Monroe Auto Equipment Co. v. Superior Industries, Inc.

220 F. Supp. 941, 138 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 385, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10011
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedJune 7, 1963
DocketCiv. A. No. 1336-59
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 220 F. Supp. 941 (Monroe Auto Equipment Co. v. Superior Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Monroe Auto Equipment Co. v. Superior Industries, Inc., 220 F. Supp. 941, 138 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 385, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10011 (S.D. Cal. 1963).

Opinion

CARR, District Judge.

This cause having come on for trial, the court having considered the evidence, the arguments, and the briefs, and being fully advised in the premises, it is the judgment of the court that plaintiff has failed to establish a ease; that defendant is entitled to judgment; that both Patents No. 2,896,938 and No. 2,912,235 (hereinafter referred to as 938 and 235) are invalid; and that defendant has failed to sustain its counterclaims for damages for unfair competition and for attorney’s fees. In order that the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and decree may be in keeping with the decision of the court, herewith follows the basis for the decision:

Respecting the cause of action for infringement of 938 and 235, the evidence compels the conclusion that such patents are invalid for want of invention since they are both a mere regrouping, or utilization of old elements without change of function. Furthermore, the patents are invalid because they fail to disclose any inventive advance over the prior art in particular Exhibit E, French patent 1,-044,393; Exhibit D, Italian patent 467,-071; Exhibit G, Farmer patent 2,344,-858; Exhibit L, Chayne patent 2,159,-203; Exhibit BD1, 1952 English Ford; and the Knoedler device, Exhibits AT and AL. The evidence clearly supports the conclusion that any advance over the prior art would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art and, in particular, there is no patentable invention involved in positioning a rubber sleeve around a shock absorber to prevent metal to metal contact and noise. Respecting the Knoedler device the proof was clear and convincing that such device was known and used by others in this country before the invention thereof by the patentee Walker.

Respecting the validity of both 938 and 235, it is noted that the prior art heretofore mentioned was not cited by the Patent Office and, therefore, the presumption of validity is dissipated. Pres-steel Company v. Halo Lighting Products, Inc. (9 Cir.), 314 F.2d 695.

Since the conclusion has been reached that neither 938 nor 235 is valid, it is unnecessary to make findings relative to infringement. Bliss v. Gotham Industries, Inc. (9 Cir.), 316 F.2d 848; Pres-steel Company v. Halo Lighting Products, Inc. (9 Cir.), 314 F.2d 695.

Counsel for defendant is directed to prepare proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, and decree pursuant to Local Rule 7

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND JUDGMENT

This cause having come on regularly for trial before the Honorable Charles H. Carr, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division, the Court having considered the evidence, arguments and the briefs and being fully advised in the premises, makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The plaintiff herein, MONROE AUTO EQUIPMENT COMPANY, is a [943]*943corporation of the State of Michigan having its principal place of business at Monroe, Michigan.

2. Defendant, SUPERIOR INDUSTRIES, INC., is a corporation of the State of California having an established place of business. at 14721 Keswick Street, Van Nuys, California, within the Southern District of California.

3. This cause of action arises under the Patent Laws of the United States of America and accordingly this Court has jurisdiction thereover.

4. On July 28, 1959 United States Letters Patent No. 2,896,938 entitled “VEHICLE SUSPENSION DEVICE” was issued to plaintiff, MONROE AUTO EQUIPMENT COMPANY, as the as-signee of Brooks Walker.

5. On November 10, 1959 United States Letters Patent No. 2,912,235 entitled “AUTOMATIC AUXILIARY SUPPORT FOR A VEHICLE” was issued to plaintiff, MONROE AUTO EQUIPMENT COMPANY, as the as-signee of Brooks Walker.

6. The defendant has within six years last past made and sold devices alleged by the plaintiff to infringe said Letters Patent No. 2,896,938 and Claim 14 of Patent No. 2,912,235 in the Southern Judicial District of California and elsewhere in the United States.

7. Plaintiff has manufactured and sold devices constructed in accordance with the alleged inventions of said United States Letters Patent No. 2,896,938 and Claim 14 of Patent No. 2,912,235.

8. On November 27, 1959 plaintiff’s attorney on behalf of plaintiff charged defendant in writing with infringement of said Patent No. 2,896,938 and Claim 14 of said Patent No. 2,912,235. Plaintiff has also given notice of said patents upon devices made and sold by plaintiff constructed in accordance with the alleged inventions of said patents.

9. As evidence of the prior art, defendant introduced the following exhibits at the trial of this action:

French Patent No. 1,044,393 (Exhibit E)
Italian Patent No. 467,071 (Exhibit D)
Farmer U. S. Patent No. 2,344,858 (Exhibit G)
Chayne U. S. Patent No. 2,159,203 (Exhibit L)
1953 English Ford Front Suspension (Exhibit BD-1)

10. Prior art French Patent No. 1,-044,393 and Italian Patent No. 467,071 disclose an auxiliary suspension device for vehicles consisting of a tubular shock absorber surrounded by a coil spring and means for supporting each end of such coil spring with respect to one of the relatively movable parts of the shock absorber. The arrangement of a tubular shock absorber surrounded by a coil spring in an automobile suspension was utilized in the prior art 1953 English Ford Front Suspension (Exhibit BD-1). Although the English Ford front suspension incorporated a rubber sleeve on the shock absorber, such sleeve was not intended to act as a spacer and the coil spring did not buckle into contact with such sleeve. Prior art Farmer Patent No. 2,344,858 discloses the use of a rubber sleeve between a coil spring and a tubular metallic element encircled by such coil spring. Further, the use of rubber between relatively movable metal parts to avoid metal-to-metal contact is old. This was admitted by the plaintiff in Pre-Trial Conference Order Admitted Fact (Y).

11. At the trial of this action plaintiff specified that it was charging defendant with infringement of Claims 2, 3 and 4 of Patent No. 2,896,938.

12. Patent No. 2,896,938 in suit relates to an auxiliary vehicle suspension device that includes a conventional tubular shock absorber disposed within a coil spring. The shock absorber consists of two parts, one being a body portion 10 and the other a piston and rod. The piston rod telescopes into the body portion when the shock absorber is compressed. The piston rod is connected at its upper portion to a depending dust guard 11 having an outwardly flaring [944]*944flange 11a at its bottom. The ends of the coil spring are supported with respect to the relatively movable parts of the shock absorber. The specification of this patent recites “A sleeve 86 of non-metallic rubber or fiber material fits between the adaptor 80 and the flange 11a of the dust guard 11”. It is the addition of this sleeve 86 to the prior art combination of a tubular shock absorber disposed within a coil spring that provides the basis for the assembly recited in Claims 2, 3 and 4 of Patent No. 2,896,938.

13. The combination of a tubular shock absorber and a coil spring surrounding such shock absorber as disclosed in Patent No. 2,896,938 was old in the prior art as set forth hereinabove.

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220 F. Supp. 941, 138 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 385, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/monroe-auto-equipment-co-v-superior-industries-inc-casd-1963.