Mojonnier Dawson Co. v. Eby's Guernsey Dairy, Inc.

168 F. Supp. 413, 119 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 417, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3097
District Court, N.D. Indiana·Decided December 1, 1958·No. Civ. A. No. 2372·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

GRANT, District Judge.

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiff, The Mojonnier Dawson Company, is an Illinois corporation, with its principal office and place of business-at 9151 Fullerton Avenue, Franklin Park, Illinois.

2. Defendant, Eby’s Guernsey Dairy, Inc., is an Indiana corporation, doing [414] business at 1425 West Lusher Avenue, Elkhart, Indiana.

3. Defendant, Harvey B. Fink, is a resident of Elkhart, Indiana, residing at R.R. 4, Elkhart, Indiana, and is the principal of said Eby’s Guernsey Dairy, Inc.

4. The complaint names as additional defendants, Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc., a corporation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, doing business at 551 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, and Ward C. Cramer, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, and the principal and alter ego of said Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc. These defendants were not served with the complaint because they are outside the jurisdiction of this Court. However, these defendants have had notice of. this suit and have refused to defend the first named defendants as shown by findings below.

5. This is an action arising under the patent laws of the United States and jurisdiction of this Court is based on Title 28, Section 1338 of the United States Code.

6. On February 2, 1954, United States Letters Patent No. 2,667,990 were duly and legally issued to plaintiff for an invention of Albert B. Mojonnier, entitled “Dispensing Mechanism With Time Controlled Flow”, and on May 18, 1954, said Letters Patent No. 2,667,990 were duly and legally reissued to plaintiff as Reissue Patent No. 23,830, and .said Letters Patent No/2,667,990 were .surrendered, and plaintiff ever since has been and now is the sole owner and holder of said Reissue Letters Patent and of .all rights of recovery thereunder.

7. Plaintiff has for many years last -past manufactured and sold filling apparatus embodying the inventions of .said Letters Patent, sold under its trademark “Electromatic”.

8. Claims 1, 6 and 7 of said Reissue Letters Patent No. 23,830, were held valid as a matter of law by the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, in a decision dated January 15, 1958, in Appeal No. 11784 from Civil Action 54-C-277 in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, 142 F.Supp. 385, entitled The Mojonnier Dawson Company v. U. S. Dairies Sales Corporation, 251 F.2d 345.

9. On February 24, 1958, said United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, issued its mandate holding said Reissue Letters Patent No. 23,830 valid.

10. On April 29, 1958, said defendants U. S. Dairies Sales Corp., et al., filed in the Supreme Court of the United States a petition for a writ of certiorari to review the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, entered January 15, 1958, in said Appeal No. 11784; and on June 2, 1958, the Supreme Court of the United States denied said petition for a writ of certiorari, reported 356 U.S. 975, 78 S.Ct. 1139, 2 L.Ed.2d 1148. There was no request for rehearing.

11. On or about February 10, 1958, defendants purchased from Ward C. Cramer Associates and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc., a filling apparatus bearing a nameplate having inscribed thereon “manufactured by ward c. cramer associates 551 boylston st. boston, mass. Model PPCH 2T Serial 1130”. Said purchase is evidenced by an invoice dated February 11, 1958, showing the purchase price to be $2,401. Said filling apparatus (referred to hereinafter as the “accused. Cramer filling machine”) was received by defendants some time in February, 1958 at their place of business at 1425 West Lusher Avenue, Elkhart, Indiana. Defendants paid to said Ward C. Cramer Associates and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc., the purchase price shown on said invoice. Defendants now have possession of said accused Cramer filling machine at their said place of business.

12. Promptly after receipt of said accused Cramer filling machine at defendants’ said place of business, defendants put said machine into operation in the regular course of their business, filling milk into paper cartons for the purpose of sale thereof to the public in and around Elkhart, Indiana, each carton be[415] ing identified by printing thereon defendants’ name “Eby’s Dairy”.

13. On or about March 24, 1958, defendants were notified by registered letter mail of plaintiff’s claim of infringement of its Reissue Patent 23,830 by reason of defendants’ use of said accused Cramer filling machine. Said letter requested defendants to make satisfactory settlement to the plaintiff because of the alleged infringement. No settlement has been made.

14. Subsequent to said letter notice March 24, 1958, defendants repeatedly contacted the named defendants Ward C. Cramer and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc. and requested them to defend this action because of the fact that said accused Cramer filling machine was manufactured by said Ward C. Cramer and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc. and was sold by them to defendants Eby’s Guernsey Dairy, Inc. and its principal, Harvey B. Fink. Defendants’ said request was unequivocally refused by said Ward C. Cramer and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc.

15. Also subsequent to plaintiff’s said charge of infringement by letter March 24, 1958, these defendants repeatedly made request to said Ward C. Cramer and/or Ward C. Cramer Associates, Inc., that they hold harmless from said alleged infringement these defendants Eby’s Guernsey Dairy, Inc. and Harvey B. Fink; and all such requests have been unequivocally refused.

16. With the consent of these defendants, on June 17, 1958, plaintiff took photographs of said accused Cramer filling machine bearing serial No. 1130 at defendants’ dairy. These photographs were taken by Albert B. Mojonnier during the afternoon while said Cramer machine was disassembled for routine cleaning following its regular use earlier that day in filling milk into paper cartons. These photographs are identified as Exhibits A, B, C, D, E and F.

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Mojonnier Dawson Co. v. Eby's Guernsey Dairy, Inc., 168 F. Supp. 413, 119 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 417, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3097 (N.D. Ind. 1958).

168 F. Supp. 413 (Mojonnier Dawson Co. v. Eby's Guernsey Dairy, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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