The EPO granted patent EP3538013A2 to Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. for a teleoperated surgical system that uses scan-based positioning. The system captures pre-operative imaging data to determine optimal patient positioning, which is then automatically implemented before robotic surgery begins. The patent covers six named inventors (Azizian, Hoffman, Itkowitz, McDowall, Mohn, Nowlin) and falls under IPC classifications A61B 34/37, A61B 90/00, A61B 34/10, and B25J 9/16.\n\nPatent publications do not impose compliance obligations on third parties. However, manufacturers developing similar teleoperated or scan-positioned surgical systems should review the patent claims to assess potential infringement risk. Healthcare facilities using robotic surgical systems should monitor patent portfolio developments for licensing implications. The patent expires 20 years from filing, with designation extending across 34 European countries including major markets (DE, FR, GB, IT, ES, NL, SE, PL).