US 11261566

US patent 11261566, titled "Clothing for a machine for producing a fibrous material web," was issued to Voith Patent GmbH on March 1, 2022, from an application filed on March 11, 2019. The inventors are Robert Eberhardt and Susanne Klaschka.

Abstract:
The patent describes a clothing (such as a seam felt) for machines that produce fibrous material webs (like paper, board, tissue, or pulp). This clothing features a base structure with a two-layer laminate structure made from one or more flat-woven fabrics. The laminate structure includes machine direction (MD) threads that form seam loops at both ends of the base structure, connecting the two layers. The clothing is made endless by joining its ends with a seam, created by interengaging the seam loops and inserting an element. A key feature is that the ratio (LD/MDYD) of the seam loop diameter (LD) to the associated MD thread diameter (MDYD) is between 2.5 and 4, specifically between 2.7 and 3.6. Additionally, the seam has a loop density between 64% and 90%.

Plain-language Overview of Independent Claim 1:
Claim 1 describes a specialized fabric, or "clothing," intended for use in machinery that manufactures paper, cardboard, tissue, or pulp. This fabric has a core structure composed of two layers of woven material. The threads running in the machine direction of this core structure are single, round filaments that form loops at the fabric's ends. These loops interlock the two layers of the fabric. To make the fabric into a continuous belt, these end loops are interengaged, and a pin (insertion element) is inserted through them to create a seam. The claim specifies two critical characteristics for this fabric:

1. The density of these seam loops must be between 64% and 90%.
2. The ratio of the diameter of a seam loop (LD) to the diameter of the individual machine direction thread (MDYD) that forms the loop must be between 2.7 and 3.6.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for US11261566 did not yield any direct results indicating active litigation concerning this specific patent number. Information found pertained to general scheduling and unrelated cases. It is possible that any litigation is not explicitly listed under the patent number itself in the publicly available docket schedules, or that no such litigation has reached the CAFC in 2026. Therefore, I cannot definitively confirm or deny CAFC litigation activity for US11261566 with the provided search capabilities.US patent 11261566, titled "Clothing for a machine for producing a fibrous material web," was issued to Voith Patent GmbH on March 1, 2022. The application was filed on March 11, 2019. The inventors listed are Robert Eberhardt and Susanne Klaschka.

Abstract:
The patent describes a clothing, specifically a seam felt, designed for machinery that produces fibrous material webs such as paper, board, tissue, or pulp. It features a base structure comprising a two-layer laminate formed from one or more flat-woven fabrics. Machine direction (MD) threads within this laminate structure form seam loops at the two end sides of the base, connecting the layers. The clothing is made endless by joining these end sides with a seam, which is created by interengaging the seam loops and inserting an insertion element. A key aspect of the invention is that the ratio (LD/MDYD) of the seam loop diameter (LD) to the diameter of the associated MD threads (MDYD) is between 2.5 and 4, and more particularly between 2.7 and 3.6. Additionally, the seam has a loop density ranging from 64% to 90%.

Plain-language Overview of Independent Claim 1:
Claim 1 describes a specialized fabric, or "clothing," specifically a seam felt, for use in machines that produce fibrous material webs like paper, board, tissue, or pulp. This clothing consists of:

• A base structure with two layers of flat-woven fabric.
• Machine direction (MD) threads, which are monofilaments with a round cross-section, forming loops at the two ends of the base structure. These loops connect the two fabric layers.
• A seam that joins the two ends of the clothing, making it an endless loop. This seam is created by interlocking the seam loops from both ends and inserting a separate element through them.
• The seam itself has a "loop density" (a measure of how densely the MD threads cover the seam area) between 64% and 90%.
• Crucially, the ratio of the diameter of the seam loops (LD) to the diameter of the MD threads (MDYD) that form these loops is specifically between 2.7 and 3.6.

Legal Status - CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for US11261566 did not yield any direct results. However, the patent's legal status information indicates that an Inter Partes Review (IPR) case, IPR2025-01116, was filed and instituted before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). This IPR case is currently pending. This is a significant legal proceeding, although it is before the PTAB rather than the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). The petitioner for this IPR is Unified Patents. This IPR was filed on July 22, 2025, with an effective date of June 6, 2025.