Patent-not-pending: Biomedical engineering graduates secure patent for innovative prosthetic sleeve

Four graduates of Trine University's biomedical engineering program have been awarded a patent for their protective prosthetic sleeve, RipStop, designed to improve the daily lives of lower limb amputees.

BSBME 2021 graduates Colleen Bell, Lauren Cline, Olivia Coyne and Devon Kelly were officially granted patent number 12035769 this summer, a significant achievement that reflects their commitment toward improving individuals’ quality of life.

RipStop: Senior design project turned patent

The journey to the patent began as a senior design partnership with Quality of Life Plus, a program that works to empower the lives of veterans with disabilities.

The team focused on addressing a common challenge faced by lower limb amputees: the tendency of prosthetic devices to catch on clothing, leading to discomfort and wear and tear on garments. Their solution, RipStop, is a prosthetic accessory designed to protect clothing and enhance the user's overall comfort.

"After completing our project, we felt there was more potential for RipStop," said Bell. "Obtaining a patent will provide the opportunity to market our design to improve everyday life for the amputee community."

Collaborative effort supported by Trine faculty

This patent is the first for all four team members, who received valuable support and guidance from Trine faculty throughout the process.

John Patton, Ph.D., their advisor and professor in the Bock Department of Biomedical Engineering, provided critical insights and advice, helping the team navigate the complexities of the patent filing process.

After graduation, the team members pursued their respective careers but remained committed to advancing RipStop. They worked with a patent attorney to assess the feasibility of the patent and submitted their final design documentation, which had been meticulously prepared during their time at Trine.

The patent process, which involved revisions and consultations, took nearly three years to complete.

Coyne continued to work closely with Ference & Associates, a Pittsburgh-based intellectual property law firm, to secure the patent, which was granted approval July 2024.

Maria Gerschutz, chair and professor of the Bock Department of Biomedical Engineering, highlighted the significance of this accomplishment.

"This achievement marks the second design project in our program to result in a patent. These patents are a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of our students, which continues well after graduation," she said.

Impact on career

The experience of developing and patenting RipStop has had a lasting impact on the team members' careers.

Bell, now a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) at Medpace, credits her work on RipStop with providing her firsthand experience in clinical research, which she applies daily in her role.

“With our project, we had to go through Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals and create protocols to test the safety and efficacy of our design,” she said. “As a CRA, I help clinical trials run smoothly according to current safety and quality regulations. RipStop provided me with firsthand experience on conducting research, how to handle obstacles that arise, and strategies to overcome them.”

As a Research Engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, Coyne is responsible for implementing new technology into ongoing experiments.

“Much like the senior design process, I must take an idea and workshop ways of how to make it come to life, while staying within various constraints,” she said. “Many times, during workshop meetings, I remember Dr. Patton’s advice to ‘think like a 5-year-old’ and I am not afraid to ask questions or suggest out-of-the-box ideas.”

Cline, who works as a Process Engineer at Southwire, has similar sentiments.

“I validate and analyze data to identify trends, performance gaps and areas for improvement, which directly relates to the way we analyzed the gait analysis data for RipStop,” she said.

Kelly, a Product Manager at Medacta USA, emphasizes how RipStop equipped her with valuable business skills in market analysis and product management, which she now applies in the medical device industry.

“I go through many different stages of products with our engineers to make surgical instruments better for surgeons and patients,” she said. “I often present about our products to surgeons, medical device distributors and many others to show them the benefits of our products. RipStop was the first place I applied many of these skills in an engineering and business aspect.”

The future of RipStop

Despite the time involved, the team is excited about the future of RipStop.

"We are currently enjoying the accomplishment of being first-time patent holders," said Coyne. The team is still evaluating the future marketing of RipStop. "We consider the current design to be medium-size, but we can easily modify the design to be both smaller and larger, making it available to a more-broad customer base."

The team hopes to license their patent to a company that can bring Ripstop to a larger population of lower limb amputees.

“I think we all have very different professional careers and have met a variety of professionals along the way who can help us with the next steps. I believe we have something that can make a difference,” concluded Kelly.