Amcol Seeks PTAB Probe of Oil-Dri Lightweight Cat Litter Patent

Chemical manufacturer Amcol International Corp. has asked an administrative tribunal to review the validity of a competitor’s patent for clumping cat litter designed to be lighter in weight than comparable products.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board should probe whether Oil-Dri Corp. of America’s US Patent No. 11,026,397 is obvious or anticipated by one of Oil-Dri’s own previous designs, Amcol wrote in its Tuesday petition.

Amcol argued that the ‘397 patent does not outline a unique solution to making litter box filler less dense. “For decades...those in the animal litter field have combined sodium bentonite with other materials, such ...