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to Cascade by an assignment document, which was recorded with the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 19, 1979. The
assignment conveyed to Cascade "all letters patent, domestic and
foreign, which have issued or may issue thereon, whether said
Letters Patent issued directly or by * * * division".
Selling Mattresses Is a Seasonal Business
The recreational mattress industry is a seasonal business;
most of Cascade's sales were made in late spring and early
summer, and most of its sales revenue was received between July
and November. Consequently, its cash-flow was also seasonal,
peaking in late fall and early winter. However, to meet the
demands of the market during the peak sales season and to retain
its experienced work force, Cascade had to manufacture mattresses
year-round.
Each year, the demand for Cascade's mattresses increased
dramatically. To keep pace with the market's increased demand,
each year Cascade manufactured more mattresses and increased its
inventory of goods available for sale. This practice resulted in
the exhaustion of its financial resources by late spring of every
year.
The Manufacturing Facilities
For a short while, the first mattresses were manufactured in
a grimy machine shop where the press to manufacture the
mattresses had been made. Cascade required larger facilities to
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Last modified: May 25, 2011