1



# In th e Unite d Sta tes Court o f Fe deral Cla ims N o. 11- 268C ( Fi l ed: February20, 2013)

******************************* SE C U R I T Y PO I N T H O L D I N G S, I nc. , C l ai m cons t ruct i on; M ar km an h e a rin g ; P la in tif f , pl ai n and ordi narym eani ng.

v. TH E U N I TED STA TES,

D ef endant
. *******************************
M

. Roy G oldb e rg , W a s h in g to n , D C , f o r p la in tif

f

. N athani el B r uno , W a sh in g to n , D C , o f

c o u n se l.
Li nds ay K

. E as tm an , U n ited S tate s D e p a rtm e n t o f Ju stic e , C iv il D ivisi o n , C o m m erc ial L it igation B ran ch , W ash ing ton , D C , w ith w h o m w ere St ua r tF. D e l ery , A ct i ng A s s i s t antA t t or neyG ener al , and John Fargo , D ire c to r, f

o r d e f e n d a n t. OP I NI ON
BRU GG I NK , J UD GE.
T hi s i s a pat enti nfr i ngement cas e brought pur s uantt o 28 U

. S. C

. § 1498 ( 2006)

. Pl ai nt i ff Sec ur i t y Poi ntH ol di ngs , I nc. ( “Secur i t y Poi nt ”) al l eges t h at t he Tra ns por t at i on Secur i t yA dm i ni s tr at i on ( “TS A ”) has i nfr i nged s ever al c laim s o f U .S . P a ten t N o . 6 ,8 8 8 ,4 6 0 (“ 4 6 0 p a ten t”) b yits u se o f tra y s a n d c a rts atai rportsecuri t yscr eening checkp oint s. B efore t he co urtno w are the p art i es’ b ri e f s re g a rd in g c o n s tru c tio n o f s e v e n c la im te rm s u s e d in th e 4 6 0 p a te n t. BA CK GR OUND
Secur i t y Poi nti s s ui ng t he U ni t ed St at es forT SA ’ s unauthor i zed us e of Secur i t y Poi nt ’ s i nvent i on des cr i bed i n t he 460 pat enti n cl ai m s 1

- 4, 6- 9, andT he part i es pr es ent ed thei rexhibits at t ache d t o t hei rr es pect i ve br i efs but 1 n u m b ere d the e x h ib its co n sec u ti v elyfro m p lai n ti ff ’s ex h ibit s to d ef en d an t’ s e x h ib its. T h e y u se d th o se sa m e n u m b e rs f o r th e jo in t ex h ib its a ttac h e d to th e ir jo in t cla im c o n stru c tio n sta tem e n t. W e c ite to th e m a s p lain tiff ’s e x h ib its 2 1 2 -1 5 . T h e 4 6 0 p a ten t co n c e rn s a sy ste m o f re c y c lin g tra y s th ro u g h se c u rity s cr eeni ng chec kpoi nt s by us e of movabl e ca r t s and the di s pl ayof adve r t i s i ng o n th e b in s. T h e p a ten t d a tes to th e p ro v isio n a l p a ten t ap p lica tio n f iled o n Ju ly 3 , 2 0 0 2

. Pat ent s ar e compr i s ed of tw o t ypes of cl ai m s : ind epende ntand d e p e n d e n t. In d e p e n d e n t cla im s s tan d o n th e ir o w n a s d e sc rib e d in a sin g le cl ai m ; depende nt cl ai m s r efe r t o and add fur t her l i m i t at i ons t o an i ndepende nt c la im o r c la im s . See 3 5 U .S .C . § 1 1 2 ( 2 0 0 6 )

. H e re , the 4 6 0 p a ten t is c o m p ri s e d o f

o n e in d e p e n d e n t c la im a n d 1 4 d e p e n d a n t c la im s . C l ai m 1 des cr i bes a met hod:
pos i t i oni ng a fi r s tt r aycartcont ai ni ng t r ay s at t he pr oxi m at e end of a s canni ng devi ce thr ough w hi ch obj ect s m ay b e pass ed, w her ei n s ai d s canni ng devi ce com pr i s es a proxi m at e end a nd a di s t al end,

re m o v in g a tra yf

ro m sa id f

irst tra yc a rt,
p a ss in g sa id tra yth ro u g h sa id sc a n n in g d e v ice f ro m sa id pr oxi m at e end thr ough t o s ai d di s t al end,
pr ovi di ng a s econd tr aycartats ai d di s t al end o f sai d s canni ng devi ce,

re c e iv in g sa id tra y p a ss e d th ro u g h sa id sc a n n in g d e v ice in sa id s econd tr aycart , and

m o v in g sa id se c o n d tra yc a rt to sa id p ro x im a te e n d o f sa id s canni ng devi ce s o t hats ai d t r ay s i n s ai d s econd c ar tbe pas s ed t hr ough s ai d s canni ng devi ce a ts ai d pr oxi m at e end.
P X 1 a t S P 1 8 (th e 4 6 0 p a ten t). C laim 2 tea c h e s th a t th e s c a n n in g d e v ice is 1(“ P X ” ) a n d d e f e n d a n t’ s e x h ib its (“ D X ” ) a s th e yw e re f ir s t f ile d

