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McCormick & Company, Inc. et al. vs. ZoomEssence, Inc.

Explore the PTAB proceeding IPR2026-00416 filed by McCormick & Company, Inc. et al. on 2026-07-09. This includes filing dates, application numbers, tech centers, patent numbers, and current case status.

Proceeding Overview

Proceeding Number

IPR2026-00416

Filing Date

2026-07-09

Accorded Filing Date

2026-07-09

Institution Decision Date

—

Last Modified Date

2026-10-09

Proceeding Type

IPR

Termination Date

—

Trial Status

Pending

Parties & Counsel

Petitioner

McCormick & Company, Inc. et al.

Represented By

Jhurani, Karanet al

Patent Owner / Respondent

ZoomEssence, Inc.

Represented By

Anderson, Jameset al

Tribunal & Venue

Tribunal

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (USPTO)

Technology Center

TC 3700 - Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Patent Information

1 Patent Involved

Respondent Application Number 14606771

Respondent Patent Number 9332776

External Links

Espacenet

Google Patents

Respondent Inventor Charles P. Beetz et al

Respondent Tech Center TC 3700 - Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing

Address and Attorney/Agent Information

1 Registered Practitioner

Power of Attorney & Correspondence

Firm / Entity Name HULTQUIST IP

Customer Number 23448

Address P.O. BOX 14329, RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, 27709, UNITED STATES

Attorney / Agent Information

Reg #	Name	Phone
28021	Steven Hultquist	919-419-9350

Proceeding Documents

1052

July 1, 2026 Email from McCormick counsel to ZE Counsel Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1045

November 17, 2017 Letter from ZE Counsel to FONA Counsel Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1048

Plaintiff's Opp. to Defendants' Mot. to Transfer Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1056

Defendants' Mot. to Transfer Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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Petitioner's Opposition to Request for Discretionary Denial RESPONSE

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1046

December 5, 2017 Letter from FONA Counsel to ZE Counsel Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1051

Entry of Judgment Without Opinion Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1047

March-June 2020 Emails between FONA and ZE Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1053

Defendants' Renewed Mot. to Dismiss Count III Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1050

Final Written Decision Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1049

U.S. Patent No. 8,939,388 to Beetz et al. Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1057

Google Patents search results Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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1054

Memorandum from John A. Squires Exhibit

2026-10-09 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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2019

Letter from ZoomEssence to FONA re U.S. Patents 8,939,388; 9,332,776; and 9,551,527 (July 6, 2017) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2018

E-mail from FONA to ZoomEssence re “Request for zoomes-sence technology information” (Mar. 10, 2011) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2015

“ZoomEssence Awarded Zooming Patent,” Perfumer & Flavorist (Aug. 9, 2018) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2010

Non-Confidential Excerpts from Defendants’ P.R. 3-3 and 3-4 Invalidity Contentions, ZoomEssence, Inc. v. McCormick & Company, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-1240-JRG (E.D. Tex.) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2016

First Amended Docket Control Order, ZoomEssence, Inc. v. McCormick & Company, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-1240-JRG (E.D. Tex. Apr. 24, 2026) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2005

“Targeting Energy-Intensive Water Evaporation Processes,” Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2013

U.S. Patent No. 11,235,303 to Sobel et al., “Flavor Encapsulation Using Electrostatic Atomization” (Issued Feb. 1, 2022) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2012

Information Disclosure Statement, U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 17/552,011 (filed Dec. 15, 2021) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2003

“Charles P. Beetz: Outstanding Alumni Award 2011,” Purdue University Department of Physics and Astronomy Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2021

E-mail from FONA to ZoomEssence re “Follow-Up on Next Steps” (Mar. 17, 2020) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2004

“Liquids to Powders Without Heat—No Heat Spray Drying Technology,” U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Manu-facturing Office (Dec. 2017) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2007

“IFF and ZoomEssence Announce Settlement of Lawsuit,” International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Press Release (June 23, 2017) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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PATENT OWNER’S BRIEF REQUESTING DISCRETIONARY DENIAL RESPONSE

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2008

First Amended Complaint, ZoomEssence, Inc. v. McCormick & Company, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:25-cv-1240-JRG (E.D. Tex. Mar. 31, 2026) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2023

LinkedIn Profile of Robert M. Sobel, Ph.D. Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2020

E-mail from FONA to ZoomEssence re “Reconnect” (Oct. 23, 2018) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2006

“Intellectual Property,” ZoomEssence, Inc. website (www.zoomessence.com/our-technology/intellectual-prop-erty/) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2017

Letter from FONA to ZoomEssence re U.S. Patents 8,939,388; 9,332,776; and 9,551,527 (Aug. 14, 2017) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2002

“KY: Governor Beshear Announces ZoomEssence to Create 20 New Jobs in Northern Kentucky,” Trade and Industry De-velopment (Oct. 28, 2010) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2009

“McCormick Acquires FONA International, LLC,” McCor-mick & Company Press Release (Dec. 30, 2020) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2022

McCormick & Company, Inc. 2025 Form 10-K Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2011

Information Disclosure Statement, U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 15/652,486 (filed July 18, 2017) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2014

U.S. Patent No. 11,845,052 to Sobel et al., “Flavor Encapsulation Using Electrostatic Atomization” (Issued Dec. 19, 2023) Exhibit

2026-09-09 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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1044

Stipulation Letter Exhibit

2026-08-17 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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Petitioner's Updated Exhibit List NOTICE

2026-08-17 FILING PARTY: PETITIONER

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Patent Owner's Notice of Intent to Designate Michael B. Powell, a Provisionally Recognized Patent Trial and Appeal Board Attorney, as Back-up Counsel NOTICE

2026-07-31 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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2001

Declaration of Michael B. Powell in Support of Patent Owner’s Notice of Intent to Designate Provisionally Recognized PTAB Attorney as Back-up Counsel Exhibit

2026-07-31 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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Notice: Power of Attorney NOTICE

2026-07-30 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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Notice: Mandatory Notice NOTICE

2026-07-30 FILING PARTY: PATENT OWNER

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Notice filing date accorded to Petition NOTICE

2026-07-17 FILING PARTY: BOARD

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1041