Identification of Synthetic Equestrian
Riding Surface
Dr Steve Law
13th May 2015
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Technology consultancy
– New product development
– Process development
– IP development
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Expertise
– Polymer materials science
– Fibre & textile science
– Medical device technology & regulation
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Over 25 years corporate experience in
materials technology R&D at all levels
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U.S. based client company, Attwood
Equestrian Surfaces Inc. that manufactures
& installs synthetic equestrian riding
surfaces
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New competitor product appears very
similar to own patented product
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Does the competitor’s product infringe
Attwood’s patent?
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Premium all-weather
synthetic riding surfaces
are based on sand and
fibres coated with a
petroleum wax or
polymeric binder
Loose yet cohesive
surface that is ‘weatherproof’ & kind to the
horse physiology
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Competitor’s product
aesthetics & properties very
similar to Attwood’s.
These product attributes
highly dependent on the
binder coating
Needed to identify
competitor’s binder &
compare to Attwood’s
Binder is only a small
proportion of overall mass,
and present as very thin
coating
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Contacted Dept. Chemistry at Warwick University
for analytical services
Offered ideal technique (Diamond ATR FTIR
spectroscopy) at competitive rate
Diamond ATR FTIR can analyse the coating whilst it
is present on the sand & fibres
Requires reference materials & possibly other
techniques for complete characterisation
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First study by FTIR suggested a
similar polymer to Attwood’s,
but not completely identifiable
Second round of analysis using
Gel Permeation Chromatography
(GPC) and Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)
identified the competitor’s
binder, and even showed that it
consisted of a blend of two
molecular weights
Result: the competitor is not
infringing Attwood’s patent
Thanks for your attention & hope you
enjoyed the talk