. 3 “s el ect ed fr om a gr oup cons i s t i ng of a manual i nsp ec ti o n s t at i on, an x- r ay m achi ne, a conve y orbel t , and a par t i cul at e m at t er s ens or . ” I d. C l ai m s 3 and 4 add thatt he tr ay s ar e “ne s t abl e” a nd h av e “expose d s i des capa bl e of di s pl ay i ng ad v er t i s i ng. ” I d. C l ai m 6 t eac hes t hatt he “tr aycart s ar e ada pt ed t o be r ol l abl e. ” I

d. C l ai m 7 adds t hatt he met hod of C l ai m 1 al s o i ncl udes “the ste p o f re p o s it io n in g sa id se c o n d tra yc a rt f ro m sa id d ista l en d to sa id pr oxi m at e end. ” I

d. C lai m s 8 an d 9 inf

o rm that a p lurali ty o f th e tray s are
“ a d a p ted to re c e iv e ” v a r io u s ite m s s u c h a s a lap to p , ca m e ra , p u rse , co a t, w a lle t, c e ll p h o n e , a n d o th e r s im ila r i te m s . I d. C lai m 1 2 instructs that a third cart i s us ed i n t he m ethod des cr i bed i n C l ai m 1. C l ai m 13 adds a s t ep i n w hi ch t he thi rd car t“con t ai ning a plural i t yof tr ay s” i s subst i tuted t o repl ace t he fir st c a rt

. I d. C l ai m 14 m akes t h e b ot t om s of the tr ay s “ada pt ed t o di s pl ay advert i s i ng” on the i nt er i ors ur fac e of t he t r ay s , and C l ai m 15 t eac hes t hatt he t r ay s “ar e ada pt ed t o di s pl aya t ag number

. ” I d.
T he part i es pr es ent ed the courtw i t h cl ai m cons truct i on br i efs and a j oint c l ai m cons t ruct i on s t at ement

. T he part i es pr es ents even t er m s fort he cour t ’ s cons t ruct i on. Pl ai nt i ff, how ever , bel i eves t hat no s peci al cons t ruct i on i s r equi r ed for any of t he t er m s beca us e t he pl ai n and or di nary m eani ng of the t er m s i s s uffi ci ent

. Pl ai nt i ff suppl i es pr efe r r ed construct i ons i n t he eve ntt hat w e fin d the p lai n an d o rdin arym ea n ing to b e ins u ff ici en t. T h e f

o ll o w ing ch art present s the p art i es posi t i on s:
Ter m C l ai m ( s ) U s i ng

T erm P laintiff’s

P ropos ed C onst ruct i on D efe n d a n t’s

P ropos ed C onst ruct i on t r ay 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 13,

14, 15 a b a se w ith

u p w a rd ly e x ten d in g w a lls s a me

t r ay s 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 13,

14, 15 a pl ur al i t yof

b a se s, e a c h w ith u p w a rd ly e x ten d in g w a lls m or e than one

tr ayo f u n ifo rm s i ze a nd s hape4

tr ayca rt 1 , 6 , 7 , 1 2 , 1 3 a m o v ab le ca rt capa bl e of hol di ng one or m o r e t r a ys a movabl e r ack

orcartadapt ed t o hol di ng or s t or i ng a p l u r a l i t y o f

t r a ys pr oxi m at e end 1, 7 fr om t he r efe r ence poi nt of the i ni t i al l ocat i on of the f irst tra yc a rt, near es ts i de, as i n the s i de of the s canni ng devi ce i nt o w hi ch an obj ectt o be sca n n ed en ters t he devi ce pr oxi m al or

near es tt o; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of the s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ect ent er s t he devi ce

di s t al end 1, 7 fr om t he r efe r ence poi nt of the i ni t i al l ocat i on of the f irst tra yc a rt, fart hes ts i de, as i n the s i de of the s canni ng devi ce fr om w hi ch an obj ectt o be sc a n n e d e x its t he devi ce f

a r t h e s tf r o m; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of the s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ect exi t s t he devi ce

nes t abl e 3, 4 capa bl e of fi t t i ng compact l yor w i t hi n one another capa bl e of

fi t t i ng atl east p a rtiallyw ith in one anotherM r . Hue y wor k e d i n t h e s e c u r i t y i n d u s t r y f o r 2 9 y e a r s a s a ma n a g e r , s al es 2 r epr es ent at i ve, and cons ul t ant“on i s s ues and pr oj ect s i nvol vi ng compl ex sec u ri ty m an ag em en t sce n arios.” P X 1 0 ¶ 4. H is w o rk em p h asize d a ir p o rt s ecur i t y and s ecur i t y chec kpoi nt oper at i ons . H e i s t he fi r s tnamed i nvent oron th re e p a te n ts re la tin g to s c re e n in g c h e c k p o in ts

