Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co.

180 F. 726, 104 C.C.A. 92, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 4804
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJuly 5, 1910
DocketNo. 218
StatusPublished

This text of 180 F. 726 (Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co., 180 F. 726, 104 C.C.A. 92, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 4804 (2d Cir. 1910).

Opinion

COXE, Circuit Judge.

As we agree in thinking that none of the claims is infringed we will confine what we have to say to the defense of noninfringement.

The claims of the senior patent, which are in controversy, are as follows:

“1. The combination, with a suitably actuated type-bar provided with a plurality of type, of a platen or paper carriage made vertically shiftable in a rectilinear direction so as to bring the paper to the printing points of the various types, movable arms C" located on opposite sides of the machine and on which the carriage permanently rests and independent levers for shift[727]*727ing the arms, and a detent for holding the carriage after being shifted or raised, substantially as described.”
“3. The combination with a suitably actuated type-bar of a platen or paper carriage, movable legs for the carriage, arms 0" made to engage said legs, a rock shaft to which said arms are fixed, an actuating lever for each of said arms, and a detent for engaging one of said arms, the actuating lever of said last named arm being made to engage the detent to release the latter, substantially as described.”
“11. The combination with a suitably actuated type-bar provided with a plurality of type, and a pivot about which the type bar swings, of a platen or paper carriage made vertically shiftable so as to bring the paper to tlu printing points of the various types, movable arms C" located on opposite-sides of the machine and on which the platen permanently rests, and independent levers for shifting the arms, said levers being loose or detached from the arms C" so that the latter can move independently of the levers, substantially as described.”

The claim of the junior patent is as follows:

“26. A suitably-actuated type-arm provided with a plurality of type, in ■combination with a vertically-movable platen, oppositely-located keys for moving said platen, a lock for one of said keys, said lock having a releasing-arm actuated by another of said keys and a rockjshaft to opposite end portions of which said lock and releasing arm are fixed, substantially as described.”

The elements of the combination of the first claim are:

First. A suitably actuated type-bar provided with a plurality of type.

Second. A platen or paper carriage made vertically shiftable in a rectilinear direction.

Third. Movable arms C" located on opposite sides of the machine and on which the carriage permanently rests.

Fourth. Independent levers for shifting the arms.

Fifth. A detent for holding the carriage after being shifted or raised.

The elements of the third claim are;

First. A suitably actuated type-bar.

Second. A platen or paper carriage.

Third. Movable legs for the carriage.

Fourth. Arms C" made to engage said legs.

Fifth. A rock shaft to which said arms are fixed.

Sixth. An actuating lever for each of said arms, one of said levers being made to engage a detent.

Seventh. A detent for engaging one of said arms.

The elements of the eleventh claim are:

First. A suitably actuated type-bar provided with a plurality of type.

Second. A pivot about which the type-bar swings.

Third. A platen or paper carriage made vertically shiftable.

Fourth. Movable arms C" located on opposite sides of the machine on which the platen permanently rests.

Sixth. Independent levers for shifting the arms C", said levers being loose or detached from the arms C" so that they can move independently of the levers.

The elements of claim 26 of the junior patent are:

First. A suitably actuated type-arm provided with a plurality of type.

[728]*728Second. A vertically movable platen.

Third. Oppositely located keys for moving said platen. •

Fourth. A lock for one of said keys, said lock having a releasing' arm actuated by another of said keys.

Fifth. A rock shaft, to opposite end portions of which said lock and releasing arm are fixed.

' Long prior to July, 1894, the typewriting art had advanced to a high state of perfection. Neither of the complainant’s patents is generic; both relate to comparatively unimportant improvements. A broad construction of the claims is, therefore, unwarranted.

The defendant’s machine does not infringe claim 1 of the senior patent because it does not have the vertically shiftable platen or paper carriage which is the second element of the combination of that claim. In the defendant’s machine the carriage moves horizontally, but not vertically or in a rectilinear direction. The difference in the movement of the platen of the patent and of the defendant’s machine might be disregarded were it not for the fact that the words “in a rectilinear direction” were inserted after the claim had been rejected on the patent to Mulligan, cited by the examiner.

The defendant does not have the third element of the claim for the reason that its carriage does not rest permanently on movable arms located on opposite sides of the machine or, indeed, on movable arms of any kind.

The defendant does not have the independent shifting levers of the fourth element, but parts known as permanent and temporary shift keys, located one above the other on the extreme right of the keyboard. The permanent shift key is not a lever, but is used to depress and hold in a depressed position the temporary shift key which is used to release the permanent shift key, the latter being dependent upon the former. It cannot therefore be regarded as one of the “independent levers” of the claim for reasons that it is not a lever and it is not independent.

The defendant does not have the “detent for holding the carriage” unless the permanent shift key can be so considered.

But this argument of the complainant is fatal to its contention that the same part may be a detent, and an independent lever. Either the fourth or the fifth element of the claim is lacking.

If we assume that the permanent shift key is a detent for holding the carriage by the temporary shift key lever, we cannot say that it is independent of that lever. If it be independent it is not a detent, Furthermore, it does not hold the carriage in a shifted position. It does hold the platen, but “platen” and “carriage” are not equivalent terms, in this controversy at least, for the reason that the patentee only succeeded in getting the claim allowed by consenting to the substitution of the latter word for the former, thus limiting the claim to a structure where the carriage, including the platen, is held by the detent and not the platen alone. In August, 1893, the examiner wrote:

“The word, ‘platen’ should read ‘carriage’ in line 5, claim 1.”

To this the attorneys replied:

“Claim 1, line 5, change ‘platen’ to ‘carriage.’ ”

[729]*729Having consented to this change in order to secure the claim they now seek to have the claim construed precisely as it was before the change was made. This cannot be done.

The defendant’s machine does not infringe the third claim.

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Bluebook (online)
180 F. 726, 104 C.C.A. 92, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 4804, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/underwood-typewriter-co-v-typewriter-inspection-co-ca2-1910.