- Email: [email protected]
Sealing technology prevalent at November and December events
NEWS
EPO upholds critical patent underlying Dow’s LED encapsulants
D
ow Corning, which specialises in silicones and silicon-based technology, has announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has rejected a request to revoke patent EP-1556443, which covers a curable organopolysiloxane composition and its application. According to Dow Corning, this patent is part of the rich intellectual property (IP) portfolio that protects its proprietary high refractive index (RI) phenyl-silicone-based optical encapsulant technology, which offers enhanced light output, improved reliability and other benefits for high-brightness LED lighting designs. The EPO’s decision significantly strengthens the firm’s IP position in Europe’s fast-growing LED lighting market, where patent compliance is strategically important, as well as other key global LED manufacturing centres, such as the USA, Japan, Korea and China. ‘We are clearly pleased with this validation of our uniquely innovative optical encapsulant technology,’ said Rogier Reinders, Global Marketing Director, Electronics and Lighting, Dow Corning. ‘We believe that a strong IP portfolio supports not only Dow Corning’s interests, but those of its customers and of the LED industry as a whole. Firm patent protection fuels new innovation, fosters differentiated LED technologies, supports the reliability of LED lighting and helps substantiate the industry’s claim that LEDs offer a legitimately competitive alternative to incumbent lighting technologies.’ The EPO published EP-1556443 – a foundational patent in Dow Corning’s IP portfolio – on 27 March 2013. Shortly after its publication, two parties filed an opposition with the EPO Opposition Division to revoke the patent. However, the EPO reaffirmed the document’s validity with a minor amendment and, on 21 June 2016, issued an official dispatch that Dow Corning’s patent will be maintained as amended. ‘The Opposition Division’s recent decision underscores the strength of the IP underlying Dow Corning’s phenyl-based optical silicone technology,’ added Reinders. ‘We invite LED designers and OEMs to collaborate with Dow Corning – both as a leading pioneer in optical silicone technology, and as a company dedicated to rigorously defending the IP that underlies our collective innovations.’ Many of Dow Corning’s optical encapsulants fall under the recently upheld patent or its asso6
Sealing Technology
ciated IP portfolio. So, LED manufacturers can be confident they are designing with high-performance encapsulant materials backed by strong international patent protection, says the firm. Contacts: Dow Corning Corp, Corporate Center, 2200 W. Salzburg Road, Auburn, MI 48611, USA. Tel: +1 989 496 4400, Web: www.dowcorning.com Dow Corning Europe Sa, Parc Industriel – Zone C, Rue Jules Bordet, B-7180 Seneffe, Belgium. Tel: +32 64 888 000 European Patent Office, Bob-van-Benthem-Platz 1 (formerly Erhardtstrasse 27), 80469 Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 2399 0, Web: www.epo.org
Conferences and Meetings News Sealing technology prevalent at November and December events
R
eaders are reminded that three major events which will be of interest to the sealing community are taking place in November and December. Valve World Expo – 10th Biennial Valve World Conference & Exhibition is scheduled to be help in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 29 November to 1 December 2016. At roughly the same time Smithers Rapra is running the Thermoplastic Elastomers World Summit 2016 & Silicone Elastomers World Summit 2016 in Cologne, Germany. AMI’s Oil & Gas Non-Metallics 2016 – set to be held in London, UK, on 12–14 December 2016 – offers a technical forum for oil and gas operators, engineers, contractors and material and equipment suppliers to debate the use of non-metallic materials in critical applications. Contacts: Web: www.valveworldexpo.com Web: www.smithersrapra.com/events/conference/ thermoplastic-elastomers-2016 Web: www.smithersrapra.com/events/conference/ silicone-elastomers-2016 Web: www.amiplastics.com/events/event?Code=C740
(For further details, contact the respective organisers at their addresses, which appear in the ‘Events Calandar’ on page 16.)