. 5 a d a p ted 6 , 8 , 9 , 1 4 , 1 5 su ited sp e c ially des i gned or m ad e f o r a speci fi c pu rpose
re c e iv in g sa id t r aypas s ed th ro u g h sa id s canni ng devi ce i n s ai d s econd tr ayca rt 1 c o m in g in to pos s es s i on of t he tr ayi n t he sec o n d tr ayca rt aft erbei ng pas s ed thr ough t he s canni ng devi ce a tt he di s t al end of the s canni ng devi ce aft era tr ayhas

pas s ed thr ough t he s canni ng devi ce f r om t he pr oxi m at e end t o the di s t al end, a s econd tr ay cartr ece i ves t he t r ay

S ee J oi ntPr e- Mar km an Cl a i m Con s t r . Hr ’ g St a t e me n t3

. Th e p a r t i e s a g r e ed upon a pac kage of

exhi bi t s i n s uppor t , w hi ch i ncl udes t he t w o decl ar at i ons of pl ai nt i ff’ s expert , M r . J ohn H uey . Pl ai nt i ff di d notcal l M r . H ueyatt he 2 Mar km an h e a ri n g , w h ic h w a s h e ld o n N o v e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 2

. DI S CU S S I ON
C l ai m cons t ruct i on i s the firs ts t ep i n anypat enti nfr i ngement act i on beca us e i ti s nece s s ary t o under s t and pr eci s el y w hat t he i nvent i on i s befor e the t r i er of fact can det er m i ne w hether i t has been use d w i t hout per m i s s i on. “The cl ai m s of a pa t ent defi ne t he i nvent i on . . . . ” P hi l l i ps v. A W H C or p. , 415 F. 3d 13 03 , 13 12 (Fed. C i r. 20 05 ). T he scop e a n d m e aning of t he p at ent i s a q u e s tio n o f

la w to b e a n s w e r e d b y th e tr ia l c o u rt

. M ar km an v. W

es t vi ew I ns tr um ent

s , I nc. , 5 1 7 U .S . 3 7 0 , 3 8 8 -9 0 (1 9 9 6 ).
T h e claim term s sh o u ld be co n stru ed in acc o rda n ce w ith their “o rdin ary an d cu stom arym ea n ing ” a s u n d erstoo d b y“a p erso n o f o rdin ary sk il l in the artDef e n d a n t d i d n o t p r o p o s e a d i s c r e t e s t a t e me n t o f t h e f i e l d o f a r t or t he 3 per s on of or di narys ki l l beca us e i t b el i eves t hos e conc ept s ar e br oad and not w e ll s u ite d to d e f

in itio n in o n e o r t w o s e n te n c e s . See H r ’ g T r . 117- 118, N ov. 14, 2012. I f i t becomes nece s s ary t o cl os el y defi ne the fi el d of r el evantar t , t he cour ti s pr epar ed t o do s o i n t he futur e. 6 i n ques t i on att he t i m e of i nvent i on. ” P hil li ps , 4 1 5 F .3 d a t 1 3 1 2 -1 3 ; In d u s ., I nc. v. Techni che Sol ut i ons , 4 1 9 F

. 3 d 1 3 7 4 , 1 3 8 0 ( F e d

. Ci r . 2 0 0 5 )

. Th e t e r ms sh o u ld b e re a d in th e c o n tex t o f th e w h o le p a ten t n o t ju st th e p a rticu lar c laim in w h ic h th e te rm a p p e a rs . P hi l l i ps , 4 1 5 F

. 3 d at 1 3 1 3

. O ften the u se o f a term in o n e c la im w ill “ illu m in a te th e m e a n in g o f th e s a m e te rm in o th e r c la im s .” TD M A m . , LLCv. U

ni t ed Stat es , 85 F ed

. C l. 774, 778- 79 ( 2009) ( ci t i ng P hi l l i ps , 4 1 5 F

. 3 d at 13 1 4 ).
W hen t he m eani ng of a t er m i s not cl ear ori s us ed i di os yncr at i cal l y , t he c o u rt w ill lo o k to “ th o se so u rc e s a v a ilab le to th e p u b lic th a t sh o w w h a t a p e rso n o f

sk ill in th e a rt w o u ld h a v e u n d e rsto o d d isp u ted c laim lan g u a g e to m ean. ” I nnova/ P ur e W at er, I nc. v. Saf ar i W at erF i l tr at i on Sys

