Centurion Patentors as of May 13, 2025

Welcome to May 13, 2025. This week, we aim to celebrate the centurion patentors who have reached noteworthy milestones in their fields.

Frederick E Shelton, Iv

Frederick E. Shelton IV is one of the world’s most prolific inventors, with over 2,600 U.S. patents—more than Thomas Edison.

He works at Ethicon (a Johnson & Johnson company), specializing in surgical tools like powered staplers and robotic-assisted systems. His inventions are estimated to have generated over $14 billion in value for J&J.

Based in Hillsboro, Ohio, Shelton is known for solving real-world surgical problems by closely observing operations and creating practical, high-impact innovations.

Patent №: 12295674 – Usage and technique analysis of surgeon / staff performance against a baseline to optimize device utilization and performance for both current and future procedures. A surgical hub system uses data from surgical devices and cameras to assess staff performance. It analyzes procedure context and compares staff traits to baselines for evaluation.

Patent №: 12295667 – Surgical devices, systems, and methods using multi-source imaging. Devices, systems, and methods enable imaging using multiple sources to enhance image quality and detail. This approach combines data from various inputs for improved analysis and visualization.

Patent №: 12295644 – Electrosurgical instrument with fluid diverter. An electrosurgical device includes an end effector with discharge and aspiration ports, electrodes, and a diverter. The diverter directs fluid from the discharge port to stay in contact with the electrodes while preventing it from being aspirated, supporting effective energy delivery.

Patent №: 12295639 – Estimating state of ultrasonic end effector and control system therefor. An ultrasonic device estimates the state of its end effector by measuring the complex impedance of its transducer. A control circuit compares this measurement to a reference pattern to classify the end effector’s condition.

Patent №: 12295578 – Adjuncts for use with surgical stapling instruments. A surgical stapling adjunct includes three regions, each with distinct compositions. The middle region’s material differs from the first and third, allowing specialized functionality across the device.

Patent №: 12295576 – Zoned algorithm adaptive changes based on correlation of cooperative compression contributions of tissue. A surgical stapling system includes a closure driver, firing driver, and control circuit. The system monitors firing force, compares it to a set threshold, and adjusts driver movement based on the comparison and the firing driver’s position.

Shan Liu

Distinguished Scientist and General Manager.

Patent №: 12301889 – Systems and methods for blending block sections in a partition-based prediction mode.

A video decoding method receives a block encoded with a partition mode and identifies two sections within it. It uses lookup tables with values from 0 to N to apply blending between the sections, then decodes the block using those blending values.

Patent №: 12301882 – Method for signaling subpicture identifier. A video coding method signals whether to use the NAL layer ID as a subpicture ID, indicates its length, and encodes video data based on that ID.