Du Pont Secures Win in Patent Dispute Over Aircraft Blanket

A company that specializes in high-performance fibers infringed E. I. du Pont De Nemours & Company’s patent for materials in thermal-acoustic blankets that are installed in aircraft, a federal appeals court ruled.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit April 17 said that a lower court had “substantial evidence” to find Unifrax I LLC infringed U.S. Patent No. 8,607,926 covering materials in the blankets.

The dispute centered on claim construction, or how language in patent claims gets interpreted. Du Pont and Unifrax disagreed on the meaning of the term “100% by weight,” specifically whether “weight” could be taken ...