European Patent Surgical Hub Spatial Awareness
Summary
The European Patent Office published patent EP3506292A1 for Ethicon LLC, titled 'Spatial Awareness of Surgical Hubs in Operating Rooms.' The patent, granted April 8, 2026, covers spatial tracking and awareness technologies for surgical hub systems used in medical procedures. The invention is classified under G16H 20/40 and G16H 40/63, relating to health informatics and computer-assisted surgery. The patent designates all major European states including DE, FR, GB, IT, ES, NL, BE, CH, and others.
What changed
The European Patent Office published patent EP3506292A1, granting Ethicon LLC exclusive rights to surgical hub spatial awareness technology. The patent covers systems and methods for tracking the spatial position and orientation of surgical hubs within operating room environments. Inventors include David C. Yates, Frederick E. Shelton IV, Jason L. Harris, and Andrew W. Carroll. The technology is classified under IPC codes G16H 20/40 and G16H 40/63, indicating applications in health informatics and computer-assisted surgical systems.
For manufacturers of surgical equipment and medical device companies operating in Europe, this patent establishes intellectual property boundaries around surgical hub positioning technologies. Companies developing similar spatial awareness systems for operating rooms should evaluate potential licensing requirements or design-around strategies. The designation across all major European states provides broad territorial protection for the patent holder.
Archived snapshot
Apr 17, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
SPATIAL AWARENESS OF SURGICAL HUBS IN OPERATING ROOMS
Publication EP3506292A1 Kind: A1 Apr 08, 2026
Applicants
Ethicon LLC
Inventors
YATES, David C., SHELTON, IV, Frederick E., HARRIS, Jason L., CARROLL, Andrew W.
IPC Classifications
G16H 20/40 20180101AFI20260302BHEP G16H 40/63 20180101ALI20260302BHEP
Designated States
AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR
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