. , I

nc. , 381 F. 3d 1111, 1116 ( Fed. C i r . 2004)

. T h ese so u rce s t ypi cal l yar e the w or ds of the p a t e n ti t s e l f

, t h e p a t e n t ’ s s p e c i f

i c a t i o n , a n d t h e p a t e n t ’ s p r o s e c u t i o n h i s t o r y. See P hi l l i

ps , 4 1 5 F

. 3 d at 13 1 4 -19

. T h ese are intr insic so u rc e s a n d are p re f e rr e d to e x tr in s ic s o u rc e s . See Apex, I nc. v. R ar i t an C om

put er, I nc. , 325 F

. 3 d 1 3 64 , 13 71 (Fed. C i r. 20 03 ). E xtr i nsi c evidence, s uch as di ct i on ari es, t r eat i s es , and exper t t es t i m ony , how ever , m aybe cons ul t ed as nece s s aryi n t he c o u rt ’s d is c re tio n . P hi l l i ps , 4 1 5 F .3 d a t 1 3 1 4 -1 9 . E x trin sic e v id e n c e sh o u ld b e re a d in v ie w o f

th e in tr in s ic e v id e n c e , i d. , and ca nno t b e u sed t o varyt he m e a n i n g o f

t e r m s c o n t r a r y t o t h e c l a i m s p e c i f i c a t i o n a n d p r o s e c u t i o n h i s t o r y, i d. at1324.
P lain tiff a sk s th e c o u rt to m a k e a f in d in g th a t th e f

ield o f re lev a n t ar t is “se cu ri tych ec k p o int scre e n ing o p era ti o n s, ” a n d thu s the p erso n o f o rdin ary s ki l l i n t h e a r ti s “ s o me o n e who , a s o f J u l y3 , 2 0 0 2 , p o s s e s s e d e x per i ence s uffi ci entt o have a compre hens ive under s t andi ng of s ecur i t ychec kpoi nt s cr eeni ng oper at i ons . ” Pl

. ’ s O pening M ar km an C l ai m C ons t r . B r . 14. D efe ndant di d notoffe ra s peci fi c compet i ng defi ni t i on ot hert han t o ar gue that it s h o u ld in clud e o p era ti o n o f o ther a rea s o f a n airpo rtb ec au se th e p aten t’ s cl ai m s descr i be a m et ho d ap pli cable outs i de o f ai rport scr eening ch eckp oint s. T he i s s ue w as br i efl y d iscus s ed ator al ar gum entand l i ght l yt r eat ed i n t he b rie f in g . It is n ot nec e ss a ryto h a v e a c o m p re h e n siv e u n d e rsta n d in g o f se c u rity 3W e do no t rel y on M r. H uey ’s t est i m on y i n r egard t o the n ecessaryexp ert i se 4 r equi r ed i n t he fi el d orar torupon hi s t es t i m onyi n reg ard to a nypar t i cul ar c l a i m t e r m. 7 chec kpoi nts cr eeni ng oper at i ons i n or der t o under s t and w hati s t aughtbyt he 460 pat ent

. B eca us e i ti s unnece s s aryt o ourcl ai m cons t ru ct i on, and i n t he a b s e n c e o f

a c o m p e t i n g d i s c r e t e d e f i n i t i o n , w e d e c l i n e t o a d o p to n e . W e t ur n 4 n o w to th e ter m s a t issu e . T h e p a rtie s a g r e e th a t th e ter m “ tra y ” is p ro p e rly u n d e rsto o d to m e a n a “ b a se w ith u p w a rd lye x ten d in g w a lls .” J o in t C laim C o n str. S tate m e n t 3 . W e a d o p t th is p ro p o se d c o n stru c tio n . It co m p o rts w ith th e la n g u a g e a n d g ra p h ic a l r e p r e s e n ta tio n s in th e p a te n t s p e c if ic a tio n . E

. g. , PX 1 atSP9-SP10 ( Fi gur es 11- 14) , SP14, SP15. A l t h o u g h a co ur tneed not c o n stru e a ter m if

its p lain a n d o rd in a rym e a n in g is c lea r a n d u n a m b ig u o u s in th e la n g u a g e o f th e c la im i t s e lf , s ee U

