Donald K. Jones

Chief Executive Officer
Empirilon Technology LLC

105 U.S. Patents

Donald K. Jones, an accomplished inventor, registered patent agent, and medical device innovator, has dedicated his career to advancing healthcare technologies and fostering innovation. As an inventor, he focused on developing cutting-edge medical devices aimed at improving patient outcomes and addressing critical healthcare challenges. His extensive patent portfolio – covering endoscopic suturing, embolization devices, vascular occlusion tools, and flexible endoscopic systems – has directly improved patient care by enabling safer, more effective, and less invasive procedures.

Jones began his career applying materials science and engineering to complex technical challenges before moving into the medical device industry. At Cordis Endovascular Systems and Cordis Neurovascular, divisions associated with Johnson & Johnson, he contributed to the development of advanced implantable devices for the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke encompassing aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and fistulae. His work included embolization coils and particles, vascular occlusion devices, stent technologies, and other tools designed to help physicians treat life-threatening neurovascular conditions. 

One of Jones’s major contributions was his work on the Enterprise^TM Vascular Reconstruction Device, a stent technology developed to help physicians treat wide-necked brain aneurysms that had previously been difficult or impossible to address. The device allowed physicians to navigate the tortuous vessels of the brain through a very small catheter and provided the ability to deploy, re-sheath, reposition, and redeploy the implant before final release. This represented an important advancement in neurovascular intervention and helped change the treatment landscape for complex aneurysm cases. 

Jones later served as Director of Intellectual Property at Apollo Endosurgery Inc., where he managed and expanded the company’s intellectual property portfolio for bariatric medical devices and flexible endoscopic surgical tools used in the gastrointestinal tract. In this role, he worked closely with research and development teams and physicians to prototype, develop, and protect advanced treatment technologies. Among the notable innovations associated with this work is the OverStitch^TM Endoscopic Suturing device, which enables physicians to perform full-thickness suturing in the gastrointestinal tract through an endoscopic approach. This technology has been used to treat gastric perforations, ulcerations and to perform bariatric procedures that previously required laparoscopic or open surgery. 

As a highly respected inventor, patent agent, and leader in medical device development, Jones has been granted 105 U.S. Patents and continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare technology. 

In addition to his work as an inventor, Jones is a registered patent agent, a role that allows him to combine deep technical knowledge with intellectual property strategy. Since 2011, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Empirilon Technology LLC, where he provides consulting services to medical device and technology clients that include patent portfolio analysis, patent strategy development, patent searching, drafting, and prosecution,  in addition to biomedical and mechanical technology development. Through this work, he has helped inventors, companies, and startups protect and advance promising medical technologies. 

Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida, where he built the technical foundation that would guide his future work in medical device development.  His journey – from his beginnings as a cellist to his work in the medical device industry – reflects a lifelong commitment to innovation, education, and improving the human experience.