Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Technology Corporation, Visa International Service Association, Inc., Visa Usa, Inc. And Crestar Bank, Inc., Defendants-Cross

185 F.3d 1259
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedAugust 27, 1999
Docket98-1533, 98-1585
StatusPublished
Cited by244 cases

This text of 185 F.3d 1259 (Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Technology Corporation, Visa International Service Association, Inc., Visa Usa, Inc. And Crestar Bank, Inc., Defendants-Cross) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Technology Corporation, Visa International Service Association, Inc., Visa Usa, Inc. And Crestar Bank, Inc., Defendants-Cross, 185 F.3d 1259 (Fed. Cir. 1999).

Opinions

Opinion for the court filed by Circuit Judge CLEVENGER. Dissenting opinion filed by Circuit Judge LOURIE.

CLEVENGER, Circuit Judge.

On March 27, 1998, a jury impaneled in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia concluded that automated storage library systems manufactured and sold by Storage Technology Corporation, and used by Visa International Service Association, Inc., Visa USA, Inc., and Crestar Bank, Inc. (collectively, “STK”) literally infringed United States Patent No. 4,779,151 (“the T51 patent”) owned by the plaintiff, Odetics, Inc. (“Odetics”). Finding willful infringement, the jury awarded $70.6 million in damages. After initially denying STK’s renewed motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law (“JMOL”), the district court sua sponte reconsidered, granting the JMOL and ordering that judgment be entered in favor of STK. The district court deemed its reconsidered decision to be “mandat[edj” by “the analytical framework established” by this court’s opinion in Chiuminatta Concrete Concepts, Inc. v. Cardinal Indus., Inc., 145 F.3d 1303, 46 U.S.P.Q.2d 1752 (Fed.Cir.1998). See Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., 14 F.Supp.2d 807, 809, 47 U.S.P.Q.2d 1923, 1924 (ED.Va.1998) (“Odetics VII”). Odetics appeals the reconsideration judgment, as well as earlier judgments partially denying its request for a permanent injunction, see Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., 14 F.Supp.2d. 785, 47 U.S.P.Q.2d 1573 (E.D. Va.1998) (“Odetics V”), excluding certain time periods from the willful infringement verdict, see Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., No. 95-881-A, slip op. at 2 (E.D.Va. Feb. 12, 1998) (“Odetics IV”), and denying its request for enhanced damages, see Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., 14 F.Supp.2d 800 (E.D.Va.1998) (“Odetics VI”).

STK cross-appeals the district court s holding that its validity defense, based on 35 U.S.C. § 102(g), was barred as within the scope of this court’s mandate in an earlier appeal of this case, Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., 116 F.3d 1497, 1997 WL 357598 (Fed.Cir.1997) (Table) (“Odetics II”). See Odetics, Inc. v. Storage Tech. Corp., No. 95-881-A, slip op. at 1 (E.D.Va. Dec. 3, 1997), as clarified by No. 95-881-A, slip op. at 3-4 (Jan. 8, 1998) (“Odetics III”). STK also appeals the district court’s decision to exclude certain evidence from the jury. See id., slip op. at 1.

Because Chiuminatta did not mark a change in the proper infringement analysis under § 112, ¶ 6, and the jury’s verdict is supported by substantial evidence, we reverse the grant of JMOL and order the jury’s verdict reinstated. We affirm, however, the district court’s other judgments on appeal..

I

This patent infringement action, making its second appearance before this court, see Odetics II, 116 F.3d 1497, 1997 WL 357598 (vacating judgment of noninfringement), concerns robotic tape storage systems, which are typically used to store, organize, and retrieve videotapes or computer data tapes. The storage systems generally consist of a large, generally cylindrical housing with a pivoting retrieval mechanism, such as a robotic arm, located in the center of the housing. Acting on commands to retrieve certain tapes, the robotic arm can selectively grip the desired tape, removing it from its storage shelf and placing it on another shelf or in a tape player/recorder. These systems are highly automated and are especially useful in situations where large quantities of data must be easily and quickly retrieved from storage.

A

At issue are claims 9 and 14 of the T51 patent. (Although claim 8 was also assert[1264]*1264ed, the district court granted summary judgment of noninfringement with respect to that claim — a judgment that, in light of our overall disposition, is now moot.) Claim 9 reads as follows (emphasis supplied to highlight disputed limitation):

9. A tape cassette handling system comprising:
a plurality of tape transports;
a housing including a cassette storage library having a plurality of storage bins and at least one cassette access' opening for receiving cassettes to be moved to the storage bins or to the tape transports, or for receiving cassettes to be removed from the library or from the tape transports;
a rotary means rotatably mounted within the library adjacent the access opening for providing access to the storage library, the rotary means having
one or more holding bins each having an opening for receiving a cassette, wherein the rotary means is rotatable from a first position in which the opening of at least one holding bin is accessible from outside of the housing to a second position in which the opening of at least one holding bin is accessible from inside of the housing; and
cassette manipulator means located within the housing for selectively moving cassettes between the rotary means, said storage bins and said tape transports.

Claim 14 is identical in all relevant aspects.

The critical “rotary means” claim element is in means-plus-function form, requiring that it “be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.” 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 6 (1994). In Odetics II, this court held that the structure corresponding to the “rotary means” element was “the components that receive the force and rotate as a result of that force (ie., the rod, gear, and rotary loading and loading mechanisms).” 1997 WL 357598, at *6. This court noted that this structure could be seen in Fig. 3 of the 151 patent, except that the structure did not include the motor (52) or its gear (54).

[1265]*1265[[Image here]]

Thus, the structure corresponding to the “rotary means” element, as depicted in Fig. 3 of the ’151 patent, is a set of tape holders or bins, a rod providing the axis of rotation, and a gear capable of receiving a force sufficient to cause the structure to accomplish the claimed “rotary” function.

STK manufactures and sells Library Storage Modules (“libraries”) to companies, such as Visa and Crestar, that require large quantities of automated data storage. Library systems sold by STK are scaleable: that is, additional libraries may be added to increase the amount of storage space. When libraries are added, STK uses a device known as a “pass-thru port” to link the libraries, allowing data tapes to be passed from library to library. The pass-thru ports bridge the gaps between the libraries using a “bin array” — a box-like set of tape slots or holders — that slides linearly along a short track. As the bin arrays move from library to library, they rotate to allow tapes to be manipulated from within the library housings. This rotation is accomplished by the use of “cam followers,” or pins, that are affixed to the bottom of the bin array. As a bin array moves along its track, the pins come into contact with angled structures, or “cams,” that exert force against the pins, causing the bin array to rotate about a rod that forms its axis.

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185 F.3d 1259, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/odetics-inc-v-storage-technology-corporation-visa-international-service-cafc-1999.