Hafco Foundry and Machine Co. v. GMS Mine Repair, No. 18-1904 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 16, 2020)

From the Opinion

The passage below is extracted verbatim from the opening of the document. It has not been editorially summarized — consult the full opinion for the court's complete reasoning.

Hafco Foundry and Machine Company, Inc. (“Hafco”) is the owner of United States Design Patent No. D681,684 (“the ’684 patent”), issued on May 7, 2013 for a “Rock Dust Blower.” This device is used to distribute rock dust in areas such as coal mines, where rock dust is applied to the mine’s interior surfaces, to control the explosive hazards of coal dust. Hafco developed and manufactured this device, and in April 2014 contracted with Pioneer Conveyer LLC, an affiliate of GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance, Inc.