Tigo Energy Wins Key Rulings in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Proceeding
January 30 2024 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Tigo Energy logs two significant victories in
rapid shutdown and MLPE technology infringement suit against SMA
Solar; providing additional validation to Tigo patents.
Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO), a leading provider of
intelligent solar and energy storage solutions, today announced
that in a patent infringement case filed by Tigo against SMA Solar
Technology America LLC, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) has ruled in favor of Tigo on two petitions previously
filed by SMA Solar. In the failed IPR (inter partes review)
petitions, SMA Solar sought a ruling from the USPTO to invalidate
Tigo U.S. Patents Nos. 9,966,848 and 10,333,405 (the ’848 and ’405
patents). Tigo continues to defend the Company’s intellectual
property as part of an infringement complaint brought by Tigo
against SMA Solar, which remains pending in the District of
Delaware under case number 22-915-GBW.
In the pending patent infringement lawsuit, Tigo alleges
infringement by SMA Solar on Tigo innovations in power supplies for
module-level power electronics (MLPE), including those used in the
Tigo TS4 product line. On January 12 and January 22, the USPTO
denied the SMA petitions for IPRs related to the ’405 and ’848
patents. The complaint is focused on various systems and methods
used in module-level power electronics that are attached to
photovoltaic (PV) panels. Specifically, the complaint alleges that
SMA Solar and certain suppliers copied Tigo innovations that comply
with rapid shutdown requirements of the NFPA 70® National Electric
Code®. The decision follows a 2023 ruling in which the USPTO
instituted IPR2023-00879 against a related Tigo patent, U.S. Patent
No. 9,584,021, which is also part of the pending Tigo patent
infringement case against SMA Solar.
“The ability to protect and defend intellectual property is
central to protecting the investments companies make in R&D and
to maintaining the spirit of innovation that makes nations
competitive,” said Zvi Alon, CEO at Tigo Energy. “This decision by
the USPTO is positive reinforcement of the validity of the pending
case before the jurists, and Tigo is confident in its ability to
protect the intellectual property that underpins our world-class
technology.”
According to National Electric Code § 690.12, “Rapid Shutdown of
PV Systems on Buildings,” requires that PV system circuits
“installed on or in buildings shall include a rapid shutdown
function to reduce shock hazard for emergency responders.” Tigo
rapid shutdown technology is compliant with UL 1741, the Standard
for Safety for Inverters, Converters, Controllers and
Interconnection System Equipment for Use With Distributed Energy
Resources, the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown Specification, and rapid
shutdown requirements of the U.S National Electric Code (NEC). Tigo
is a leader in rapid shutdown technology and MLPE, with more than
150 patents granted or pending. The Company actively licenses its
patented technology to other solar equipment manufacturers and has
prevailed in multiple patent disputes.
Since 2007, millions of Tigo MLPE devices have been deployed in
more than one hundred countries on all seven continents, of which
more than 1 GWh of daily solar production is monitored by Tigo
Energy Intelligence. Tigo MLPE products provide optimized,
monitored, and safe solar to protect critical solar energy
infrastructure and deliver reliability and consistent ROI for the
lifetime of renewable energy systems.
Tigo products, patents, and licensees related to rapid shutdown
systems can be viewed at the Tigo Virtual Patent Marking for Rapid
Shutdown Devices webpage. For more information about the portfolio
of Tigo Flex MLPE solutions, please visit the website.
About Tigo Energy
Founded in 2007, Tigo is a worldwide leader in the development
and manufacture of smart hardware and software solutions that
enhance safety, increase energy yield, and lower operating costs of
residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar systems. Tigo
combines its Flex MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) and solar
optimizer technology with intelligent, cloud-based software
capabilities for advanced energy monitoring and control. Tigo MLPE
products maximize performance, enable real-time energy monitoring,
and provide code-required rapid shutdown at the module level. The
company also develops and manufactures products such as inverters
and battery storage systems for the residential solar-plus-storage
market. For more information, please visit www.tigoenergy.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240130561744/en/
Technica Communications Cait Caviness Email:
tigoenergy@technica.inc
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