FOR Trademarks “Magnes” For Its Clinical Devices That Incorporate Rare Earth Magnets
February 18, 2021
FOR is currently developing a series devices for the treatment of various spinal pathologies that utilize its rare earth magnet technology. Depending on the application, rare earth magnets are incorporated into the functional design of the device. The orientation of the magnets’ polarity can be used to create attractive or repulsive forces across a distance. This distance may be a separation between body segments, across a joint space or between multiple components of the implanted spinal device.
On December 8, 2020, an application to register the trademark “Magnes” was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and assigned U.S. Serial No. 90366542.
Where did “Magnes” come from and why does it identify our clinical devices?
The origin dates back over 4,000 years ago. As legend has it, a shepherd boy named Magnes was tending to his flock in a region of northern Greece called Magnesia, modern-day Turkey. In need of new grazing pastures, he led his sheep to the base of Mount Ida.
Magnes stepped upon a peculiar piece of rock and suddenly found that the nails in his shoes and the metal tip of his staff were stuck fast to the rock on which he stood. Intrigued, Magnes began unearthing the unusual rock which was black in color and, upon its excavation, proved very large–the reason the metal nails and his rod flew with such force. The ore exhibiting natural magnetism was what is now known as lodestone.
Always creative with their naming, the Greeks named the lodestone discovered by Magnes of Magnesia, “magnetite”. As the word traveled from Greek to Latin to English, it was eventually shortened to magnet.
Thus “Magnes” is a perfect identifier for our devices which utilize rare earth magnets in their clinical application.