CALGARY, Alberta, March 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- FluroTech Ltd. has announced that a favorable Written Opinion has been received for Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application No. CA2018/051387. The PCT Application entered national phase in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Nov. 2, 2018. In the WO, all 58 pending claims as filed were both novel and inventive. Based on this favorable WO, a request for accelerated examination may be filed at the USPTO. A request for accelerated examination of claims 1 to 32 was filed at the USPTO on March 6, 2019. The remaining claims 33 to 58 of the PCT Application have not yet been filed at the USPTO but may be filed in a continuation application at the USPTO.
The company holds exclusive, irrevocable rights for application of the subject matter of the PCT Application and the U.S. Application for use globally in the hemp and cannabis industry. In addition to the national phase entry in the United States, the PCT Application may be filed in any additional member states of the PCT, which currently includes 152 countries.
The CompleTest hemp and cannabis testing device applies technology to improve signal stability in the face of thermal and other fluctuations in the light source, which in turn facilitates improved sensitivity and accuracy, particularly for portable instruments. The technology applied in the CompleTest device is claimed in the pending PCT Application and U.S. Application.
“The Canadian Intellectual Property Office acting as International Search Authority found no issued patents or published applications describing or making obvious the proprietary technology applied in the CompleTest system and claimed in the patent applications. This positive outcome at the international PCT stage, provides access to accelerated examination of all 32 claims filed in the United States. A continuation application including the other 26 claims that were found novel and inventive at the PCT stage and can also be filed in the United States, and accelerated examination will be available for those claims as well,” stated Dr. Elmar Prenner, chief technology officer at FluroTech. “Additionally, the company is developing technology for biomarking and is working with our legal counsel to draft and file patent applications protecting that technology, expanding the patent portfolio and supporting FluroTech’s commercialization of a second line of business.”
Developments on other advanced designs for future generations of the CompleTest system to maintain the company's technical lead are in progress.
“FluroTech believes it is emerging as a leader in the cannabis and hemp-house testing space with the development of badly needed technology to improve accuracy and repeatability. We believe with our data that we are meeting that need,” commented Danny Dalla-Longa, chief executive officer at FluroTech. “Global regulation, rather than prohibition, of cannabis and hemp-flower products, and particularly loosening regulations around CBD products in certain countries, is encouraging FluroTech to leverage its global patent strategy. The export and import of analytical testing devices such as CompleTest system are not highly regulated, which increases the global testing market the company can access. The company is contemplating licensing opportunities in additional geographical jurisdictions and is in negotiations with international distributors to allow for quick sales expansion of the CompleTest system."
