Following the announcement Outline say: "This acknowledgment, granted after a lengthy period of examination by the US Patent Office, gives Butterfly a great added value and, following the International WIPO patent, is further confirmation of the originality of the Butterfly's design, relegating the numerous variations that have appeared at international level to the role of mere imitations." The granting of the US patent follows numerous other patents and applications for patents (some of which are still at the approval stage) regarding the overall Butterfly system.