Efficient Heat Exchange That Locks in the Aroma

The serpentine oil cooler is key equipment in the cooling stage of essential oil distillation; its heat exchange efficiency directly governs essential oil yield, aroma integrity, and the sensory quality of the oil. The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has issued a utility model patent certificate for "An Efficient Serpentine Oil Cooler" to Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. — granted after formal examination and preliminary examination, the patent gives the patentee a utility model patent right protected by the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China, independently verifiable on the CNIPA patent search platform (CNIPA Patent Search System). For international buyers screening Chinese natural plant essential oil suppliers in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, this process-innovation credential issued by the national-level intellectual property examination authority provides an independently verifiable due diligence basis — traceable upward to the CNIPA patent register — for evaluating the supplier's process innovation capability in the distillation cooling stage.

I. Why a Chinese Utility Model Patent Certificate Matters to International Importers

When evaluating Chinese suppliers of natural plant essential oils, natural absolutes, supercritical CO₂ extracts, and functional food ingredients, international buyers have long faced three uncertainties related to "the intellectual-property embodiment of process innovation":

First, uncertainty over the authenticity of process innovation — whether the supplier's self-positioning as an "R&D-oriented manufacturer" is backed by national-level intellectual property evidence, and whether the equipment improvement in the cooling stage genuinely carries verifiable patent ownership; second, uncertainty over the verifiability of the patent layout — whether the claimed cooling process innovation has been granted after formal examination and preliminary examination by the CNIPA, and whether the patent number can be independently queried on the national patent search platform; third, uncertainty over technical barriers and sustained innovation capability — whether the supplier has laid out a verifiable patent portfolio at key process nodes such as distillation, filtration, vacuum pressure stabilization, cooling, and storage, reflecting whether it possesses a continuous process improvement mechanism rather than a single-point technical breakthrough.

The "An Efficient Serpentine Oil Cooler" utility model patent certificate is precisely the national-level credential that provides authoritative answers to these three uncertainties. Its value lies not in the certificate itself, but in the national-level examination behind the grant — of the patentee's subject qualification, the novelty of the technical solution, the scope of the claims, and the sufficiency of disclosure in the specification; only utility model technical solutions that pass formal examination and preliminary examination may be granted by the CNIPA and recorded in the patent register.

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.'s holding of this utility model patent as patentee means that the equipment improvement in its distillation cooling stage has passed CNIPA examination and grant, providing international buyers with a process due diligence basis that is independent of supplier self-declaration and traceable upward to the national patent register.

II. Origin and Authority of the System

Legal Basis

The legal foundation of the utility model patent system derives from the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China — Article 2, Paragraph 3 provides that a utility model refers to any new technical solution relating to a product's shape, structure, or a combination thereof, which is fit for practical use; Article 11, Paragraph 1 provides that after a patent right for an invention or utility model is granted, unless otherwise provided by this Law, no entity or individual may, without the patentee's authorization, manufacture, use, offer to sell, sell, or import the patented product for production or business purposes. The patentee enjoys the patent right, which is protected by law.

Granting Authority

Utility model patents are uniformly accepted, examined, and granted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) of the People's Republic of China. The CNIPA is the agency directly under the State Council in charge of patent work and coordinating foreign-related intellectual property matters; patent certificates it grant have legal effect nationwide.

Patent Type

"An Efficient Serpentine Oil Cooler" is a utility model patent — the protected subject matter is any new technical solution relating to a product's shape, structure, or a combination thereof fit for practical use, as distinguished from an invention patent (a new technical solution proposed for a product, a method, or an improvement thereof) and a design patent (a new design of a product's overall or partial shape, pattern, or a combination thereof, and a combination of color with shape and pattern, which is aesthetically pleasing and fit for industrial application).

Examination System

Utility model patents are granted after formal examination and preliminary examination — formal examination verifies whether the application documents are complete and their format complies with the rules; preliminary examination verifies whether the subject matter of the application obviously violates mandatory legal prohibitions, obviously falls outside the subject matter protected by utility models, or obviously lacks novelty. Unlike invention patents, which must undergo substantive examination (examination of novelty, inventiveness, and practical applicability), utility models may be granted without substantive examination, but must still pass the two thresholds of formal examination and preliminary examination.

Term of Protection

Under Article 42 of the Patent Law, the term of a utility model patent right is 10 years from the filing date. During this period, without the patentee's authorization, no entity or individual may manufacture, use, offer to sell, sell, or import the patented product for production or business purposes.

