Electro-Mechanical Corp. v. Power Distribution Products, Inc.

926 F. Supp. 2d 822, 2013 WL 663302, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24231
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Virginia
DecidedFebruary 22, 2013
DocketCase No. 1:11CV00071
StatusPublished

This text of 926 F. Supp. 2d 822 (Electro-Mechanical Corp. v. Power Distribution Products, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Electro-Mechanical Corp. v. Power Distribution Products, Inc., 926 F. Supp. 2d 822, 2013 WL 663302, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24231 (W.D. Va. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JAMES P. JONES, District Judge.

In this patent infringement case, the defendants have moved for summary judgment based on alleged invalidity of the patent, and the plaintiff has moved for partial summary judgment on the issue of infringement of one of the patent’s twenty-seven claims. Additionally, the defendants have moved to exclude the testimony of the plaintiffs damages expert and also seek partial summary judgment as to the proper measure of damages. The plaintiff likewise has moved to exclude the testimony of the defendants’ expert witness. I find that there are disputed issues of material fact that preclude the entry of summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff. I will grant the defendants’ motion with respect to claims 12,16,18,19, and 21, which the plaintiff does not contest, but I will [827]*827deny the defendants’ motion with respect to all other claims because there are disputed issues of material fact. Additionally, I find that the testimony of the plaintiffs expert meets the requirements for admissibility under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the relevant Supreme Court precedent. I find that the defendant’s expert has misconstrued one claim term, and his testimony will be limited to exclude use of that improper definition. In all other respects, however, the testimony of the defendant’s expert meets the requirements for admissibility under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the relevant Supreme Court precedent.

Therefore, I will deny the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment, and I will grant in part and deny in part the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. I will also deny the plaintiffs motion in limine to exclude the testimony of the defendants’ expert witness, and I will grant in part and deny in part the defendants’ motion in limine.

I

The patent at the center of this dispute, U.S. Patent No. 7,277,294 (“the '294 patent”), is entitled “Contactor Draw Out Tray” and owned by the plaintiff, ElectroMechanical Corporation (“EMC”). In its Complaint, EMC claims that defendants Power Distribution Products, Inc., Becker Mining America, Inc., and SMC Electrical Products, Inc., (“the defendants”) willfully infringed the patent and induced infringement by others, all in violation of 35 U.S.C.A. § 271 (West 2001 & Supp.2012).

The '294 patent sets forth inventions relating to a contactor draw out tray typically used as part of a power distribution system for longwall underground coal mining. Longwall mining involves the extraction of coal contained in large rectangular blocks. A cutting machine runs back and forth along the coal face, working under a canopy of movable roof supports. After a section of coal from the block has been mined and removed, the roof supports are moved closer to the newly cut face and the roof in the mined out area is allowed to collapse.

Excavation of the coal in the panel can be an essentially continuous operation, provided that the mining and electrical equipment is fully operational. A power distribution system for such a mining operation typically receives electricity from an off-site source such as an electric power utility, and then provides the electricity in a usable form to the various different pieces of mining equipment. Historically, the repair and maintenance of such power distribution systems presented a difficult task because of the rugged and demanding environments where the equipment is normally employed. As the Background of the Invention in the '294 patent explains:

Due to the extensive size of such equipment, it is impractical to evacuate defective equipment to the surface in order to provide a clean environment for the technician to effectuate the necessary repairs. Accordingly, repairs are made on site, thereby providing further opportunity for the infiltration of contaminants into the system as the technician must open the various access panels, leaving them open for extended periods of time. Moreover, the technician is left to effectuate the repairs in the austere environment. In such conditions ... repairs remain a time consuming, labor intensive proposition. Similarly, because the equipment remains in an inoperable condition for an extended period of time, there is a concomitant loss in productivity as the equipment reliant on the electrical power is rendered useless.

('294 patent, col. 1,11. 27-42.)

It is claimed that the inventions of the '294 patent provide significant improve-[828]*828merits over prior longwall power distribution systems because they allow for quick repairs to the electrical equipment on site at the mining operation. The '294 patent includes contactor draw out trays that are removable. Because the contactor draw out trays are quickly and easily removed, and their components easily accessible, repairs can be made more rapidly, significantly reducing the down time of the mining equipment and increasing the overall efficiency of the mining operation.

The '294 patent contains twenty-seven claims, with eleven independent claims and sixteen dependent claims. The claims describe different aspects of the contactor draw out tray. The structure itself is made up of a movable frame carried or supported by a stationary frame, and a disconnect mechanism mounted to the movable frame that provides selective electrical connectivity through the apparatus for downstream distribution of electricity to equipment.

Claim 1 is representative and it claims the following invention:

1. An apparatus for use in an electrical distribution system comprising in combination:
a. a stationary frame supporting one or more main bus input terminals and one or more of power output terminals in spaced relation to each other such that no electrical connection is made between said main bus input terminals and said power output terminals;
b. a movable frame slidably carried on said stationary frame and supporting one or more main bus input connectors and one or more power output connectors positioned for mating engagement with said main bus input terminal and said power supply output terminal upon selective movement of said movable frame along said stationary frame; and
c. a disconnect mechanism mounted to said movable frame and visible from the exterior of the apparatus, said disconnect mechanism providing selective electrical connection between said main bus input connectors and said power output connectors, said disconnect mechanism being operable from outside said apparatus, wherein said disconnect mechanism selectively operates between an open position and a closed position such that in said open position said main bus input terminal connector is electrically disconnected from said power supply output connector.

('294 patent, col. 7,11. 20-44.) The remaining claims outline various versions of the structure described in Claim 1. In an earlier ruling, I construed a number of the claim terms following a so-called Mark-man proceeding. Electro-Mechanical Corp. v. Power Distribution Prods., Inc., 894 F.Supp.2d 798 (W.D.Va.2012).

The parties have filed summary judgment motions as well as motions in limine to exclude from trial certain expert opinion testimony. All of the pending motions have been briefed and orally argued.

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Bluebook (online)
926 F. Supp. 2d 822, 2013 WL 663302, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/electro-mechanical-corp-v-power-distribution-products-inc-vawd-2013.