Richmond Hill company wins federal patent lawsuit for combat tourniquet

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A federal judge in North Carolina ruled in favor of Richmond Hill’s Alphapointe in a patent infringement case related to tourniquet produced in Queens. Photo courtesy of Alphapointe

A federal judge in North Carolina ruled in favor of Richmond Hill’s Alphapointe in a patent infringement case related to tourniquet produced in Queens. Photo courtesy of Alphapointe

By Rachel Vick

A Queens-based organization employing visually impaired New Yorkers has fended off a four-year-long legal challenge from another company that accused it of infringing on its patent for a tourniquet device.

Alphapointe developed a device known as a Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet, which has been approved by a Department of Defense committee that designates equipment for people injured in war. The tourniquets are made at Alphapointe’s Richmond Hill headquarters by a workforce comprised primarily of blind and visually impaired employees..

South Carolina company Composite Resources, Inc. of Rock Hill accused Alphapointe of stealing its patent and sued them in federal court in 2017. 

A federal judge in North Carolina ruled in favor of Alphapointe Thursday, determining that the tourniquet design did not infringe on the design created by Composite Resources

“We were confident from the beginning that these claims had no basis and that we would be victorious in court, but it’s taken nearly four years to get to this point and that’s unfortunate,” said Alphapointe President and CEO Reinhard Mabry.

Tourniquets are belt-like devices used to stanch the flow of blood from a wound. The TMT tourniquet is designed for “massive hemorrhage control,” according to military suppliers. 

Though the tourniquet is designed for use in the field of combat, it is also available for the general population. The design has been hailed for reducing the rate of failed tourniquet applications and for its ease of application without much training.

Over 200,000 TMTs have been produced since 2012 at the nonprofit's factories where more than half the employees are blind or visually impaired.

“This is a victory not only for Alphapointe and our staff, but also for the men and women in service through our armed forces, as first responders and in law enforcement around the nation because this tourniquet saves lives,” Mabry said.