Frigid Fluid Awarded U.S. Patent for New Embalming Machine Port System

Northlake, Ill. — October 20, 2025 — Frigid Fluid, a family-owned company serving funeral professionals since 1892, has been granted a U.S. Patent (US 12,214,937 B2) for its Port System and Method for an Embalming Machine. The new design reflects Frigid Fluid’s long-standing commitment to advancing embalming technology in practical, meaningful ways.

The patented port system’s Mix Mode ensures a uniform blend of the selected formula, preventing fluid separation and improving overall consistency when blending fluids. With the Self Clean mode, the hydraulic system can be thoroughly flushed in minutes, simplifying routine maintenance while extending the life and performance of the machine.

“This patent represents another step forward in our effort to make embalming equipment smarter and easier to use,” said Brian Yeazel, President and CEO of Frigid Fluid. “Our engineering team has put real thought into how people use this equipment every day—and this design grew directly from those insights.”

The Port System and Method patent joins a growing portfolio of Frigid Fluid innovations that support funeral directors and embalmers around the world. It underscores the company’s continued investment in practical design improvements that enhance insight, reliability, and long-term performance in the prep room.

About Frigid Fluid
Founded in 1892, Frigid Fluid supports funeral professionals with dependable products, hands-on service, and technical expertise. The company is headquartered in Northlake, Illinois, and serves customers throughout North America and internationally. Learn more at www.frigidfluid.com.

Earlier this week Funeral Director Daily learned from this press release from Batesville that “the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana awarded summary judgment in favor of Batesville Casket Company, LLC and Batesville Services, LLC and against Vandor Group, Inc., rejecting Vandor’s claims that Batesville’s cardboard rental insert, which the company launched in 2011, infringed four of Vandor’s patents.” 

The press release went on to say “Batesville vigorously disputed Vandor’s allegations of patent infringement and filed its own counterclaims requesting a declaration from the Court that Vandor’s patents were invalid. In its summary judgment decision, the Court agreed with Batesville that all four patents asserted by Vandor were invalid and dismissed Vandor’s infringement claims against Batesville in their entirety. Batesville’s motion for attorney’s fees is now pending before the Court.”

Batesville’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer Jenn Parvin made the following comment in a prepared statement in the press release, “The Court’s ruling allows us to put these accusations behind us and continue designing and delivering the high-quality products that funeral professionals need and that families deserve.”

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  When I served on the Board of Regents for the University of Minnesota one of the most fascinating aspects for me was serving on the University’s Litigation Committee.  I served on that committee for my entire six year term and for a short period of time served as Chairman when that position was temporarily vacant.

While a lot of the legal issues for the University were in the realm of employment law or patient medical issues as a research university we had our share of disputes over patents as well.  I found them fascinating and was involved in the  University strategies for many cases.  One thing I learned about patent disputes are that they take a long period of time to resolve and if you are not well-funded many companies can just wait you out.

Just for perspective, as a major public research university with a large scope of research in our mission, during my time at the University of Minnesota our researchers were applying for one patent every three days . . .so there was ample opportunity for disagreement.  Somewhat under the radar, most observers don’t know that the University of Minnesota ranks 12th nationally with expenditures of about $1.32 billion in our budget for research annually.

When I first was put on the committee I had a discussion about it with then U of M President Eric Kaler.  I remember him telling me, “Companies don’t like litigating issues with us because if needed we have the financial resources of the entire state of Minnesota behind us and we can play the long-game.”   I never wanted to pursue cases that I felt didn’t have merit for the University of Minnesota, but for those cases that we felt had merit the thought of President Kaler’s comments to me always gave me the point of view that if we felt we were right, we could wait out the eventual outcome.

As to the length of these patent disputes I cannot comment on many that are still ongoing, but there some in the public realm that I worked on.  For instance, here’s an article on one such dispute that was started in 2014 and continues, to my knowledge, unresolved to this day — the case being over a decade old at this time.

I’m guessing that Batesville is glad that their litigation on these patents is over and probably very happy that they prevailed with their side of the argument.  They can now continue to concentrate their efforts on providing products that funeral providers can use to enhance their service.

More news from the world of Death Care:

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,120 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily:

“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Batesville Prevails in Patent Infringement Case Filed by Vandor; Continues Innovating with New Cremation Products

BATESVILLE, Ind., February 24, 2025 – Following a nearly two-year legal process, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana awarded summary judgment in favor of Batesville Casket Company, LLC and Batesville Services, LLC and against Vandor Group, Inc., rejecting Vandor’s claims that Batesville’s cardboard rental insert, which the company launched in 2011, infringed four of Vandor’s patents. Batesville vigorously disputed Vandor’s allegations of patent infringement and filed its own counterclaims requesting a declaration from the Court that Vandor’s patents were invalid. In its summary judgment decision, the Court agreed with Batesville that all four patents asserted by Vandor were invalid and dismissed Vandor’s infringement claims against Batesville in their entirety. Batesville’s motion for attorney’s fees is now pending before the Court.

“At Batesville, we take pride in bringing innovative and original solutions to market,” said Jenn Parvin, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Batesville. “The Court’s ruling allows us to put these  accusations behind us and continue designing and delivering the high-quality products that funeral professionals need and that families deserve.”

A trusted resource for cremation offerings for more than three decades, Batesville has an expansive assortment of products – from cremation urns and keepsakes to caskets and alternative containers, remembrance jewelry, and memorialization products. The company is continuously expanding and refining its product line to improve quality or performance, enhance functionality or deliver greater value.

“Our goal is not just to provide more products, but to provide the right products at the right price points that meet the functional needs of funeral directors and that deliver value to families,” said Parvin. “We have a lot of exciting things in development as we head into 2025.”

Since late 2023, Batesville has added more than 100 new cremation products, touching all categories, including a growing line of cremation containers, rental caskets and inserts. The company recently launched several products in this line.

• Fairview^™ 27 – the first rental casket offering personalization through the company’s patented LifeView^® panel
• Sureview^™ – a competitively priced rental insert that is stronger and easier to use
• NewPointe^® – entry-level cardboard cremation container

ABOUT BATESVILLE SERVICES, LLC

Batesville (www.Batesville.com) is a recognized leader in the death care industry in North America, offering a comprehensive portfolio of burial and cremation products, memorialization options and innovative technology solutions. For more than 125 years, Batesville has supported licensed funeral professionals in helping families honor the lives of those they love.^® A history of manufacturing excellence, product innovation, superior customer service, and reliable delivery helped Batesville become – and remain – a market leader.