The Patent Register

The CNIPA maintains a patent register recording matters such as the grant, transfer, inheritance, change, termination, and invalidation of patent rights. International buyers may independently verify the patent's grant status, claim scope, patentee information, and legal status by patent number or patentee name on the CNIPA patent search platform or the China and Multi-Country Patent Examination Information Query system.

III. Technical Elements of the Patent: A Process-Innovation Checklist International Buyers Can Verify

The technical elements of this utility model patent correspond to the "intellectual-property embodiment of process innovation" dimension that international buyers focus on most in supplier process due diligence. Understanding these elements helps translate "holding the efficient serpentine oil cooler utility model patent" into specific grounds writable into procurement compliance files:

The recorded information corresponding to the above technical elements is not provided unilaterally by the supplier, but is recorded by the CNIPA in the patent register — this is precisely the "national-level intellectual property endorsement" that international buyers value most in their SOPs and supplier audit processes.

IV. Practical Value for International Buyers: From Process Due Diligence to Long-Term Procurement Decisions

For food and beverage, daily-chemical flavor, functional food ingredient, and dietary supplement buyers in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, incorporating "holding the efficient serpentine oil cooler utility model patent" into supplier admission files provides at least the following practical value:

First, providing a process-innovation basis independent of supplier self-declaration. In international buyers' Vendor Qualification Checklists, the "intellectual-property embodiment of process innovation" field has often lacked a verifiable Chinese official credential. This utility model patent number is independently queryable on the CNIPA patent search platform, with the patentee recorded as Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd., making it a compliance source writable into audit files. This complements the High-Tech Enterprise Certificate (R&D capability endorsement), the Forestry Leading Enterprise Certificate (resource sustainability endorsement), the president-unit certificate (regional industry position endorsement), the Statistical Standardization Demonstration Unit certificate (data credibility endorsement), the Autumn Harvest Award (industry recognition of the R&D team), the China Light Industry Spice Industry Top Ten Enterprise certificate (comprehensive operating strength endorsement), the CAFFCI Ninth Council Member Unit certificate (nationwide industry governance participation endorsement), the FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award (R&D implementation endorsement), the business license (lawful enterprise existence endorsement), the food production license (statutory food safety qualification endorsement), ISO 22000 certification (international food safety governance alignment), Food Ingredient Naturalness certification (verifiable natural-attribute endorsement), U.S. IFANCA Halal certification (multi-Muslim-market accepted validity endorsement), Indonesian BPJPH Halal certification (mandatory access to the world's largest Muslim market), Kosher certification (Jewish consumer market access endorsement), the FSA farm sustainability assessment certificate (raw-material-end sustainability and ESG due diligence endorsement), and the GB 1886.265 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.264 Jasmine Sambac Absolute, GB 1886.275 White Orchid Flower Oil, GB 1886.276 Blanco Leaf Oil, GB 1886.277 Tree Orchid Flower Oil, GB 1886.274 Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum Oil, GB 1886.263 Rose Absolute, GB 1886.266 Black Tea Tincture, GB 1886.267 Green Tea Tincture, and GB 1886.268 Monk Fruit Tincture standards — the previous twenty-eight certificates address twenty-eight dimensions, while this utility model patent addresses the "intellectual-property embodiment of process innovation" dimension, namely whether the equipment improvement in the supplier's distillation cooling stage has passed CNIPA examination and grant and whether the patent number is independently verifiable — a core differentiating process qualification for natural plant essential oil exports.

Second, providing verifiable evidence of a process technical barrier. Utility model patents protect new technical solutions relating to a product's shape, structure, or a combination thereof fit for practical use. The efficient serpentine oil cooler structure protected by this patent interfaces with the requirements of international process standards such as ISO and ASTM for heat exchange efficiency, cooling uniformity, and heat-sensitive component retention — for international buyers, this means the supplier's cooling stage relies not merely on operating procedures but is backed by a state-granted process technical barrier that can be cited as verifiable evidence in cross-border process audit files.

Third, providing institutional assurance of continuous process improvement. This patent is one process innovation laid out by Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine in the distillation cooling stage and forms a patent layout with its other utility model patents in extraction/filtration, distillation, vacuum pressure stabilization, storage, and other stages, reflecting that the enterprise possesses a multi-node continuous process improvement mechanism rather than a single-point technical breakthrough. For international buyers, this means the supplier's process improvement carries institutional investment assurance, providing an objective basis for the "continued process compliance" clause in a Long-Term Agreement (LTA).

