ST. LOUIS – The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently ruled in favor of Nidec Motor Corporation (NMC) on an appeal related to a significant patent infringement case for the HVAC industry.
The patent at issue details a system for controlling the torque of an electromagnetic fan blower motor. Electromagnetic fan blower motors have been demonstrated to provide the efficiency gains necessary to help meet the new fan energy rating (FER) standards that go into effect in July 2019.
The litigation began in 2013 when NMC filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleging that certain Broad Ocean companies (Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., Ltd., Broad Ocean Technologies, LLC, and Broad Ocean Motor LLC,) produced electronically controlled blower motors that infringed upon multiple NMC patents. A series of disputes in the courts and with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) followed. This recent ruling reversed a Patent Office ruling and confirmed the validity of multiple claims of NMC’s patent.
Nidec officials have repeatedly stated their commitment to taking any legal action required to protect and defend their intellectual properties. This protects original equipment manufacturers and end-consumers alike by regulating the production of imitation products that may not be up to the same high standards set by Nidec.
“Nidec Motor Corporation makes a significant investment in the research and development of innovative technologies and prides itself as a leader in the industry,” said NMC CEO Kei Pang. “We protect our investment by patenting those technologies and by exercising our right to enforce those patents against infringers. This suit, like the others we have filed, demonstrates our commitment to our technology, to our inventors who create it, and to our customers who expect innovative products containing it.”
About Nidec Motor Corporation
NMC is a leading manufacturer of commercial, industrial, and appliance motors and controls. The NMC product line features a full line of high efficiency motors, large and small, which serve industrial, residential, and commercial markets in applications ranging from agriculture, water treatment, mining, oil and gas, and power generation to pool and spa motors, air conditioning condensers, rooftop cooling towers, and commercial refrigeration. It also makes motors, controls, and switches for automotive and commercial markets. For more information, visit https://www.nidec-motor.com/
Parent company Nidec Corporation (with $11.2B Sales in FY2016) is a leading manufacturer of small precision motors, including motors used in hard and optical disk drives. The company has extended its focus beyond the information storage motor market to the home appliance and automotive markets, where it sees high future growth potential.