. S. Sur gi cal C or p v. E thi con, I

nc. , 103 F .3 d 1 5 5 4 , 1 5 6 8 (F e d . C ir. 1 9 9 7 ), th e d e f in iti o n o f

a “ b a se w ith u p w a rd ly ext endi ng w al l s ” makes cl ear that the te r m “tr ay ” i n t he 460 pat enthas v e rt ic a lly e x te n d in g w a lls , w h ic h n o t a ll tr a y s n e c e s s a ri ly w o u l d h a v e . W e thu s ad o p t th e p arti es’ c o n stru cti o n b ec au se itm ak es th at po int clear.
A

. T r a ys D es pi t e thei runani m i t yon t he t er m “tr ay , ” the part i es do not agr ee w hat t he pl ur al of t hatw or d m eans . D efe ndant s eeks t o l i m i t t he under s t andi ng of t he t er m “tr ay s ” t o onl y t hos e t hat ar e “of uni for m s i ze and sh ap e.” Jo i nt C l ai m C ons t r . St at ement 3. I t poi nt s t o t he pat ents peci fi cat i on l anguage t o t he eff ectt hatpat entw as ai m ed , at l eas tpar t i al l y , atal l evi at i ng t he pr obl em of n o n -s ta n d a rd iz e d s iz in g o f tr a y s . See , e. g. , PX 1 atSP13-SP15. Pl ai nt i ff re sp o n d s b yd ire c tin g th e c o u rt to o th e r a re a s o f th e p a ten t sp e c if

ica tio n in w hi ch i ti s cont empl at ed thatatl eas t t w o di ffe r ents i zes of tr ay s w oul d be u se d . S e c u rity P o in t th u s a rg u e s th a t th e d e f e n d a n t’s c o n stru c tio n is in a p p r o p ria telylim iti n g a n d is a t h e a rt a n a ttem p t to su p p o rt its in v a lid ity con t enti on s. W e decl i ne t o add anyverbi age t o t he t er m “tr ay s . ” See H ar r is C or p. v. I XY S C or p. , 114 F. 3d 1149, 1152 ( Fed. C ir

. 1997)

. Itsim p lym ea n s m o re than o n e tray an d is in no n ee d o f fu rth er co n stru c tio n . D ef en d an t’ s co n s t ruct i on i s t oo l i m i t i ng. Pl ai nt i ff i s corr ectt hatt he s peci fi cat i on c o n te m p la te s tw o d if

f e re n t s iz e s o f

tr a y s . See, e. g. , PX 1 atSP14 (s t at i ng t hat “the [trayca rt ] is ad ap ted t o rec eive tw o d iffe ren ti all ysized stack s o f tray s”),8

S P 15 (“Th e present i nv enti on has var i ou s si zed tray s w hich can be used to h o l d l a r g e ri t e ms . . . a n d a s e c o n d s ma l l e r s i z e wh i c h c a n b e u s e d wh e n i t e ms s uch as key s , w al l et s , [et c. ] ar e t o be r emoved and pl ace d in a t r ayfor i nspecti on . ”). T he cl ai m l ang uag e i t sel f i s un am biguou s; t he term “ tra y s” s im p ly m e a n s m o re th a n o n e tr a ya n d re q u ir e s n o s p e c ia l c o n s tru c tio n . B

. T rayC art
P lai n ti ff p rop o ses th at t h e term “trayca rt ” m ea n s “a m o v ab le ca rt c a p a b le o f

h o ld in g o n e o r m o re tra y s.” D e f e n d a n t o f

f e rs th a t it is “ a m o v a b le r ack or cartadapt ed t o hol di ng ors t or i ng a pl ur al i t yof tr ay s . ” The par t i es t hus agr ee thata tr aycarti s m ovabl e, and w e conc ur . W hether t he pat entt eac hes t hata “tr aycart ” ca n be ei t her a cart or a r ack a nd w hethera tr aycartm us tbe a d a p te d to s to ri n g a s w e ll a s h o ld in g a re c lo s e r q u e s tio n s . 1. “C ar t ” D oes N otM ean “ R ack”
D e f e n d a n t in sis ts th a t “c a rt” a n d “ ra c k ” c a n b e re a d in ter c h a n g e a b lyin t he 460 pat ent

. I tpoi nt s t o t he us e of the w or d “r ack” i n t he pat ent s p e c if ic a tio n , s ee PX 1 at SP13, SP15, and t he P et i t i on t o M ake Spec i al fr om th e p a te n t’ s p ro s e c u tio n h is to ry, s ee PX 3 atSP122 (“ t he i n v en ti o n i ncl udes bot h uni for m t r ays i zi ng s o t hatt ray s m aybe ea s i l ys t acke d w hi l e r emai ni ng acc es s i bl e a n d sp ec ia l l y - des i gned tr ayr acks

