peripheral surface of the port.
- Does not cover X-ray visible markings on medical devices other than venous access port assemblies.
- Does not cover indicia that are visible only to the naked eye and not designed for X-ray imaging.
- Does not cover ports where the X-ray discernable indicia do not relate to power injection rating.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The cleverness lies in making critical information, specifically the power injection rating, permanently and internally visible via X-ray imaging after a medical device has been implanted. This is achieved by molding the indicia directly into the port's structure using X-ray visible materials or voids, ensuring the information cannot be lost or obscured.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Implantable venous access ports
Power-injectable port systems
Medical devices requiring post-implantation identification
Central venous catheters with integrated features
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Venous access ports are essential for long-term medical treatments like chemotherapy, allowing repeated access to a patient's bloodstream. Some ports are designed to withstand high-pressure injections, known as 'power injections,' which are used for certain imaging scans. Using a non-power-rated port for a power injection can cause serious complications, including port rupture or patient injury. This patent helps prevent such errors by making the port's power injection rating clearly visible on X-rays, which are often used to check port placement.
Filed
March 25, 2024
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major medical device manufacturers like Becton Dickinson (BD), Teleflex, and ICU Medical (which acquired Smiths Medical's port business) are active in the venous access port market. These companies continuously innovate to improve patient safety and device functionality, including clear identification methods for implanted devices.
Market impact
This type of innovation contributes to improved patient safety in medical procedures involving implanted ports. By providing clear, X-ray visible identification of power injection capability, it helps reduce the risk of medical errors and associated complications. This can lead to better patient outcomes and potentially lower healthcare costs related to managing adverse events, making such features a standard expectation in modern port designs.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a venous access port assembly that includes a base, a peripheral surface, and a septum. The key feature is the peripheral surface, which has X-ray discernable indicia, or markings, that identify the port as safe for power injection. These markings are integrally molded into the surface. For example, the peripheral surface itself might be made of an X-ray visible material, and the markings could be either more of that material or tiny voids (empty spaces) within it. Alternatively, the surface could be mostly transparent to X-rays, with the markings created by applying an X-ray blocking substance, or by making voids in that applied substance. This allows medical staff to confirm the port's capabilities even after it has been surgically placed inside a patient.
The clever bit
The cleverness lies in making critical information, specifically the power injection rating, permanently and internally visible via X-ray imaging after a medical device has been implanted. This is achieved by molding the indicia directly into the port's structure using X-ray visible materials or voids, ensuring the information cannot be lost or obscured.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover venous access ports that lack X-ray discernable indicia to identify power injection rating.
- Does not cover indicia that are not integrally molded into the peripheral surface of the port.
- Does not cover X-ray visible markings on medical devices other than venous access port assemblies.
- Does not cover indicia that are visible only to the naked eye and not designed for X-ray imaging.
- Does not cover ports where the X-ray discernable indicia do not relate to power injection rating.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$26K – $84K
Midpoint $53K · 17.5 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). How Medical Ports Show Power Injection Rating on X-rays (U.S. Patent No. 12,734,347). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734347/venous-access-port-with-molded-andor-radiopaque-indicia
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Medical Ports Show Power Injection Rating on X-rays cover?
This patent describes a medical port that has special X-ray visible markings to clearly show if it's safe for high-pressure injections, helping doctors avoid mistakes after the port is inside a patient.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Venous access ports are essential for long-term medical treatments like chemotherapy, allowing repeated access to a patient's bloodstream. Some ports are designed to withstand high-pressure injections, known as 'power injections,' which are used for certain imaging scans. Using a non-power-rated port for a power injection can cause serious complications, including port rupture or patient injury. This patent helps prevent such errors by making the port's power injection rating clearly visible on X-rays, which are often used to check port placement.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover venous access ports that lack X-ray discernable indicia to identify power injection rating.
Patent monitoring