Exmark Mfg. Co. v. Briggs & Stratton Corp.

348 F. Supp. 3d 921
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nebraska
DecidedOctober 12, 2018
Docket8:10CV187
StatusPublished

This text of 348 F. Supp. 3d 921 (Exmark Mfg. Co. v. Briggs & Stratton Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nebraska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Exmark Mfg. Co. v. Briggs & Stratton Corp., 348 F. Supp. 3d 921 (D. Neb. 2018).

Opinion

Joseph F. Bataillon, Senior United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court on plaintiff Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc.'s ("Exmark") motion for summary judgment to reaffirm the that the asserted claims of United States Patent No. 5,987,863 ("the '863 patent") are not invalid in view of the prior art, Filing No. 722.1 This is an action for patent infringement that has been remanded from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("Federal Circuit"). Exmark Mfg. Co. Inc. v. Briggs & Stratton Power Prod. Grp., LLC, 879 F.3d 1332, 1337 (Fed. Cir. 2018).

I. BACKGROUND

The procedural history of the case is set forth in the Federal Circuit opinion and need not be repeated here. Id. at 1338-40. Briefly, Exmark and Briggs & Stratton Corporation ("Briggs") are competitors in the high-end commercial lawn mower industry. Exmark sued Briggs for infringement of certain claims of the '863 patent. Only Claim 1 of the patent was the subject of the appeal and only Claim 1 remains at issue on remand. Id. at 1337 n.1.

The '863 patent is directed to a lawn mower having improved flow control baffles. Claim 1 recites in relevant part:

1. A multiblade lawn mower, comprising:
... said first side wall having a discharge opening formed therein; ... a first flow control baffle positioned in said mower deck which extends downwardly from the interior surface of said top wall between said cutting blades and said front wall; said first flow control baffle extending substantially continuously from a first location adjacent the interior surface of said second side wall to a second location adjacent the interior surface of said first side wall and adjacent the forward end of said discharge opening; said first flow control baffle comprising *924a first arcuate baffle portion, having first and second ends, which extends from the interior surface of said second side wall partially around said first cutting blade, a first elongated and substantially straight baffle portion, having first and second ends, extending from said second end of said first arcuate baffle portion, a second arcuate baffle portion, having first and second ends, which extends from said second end of said first elongated and substantially straight baffle portion partially around said second cutting blade; said first elongated and substantially straight baffle portion being angularly disposed with respect to the said circle defined by the blade tip path of said second cutting blade in a chord-like fashion so that the cuttings from said first cutting blade will be deflected inwardly within the said circle defined by the blade tip path of said second cutting blade; ...2

Filing No. 1, Ex. A, '863 Patent 5:60-6:50.

After a hearing pursuant to Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc. , 517 U.S. 370, 372, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996), the Court construed the claims. Exmark Mfg. Co. Inc. v. Briggs & Stratton Power Prods. Grp., LLC , No. 8:10CV187, 2011 WL 5976264, at *4 (D. Neb. Nov. 29, 2011) ( Markman Order ). The Court adopted the parties' agreed-to construction of "first flow control baffle" as "a front structure within the walls of the mower deck that controls the flow of air and grass clippings." Id. The Court found no construction was required for the phrase "said front flow control baffle extending substantially continuously from the front location adjacent the interior surface of said second side of wall to a second location adjacent the interior surface of said front side wall," or to the phrase "and adjacent the forward end of said discharge opening" finding the meaning is relatively clear in the context of the patent as a whole, with the word "adjacent" referring to parts that are near one another, but not touching. Id. at *5. Further, no construction of the phrase "a front arcuate baffle portion that 'extends from the interior surface of said second side wall' " was necessary since the language does not require that the first arcuate baffle portion contact or abut the second side wall. Id. The Court also found the phrase "substantially straight" needed no construction. Id. Similarly, the Court found no claim construction was necessary with respect to the phrase "a front elongated and substantially straight baffle portion, having first and second ends, extending from said second end of said front arcuate baffle portion" because the jury would be able to determine what "extends" means in this context. Id. at *6.

The Court found that the phrase "said front elongated and substantially straight baffle portion being angularly disposed with respect to the said circle defined by the blade tip path of said second cutting blade in a chord-like fashion" should be construed as " 'the front elongated and substantially straight baffle portion is oriented such that the line corresponding to that baffle portion intersects the circle defined by the blade tip path of the second cutting blade at two points." Id. The term "second flow control baffle" was construed as "a second rear structure within the walls of the mower deck that controls the flow of air and grass clippings." Id. at *7. The Court construed the phrase "semi-circular baffle portions" to mean "baffle portions that are shaped like a portion or part of a circle," rejecting the contention that a semi-circular baffle portion must be half of a circle. Id. The Court found no construction necessary for the term "said front and rear flow control baffles defining *925a plurality of open throat portions which are positioned between adjacent cutting blades," as reflected in the preferred embodiment. Id. at *8. Similarly, no claim construction was needed for phrases "a rear elongated and substantially straight baffle portion, having front and rear ends, extending from said rear end of said rear arcuate baffle portion." Id.

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Bluebook (online)
348 F. Supp. 3d 921, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/exmark-mfg-co-v-briggs-stratton-corp-ned-2018.