. . . t o s t or e empt yt r ay s i n a or gani zed m anner ”)

. D efe ndant al s o not es t hat pr i or ar t ci t ed du ri n g pat ent pr os ecut i on us ed the w or d “r ack. ” See D X 20 atG 314 -G 3 1 5 ( Pat entN o. 5 ,5 8 6 ,4 9 3 , P a p e r R e c y c lin g R a c k ). D e f e n d a n t th u s a rg u e s th a t “c a rt” sh o u ld b e re a d to e n c o m p a ss “ ra c k ” b e c a u se th e tw o w o rd s a re u se d in ter c h a n g e a b ly in th e p a te n t s p e c if

ic a tio n , p ro s e c u tio n h is to ry, a n d c ite d p ri o r a rt

. Pl ai nt i ff poi nt s outt hatt he w or d “r ack” i s cons pi cuous l yabs entfr om t he l anguage of t he 460 pat ent ’ s cl ai m s . I t s ar gum ent i s t hatw hen the l anguage of th e c laim is u n a m b ig u o u s th e n “ c o n sid e ra tio n o f th e re st o f

th e in trin sic evi dence i s r es t r i ct ed t o det er m i ni ng i f a de vi at i on fr om t he cl earl anguage of t he cl ai m s i s s peci fi ed. ” I nt er act i ve G i

f tE xpr es s , I nc. v. C om

pus er ve, I

nc. , 256 F .3 d 1 3 2 3 , 1 3 3 1 (F e d . C ir. 2 0 0 1 ); s ee al s o P hi l l i ps , 415 F. 3d at1315. S ec u ri ty P o int fu rt h er a rgu es th at t h e u se o f th e w o rd “ ca rt ” w ith o u t th e w o rd “tr ay ” pr ece di ng i t , w hi ch appe ar s s ever al t i m es i n t he pat ents peci fi cat i on, s how s t hatt he pat ent co n tem p lat es a “c ar t ” and nota “r ack. ” See, e. g. , P X 1 at S P 1 7 -S P 1 8

. T o the e x tent that there is a n y am b igu ity , p lai n ti ff ask s the co u rt t o co nsi der the tes t i m on yof it s expert , M r. John H uey . M r. H uey , i n h i s fi rs tC laim 1 1 is n o t o th e rw is e a t issu e in th is o p in io n b u t is re lev a n t in 5 under s t andi ng t he t er m s as us ed el s ew her e i n t he pat ent

. T he cour t s houl d r ead th e c laim s to g e th e r “ [ b ]e c a u se c la im ter m s a re n o rm a llyu se d c o n sis ten tly t hr oughoutt he pat ent

. ” P h illip s , 415 F. 3d at1314. 9 decl ar ati o n , te s t i fi ed thata “tr aycart ” w oul d be under s t ood bya per s on of o rd in a ry sk ill i n t h e a rt to m e a n a m o v a b le c a rt a n d n o t a ra c k

. See PX 10 ¶¶ 1 7 -1 8 , 2 1 . H e f

u rth e r te stif

ied th a t a “ ra c k ” w o u ld h a v e b e e n u n d e rsto o d to m ean a “devi ce w i t h s hel ves i nt o w hi ch tr ay s coul d be s l i d hor i zont al l y , w hi ch i s not t aughtbyt he ‘ 460 Pat ent

. ’ ” I d. ¶ 1 8 . A c a rt, o n th e o th e r h a n d , “w o u ld h a v e b e e n c o n sid e re d a d e v ice o n to w h ich o b jec ts c o u ld b e sta c k e d , w h ic h is t aughtt hr oughoutt he ‘ 460 Pat ent

. ’ ” I d.
W e b e g in w ith th e stro n g p re su m p tio n th a t th e ter m s u se d in a c laim c a rr y th e ir o rd in a r y m e a n in g , CSS F i tnes s , I nc. v. B r uns w i ck Corp. , 288 F. 3d 1359, 1366 ( Fed. C i r . 2002) , and the Feder al C i r cui t ’ s i ns t ruct i on t hat“[t ] he c o n stru c tio n th a t sta y s tru e to th e c laim lan g u a g e a n d m o st n a tu ra llya lig n s w ith t he pat ent ’ s des cr i pt i on of the i nvent i on w i l l be, i n t he end, t he corr ect cons t ruct i on. ” P hi l l i

ps , 4 1 5 F .3 d a t 1 3 1 5 . W h a t is c le a r f ro m th e c laim l anguage i s t hatt he es s ent i al funct i on of the tr aycarti s t hati ti s m ovabl e and s u ite d f o r h o ld in g tr a y s . T h e re is o n e d ia g ra m o f a tr a y c a rt in th e p a te n t. See PX 1 atSP7 (Fi gur e 9)

