Buyer & specifier guide

How to Verify a Modular Floating Cover Is Patent-Licensed

The self-leveling ballast-chamber design used in modular floating covers is patented in the United States through approximately 2040. This guide gives buyers and specification writers the questions to ask any supplier — including AWTT — and the contract language to use.

Why this matters to the buyer, not just the maker

Most procurement teams treat intellectual property as the supplier’s problem. Under US patent law it is not only the supplier’s problem: liability can extend to parties who use, sell, offer for sale, or import an infringing product, not merely the party that manufactures it.

The practical risk for a water utility, EPC contractor, or industrial operator is rarely a lawsuit. It is supply continuity: a product withdrawn, an import stopped, or a supplier distracted by litigation partway through a multi-phase reservoir programme. Asking two or three questions during evaluation is cheap insurance.

What is actually patented

Two granted US patents — US 11,267,536 B2 and its continuation US 11,584,482 B2, both titled “Floats with leveling ballast matter chambers” — claim a float having:

  • a central chamber;
  • circumferentially spaced peripheral sub-chambers containing ballast matter;
  • ballast positioned so the center of gravity remains near the geometric center when the float tilts — producing self-leveling, tip-resistant behaviour, used individually or collectively to cover a liquid surface.

If a product you are evaluating uses ballast held in separate peripheral chambers to keep the float upright, the patent question is live and worth asking. If it floats on trapped air alone with no ballast chambers, it is a different design and these claims are unlikely to be relevant.

Five questions to ask any supplier

  1. 1. Which patents cover the ballast mechanism in the product you are quoting?

    Why it matters: A supplier practising a patented mechanism should be able to name the patent numbers without hesitation. "We are not aware of any" is a materially different answer from "here are the numbers and our position."

  2. 2. Do you own those patents, hold a licence, or neither?

    Why it matters: Ownership and licence are both defensible positions. Neither is not. Ask for the answer in writing on company letterhead.

  3. 3. Does your product use ballast held in separate peripheral chambers to self-level the float?

    Why it matters: This is the technical feature the US claims are directed to. A yes here is what makes the patent question relevant to your purchase.

  4. 4. Will you indemnify us against third-party IP claims arising from this supply?

    Why it matters: A supplier confident in its IP position will accept indemnity. Reluctance to indemnify is itself informative.

  5. 5. Where is the product manufactured, and where will it be imported into?

    Why it matters: US patents are enforceable against products made, used, sold, offered for sale, or imported into the United States. Import route matters.

Specification language you can copy

Drop-in clause for a floating cover specification or tender document. Have your own counsel review before issue — this is a starting point, not legal advice.

Intellectual property. The Supplier shall identify in its submittal all patents, in the country of installation, covering the flotation and ballast mechanism of the offered product, together with the Supplier’s ownership or licence position in respect of each.

The Supplier warrants that it holds all rights necessary to manufacture, import, offer, and sell the offered product in the country of installation.

The Supplier shall indemnify and hold harmless the Owner and its agents against any claim, damages, or injunctive relief arising from an allegation that the supplied product infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights, including costs of substitution and delay.

Verifying AWTT’s own position

The same standard applies to AWTT. The patent numbers, claim summary, grant dates, expiry, and the products marked under them are published, with links to the public record so you can read the claims yourself rather than take a vendor’s word for it.

AWTT patents & virtual marking

Frequently asked questions

Patent-verification questions from engineers, specifiers, and procurement teams.

Is the self-leveling floating cover mechanism patented?
In the United States, yes. US 11,267,536 B2 and US 11,584,482 B2 claim a float with a central chamber and circumferentially spaced peripheral ballast sub-chambers that hold the center of gravity near the geometric center so the float self-levels rather than tipping. Both patents are active on the public record with estimated expiry around 2040.

Why does a patent position matter to a buyer rather than only to the manufacturer?
US patent law reaches parties who use, sell, offer for sale, or import an infringing product, not only the party who makes it. For a utility, contractor, or industrial operator, that means supplier IP risk can become project risk — including supply interruption if a product is enjoined mid-project. Asking the question during evaluation costs nothing; discovering the answer later can cost a schedule.

What specification language covers this?
A short clause requiring the supplier to identify patents covering the offered mechanism, warrant its right to supply in the destination country, and indemnify the owner against third-party IP claims is sufficient for most procurements. Sample language is provided on this page.

Does AWTT claim a specific competitor infringes?
No. This guide sets out the public patent record and the questions any buyer can ask any supplier, including AWTT. Determining whether a particular product falls within a patent claim is a legal question for counsel, not a marketing claim.

How do I verify AWTT’s own position?
The patent numbers, grant dates, claim summary, and product marking are published on the AWTT patents page, with direct links to the public patent record so you can read the claims yourself.

Sources & further reading

Informational only; not legal advice. AWTT makes no assertion here regarding whether any particular third-party product infringes any patent.