ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,246,132, issued on March 11, was assigned to Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd. (Auckland, New Zealand).

"Medical tubes for respiratory systems" was invented by Katja Munkelt (Hermsdorf, Germany), Christopher Gareth Sims (Auckland, New Zealand), Seth Mclay Frater (Auckland, New Zealand), Matthew Liam Buswell (Auckland, New Zealand), Gavin Walsh Millar (Auckland, New Zealand), David Leon McCauley (Auckland, New Zealand), Malcolm David Smith (Auckland, New Zealand), Brendan Thomas Vercoelen (Auckland, New Zealand), Thomas Jacques Fernand Maeckelberghe (Auckland, New Zealand), Kiel Anthony McCool (Auckland, New Zealand) and Thomas James Edwards (Parnell, New Zealand).

According to the abs...