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| A figure from SFA's patent, titled Smart Picking System (Korean Patent No. 1795440) (Source: KIPRIS) |
Knauf AG has successfully invalidated a key logistics automation patent held by SFA Engineering Corp. in a decision issued by the Korean Intellectual Property Tribunal (KIPTAB) on June 9, 2025.
KIPTAB ruled that Claim 1 of Korean Patent No. 1795440, titled Smart Picking System, is invalid. The patent describes a system for transferring and sorting items from source totes to target totes using a smart picking table with multiple picking stations, conveyors, and transfer devices.
Knauf filed the invalidation petition in January 2025, asserting that the claim lacked novelty or an inventive step. The tribunal ultimately sided with Knauf, agreeing that the challenged claim did not meet the statutory requirements for patentability.
The invalidated patent is one of several intellectual property assets at the center of a broader dispute between Knauf and SFA, a South Korea-based provider of industrial automation solutions. If SFA chooses to appeal, it must file a lawsuit with the Korean Patent Court.
Knauf has also challenged Claim 1 of a separate SFA patent bearing the same title, Smart Picking System (Korean Patent No. 2412363), filing a separate invalidation petition in February 2025. That case remains pending.
In addition, on April 1, 2025, Knauf filed a petition to invalidate Claim 1 of SFA's Transfer Shuttle and Automated Warehouse System Using the Same (Korean Patent No. 1717447). Knauf initially filed two petitions against the shuttle patent but withdrew one on April 7, leaving one challenge still pending.
The shuttle patent, granted in March 2017, covers a rail-guided shuttle that moves laterally to connect storage shelves and automate goods handling within a warehouse, reducing manual labor and enhancing storage efficiency.
By PatenTrip
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