The Design of a Specific Medical Instrument Handle
This is a design patent protecting the specific visual appearance and shape of a handle used for medical instruments.
Original patent title: “USRE48036E1 - Handle”
This is a design patent protecting the specific visual appearance and shape of a handle used for medical instruments. Granted to Gauthier Biomedical Inc in 2020 with 1 claim and 3 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent protects the ornamental design of a handle. Unlike utility patents that protect how a device functions or moves, this design patentdesign patentCovers the ornamental appearance of a product, not function. 15-year term from grant.Read more → focuses entirely on the aesthetic shape and visual configuration of the object. It covers the specific contours, surface features, and overall silhouette of the handle as illustrated in the patent drawings. If a competitor creates a handle that looks substantially similar to the one shown in these drawings, they could be infringing on this design right.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover the internal mechanical function or the grip mechanism of the handle.
- Does not cover handles with a different visual shape or aesthetic configuration.
- Does not cover the materials used to manufacture the handle.
- Does not cover the method of attaching the handle to a surgical tool.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The cleverness lies in securing legal protection for the specific visual 'language' of a tool, which is often what surgeons recognize and prefer in a high-stakes operating room environment.
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
Surgical instrument handles
Medical device grips
Handheld orthopedic tools
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Design patents are essential for companies like Gauthier Biomedical to protect their brand identity and the unique look of their surgical instruments. By preventing competitors from selling visually identical tools, the company maintains a distinct market presence in the medical device field.
Filed
December 1, 2017
Granted
June 9, 2020
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Gauthier Biomedical Inc. remains the primary entity utilizing this design. They specialize in creating custom surgical instruments for orthopedic and spine surgery applications.
Market impact
This patent helps maintain market differentiation in the medical device sector by ensuring that the specific aesthetic design of the company's tools cannot be copied by generic manufacturers.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent protects the ornamental design of a handle. Unlike utility patents that protect how a device functions or moves, this design patent focuses entirely on the aesthetic shape and visual configuration of the object. It covers the specific contours, surface features, and overall silhouette of the handle as illustrated in the patent drawings. If a competitor creates a handle that looks substantially similar to the one shown in these drawings, they could be infringing on this design right.
The clever bit
The cleverness lies in securing legal protection for the specific visual 'language' of a tool, which is often what surgeons recognize and prefer in a high-stakes operating room environment.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover the internal mechanical function or the grip mechanism of the handle.
- Does not cover handles with a different visual shape or aesthetic configuration.
- Does not cover the materials used to manufacture the handle.
- Does not cover the method of attaching the handle to a surgical tool.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
12/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
1/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
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
$22K – $69K
Midpoint $43K · 11.5 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
1 claim as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Bast, R. (2020). The Design of a Specific Medical Instrument Handle (U.S. Patent No. RE48,036). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE48036/supersonic-hair-dryer
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 The Design of a Specific Medical Instrument Handle cover?
This is a design patent protecting the specific visual appearance and shape of a handle used for medical instruments.
Who owns patent US RE48036?
Gauthier Biomedical Inc owns this patent, granted in 2020.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 9, 2040, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US RE48036 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 3 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Design patents are essential for companies like Gauthier Biomedical to protect their brand identity and the unique look of their surgical instruments. By preventing competitors from selling visually identical tools, the company maintains a distinct market presence in the medical device field.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover the internal mechanical function or the grip mechanism of the handle.
Patent monitoring