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Pro Bono Reporter Volume 21 Summer 2016 17
PATENTS
NewYork TeamSecures Patent for “Stable Painless Crutch Support”
Invented by Injured Laborer
A team led by
Howard Shin
and including
James Lin
and
Allan Fanucci
successfully prosecuted and obtained a patent for a “crutch support” invented by a
former laborer who had lost his leg in a work accident. After experiencing extreme
pain and discomfort from his extended use of ordinary crutches, the client invented
a new underarm crutch support with an improved shape and configuration that
caused less discomfort when contacting the user’s side by preventing the cutoff
of blood circulation and reducing chronic chaffing, all while giving the user a more
secure hold on the crutch by compression of the underarm support between the
user’s side, arm and underarm. Other features included improvements to the hand
grips and additional elements that would allow the crutches to remain standing
when not in use, an important but overlooked consideration for a disabled person
with limited mobility. In allowing the claims, the patent examiner recognized that the
underarm crutch support design was different than any underarm crutch supports
that were previously disclosed or in use.
VETERANS
Houston TeamEnsuresMilitary VeteranWith PTSDMay Utilize Service
Dog at Work
Houston attorneys
Tyler VanHoutan
and
Erin Villaseñor
represented a
veteran suffering from PTSD who was denied the use of his physician-
prescribed service animal in certain aspects of his employment. The client
is a military veteran diagnosed with PTSD and severe anxiety. At the
recommendation of his VA doctor, he adopted Lucy, a 90-lb mastiff, from
Train
a Dog, Save a Warrior
as a part of his ongoing treatment and therapy for PTSD.
Lucy has completed extensive service animal training, and alerts our client
when his anxiety level gets too high and when it is time for him to take his
prescribed medications.
Our client’s employment required him to drive an airport shuttle van. However,
our client’s employer refused to allow him to bring his service animal with him
in the shuttle van while he drove customers back and forth between the hotel
and the airport, which exacerbated his PTSD symptoms. The team negotiated
with the employer, eventually convincing the company to allow our client
to bring his service animal along with him on his shuttle runs, on a trial and
subsequently permanent basis. As a result, the client’s PTSD symptoms have
been significantly reduced.
Lucy
Howard Shin