Vesuvius, a global manufacturer of fused silica refractory rollers used in glass tempering, glass forming, solar and metallurgical industries has announced legal action taken to protect their intellectual property rights associated with Smartly Driven™ roll patents and end cap attachment technology.
Following an extensive investigation, Vesuvius has identified several patent violations associated with fused silica roll technology, specifically employing mechanical end cap attachments.
OEM furnace builders are being alerted about the infringing companies, and that if rollers fitted with such end caps are incorporated into a furnace, both the OEM and the end customer could unknowingly be infringing Vesuvius’ patents. Such infringement, even if inadvertent and resolved amicably, could result in significant expenses for replacement of infringing rollers, in addition to unnecessary disturbance of customers’ operation.