Ave. Innovations, Inc. v. E. Mishan & Sons Inc.

310 F. Supp. 3d 457
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedMay 11, 2018
Docket16 Civ. 3086 (KPF)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 310 F. Supp. 3d 457 (Ave. Innovations, Inc. v. E. Mishan & Sons Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ave. Innovations, Inc. v. E. Mishan & Sons Inc., 310 F. Supp. 3d 457 (S.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

KATHERINE POLK FAILLA, District Judge:

Plaintiff and patent holder Avenue Innovations, Inc. brought this action against Defendant E. Mishan & Sons Inc. alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,340,189 (the "'189 patent"). Since 2003, Plaintiff has sold the Handybar as a device to be used for assistance getting into or out of a vehicle; in 2015 Defendant brought to market a device called the Car Cane that is also used to assist with entering and exiting a vehicle. Before the Court is the parties' dispute over the proper construction of the claim phrase "operative position most convenient to the user." The Court held a Markman hearing on June 22, 2017, to hear the parties' arguments. Plaintiff contends this claim term needs no construction and should be given its ordinary meaning; Defendant argues that it fails as indefinite. For the reasons that follow, the Court agrees with Defendant and finds that Claims 1 and 2 of the '189 patent are invalid.

BACKGROUND1

A. Factual Background

On January 22, 2002, the '189 patent, titled "Universal Device for Facilitating Movement into and out of a Seat," was issued to Dr. William Pordy, and the patent *460was assigned to Plaintiff on January 8, 2003. (Compl. ¶¶ 1, 8). The patent is for a device that contains an "elongate member" on one end with a handle that can be gripped and an "engaging member" on the other end that can be used to secure the device on a surface or into a striker, thereby enabling the user to push or pull on the device to stand. ( '189 patent abstract).

By way of background, Dr. Pordy applied for the patent on December 17, 1999, and on January 30, 2001, the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") rejected many of the proposed claims. (Prosecution 79-85). Claims 1 and 2-the claims containing the disputed term-were initially "rejected under 35 U.S.C. [§] 102(b) as being anticipated by [prior art patented by] Bergsten." (Id. at 83). To overcome the PTO's rejection, Dr. Pordy amended Claims 1 and 2 to add the language: "said securement means mounting said elongate member for limited movements within a plane substantially parallel to the fixed surface to at least one operative position most convenient to the user when pulling or pushing on said handle." (Id. at 87-88, 101-02). Dr. Pordy explained that this language was added to "more fully define the device" and draw a distinction between his application and Bergsten. (Id. at 99). Specifically, the amendment made clear that, unlike Bergsten, the proposed device was a movable object that the user could manipulate into various positions. (Id. ). The parties now contest the definiteness of this language.

The disputed language appears in Claims 1 and 2. Claim 1 reads as follows:

1. A device for facilitating movement into and out of a seat, comprising an elongate member having a handle at one end suitable for being gripped by an individual, and securement means cooperating with the other end of said elongate member for securing said elongate member to a fixed surface proximate to a seat to enable said elongate member to extend away from the seat and position said handle at a point remote from the seat during use for providing support to the user independently of whether the user pulls on said handle in a direction generally upwards or pushes on said handle in a direction generally downwards, said securement means mounting said elongate member for limited movements within a plane substantially parallel to the fixed surface to at least one operative position most convenient to the user when pulling or pushing on said handle.

( '189 patent col. 13:48-62 (emphasis added) ). Claim 2 reads as follows:

2. Device for facilitating egress and/or ingress of any passenger and/or a driver from a vehicle having a door opening through which said individual(s) can move into or out of a seat in the vehicle and having a post or pillar to one side of the seat that defines a lateral surface generally proximate to the individual; the device comprising an elongate member having a handle at one end suitable for being gripped by the individual and securement means cooperating with the other end of said elongate member for removably securing said elongate member to lateral surface to enable said elongate member to extend away from the lateral surface during use and position a portion of said handle exteriorly of the vehicle and for providing a support for the passenger to grip while entering or leaving said vehicle independently of whether the passenger pulls on said handle in a direction generally upwards or pushes on said handle in a direction generally downwards, said securement means mounting said elongate member for limited movements within a plane substantially *461parallel to the fixed surface to at least one operative position most convenient to the user when pulling or pushing on said handle.

(Id. at col. 13:63-col. 14:13 (emphasis added) ).

B. Procedural Background

Plaintiff initiated this action on October 9, 2015, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. (Dkt. # 1). This case was transferred to this District on April 26, 2016, and the Court held an initial pretrial conference with the parties on June 3, 2016. (June 3, 2016 Minute Entry). In accordance with the Court's scheduling order, Plaintiff filed its opening claim construction brief on December 30, 2016 (Dkt. # 60), Defendant filed its responsive brief on January 27, 2017 (Dkt. # 61), and Plaintiff filed its reply brief on February 3, 2017 (Dkt. # 62). The Court held a hearing under Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc. , 517 U.S. 370, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996), on June 22, 2017. The parties substantially narrowed their dispute regarding claim terms in advance of the hearing (see Dkt. # 70), and on September 16, 2017, submitted a proposed order to the Court regarding their agreed-upon construction. (Dkt. # 73). The Court enters that order under separate cover today.

DISCUSSION

A. Applicable Law

1. Claim Construction Generally

The proper construction of a patent claim is a question of law for the Court. Teva Pharms. USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc. , --- U.S. ----, 135 S.Ct. 831, 837, --- L.Ed.2d ---- (2015). As has been said: "The name of the game is the claim." Apple Inc. v. Motorola, Inc. ,

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310 F. Supp. 3d 457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ave-innovations-inc-v-e-mishan-sons-inc-ilsd-2018.