Opinion ID: 211104
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Infringing Activity

Text: 27 EEI began producing DRAs in 1996 with a gel-based product. In late 1999, EEI developed and began selling a suspension-based DRA called XPAND High Internal Product Ratio (HIPR). The Original Process for making HIPR used Alfol-2 as a suspending medium, and the district court found that HIPR contained the following materials: (1) Alfol-2—67 percent; (2) Carbopol—0.7 percent; (3) PE Wax—0.8 percent; (4) C30+ Wax— 8.7 percent; (5) Polymer—23 percent; and (6) Acid—0.5 percent. 28 The district court found that Alfol-2, the accused suspending material, contained 8 to 15 percent water and 80 to 82.31 percent ethanol. The remaining ingredients consist primarily of a denaturing agent known as methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), which is added to industrial alcohols to avoid paying liquor taxes and to avoid human consumption. EEI presented evidence that Alfol-2 consisted of the following materials: (1) Water—8 percent; (2) Ammonia—0.08 percent; (3) Ethanol—82.31 percent; (4) Other Hydrocarbons—0.38 percent; (5) Isopropanol—2.35 percent; (6) Methanol—0.09 percent; (7) Butanol—0.94 percent; (8) MIBK—4.7 percent; (9) Heptane—1.12 percent. The district court found that any non-alcohol and non-water components in Alfol-2, such as the ammonia, heptane and MIBK, were impurities. 29 In April of 2001, EEI switched from its Original Process that used Alfol-2 to its Current Process that used Alfol-6. Alfol-6 was composed of substantially-pure hexanol as a suspending medium; therefore, the Current Process did not infringe the '937 patent because the suspending medium was not composed of a water-alcohol mixture. However, Conoco claimed the Current Process infringed the '151 patent. 30 At trial, EEI conceded that the Current Process met every element of claims 1-3 of the '151 patent except for the requirement that the partitioning agent be a fatty acid wax. EEI's Current Process uses C30 + wax as the partitioning agent. C30 + wax is not a fatty acid wax or stearamide as defined by the patent. It is a straight hydrocarbon wax.