AutoSock created and developed the "car snow sock" concept, and is the registered holder of all relevant patents. Their main European Patent is EP 1165329 which is operational in all European countries. They have similar patent protection in North America and Japan.

After the last two UK and Irish winters there are unprecedented numbers of copies in these markets; legal activity for patent infringement is either in progress or may be taken against many of these distributors and resellers, some of whom are household names and must have been very badly advised.

Some of the copies and counterfeits are relatively very cheap - as products can be if there are no research and development costs, and if materials and manufacture are of poor quality.

We hope that our potential fleet customers in particular will wish to be confident that the products they use have proper product liability insurance, as AutoSock has.

Some of the distributors of copy products seem to be taking leave of their senses and are making increasingly extravagant claims. These might include

• statements about German and Austrian testing agency approvals (TÜV and ÖNORM). Some do indeed have these approvals; some claim to have them but do not.
• statements about the patents they have registered. This is a "smoke and mirrors" trick, designed to deceive. We usually use a wrist watch as an analogy for this sort of activity: AutoSock has patented the bit of the watch that tells the time, the relevant bit; others have taken out irrelevant patents on e.g. the strap fixings, but they still attach the "patented" word to the whole product.
• Warnings to "Beware of copies!" (Some credit should be given to resellers who have at least attempted to write their own copy instead of lifting it from official AutoSock sites!)
• Warnings to "Beware of Chinese copies," apparently forgetting that their products are themselves made in China. There is nothing wrong with being "Made in China" - what is foolish is to presume that the factories who make and sell this stuff at knockdown prices are authorised to do so.

Recent EU court decisions include:

• An injunction against Siepa and its Austrian and German distributors by the court of Düsseldorf, Germany. The penalty for patent infringement is €200,000 per incident. Siepa brands include Goodyear and Fix&Go.
• An injunction against the Trendy distributor in Norway by the Court of Telemark. Trendy branded products have been withdrawn.
• An injunction against MultiGrip and WeissSock by the court of Düsseldorf. The penalty for patent infringement is €200,000 per incident.

AutoSock for Trucks: Application guide

AutoSock for Trucks videos

Click on the image below to view a short clip from ABC 7 News in Denver, Colorado, broadcast in May 2008:

Tips for safe fitting, use and removal

There's only one possible way to AutoSock for Trucks, so no practice is needed. Fit them to the outer driving wheels - they'll self-centre on the tyres as you drive off.

FITTING: Park the truck and put the brake on. For safety's sake the vehicle should not be on a slope during fitting, even though this was done during the testing phase. AutoSock for Trucks should be fitted to the outer driving wheels, starting at the top of the tyre and working downwards. Move the vehicle a couple of metres and then push the rest of the AutoSock into position. They'll self-centre on the tyres as you drive off.

USE: Do not turn off any electronic anti-skid programmes such as ETS, ASR, ESP, DSC. Drive with caution, avoiding wheelspin and hard braking and acceleration which will do the AutoSock no favours. You'll find that small holes are worn in the fabric if they're used on tarmac or heavily gritted roads, but the bands of Kevlar across the face of the socks should stop these from spreading. Use your commonsense to decide when they are finally worn out.

REMOVAL: Drag the AutoSock off the wheels using the orange bands, drive off them and pick them up. They can be washed out as required, but remember to pack them for the next time.

WARNING: AutoSock are only for use on ice and snow. Beware of people behind the vehicle who could be hurt by stones or lumps of ice being thrown backwards with great force. AutoSock are intended as a "get out of trouble" solution and are not a substitute for winter tyres! Drive with great caution when using AutoSock and be aware that wheels which are fitted with AutoSock will behave very differently to wheels without AutoSock.

AutoSock for Trucks testing

AutoSock did their initial development on heavy goods vehicles. AutoSock for Trucks may not be used in territories where snow chains are required, (except Colorado USA), but in the UK they'll keep trucks moving in transport depots, get them down to the main roads, and keep them moving on main roads and motorways if the snow falls faster than the ploughs and gritters can deal with.

Click here to see a message sent by a Gleaner Oils tanker driver earlier this winter.

GripTech® grip technology

GripTech® describes the knowledge, embodied in AutoSock, about how to improve a tyre's grip on snow and ice. Achieving good friction in such a situation requires a solution to the problem of the slippery layer of water that's found between the tyre and the ground.

GripTech® minimises the water film by 'wicking away' the surplus water - this in itself requires special fibres, but AutoSock also uses an optimum surface pattern to maximise the available friction.

AutoSock snow sock fleet enquiries

Fleet buyers may wish to contact our Business Development Manager on 015396 22413, or e-mail david.cannom@john-jordan.co.uk with the following information:

• Size of fleet
• Likely quantity by tyre size
• Contact details