Wilson v. Coon

6 F. 611, 18 Blatchf. 532, 1880 U.S. App. LEXIS 2715
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Southern New York
DecidedDecember 28, 1880
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 6 F. 611 (Wilson v. Coon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Southern New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Coon, 6 F. 611, 18 Blatchf. 532, 1880 U.S. App. LEXIS 2715 (circtsdny 1880).

Opinion

Blatchford, C. J.

This suit is founded on re-issued letters patent No. 8,169, granted to the plaintiff, as inventor, April 9, 1878, for an “improvement in collars,” the original patent, No. 197,807, having been granted to him December 4,1877. The drawings of the original and the re-issue are the same. The specification of the re-issue, reading what is within and whát is outside of brackets and not what is underscored, is as follows: “In the accompanying drawings, figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved collar, and figure 2 a perspective view of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. This invention refers to an improved standing collar, that retains all the advantages of the old style curved band, without the objection of springing the collar too far from the neck, so as to come in contact with the coat and soil the collar. The collar also hugs the neck band in such a manner that the collar is prevented from overriding it, resulting in a more comfortable fit. The invention consists of a standing [or other] collar having sectional [curved and graduated] bands [that extend along the lower edge of the] starting from center of collar, or [from] any other point between center and ends, and continuing with a graduated curve to and beyond the ends of the collar. Referring to the drawings, A represents a standing [or other] collar of my improved construction, and B the [curved and graduated] short or sectional bands, which [extend] start from the center of [the] collar, or any other point between the center and ends, and continue along the lower part of the [top or body of the collar] same with a graduated curve and increasing width, to and beyond the ends of the collar, [the ends being [613]*613curved,] in the same manner as ordinary bands. The bands, B, are made either to overlap the collar proper, or the collar is made to overlap the bands, or one part of the bands laps over the collar ends, while the remaining part is overlapped by the collar, so as to obtain smoothly-covered joints at both meeting ends of collar and [graduated] sectional bands. The bead [or binding] formed by the connection of collar and band may also be continued, if desired, along the lower edge of that part of the .collar [body] between the bands [so as to connect the graduated bands] and [impart] thereby a more ornamental appearance imparted to the [collar] same. [The rear button-hole, a, is arranged in the top or body of the collar above the bead or binding at the lower edge of the same, which position of the button-hole, in connection with the graduated bands, produces] The use of the short or sectional hands produces a saving of material, as compared to the old style of continuous hand, and furnishes a collar that hugs the neck band in superior manner, without springing back so as to come in contact with the [coat] collar. [The shorter graduated bands produce also a considerable saving of material as compared to the old style of continuous band that extends at uniform width along the lower part of the collar.] ” Beading in the foregoing what is outside of brackets, including what is underscored, and omitting what is within brackets, makes the specification of the original patent.

There are four claims in the re-issue, as follows: “First, a collar provided with a band composed of the parts B, B? curved, and tapered or decreasingly graduated from the ends towards the middle, as shown and described; second, a collar having short or sectional bands starting from the center of the collar, or any point between the center and ends thereof, and continuing with a graduated curve to and beyond the ends of the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth; third, the combination with a collar having short bands, graduated on a curve and decreasingly towards the middle, of a band-connecting bead or binding along the lower edge, as set forth; fowrth, a collar having curved [614]*614and graduated bands that extend along the top or body of the collar from the center, or any other point between the center and ends thereof, to and beyond the ends of the collar, and having the rear button-hole placed above the band or binding into the top or body of the collar, substantially as shown and described.”

The claim of the original patent was as follows: “A collar, A, having sectional bands, B, starting from the center of the collar, or any point between the center and ends thereof, and continuing with a graduated curve to and beyond the ends of the same, substantially as described and shown, and for the purpose set forth.”

It is contended for the defendants that the re-issued patent is void because the original patent was valid and operative, and because it contains new matter, and entirely changes the character of invention set forth in the original patent, and because the re-issued patent was intended to cover a different collar from that originally invented. This re-issue was granted uuder section 4916 of the Revised Statutes, which provides as follows: “Whenever any patent is inoperative or invalid, by reason of a defective or insufficient specification, or by reason of the patentee claiming, as his own invention or discovery, more than he had a right to claim as new, if the error has arisen by inadvertence, accident, or mistake, and without any fraudulent or deceptive intention, the commissioner shall, on the surrender of such patent, and the payment of the duty required by law, cause a new patent for the same invention, and in accordance with the corrected specification, to be issued. ■ * ® * The specifications and claim in every such ease' shall be subject to revision and restriction in the same manner as original applications are. Every patent so re-issued, together with the corrected specification, shall have the same effect and operation in law, on the trial of all actions for causes thereafter arising, as if the same had been originally filed in such’ corrected form; but no new matter shall be introduced into the specification, nor, in case of a machine patent, shall the model or drawings be amended, except each by the other; but, when [615]*615there is neither model nor drawing, amendments may bé made upon proof satisfactory to the commissioner that such new matter or amendment was a part of the original invention, and was omitted from the specification by inadvertence, accident, or mistake, as aforesaid.” This enactment is the same as section 53 of act of July 8, 1870, (16 St. at Large, 205.) The word “specification,” when used separately from the word “claim,” in section 4916, means the entire paper referred to in section 4888, namely, the written description of the invention, “and of the manner and process of making, constructing, compounding, and using it,” and the claims made. The word “specification,” meaning description and claims, is used in that sense in sections 4884, 4895, 4902, 4903, 4917, 4920, and 4922. In some cases, as in sections 4888 and 4916, the words “specification and claim” are used, and in section 4902 the word “description” and the word “specification” are used. But it is clear that the word “specification,” when used without the word “claim,” means description and claim.

Therefore a re-issue is allowed, under section 4916, when the specification is defective or insufficient in regard to either the description or the claim, or to both, to such an extent as to render the patent inoperative or invalid, if the error arose in the maimer mentioned in the statute. In such case there may ho a corrected specification.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 F. 611, 18 Blatchf. 532, 1880 U.S. App. LEXIS 2715, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-coon-circtsdny-1880.