Opinion ID: 1042145
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Valois’s “Old” and “New” Tubes

Text: Valois learned about the NoC® tube from a customer in March 2006. It then sent samples of the NoC® tube to its tube supplier, who then began making EFEP tubes using a water-quenching process. The water-quenched tubes are referred to as the “Old” tubes. Once Valois learned about MWV’s patent applications, it instructed its supplier to investigate ways to design around the patents. Eventually, Valois and the supplier concluded that extruding the tubes without water quenching was the best option. The redesigned “New” tube is cooled by running the tube through an air chamber. In the bottom of the chamber, below the tube, a pump recirculates chilled water to maintain the air temperature in the chamber. Summ. J. Op., 809 F. Supp. 2d at 471.