Aleograph Co. v. Electrical Research Products, Inc.

55 F.2d 106, 12 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 292, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3710
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 20, 1932
DocketNo. 6390
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 55 F.2d 106 (Aleograph Co. v. Electrical Research Products, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aleograph Co. v. Electrical Research Products, Inc., 55 F.2d 106, 12 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 292, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3710 (5th Cir. 1932).

Opinion

WALKER, Circuit Judge.

The Aleograph Company, a Delaware corporation (herein referred to as the plaintiff), the owner since its issue on May 20, 1924, pursuant to application of Allen Stowers and Leo De Hymel, of United States patent. No. 1,494,514, entitled “Art of Producing Motion Pictures and Sound Synchronized [107]*107Therewith,” brought this suit in equity against Electrical Research Products, Inc., a Delaware corporation (herein referred to as the defendant), for the infringement of that patent. The defendant set up the invalidity of the patent sued on, and denied infringement thereof by it. After final hearing on pleadings and proofs, the hill was dismissed for want of infringement. Both parties appealed; the defendant assigning as error the court’s failure to hold invalid the claims of the patent in suit which were relied on by the plaintiff.

Por the plaintiff it was contended that the talking motion picture reproducing’ machine of the Western Electric Company (the defendant being a subsidiary of that company) infringed claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 19, and 20 of the patent in suit. Each of those claims is for a combination. For the defendant it was contended that there was absent from the alleged infringing machine an element of each of the combinations covered by those claims. The defendant’s machine did not infringe if it did not contain all the elements of the combination described in at least one of those claims. Cimiotti Unhairing Co. v. Am. Fir. Ref. Co., 198 U. S. 399, 410, 25 S. Ct. 697, 49 L. Ed. 1100.

Each of the above-mentioned claims calls for three elements which are also found in the defendant’s machine, namely: (1) A motion picture machine or projector; (2j a phonograph or sound reproducer; and (3) a mechanical or driving connection between the picture projector and the phonograph, so that the two are operated together as one mechanism. The specifications of the patent sued on show that one of the problems dealt with was that of enabling the projection of a picture to he continued in synchronism with the corresponding or accompanying sound after a breakage of the picture film has occurred; in this connection the specifications stating: “For which purpose the film is indexed with respect to its length in units, and the pictures comprised in each unit of length of the film are sub-indexed, while the mandrel or equivalent part which supports or operates the sound record is provided with corresponding index means which enables the operator easily and quickly to re-establish synchronism between the sound record and the picture film at any point in the length of the film. This indexing system also enables broken picture films to be repaired in such manner that the repaired films, when ran through the picture producing machine, will synchronize exactly and throughout their length with the corresponding sound records.”

When claims numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10, which are set out in the margin,1 are [108]*108considered in connection with, statements contained in the specifications of the patent in suit, it is apparent that each of those claims includes as an element of the combination therein described means designed or appropriate to the accomplishment.of the result of maintaining or re-establishing synchronism between the motion picture as projected and the sound intended to accompany the picture in its successive stages — some of those claims including two such elements. The alleged infringing machine contains no^ feature or device for the accomplishment of such a result. That machine provides no means for re-establishing synchronism if the film breaks while picture production is in progress. This being so, there is no substantial basis for a contention that the defendant’s machine contains anything which is the same or an equivalent of means of maintaining or re-establishing synchronism specified in any of the claims now under consideration. There being nothing in the defendant’s machine which properly can be regarded as even a substitute for the elements in the claims under consideration which are intended to serve the purpose of maintaining or re-establishing synchronism in the event of the picture film breaking while picture projection is in progress, plainly that machine does not contain all the elements embraced in the combination described in any of the claims now under consideration. We conclude that defendant’s machine does not infringe any of those claims, because that machine does not contain all the elements of the combination described in any of those claims.

The following are claims 19 and 20 of the patent in suit:

“19. The combination with a motion picture projecting machine for projecting pictures successively from a motion picture film, of sound reproducing means operative in synchronism with the projecting machine and including means for transmitting sound, and means operative inconsequence of breakage of the film while passing through the projecting machine for interrupting the transmission of sound by the sound reproducing means independently of the operation of the projecting machine and the sound reproducing means.

“20. The combination with a motion pieture projecting machine, of sound reproducing means operative in synchronism with the projecting machine and embodying electrically energized sound amplifying means, and a film-controlled switch operative in consequence of breakage of the film being projected for de-energizing tbe sound amplifying means and thus interrupting tbe reproduction of sound.”

Those two claims before the amendment thereof were numbered 21 and 22, respectively. One of the patent drawings shows the preferred device fo-r interrupting the transmission of sound; the operation of that device being described in the specifications. A part of that device as shown and explained remains in contact with the picture film while picture projection is in progress, hut a breaking of the film causes a movement of a part of the device which results in breaking the eleetrieal connection between the phonograph and the amplifier or loud speaker, and interrupts the transmission of sound. The originals of the two claims now in question were rejected; a prior patent to Clark, No. 1,388,515, being referred to. Following the rejection of claim 19, that claim was amended by inserting the words, “independently of the operation of the projecting machine and the sound reproducing means.” In presenting that amendment, the applicants made the following statement:

“Favorable consideration of claim 21 and reconsideration of claim 22 are requested, as these claims appear to clearly distinguish from Clark cited. According to claim 21, means is provided which is operative in consequence of breakage of the film for interrupting the reproduction of sound independently of the operation of the projecting machine and the sound reproducing, means. Clark does not disclose any structure of this character, hut on the contrary, provides brakes which require stopping of the phonograph and the projecting machine in order to stop the reproduction of sound. Applicants’ device operates instantly to stop the sound, should the film break, without depending upon the more or less gradual stopping of the sound reproducer and the projecting machine, and hence it differs substantially from the arrangement proposed by Clark. Claim 22 appears to- distinguish from Clark, as it com[109]

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55 F.2d 106, 12 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 292, 1932 U.S. App. LEXIS 3710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aleograph-co-v-electrical-research-products-inc-ca5-1932.