Publications of Interest “Archive” covers topics ranging from compliance issues to LDAR
U
S-based equipment fluid sealing specialist A.W. Chesterton Co has assembled a collection of information covering areas ranging from compliance issues, specific valve challenges, legislation, leak detection and repair (LDAR), and the direction of the industry as a whole. The collection includes columns by Chesterton’s Rodney Roth, Strategic Account Manager – Stationary Equipment, who is known for being a knowledge provider within the valve and flange sealing industries. He authors Valve World Americas’ monthly “Ask the Expert” column, along with other leading industry experts inside and outside of the Chesterton organisation. A selection of recent coverage from this collection is listed below. • ‘The Role of Lubricants in Bolted Connections’ (October 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page23AskTheExpertOct.pdf • ‘Understanding Valve Backseats’ (September 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page17AskExpertSept.pdf • ‘PTFE Packing & Low Emissions Service Applications’ (August 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/Stationary/ Page9AskTheExpertAug.pdf • ‘Understanding Live Loading’ (June 2016): • http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page27AskTheExpertJune.pdf • ‘Are YOU Ready for Low-E/Consent Decree Compliance Requirements?’ (May 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page28-29SealingEssentialsMay.pdf • ‘Understanding LDAR’ (March 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page29AsktheExpert.pdf (The full list can be accessed at: Web: http://chestertonstationary.chesterton.com/ en-us/Pages/askexpert.aspx.) Contact: A.W. Chesterton Co, 860 Salem Street, Groveland, MA 01834, USA. Tel: +1 978 469 6446, Email [email protected], Web: www.chesterton.com
October 2016
EPO upholds critical patent underlying Dow’s LED encapsulants
D
ow Corning, which specialises in silicones and silicon-based technology, has announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has rejected a request to revoke patent EP-1556443, which covers a curable organopolysiloxane composition and its application. According to Dow Corning, this patent is part of the rich intellectual property (IP) portfolio that protects its proprietary high refractive index (RI) phenyl-silicone-based optical encapsulant technology, which offers enhanced light output, improved reliability and other benefits for high-brightness LED lighting designs. The EPO’s decision significantly strengthens the firm’s IP position in Europe’s fast-growing LED lighting market, where patent compliance is strategically important, as well as other key global LED manufacturing centres, such as the USA, Japan, Korea and China. ‘We are clearly pleased with this validation of our uniquely innovative optical encapsulant technology,’ said Rogier Reinders, Global Marketing Director, Electronics and Lighting, Dow Corning. ‘We believe that a strong IP portfolio supports not only Dow Corning’s interests, but those of its customers and of the LED industry as a whole. Firm patent protection fuels new innovation, fosters differentiated LED technologies, supports the reliability of LED lighting and helps substantiate the industry’s claim that LEDs offer a legitimately competitive alternative to incumbent lighting technologies.’ The EPO published EP-1556443 – a foundational patent in Dow Corning’s IP portfolio – on 27 March 2013. Shortly after its publication, two parties filed an opposition with the EPO Opposition Division to revoke the patent. However, the EPO reaffirmed the document’s validity with a minor amendment and, on 21 June 2016, issued an official dispatch that Dow Corning’s patent will be maintained as amended. ‘The Opposition Division’s recent decision underscores the strength of the IP underlying Dow Corning’s phenyl-based optical silicone technology,’ added Reinders. ‘We invite LED designers and OEMs to collaborate with Dow Corning – both as a leading pioneer in optical silicone technology, and as a company dedicated to rigorously defending the IP that underlies our collective innovations.’ Many of Dow Corning’s optical encapsulants fall under the recently upheld patent or its asso6
Sealing Technology
ciated IP portfolio. So, LED manufacturers can be confident they are designing with high-performance encapsulant materials backed by strong international patent protection, says the firm. Contacts: Dow Corning Corp, Corporate Center, 2200 W. Salzburg Road, Auburn, MI 48611, USA. Tel: +1 989 496 4400, Web: www.dowcorning.com Dow Corning Europe Sa, Parc Industriel – Zone C, Rue Jules Bordet, B-7180 Seneffe, Belgium. Tel: +32 64 888 000 European Patent Office, Bob-van-Benthem-Platz 1 (formerly Erhardtstrasse 27), 80469 Munich, Germany. Tel: +49 89 2399 0, Web: www.epo.org
Conferences and Meetings News Sealing technology prevalent at November and December events
R
eaders are reminded that three major events which will be of interest to the sealing community are taking place in November and December. Valve World Expo – 10th Biennial Valve World Conference & Exhibition is scheduled to be help in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 29 November to 1 December 2016. At roughly the same time Smithers Rapra is running the Thermoplastic Elastomers World Summit 2016 & Silicone Elastomers World Summit 2016 in Cologne, Germany. AMI’s Oil & Gas Non-Metallics 2016 – set to be held in London, UK, on 12–14 December 2016 – offers a technical forum for oil and gas operators, engineers, contractors and material and equipment suppliers to debate the use of non-metallic materials in critical applications. Contacts: Web: www.valveworldexpo.com Web: www.smithersrapra.com/events/conference/ thermoplastic-elastomers-2016 Web: www.smithersrapra.com/events/conference/ silicone-elastomers-2016 Web: www.amiplastics.com/events/event?Code=C740
(For further details, contact the respective organisers at their addresses, which appear in the ‘Events Calandar’ on page 16.)
Publications of Interest “Archive” covers topics ranging from compliance issues to LDAR
U
S-based equipment fluid sealing specialist A.W. Chesterton Co has assembled a collection of information covering areas ranging from compliance issues, specific valve challenges, legislation, leak detection and repair (LDAR), and the direction of the industry as a whole. The collection includes columns by Chesterton’s Rodney Roth, Strategic Account Manager – Stationary Equipment, who is known for being a knowledge provider within the valve and flange sealing industries. He authors Valve World Americas’ monthly “Ask the Expert” column, along with other leading industry experts inside and outside of the Chesterton organisation. A selection of recent coverage from this collection is listed below. • ‘The Role of Lubricants in Bolted Connections’ (October 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page23AskTheExpertOct.pdf • ‘Understanding Valve Backseats’ (September 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page17AskExpertSept.pdf • ‘PTFE Packing & Low Emissions Service Applications’ (August 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/Stationary/ Page9AskTheExpertAug.pdf • ‘Understanding Live Loading’ (June 2016): • http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page27AskTheExpertJune.pdf • ‘Are YOU Ready for Low-E/Consent Decree Compliance Requirements?’ (May 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page28-29SealingEssentialsMay.pdf • ‘Understanding LDAR’ (March 2016): http://chestertondocs.chesterton.com/ Stationary/Page29AsktheExpert.pdf (The full list can be accessed at: Web: http://chestertonstationary.chesterton.com/ en-us/Pages/askexpert.aspx.) Contact: A.W. Chesterton Co, 860 Salem Street, Groveland, MA 01834, USA. Tel: +1 978 469 6446, Email [email protected], Web: www.chesterton.com
October 2016