Bissell Rival Dodges Patent Accusations With Redesigned Vacuums

An appeals court cleared several updated Tineco Intelligent Technology Co. wet-dry vacuum products that Bissell Inc. sought to block from being imported to the US in a patent action.

Bissell claimed that two Tineco Floor One vacuum models had a self-cleaning feature captured in its patents, in a complaint filed at the US International Trade Commission. The ITC found that Tineco’s Floor One S3 and S5 Pro infringed the patents but that redesigned versions of the devices don’t.

The commission found the newer versions of Tineco’s products both charged their respective batteries during their self-cleaning cycles, which differentiated them from ...