Abstract
Concerning the medical device patent application in the Japanese Patent Office, as shown in Fig1, in 2013, the number of Japanese patent became less than that of the China and became the fourth. Fortunately, according to the medical patent data published by the U.S.P.T.O, Japanese patent is still the second in 2013. However, we must recognize this fact so as to establish a new patent strategy with design patent. Note that mixing design patents into a patent portfolio add new dimension of protection, in the biomedical engineering field. That is, inventors and/or companies that strategically procure design patents can add a key layer of protection to their medical device patent portfolio.
