DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

                          Patent and Trademark Office

                   Grant of Interim Extension of the term of
                       U.S. Patent No. 4,291,708; T-SCAN
   
  
AGENCY: Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Term Extension.

SUMMARY: The Patent and Trademark Office has granted an interim
extension under 35 U.S.C.    156(d)(5) for one year of the term of U.S.
Patent No. 4,291,708 that claims the medical device "T-SCAN  ."

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Karin L. Tyson by telephone at (703) 305-9285;
by mail marked to her attention and addressed to the Assistant
Commissioner for Patents, Box DAC, Washington, D.C. 20231; by fax marked
to her attention at (703) 308-6916, or by e-mail at
karin.tyson@uspto.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 156 of Title 35, United States Code,
generally provides that the term of a patent may be extended for a
period of up to 5 years if the patent claims a product, or a method of
making or using a product, that has been subject to certain defined
regulatory review. Under    156, a patent is eligible for term extension
only if regulatory review of the claimed product was completed before
the original patent term expired.

On December 3, 1993,    156 was amended by Pub. L. No. 103-179 to
provide that if the owner of record of the patent or its agent
reasonably expects the applicable regulatory review period to extend
beyond the expiration of the patent, the owner or its agent may submit
an application to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks for an
interim extension of the patent term. If the Commissioner determines
that, except for receipt of permission to market or use the product
commercially, the patent would be eligible for a statutory extension of
the patent term, the Commissioner shall issue to the applicant a
certificate of interim extension for a period of not more than one year.

On September 4, 1998, patent owner Yeda Research & Development Co.,
filed an application under 35 U.S.C.    156(d)(5) for interim extension
of the term of U.S. Patent No. 4,291,708. The patent claims the method
of use of the medical device "T-SCAN  ." The application indicates, and
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed, that the medical
device is currently undergoing a regulatory review before the FDA for
permission to market or use the product commercially. The original term
of the patent is due to expire on November 2, 1998. Applicant requests
an interim extension of one year.

Review of the application indicates that except for receipt of
permission to market or use the product commercially, the subject patent
would be eligible for an extension of the patent term under 35 U.S.C.   
156. Since it is apparent that the regulatory review period may extend
beyond the date of expiration of the patent, interim extension of the
patent term under 35 U.S.C.    156(d)(5) is appropriate. Accordingly, an
interim extension under 35 U.S.C.    156(d)(5) of the term of U.S.
Patent No. 4,291,708 has been granted for a period of one year from the
original expiration date of the patent.

October 6, 1998                                             BRUCE A. LEHMAN
                                        Assistant Secretary of Commerce and
                                     Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks