Wyland v. Simons

93 F.2d 44, 25 C.C.P.A. 780, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 223
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedDecember 23, 1937
DocketNo. 3832
StatusPublished

This text of 93 F.2d 44 (Wyland v. Simons) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wyland v. Simons, 93 F.2d 44, 25 C.C.P.A. 780, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 223 (ccpa 1937).

Opinion

Bland, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an interference proceeding involving a single count copied by the party Wyland into his application from the party M. Simons’ patent No. 1,952,388. Wyland filed his application on October 29, 1927. Simons was restricted by his preliminary statement for his date of conception of the issue to a date subsequent to Wyland’s filing date. After the institution of the interference, the Examiner of Interferences of the United States Patent Office ordered Simons to show cause why judgment on the record should not be entered against him. Thereupon, Simons filed a motion to dissolve the interference on two grounds: First, that the party Wyland had no right to make the count because his disclosure did not include the method of the count; second, that the count was not patentable over a patent to Baxter, No. 134,968, issued January 21, 1873, if interpreted so as to read on the Wyland disclosure. The motion was denied by the Primary Examiner who held that the count was fully supported by the Wyland disclosure and that Simons was “precluded to suggest the unpatentability of his own patented claim” and that in any event he regarded the claim as patentable over any references considered. The Examiner of Interferences then awarded priority of the invention to Wyland.

"Simons appealed to the Board of Appeals which reversed the decision of the Examiner of Interferences.

Wyland has here appealed for a review of the decision of the board.

[782]*782The sole question in determining priority of the count involved •depends upon the answer to the ancillary question as to whether or not the count is supported by the Wyland disclosure.

The invention involved relates to the art of making wire-drawing ■dies and especially to the method of mounting a quantity of very hard wear-resisting material in the center of the die, which hard material must be perforated and is used for cutting or abrading the wire as it is drawn through the die. Many different substances have been used for this purpose, the most common being an uncut diamond. Wyland in his application is particularly interested in using a diamond for the wearing or cutting element of the die, while the party Simons speaks of the cutting element as a nib which “may consist mainly of tungsten carbide or equivalent material.”

The count of the interference, as it appears in the said patent to Simons, 1,952,388, is as follows:

1.The method of forming a drawing die, including the steps of preassembling .•a nib-forming block in a hollow metal casing, simultaneously heating the casing and block and while they are hot applying substantial compression force to said ■ casing in a wire drawing direction while limiting the outward flow of the .metal of the casing in a direction at right angles to the wire drawing direction, whereby the circumferential contraction of the inner wall of the casing places .the nib under compression.

It was the position of Simons before the Patent Office tribunals, •and it is his position here, that Wyland’s disclosure does not meeti the following requirements of the count:

1. A “nib-forming block.”
2. The step of “pre-assembling a nib-forming block in a hollow metal casing.”
3. The step of “limiting the outward flow of the metal of the casing in a •direction at right angles to the wire drawing direction.”
4. The step of placing the nib under compression by “circumferential contraction of the inner wall of the casing.”

Neither of the tribunals below described in detail the structural ■elements comprising the disclosures of the two parties. We think the precise issue can be best understood by briefly describing the respective structures of the parties.

Simons, in the drawings and specification of the patent from which the count is derived, shows a holder block which is of extremely hard material having a socket therein slightly tapered from its mouth to its bottom and which is adapted to receive the nib and its immediate casing. A circular die plate rests upon the bottom of the socket. 'There is a hole through the circular die plate, the purpose of which is to permit the die and its casing to be forced out after the forging •operation. The die casing, including the nib-forming material, is ■placed in the socket. Into the top of the casing is inserted a plunger ■of a percussion press. It is this plunger which comes in contact [783]*783■with the nib casing and tlie nib during the operation that brings .-about the shaping of the die. The patentee states:

* * * The force of the plunger transmitted endwise of the casing causes transverse flow of the material of the casing wall, thickening the latter and ■causing it to exert a very high pressure on the block of tungsten-carbide. As an incident of this forging operation, part of the material of the bevelled nipper end of the casing is forced inwardly over the top of the block. * * *.

- The party Wyland has a structure that is quite different in most respects. It is his purpose to force metal around an irregularly shaped uncut diamond, and for this purpose he provides what he nails an investment plug for forming part of the encasement around the diamond. The investment plug of Wyland is inserted in a shell ■for forming part of the encasement. At the bottom of the opening in the shell is a circular groove extending outwardly from the perpendicular sides of the shell. In the bottom of the opening of the shell is an annular seat with a downwardly tapered vertex on which annular seat is placed the diamond. Around the casing and shell is placed a suitable retaining ring which holds the plug, shell and •diamond in position for the operation. When a plunger or plug is "rammed into the pocket upon and about the diamond” while the whole assembly is under high temperature, the melted metal which forms the first part of the casing described flows and is pressed in And around the diamond and also into the vertex of the annular seat At the bottom of the shell opening heretofore described.

The board said:

The question before us for consideration is whether the count is supported by the Wyland disclosure. The subject matter relates to a method ot forming .a" wire drawing die and in the Simons application, where the count originated, the material of the nib is a block of cylindrical form. In the Wyland application it is'a rough diamond of irregular shape. The surrounding casing which •causes the flow of the metal against the block in Simons is at right angles to the line of pressure while in Wyland a portion is at right angles and another portion at a different angle.
* It is not deemed necessary to repeat in full appellant’s reasons for contending that the count is not properly supported by the Wyland disclosure as these are Idlly set forth in the Simons brief.
'We believe that the patent to Simons, No. 1,420,224; has a most important •bearing on the situation and we shall now consider it. This patent was cited •during the prosecution of the Simons application and in accordance with the rules, it should be considered in determining the meaning of the count.

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Bluebook (online)
93 F.2d 44, 25 C.C.P.A. 780, 1937 CCPA LEXIS 223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wyland-v-simons-ccpa-1937.