. T he cl ai m l anguage i t s el f, how ever , i s devoi d of any par t i cul ar s as t o how t he tr aycart s s houl d be com pr i s ed ot her t han t o t eac h t hat th e ysh o u ld b e “ a d a p ted to b e ro llab le,” P X 1 a t S P 1 8 (C laim 6 ), an d sh o u ld have a “tr aypl at for m fur t hercompri s i ng a r es i l i entm ember , ” i d. (C lai m 1 1 ). 5 B e c a u se th e c laim s th e m se lv e s a re f o c u se d n a rro w ly o n th e c a rts b e in g ro llab le a n d c a p a b le o f h o ld in g tra y s, w e d e c lin e to a d d a w o rd n o t f o u n d in th e c laim l anguage . A “tr aycart ” i s a “c ar t ” s ui t ed t o r ol l i ng and hol di ng t r ay s , not hi ng m or e. T h at b ri ngs us t o t he nextpoi ntof cont ent i on: hol di ng ver s us hol di ng and s to ri n g . 2. T he C l ai m s D o N ot R equi r e T hat a T r ay C ar t B e A dapt ed t o St or i ng D e f e n d a n t as k s th a t w e c o n stru e th e “ tra yc a rt” a s b e in g “ a d a p ted to hol di ng ors t or i ng a pl ur al i t y of t r ay s . ” I tci t es t o l anguage i n t he s peci fi cat i on i dent i fy i ng t he nee d “fora s y s t em for a s ecur i t y ar ea form ovi ng t he tr ay s fr om a sta rtin g p o sitio n to a n e n d in g p o sitio n w h ich a llo w s th e tra y s to b e e f f icie n tly ut i l i zed, gather ed, and st or ed t o be l at er us ed agai n. ” PX 1 at SP13. Pl ai nt i ff ur ges t he court t o cons i der t he us e of t he w or ds “s t or e, ” “s t or i ng, ” and “ s t or ed”10

i n t he pat ents peci fi cat i on, i n cont ext , t o des cr i be a tr ans i enthol di ng funct i on. W e agr ee. T he 460 pat entdes cr i bes a met hod w her eby t r ay s ar e cy cl ed thr ough a se c u rityc h e c k p o in t b yu se o f m o v a b le tra yc a rts. O u r a n a ly sis o f th e c laim lan g u a g e c o n c e rn in g th e m a k e u p o f th e tr a y c a rts a b o v e is e q u a llya p p lica b le her e. T he func t i on of t he car t s i s t o hol d t r ay s unt i l t he t i m e comes t o cy cl e the tra yc a rt to th e n e x t p o sitio n in th e m e th o d . A n ysto rin g f u n c tio n is o n ly t empora r yand the tr ay s ar e i n a cons t antm o v em en t fr om one tr aycartt o t he n e x t v ia th e sc a n n in g d e v ice . D e f e n d a n t’s ad d iti o n o f th e w o rd “ sto rin g ” w o u ld eit h er b e e n ti rely su rplu sag e be ca u se th e sam e fu n cti o n is d esc ri b ed in the w o rd “hol di ng, ” ori tas an att empt t o r ead i n a l i m it ati o n notcont empl at ed byt he claim lang u ag e. W e c o n stru e the term “trayca rt ” to m ea n a “ m o v ab le ca rt capa bl e of hol di ng one orm or e tr ay s . ”
C

. Pr oxi m at e and D i s t al E nd
T he part i es offe rcompet i ng defi ni t i ons fort he t er m s “proxi m at e end” and “di s t al end. ” Pl ai nt i ff of fer s t hat t he pr oxi m at e end i s “fr om t he r efe r ence poi ntof the i ni t i al l ocat i on of t he fi r s t t r ay cart , near es t s i de, as i n t he s i de of the sc a n n in g d e v ice in to w h ich a n o b jec t to b e s c a n n e d e n ter s th e d e v ice .” J t. C l ai m C ons t r . St at ement 3. T he di s t al end then i s “fr om t he r efe r ence poi ntof t he i ni t i al l ocat i on of t he fi r s tt r aycart , fa rt h est s i de, as i n t he s i de of the s canni ng devi ce f

r om w hi ch an obj ec t to be s canne d exi t s t he devi ce. ” I d. D efen dan tasks t he co urtt o co nst rue t he proxi m at e end as “proxim al or nearest t o; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of t he s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ectent ers t he devi ce” and t he di s t al end as “fa r t hes tfr om ; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of t he s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ectexi t s t he devi ce. ” I d.
W e begi n w i t h t he w or ds of the cl ai m s . C l ai m 1 t eac hes t hatt he pat ent i s fora met hod i n w hi ch the “f i r s tt r aycartcont ai ni ng t r ay s ” i s pos i t i oned “a t t he pr oxi m at e end of

