Mitchell v. Hennion

143 F.2d 623, 31 C.C.P.A. 1129, 62 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 81, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 72
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 22, 1944
DocketNo. 4802; No. 4803
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 143 F.2d 623 (Mitchell v. Hennion) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mitchell v. Hennion, 143 F.2d 623, 31 C.C.P.A. 1129, 62 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 81, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 72 (ccpa 1944).

Opinion

Gakkett, Presiding Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

The decision in this case was rendered March 20, 1944. The party Mitchell filed petition for rehearing which has been duly considered and same is denied on the merits, but granted in order to correct two expressions inadvertently used in the original opinion.

We have before us here appeals from the decision of the Board of Interference Examiners (to. which we hereinafter refer as the board) in a patent interference proceeding.

Five counts (1 to 5, inclusive) are involved. The board awarded priority to the party Hennion upon counts 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the party Mitchell appealed as to that award. Priority upon count 5 was awarded the party Mitchell, and the party Hennion appealed as to that award.

The proceedings in the Patent Office are embraced in one record certified to us following the respective appeals.

The counts read as follows:

1. In the process .of making a sulfonated organic compound of the hetero-cyclic series by the action of sulfuric acid on a compound of said series, the step which comprises adding boron trifluoride to the reaction mixture.
2. In the process of making a sulfonated organic compound from the group consisting of the benzine and naphthalene series by the action of sulfuric acid on a compound of said series, thé step which comprises adding boron trifluoride to the reaction mixture.
8. The process which comprises making a sulphonating mixture comprising sulphuric acid, boron trifluoride and an organic compound of the group consisting of compounds of the aromatic and heterocyclic series; and maintaining the reaction mixture at sulphonating temperatures until the organic compound is sulphonated.
4. The process which comprises sulphonating an organic compound of the aromatic series with sulphuric acid in the presence of boron trifluoride.
5. The process which comprises sulphonating an organic compound of the group consisting of compounds of the aromatic ■ and heterocyclic series with sulphuric acid in the presence of an inert solvent and boron trifluoride.

[1131]*1131The interference was declared between an application of the party Mitchell, serial JSTo. 307,257, filed December 2,1939, and an application of the party Hennion, serial No. 320,013, filed February 21,1940. As originally declared, it involved only counts 1 and 2, which correspond, respectively, to claims 31 and 32 of the Mitchell application and claims 3 and 5 of the Hennion application. Subsequently (after proceedings in the Patent Office not here involved), counts 3, 4, and 5 were added upon motion of the party Mitchell, and the interference was redeclared. ,

The burden rested upon Hennion as the'junior party to establish priority by a preponderance of evidence.

In describing the invention the board stated:

The subject matter of this interference relates to the process of sulphonating organic compounds by means of sulfuric acid in the presence of boron trifluoride.
There are five counts of which count 1 is drawn to the sulfonation of a compound of the heterocyclic series; count 4 to the aromatic seribs; count 2 to the benzene and naphthalene series and counts 3 and 5 to the aromatic and hetero-cyclic series.

Testimony was taken by both parties and numerous documentary exhibits were placed in evidence, so that the record is a voluminpus one, and the briefs filed on behalf of the respective parties are very elaborate, containing much technical matter relating to chemical elements and formulas.

' Much of the testimony is also quoted in the respective briefs.

Aside from a question raised by the party Mitchell respecting the sufficiency of the party Hennion’s reasons of appeal relating to count 5, which will be discussed later in connection with that appeal, the issues involve questions of fact. The board reviewed the evidence in externo, quoting material parts of it verbatim, and stated the reasons for its conclusions .deduced therefrom. Under such circumstances the burden rests heavily upon the respective appellants to demonstrate error in the board’s findings of fact.

We deem it unnecessary-to set forth in detail the claims made in the respective preliminary statements.

The board held that the junior party Hennion had established actual reduction to practice of counts 2 and 4 and “at least part of the subject matter of count 3,” as early as May 20, 1938, and of counts 1 and 3 (which latter the board pointed out “includes a limitation to a heterocyclic compound in the form of a Markush grouping”) on or prior to March 8,1939. It was also held that counts 2 and 4 were additionally reduced to practice by Hennion in June 1938. The foregoing dates were prior to the filing date of the party Mitchell’s application, December 2, 1939. With respect to count 5, the board pointed out that the party Hennion alleged no reduction to practice [1132]*1132of it prior to his filing date of February 21,1940, which was subsequent to the Mitchell filing date.

The party Mitchell alleged conception and reduction to practice of all the counts in October 1937, but as to count 1 the board said:

* * * in Lis brief Mitchell .claims no disclosure of count 1 until it was discussed with his attorney who was preparing his patent application apparently sometime in August 1939. Mitchell claims no actual reduction to practice of count. 1 and relies instead on his filing date for a constructive reduction to practice thereof.

The statement so made is not challenged in the reasons of appeal before us, but the award of priority on the count to the party Hennion is challenged, it being alleged that the board erred in holding that Hennion reduced count 1 to practice “by sulphonation of the compound carbazole.”

The board after a comprehensive review of the testimony on behalf of both parties summarized its findings as follows:

It would appear from this testimony that in spite of the many authorities relied upon, the .conditions are sufficiently complex so that the final conclusion must neverthless he largely a matter of opinion. In view of the fact that no actual test for the presence of boron fluoride has been shown and the further fact that Ross’ conclusion as to its presence is largely opinion, it must be held that Mitchell has not established with the necessary degree of certainty that his experiment of October 26, 1937, met the limitation to the catalyst in the counts.
A summary of the issues considered in connection with Mitchell’s alleged reduction to practice discloses that Mitchell has failed to present the necessary corroboration of his own work as wel] as having failed to establish that his starting material and catalyst met the limitations of the counts. Mitchell cannot therefore be credited with either a conception or reduction to practice of counts 2 to 5 in October 1937. Since the run on October 26,1937, is the only basis for an actual reduction to practice of counts 2 to 5 alleged by Mitchell it follows that he is limited to his filing date with respect to these counts.

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Bluebook (online)
143 F.2d 623, 31 C.C.P.A. 1129, 62 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 81, 1944 CCPA LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mitchell-v-hennion-ccpa-1944.