Cequent owns the patent that protects its Bulldog collar lock coupler, which is the leading

design in the medium-weight industrial and livestock trailer markets, according to the company. The coupler includes a proprietary hollow, circular cross-section that provides substantial weight savings and improved function in securing a bumper-pull trailer to the hitch ball on a truck.

TriMas said Cequent filed a patent infringement suit against Pacific Rim and Curt Manufacturing when it found the companies sold couplers nearly identical to the patented technology in Bulldog brand couplers.

Pacific Rim  and Curt  Manufacturing agreed to settle the dispute with Cequent. Pacific Rim agreed to pay Cequent an undisclosed sum and to sell off its remaining minimal inventory by Aug. 31, according to Cequent. Pacific Rim and Curt also agreed to stop manufacturing or selling any further couplers having Cequent’s proprietary hollow, circular cross-section by Aug. 31.