Medisim Ltd. v. BestMed LLC

959 F. Supp. 2d 396, 2013 WL 2157149, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70811
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMay 15, 2013
DocketNo. 10 Civ. 2463(SAS)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 959 F. Supp. 2d 396 (Medisim Ltd. v. BestMed LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Medisim Ltd. v. BestMed LLC, 959 F. Supp. 2d 396, 2013 WL 2157149, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70811 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

SHIRA A. SCHEINDLIN, District Judge:

I. INTRODUCTION

This is an action for the infringement of a patent for a non-invasive thermometer. The case was tried to a jury, which returned a verdict finding that defendant BestMed LLC (“BestMed”) willfully infringed on U.S. Patent No. 7,597,668 (“the '668 Patent”), of which plaintiff Medisim Ltd. (“Medisim”) is the sole assignee and owner. The jury also found that BestMed infringed Medisim’s copyright in the Instructions for Use (“IFU”) for its thermometers, and that BestMed was unjustly enriched under New York law. The jury awarded Medisim $1.2 million for its patent infringement claim, and $2.29 million for its unjust enrichment claim. Medisim sought only equitable relief for its copyright claim.

[399]*399Presently before the Court is BestMed’s post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law (“JMOL”), or, alternatively, for a new trial. BestMed asserts the following grounds in support of its motion: (1) the '668 Patent is invalid (on four theories); (2) BestMed did not infringe on the '668 Patent, directly or indirectly; (3) there was insufficient evidence of willful infringement; (4) BestMed is not liable for unjust enrichment under New York law; and (5) Medisim is not entitled to damages. Also pending are three motions brought by Medisim, seeking, respectively, a permanent injunction and disposition of infringing materials, post-trial relief, and a judicial finding of willful infringement.

Although this case was expansive when opening arguments began, it narrowed substantially prior to the jury’s deliberations. Specifically, the evidence presented at trial narrowed the anticipation inquiry to the question of whether the prior art FHT-1 thermometer meets the ‘deep tissue temperature’ limitation of the '668 Patent. The jury’s verdict of no anticipation implicitly answered this question in the negative. However, the evidence presented at trial clearly and convincingly demonstrates that the FHT-1 calculates ‘deep tissue temperature,’ and no reasonable jury could have found otherwise. Therefore, BestMed’s motion for JMOL on anticipation is granted.

Similarly, Medisim’s claim for unjust enrichment was narrowed substantially prior to its submission to the. jury. Because substantial evidence does not support the jury’s verdict awarding damages to Medisim for unjust enrichment, JMOL on unjust enrichment is granted. Finally, Medisim’s pending motions are denied, save for its motion for an injunction disposing of materials infringing its copyright, which is granted.

II. BACKGROUND1

BestMed’s motion for a JMOL of invalidity and non-infringement turns entirely on an exceedingly narrow issue: whether the FHT-1 thermometer, a non-invasive temple thermometer sold by Medisim more than one year prior to the effective date of the '668 Patent, meets the deep tissue temperature limitation of the '668 Patent.2 When placed in its proper context, it is plain that this issue must be resolved in BestMed’s favor.

Providing the proper context is a difficult undertaking in light of this case’s technical complexity, thorny procedural history, and voluminous trial record. Moreover, when considering a post-trial motion for JMOL, a court must take the utmost care not to impinge upon the vital role of the jury in our judicial system. For these reasons, although the material question in this case is narrow and readily resolved, it is necessary to provide a detailed recitation of the facts relevant to validity and infringement.

The section below therefore recites a full account of the facts, beginning with the Court’s claim construction, and ending with the evidence adduced at trial. It then [400]*400summarizes the facts relevant to Best-Med’s motion to set aside the verdict of unjust enrichment.

A. Claim Construction

The '668 Patent was filed on May 31, 2006 and issued on October 6, 2009 to Moshe Yarden, one of Medisim’s founding partners.3 It incorporates by reference an earlier patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,280,397 (“the '397 Patent”), which was issued on August 28, 2001. The '397 Patent names Yarden as a co-inventor, and is also assigned to Medisim.4

The '668 Patent is titled “Non-invasive Temperature Measurement.” As this title suggests, the claimed invention relates to a non-invasive thermometer. The '668 Patent contains two independent claims: an apparatus claim and a method claim. Claim 1, the independent apparatus claim, states:

A thermometric device, comprising:

a probe, comprising:
a membrane configured to be applied to an external surface of a body of a subject; and
one or more temperature sensors located within the probe in thermal contact with the membrane; and
a processing unit configured to receive a plurality of temperature readings from the one or more temperature sensors, to determine time-dependent parameters of temperature change responsively to the plurality of temperature readings to calculate, a deep tissue temperature of the body at a location under the skin that is a source of heat conducted to the one or more temperature sensors, and to calculate a core body temperature by correcting for a difference between the core body temperature and the deep tissue temperature.5

In my Markman Order, I gave the following constructions to the disputed terms in Claim 1:

“Probe” means “portion of thermometer including a membrane and one or more temperature sensors that touches the exterior skin.”
“Membrane” means “a layer or sheet of material.”
“One or more temperature sensors” means “one or more thermistor or resistance temperature defectors (RTDs), or any form of thermistor, temperature sensor, or thermocouple.”
“Configured to receive a plurality of temperature readings from the one or more temperature sensors” means “configured to receive temperature readings, at least one of which comes from the external body surface, from one or more temperature sensors.”
“Time-dependent parameters of temperature change,” means “multiple values of temperature change that vary with time and that are taken at different times.” “To calculate” [means] “using a computation to estimate, approximate, predict or determine.”
“Core body temperature” [means] “the temperature of blood in the pulmonary artery.”6
The independent method claim of the '668 Patent, Claim 21, states:
[401]*401A method for thermometric measurement, comprising:
applying a probe, which comprises a heat-conducting membrane and one or more temperature sensors in thermal communication with the membrane, to an external surface of a body of a subject;

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Related

Medisim Ltd. v. Bestmed, LLC
758 F.3d 1352 (Federal Circuit, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
959 F. Supp. 2d 396, 2013 WL 2157149, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70811, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/medisim-ltd-v-bestmed-llc-nysd-2013.