Friday, June 8, 2012

An intellectual property driven effort to pay tribute to World No Tobacco Day: Filing of Patent Application for Soft Padded Electronic Cigarette Cartridge by Vapor Corp.

Hi IP MADs,

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Present and future generations must be urgently protected from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. The costs of tobacco use are measured in its enormous toll of disease, suffering and family distress. Economies also suffer from increased health-care costs and decreased productivity.

Tobacco Key facts

Ø Tobacco kills up to half of its users.

Ø Tobacco kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 5 million are users and ex users and more than 600000 are nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030.

Ø Nearly 80% of the world's one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.

Ø Consumption of tobacco products is increasing globally, though it is decreasing in some high-income and upper middle-income countries.

WHO is committed to fight the global tobacco epidemic. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control entered into force in February 2005. Since then, it has become one of the most widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations with more than 170 Parties covering 87% of the world's population. Tobacco industry interference is the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, which takes place on 31 May 2012.The campaign will focus on the need to expose and counter the tobacco industry's brazen and increasingly aggressive attempts to undermine global tobacco control efforts.

Vapor Corporation, a leading U.S. based electronic cigarette company, announced that on June 5, 2012, it has filed a non-provisional patent for a "Padded Cartridge For An Electronic Cigarette Apparatus" based on Vapor's previously filed provisional patent application, as filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on June 7, 2011. Vapor Corp.'s Soft Padded Electronic Cigarette Cartridge is a soft tip filter with the same tactile feel of a traditional cigarette filter.

"We believe the soft padded electronic cartridge is the most significant innovation to e-cigarettes, since their invention and introduction to the US marketplace," said Kevin Frija, CEO of Vapor. "We constantly strive to enhance the experience and comfort for those who use and enjoy our products. The comfort of the new soft tip filter will offer our customers the most realistic and similar experience akin to the filters of traditional cigarettes. We are truly excited to offer this unique remarkable advancement to our customers, and we plan to launch electronic cigarettes with these soft tip filters by year end to our on-line customers, and then roll out the product offerings brand by brand and company-wide in 2013."

It is happy to know that such intellectual property driven efforts are doing the needful to combat with the evil of tobacco epidemic. Another point I would like to mention is that patent offices should go for fast track prosecution of inventions for which society is craving, isn’t it?

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