SAGE Electrochromics, Inc., a world leader in the development and manufacture of dynamic glass, located in Faribault, Minn., today announced it has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, against View, Inc. (formerly Soladigm, Inc.) of Milpitas, Calif.
The nature of the lawsuit is a complaint for patent infringement involving U.S. Patent #5,724,177 entitled “Electrochromic Devices and Methods” and U.S. Patent #7,372,610 entitled “Electrochromic Devices and Methods.” SAGE is seeking damages and injunctive relief to prevent View, Inc. from continuing to infringe on SAGE’s intellectual property.
“We filed this lawsuit to enforce our patented intellectual property that protects our substantial investment in developing our pioneering, game-changing dynamic glass technology,” said John Van Dine, CEO, founder of SAGE, and co-inventor of the ’177 patent. “We have worked for more than twenty years to bring our patented electrochromic glass to market. Our hundreds of installed
projects and delighted customers validate our research and intellectual property. We believe we will prevail in this important case. We look forward to continuing our long heritage of bringing innovations in dynamic glass to our global clients.”
SAGE Heritage
SAGE is a pioneer in the development, manufacture, and distribution of electrochromic glass for the commercial building space. The company was founded in 1989 and has spent over 20 years on the research and development of its patented technology. SAGE is celebrating the tenth year of commercial shipment of its advanced dynamic glass in 2013, reflecting a decade of working closely with customers to create and optimize electrochromic glass to ensure its success in the marketplace. SageGlass® is now deployed in hundreds of buildings worldwide and the company has received numerous awards for its patented technology. SAGE currently holds 236 patents globally with more pending.
SAGE began in a small laboratory in Valley Cottage, New York in 1989. Van Dine, a chemical engineer from Rutgers University, was energized by a novel idea – no less than the re-invention of glass for commercial buildings. His hypothesis was that, foot for foot, solar panels generate less power than energy-efficient building glass could save. He left his position in the thin film solar cell industry and founded SAGE to develop electrochromic glass, a technology then in its infancy. Despite years of trials and challenges, SAGE endured and is now proud to employ 150 people.
SAGE is also finishing this year construction of the world’s largest and most advanced dynamic glass manufacturing plant, a 324,000-square-foot (30,100-square-meter) facility that will produce dynamic glass in high volumes and in large commercial architectural sizes at an affordable cost.
About SAGE Electrochromics, Inc.
SAGE Electrochromics is the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced dynamic glass that can be tinted or cleared to optimize daylight and improve the human experience in buildings. SageGlass controls the sunlight and heat that enter a building, significantly reducing energy consumption while improving people’s comfort and well-being. SageGlass can reduce a building’s cooling load by 20% and HVAC requirements up to 30%. It is a smarter, more elegant solution than conventional sun controls such as mechanical window shades, blinds and louvers. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered near Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., in the heart of “the Silicon Valley of the window industry.” SAGE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain of Paris, France, the world’s largest building materials company.
