Barber-Colman Co. v. Sampsel Time Control, Inc.

78 F. Supp. 770, 79 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 29, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2570
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedFebruary 24, 1948
DocketCivil Action No. P-747
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 78 F. Supp. 770 (Barber-Colman Co. v. Sampsel Time Control, 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
Barber-Colman Co. v. Sampsel Time Control, Inc., 78 F. Supp. 770, 79 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 29, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2570 (S.D. Ill. 1948).

Opinion

ADAIR, District Judge.

This Cause, having been heard in open Court with both parties represented by counsel, oral testimony and evidence were presented and argument made, and this Court now makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law:

Findings of Fact.

1. This is a suit for infringement of the Stewart and Lilja patent No. 1,822,679 for “Induction Motor” issued September 8, 1931, to Howard D. Colman as assignee of Stewart and Lilja. The patent has since been assigned to, and is now owned by, Barber-Colman Company, Plaintiff.

2. The patent contains twelve claims. The Plaintiff, after the complaint was filed, charged infringement by Defendant of claims 3 to 13, inclusive.

3. The Defendant has asked for a decision on the validity of claims 1 and 2 by petition for declaratory judgment under Title 28, U.S.C.A. § 400, Section 274d of the Judicial Code. This Court, under date of June 30, 1947, without deciding the validity of claims 1 and 2 ruled that, since Plaintiff did not charge infringement of claims 1 and 2 by Defendant, there was no need for a decision as to the validity of claims 1 and 2.

4. Patent No. 1,822,679 was issued on an application filed March 19, 1931 (file wrapper of which is Plaintiff’s Exhibit 103), as a continuation in part of an earlier application Serial No. 407,819 filed November 18, 1929 (file wrapper of which is Plaintiff’s Exhibit 102), and since permitted to become abandoned.

5. The patent in issue No. 1,822,679 has heretofore been involved in litigation as to its validity in a suit filed by Plaintiff against A. G. Redmond Co. and was held to be invalid as to all the claims there in issue, said claims being claims 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12. The said suit was in the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Michigan, Northern Division. Said decision was affirmed by the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The District Court decision, dated July 5, 1934, is reported in 7 F.Supp. 508. The decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is dated February 8, 1938, and reported in 94 F.2d 717.

6. Following said holding of invalidity and to the present date, Plaintiff, the owner of the patent here in suit, has not disclaimed any of the claims of said patent.

Plaintiff has marked its motors since the decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals with the patent number of the patent in suit. No suit has been brought by the Plaintiff under the patent in issue since the decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on February 8, 1938, until the filing of the present suit on January 7, 1946, eight years later.

7. All of the claims which were held invalid by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in the above case are now in issue. In addition thereto, claims 4, 6, 8 and 11 are in issue in the present suit.

8. The defenses urged by Sampsel Time Control, Inc., the Defendant in the present suit, are: .

I. Invalidity of the patent in issue for lack of invention over:

A. Prior art patent No. 212,263 (British) issued December 4, 1924.

B. Prior art U. S. patent No. 1,590,-086 issued June 22, 1926, to C. I. Hall.

C. Prior art U. S. patent No. 823,086 issued June 12, 1906, to L. H. Thullen.

[772]*772D. Prior art U. S. patent No. 1,116,283 issued November 3, 1914, to L. F. Howard,

E. Prior art U. S. patent No. 1,654,840 issued January 3, 1928, to P. F. Shivers.
F. Prior art U. S. patent No. 736,292 issued August 11, 1903, to F. L. O’Bryan.
G. Prior art U. S. patent No. 534,151 issued February 12, 1895, to R. H. Hassler.
H. Prior art U. S. patent No. 1,720,217 issued July 9, 1929, to P. P. Horni.

I. Prior art patent No. 530,038 (French) issued December 12, 1921 to Lescuyer et al.

J. Prior art patent No. 121,003 (German) issued November 21, 1900, to R. Bauch.
K. Prior art patent No. 103,967 (Swiss), issued March 17, 1924.

II. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of prior use and knowledge (before the date of invention by Stewart and Lilja) on the part of the Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company and its predecessor (hereinafter referred to as Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co.) of Maxigraph motors in a number of power metering installations in sub-stations of the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.

III. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of prior public use (more than two years prior to the filing of the continuation-in-part application by Stewart and Lilja) by the Cincinnati Gas & Electri'c Co. of Maxigraph motors used in a number of power metering installations in sub-stations of the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.

IV. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of the sale (more than two years prior to any date by Stewart and Lilja) of Maxigraph motors in meters by Landis and Gyr, Inc. of New York City to the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio.

V. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of the offering for sale (more than two years prior to any date by Stewart and Lilja) by Landis and Gyr, Inc. of New York City of Maxigraph motors in meters.

VI. Invalidity of the entire patent in issue because of the invalidity of claims 1 and 2 of the patent.

VII. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of the failure on the part of Plaintiff to promptly disclaim after the decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals holding certain claims of the patent invalid. U. S. Code Title 35, Section 65.

VIII. Mis-use of the patent by Plaintiff because of a license thereunder extending the patent grant beyond the claims of the patent itself by contract, said license being in evidence as Defendant’s Exhibit 30, and such mis-use of the patent constituting unclean hands, such to preclude Plaintiff from relief by this Court.

IX. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of the claiming of a different invention than that originally presented to the Patent Office in either the original or continuation-in-part applications.

X. Invalidity of the patent in issue because of the addition of new matter in the patent over and above that which was presented in either the original or continuation in part applications as filed.

XI. Affirmative relief in favor of Defendant because of the provisions of the antitrust laws because of the conduct of the Plaintiff in

A. Marking its product patented for nearly eight years after the patent had been held invalid;

B. Holding out to the public the patent as a valid patent and not disclaiming the invalid claims; and

C. Entering into an agreement which extended the patent monopoly beyond the claims thereof.

9.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hall v. Keller
81 F. Supp. 835 (W.D. Louisiana, 1949)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
78 F. Supp. 770, 79 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 29, 1948 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2570, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barber-colman-co-v-sampsel-time-control-inc-ilsd-1948.