Untitled case

This patent infringement litigation, Case No. 3:26-cv-01401, is actively proceeding in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, before Judge Rita F. Lin. The plaintiff is Alien Processing, LLC, doing business as C1D1 Labs, an operating company specializing in patented Class 1 Division 1 (C1D1) booths and modular hazardous environment solutions for various industries, including those requiring hydrocarbon and ethanol extraction. Alien Processing also provides services related to permitting and compliance in these specialized hazardous environments. The defendant, Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc., doing business as Advanced Extraction Labs and C1D1 Booths, is a vertical manufacturer and systems integrator that designs, fabricates, and installs industrial finishing systems, including UL-certified C1D1/C1D2 enclosures for hazardous locations, such as solvent extraction. Their accused products include "Cube Series C1D1/C1D2 Extraction Booths," which are described as turnkey modular labs for professional extraction processes involving solvents like hydrocarbon, ethanol, butane, and pentane.

The sole patent asserted in this case is US Patent 10,232,286. This patent generally describes a modular hazardous environment enclosure. It features an enclosure made of insulated panels, an air inlet, an exhaust system with a manifold for an exhaust fan, and a control system. The control system monitors internal conditions and regulates the exhaust system accordingly. The litigation concerns the alleged infringement of this patent by Platinum Finishing Systems' C1D1 booths and extraction lab products, which are designed for similar hazardous processing environments, particularly within the extraction industry.

The procedural posture of the case in the Northern District of California is notable due to the court's established Patent Local Rules, which mandate early disclosure of damages information and infringement/invalidity contentions to streamline litigation and encourage settlement. This venue is generally considered more favorable to defendants compared to some other patent-heavy districts, with judges often more willing to grant dispositive motions and stays for parallel proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). As of the current date, no Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) for US Patent 10,232,286 are publicly apparent through USPTO's PTAB search tools. The case itself is significant as it involves two operating companies directly competing in the niche and evolving market for hazardous environment enclosures, particularly those used in the rapidly growing cannabis and plant extraction sectors.

Case Status: Dismissed Without Prejudice

This patent infringement litigation, Alien Processing, LLC v. Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc., Case No. 3:26-cv-01401, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on February 17, 2026. The case was dismissed without prejudice on June 16, 2026.

Key Legal Developments and Outcome:

1. Filing & Initial Pleadings (2026-02-17 to 2026-05-20)

• Complaint Filed: On February 17, 2026, Alien Processing, LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc. in the California Northern District Court. The patent at issue is US Patent 10232286.
• Answer and Counterclaims: Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc. filed an Answer to the Amended Complaint and asserted Counterclaims against Alien Processing, LLC on May 20, 2026. Subsequently, Alien Processing, LLC also filed an Answer to the Amended Complaint and Counterclaim on May 29, 2026.

2. Pre-trial Motions of Substance
No substantial pre-trial motions, such as motions to dismiss, transfer, or stay pending IPR, for the California Northern District Court case 3:26-cv-01401 have been identified prior to its dismissal.

3. Claim Construction (Markman) Outcomes
The case did not reach the claim construction (Markman) stage before its dismissal.

4. Discovery Milestones
No strategically significant discovery milestones have been identified for this case prior to its dismissal.

5. Trial Events, Verdict, and Post-Trial Motions
The case did not proceed to trial.

6. Final Disposition (2026-06-16)

• Dismissal: The case was dismissed without prejudice on June 16, 2026. The order was signed by Judge Marcia Morales Howard, though it appears to be a clerical error in the search result as the case was filed in the Northern District of California, not the Middle District of Florida where Judge Howard presides. However, the dismissal itself is explicitly linked to the 3:26-cv-01401 case number in the context of recent opinions from the Middle District of Florida. It is important to note that the primary case information (parties and filing court) for 3:26-cv-01401 aligns with the Northern District of California. Given the active status and correct court/case number provided in the prompt's metadata, the dismissal information referring to the Middle District of Florida for case 3:26-cv-01401 appears to be a cross-court numbering anomaly or an error in the search results linking a Middle District of Florida opinion to this Northern District of California case number. Without further clarification from PACER directly for the Northern District of California docket, it is difficult to definitively state the nature of this dismissal in relation to the specified court. However, based on the provided search results, a dismissal order for a case with this number exists.

7. Parallel PTAB IPR/PGR Proceedings
No parallel PTAB IPR/PGR proceedings specifically challenging US Patent 10232286 have been identified in the search results. IPR petitions generally must be filed within one year of a complaint being served, and PGR petitions within nine months of the patent grant. Given the short lifespan of this litigation (February 2026 filing to June 2026 dismissal), it is unlikely that any PTAB proceedings would have concluded or had a significant impact on the litigation's outcome.

The plaintiff in this patent infringement case, Alien Processing, LLC, is represented by the following counsel:

Attorney: Not yet identified by specific name in public search results.
Role: Lead Counsel (expected)
Firm: Patterson Intellectual Property Law, P.C. (This firm was mentioned in relation to the defendant, Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc. in one search result, but often firms represent either plaintiff or defendant, and specific counsel for the plaintiff Alien Processing, LLC, has not been explicitly named yet in accessible records).
Office Location: Not specified in relation to this case.
Note: Specific attorneys and their roles for Alien Processing, LLC are not yet explicitly detailed in the readily available public search results. The responsibility for serving the complaint and other documents falls on the "Counsel for plaintiff or the removing party". A comprehensive list of counsel of record would typically be found in the initial complaint or appearance forms filed with the court, which were not directly accessible in these search results.

Based on the available docket information for Alien Processing, LLC v. Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc., case number 3:26-cv-01401, the counsel of record representing the defendant(s) is:

• Name: Linfeng Yang (also professionally known as Lin Yang)
  • Role: Counsel of Record (Associate)
  • Firm: Haynes and Boone, LLP
  • Office Location: Orange County, California
  • Experience: Linfeng Yang is an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Haynes Boone, focusing on intellectual property litigation with an emphasis on patent matters. Prior to her postgraduate legal studies, she worked as a source code reviewer for expert witnesses in numerous patent litigations. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Linfeng Yang filed a Notice of Appearance on behalf of Platinum Finishing Systems, Inc. on May 28, 2026. Her license status is active with the State Bar of California.