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Sep 15th, 2008                                Print this article

Injection molding: GIWW granted gas-injection rights

By Matt Defosse

As one of a series of technology transfer and equipment supply deals between Gas Injection Worldwide Ltd. (GIWW; Middlewich, England) and Gain Technologies (Shelby Township, MI), GIWW has acquired exclusive rights outside the U.S. and Japan to use, sub-license, and enforce all currently viable patents owned by or licensed to Gain Technologies related to injection molding.

GIWW (www.gasinjection-ww.com) is a former division of Gas Injection HK Co. Ltd. (GIHK) and became an independent company on August 1, 2007 with exclusive rights to market GIHK’s gas-injection products outside China.

GIWW identifies as most important the patents US 5204051, US 5423667, EPO 393315B2 and JP 2510754, with the inventor’s name Christoph Jaroschek. These patents are owned by injection molding machine manufacturer Ferromatik Milacron but in May 2003 Ferromatik granted Gain sole rights to use, sub-license and enforce the Jaroschek patents worldwide. By earlier agreement with Gain, gas injection equipment manufacturer Maximator in Germany and Ferromatik Milacron (Malteringen, Germany) may non-exclusively grant sub-licenses to their customers. The patents cover the technique for completely filling a mold cavity with plastic and then injecting gas to displace still molten plastic into secondary outflow cavities through connecting channels in which there are stop valves to control timing of the plastic displacement. Also covered is a method of displacing plastic back into the molding machine cylinder when injecting gas into the mould.

“This will be good news for GIWW customers, eliminating uncertainty or the need for licenses from third parties,” said Terry Pearson, chairman of GIWW. “Customers for GIWW gas-pressure controllers will be offered licenses covering the full range of GAIN patents or only covering the Jaroschek patents” at what he said will be “relatively low once only license fees.” Users of other gas controllers will be offered ‘Patent Only Licenses’. Pearson is the former chairman of Cinpres Gas Injection Ltd.

Whether this move will set off another round of lawsuits related to gas injection is difficult to predict, but it seems a strong possibility. GIWW already has said that existing licensees of other methods should consider taking GIWW/GAIN patent licenses to avoid infringement, particularly of the Jaroschek patents.

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