Briefs

Judge sees differences between Escort & Helios ST. LOUIS - The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled on March 2 that the Escort ultra-lightweight portable liquid oxygen unit, manufactured and sold by Essex and Penox, does not violate any patent or trade dress rights held by Puritan-Bennett's parent companies. PB markets the popular Helios ultralightweight liquid oxygen unit. The presiding judge observed in his 74-page opinion that there were “stark” and “substantial” differences between the Escort and Helios, and that no reasonable jury could find in favor of the Helios manufacturer on its patent infringement claim, according to a press release issued by Essex Industries and Penox Technologies. Letco launches pulse ox testing DECATUR, Ala. - The Letco Companies have launched a new business that lets home oxygen providers collect, read, confirm and transmit the results from in-home pulse oximetry tests. Because patented encypting software prohibits home oxygen providers from accessing the results before they are downloaded and processed via the Internet, Medicare has signed off on the system as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility. Letco's new system uses a hand-held Palm device that's attached to a Respironics pulse oximeter. Essential Medical cuts delivery times WINTER PARK, Fla. - Essential Medical Supply, a 20-year-old manufacturer of retail-oriented DME, has opened a second, full- service distribution center in Las Vegas. Essential is also planning to move from its existing Winter Park location to a new 15,000-square-foot facility near Orlando. The Las Vegas warehouse should cut delivery times for Essential's West Coast customers from a week to three to four days. “Ten years ago, we might have thought of ourselves as a regional player,” said Michael Hoepner, Essential's national sales manager, “but within the past five to six years, we've begun to see ourselves as a national player and realized the need to open up some western distribution.”