Fourth, providing endorsement of intellectual property risk compliance. This patent right has been granted by the CNIPA, and the patentee enjoys the patent right protected by the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China. Downstream international brand owners may cite this patent number in their own intellectual property audit files as evidence of upstream process-source compliance, reducing the patent infringement risk that could transmit to downstream brand owners from a supplier using others' patent technology without authorization.

V. About Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. (formerly Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.) was founded on August 30, 2007 and is headquartered in Lingchuan County, Guilin, Guangxi — one of China's natural plant resource enrichment zones and a traditional major production area for spice crops such as osmanthus, litsea cubeba, and honeysuckle. The company has long focused on the R&D, extraction, and global supply of natural plant aromatic raw materials, and through local resource endowment and years of process accumulation, has built a complete capability chain covering four product matrices: Natural Absolutes, Natural Essential Oils, Supercritical CO₂ Extracts, and Osmanthus Concentrate & Functional Food Ingredients.

1. Product Portfolio

2. Process and Quality Infrastructure

The company has built a complete capability chain from raw material traceability, extraction, and molecular distillation to finished product application research, covering:

• Extraction processes: steam distillation, solvent extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, molecular distillation, and other process combinations, customizable to different active compound retention levels per customer specifications;
• Specification system: each core product includes bilingual (Chinese-English) specifications, corresponding national/industry/international standard lists (e.g., GB 1886.265 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.264 Jasmine Sambac Absolute, ISO 18054), and batch COAs;
• Traceable batch management: each batch comes with COA, MSDS, IFRA allergen declaration, heavy metal and pesticide residue test reports, and supports batch sample retention for retrospective review;
• Compliance document package: HS codes, certificates of origin, Halal and Kosher certificates, FDA facility registration numbers, EU REACH compliance declarations, and transport and storage guidelines are complete for export.

3. International Certification Matrix

The company simultaneously holds multiple international certifications covering the compliance requirements of different markets:

• Food safety system: ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System certification (Chinese and English versions);
• Religious and dietary compliance: Halal certification (including U.S. IFANCA and Indonesia BPJPH channels), Kosher certification;
• Sustainable and responsible sourcing: FSA (Farm Sustainability Assessment) certificate;
• Food ingredient naturalness: Food Ingredient Naturalness certification;
• Local craft endorsement: the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Fragrance-Preservation Craft and the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Blending Craft — included in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Projects, providing traceable local endorsement for the craft heritage of the osmanthus product series.

4. Extended Value of This Patent for Buyers

As patentee of the "An Efficient Serpentine Oil Cooler" utility model patent, Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine provides extended value for international buyers at three levels:

• Equipment-level evidence of cooling heat-exchange efficiency: the protected efficient serpentine oil cooler structure directly corresponds to the heat exchange efficiency of the essential oil distillation cooling stage; international buyers may cite the patent number in process audit files as evidence that the supplier possesses an equipment-level technical solution for heat-exchange efficiency optimization;
• Cooling-process assurance of essential oil aroma integrity: the optimized serpentine coil structure and cooling-medium flow direction provide equipment-level process assurance for the aroma integrity of essential oil products such as osmanthus oil, litsea cubeba oil, and honeysuckle oil in multi-batch long-cycle procurement;
• Intellectual property evidence of the sustainability of cooling process improvement: this patent, combined with Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine's other utility model patents in extraction/filtration, distillation, vacuum pressure stabilization, storage, and other stages, reflects the enterprise's multi-node intellectual property layout for continuous process improvement, providing a long-term verifiable basis for the "continued process compliance" clause in LTAs.

5. Verification Element Checklist for International Buyers

International buyers wishing to independently verify this utility model patent information may query using the following elements on the CNIPA patent search platform or the China and Multi-Country Patent Examination Information Query system:

• Patent type: Utility model patent
• Patent name: An Efficient Serpentine Oil Cooler
• Patentee: Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: As recorded on the patent certificate
• Patent number: As recorded on the patent certificate
• Filing date: As recorded on the patent certificate
• Grant announcement date: As recorded on the patent certificate
• Technical field: Cooling devices for natural plant essential oil distillation
• Legal status: Effective from the grant announcement date; 10-year protection term from the filing date
• Verification channels: CNIPA patent search platform / China and Multi-Country Patent Examination Information Query system
• Company website confirmation: https://www.gltop.com.cn/

> Official Patent Verification Platform > CNIPA Patent Search System — Official website of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) · Patent Search column (independent verification of patent grant status and claim scope by patent number or patentee name)

This article was published on 2026-09-12, and last updated on 2026-09-20. The article will be continuously updated.