a sc an ni ng devi ce . . . w her ei n s ai d s canni ng devi ce co m p r i s es a pr oxi m at e end a nd a di s t al end. ” PX 1 atSP18. A t r ayi s t hen re m o v e d f

ro m th e f

irst c a rt, p a ss e d th ro u g h th e sc a n n in g d e v ice “ f ro m sa id pr oxi m at e end thr ough t o s ai d di s t al end, ” af t erw hi ch i ti s r ece i ved i n a s econd t r ay cart t hat i s “at s ai d di s t al end of sa i d s canni ng devi ce. ” I d. T he l as ts t ep o f C laim 1 is th e m o v in g o f th e se c o n d tra y c a rt to th e “ p ro x im a te e n d o f sa id sc a n n in g d e v ice so th a t s a id tr a ys in sa id se c o n d c a rt b e p a ss e d th ro u g h sa id s canni ng devi ce a ts ai d pr oxi m at e end. ” I d. C l ai m 7 adds t hat“[t ] he met hod o f c lai m 1 , fu rt h er c o m p ri sing the s tep o f re p o s it ion ing said sec o n d tr ayca rtC l ai m s 12 and 13 t eac h t he addi t i on of t he t hi r d t r ay carts een i n t he di agr am 6 at t ache d att he end of

t hi s opi ni on. C l ai m 1 al s o r efe r s t o t he pr oxi m ate an d di s t al ends of the s canni ng devi ce 7 i t s el f w hen i t m akes cl eart hata “s canni ng devi ce c om pr i s es a pr oxi m at e end and a di s t al end. ” PX 1 atSP18. T hatdoes not change ourvi ew of the us e of t he t er m s i n des cr i bi ng t he pos i t i oni ng of the tr aycart s as di s cus s ed above

. 11 fr om s ai d di s t al end t o s ai d pr oxi m at e end. ” I d. W e have at t ache d a di agr am at t h e e n d o f th is op inion that ap p ea rs on the f ir st pa g e o f th e p a te n t. It r epr es ent s t he gene r i c l ay outt aughtbyt he 460 pat entm ethod. 6
T h e p a rties d o n o t m e a n in g f u lly d isa g re e a s to w h ich e n d is re f e rre d to by“pr oxi m at e” a nd “di s t al

. ” Th e ref er enti s t he s canni ng devi ce. T he “pr oxi m at e end” i s r efe r r i ng t o t he end of the s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ect ent er s t he devi ce. L i kew i s e, t he “di s t al e n d ” i s r efe r r i ng end of the s canni ng d e v ice w h e re a n o b

jec t e x its th e d e v ice

. P lain tiff ’s c o n stru c tio n is p o ten tially confus i ng and adds s urpl us age notr equi r ed t o u nder s t and w hatt he r efe r ence poi nti s . D efe ndant ’ s cons t ruct i on bes tr efl ect s t he or di nary m eani ng of the w o rd s a s u s e d in C la im s 1 a n d 7

. W e a lso n o te f

ro m th e p a rties b rie f

in g th a t d e f

e n d a n t re a d s in to its cons t ruct i on of “pr oxi m at e end” and “di s tal en d ” a s eemi ng l i m i t at i on i n t he lo c a tio n s o f th e tr a yc a rts a s ta u g h t b yth e p a ten t. D e f e n d a n t v iew s its defi ni t i on of an “ end” t o be a pr eci s e poi ntas compar ed t o a more gener al ar ea at t h e e x tent o r bo u n d aryo f so m ethin g . W e d o n o t sha re d ef en d an t’ s under s t andi ng of i t s cons tru cti o n ; iti m pl i es a l evel of pr eci s i on t hatw e fi nd gener al l yl acki ng i n t he 460 pat ent

. T he pat entdes cr i bes a met hod forcy cl i ng t r ay s t hr ough a s can n ing de vi ce a ta s ecur i t ychec k poi nt

. I ti s notdepende nt upon a gr eatdeal of pr eci s i on i n t he l ocat i on of the i ns t rum ent al i t i es i nvol ved. P erh ap s i f “pr oxi m at e end” and “di s t al end” w er e us ed t o des cr i be the ac tual p h y sical en tr yan d ex itp o int of the s cre en ing d ev ice it self, de fe n d an t’ s u n d e rsta n d in g w o u ld b e n a tu ra l. H e re , h o w e v e r, th e c laim s u se th e ter m s to d e sc rib e th e lo c a tio n o f tra yc a rts e x ter n a l to th e d e v ice

. A s it is, “ p ro x im a te 7 end”means “pr oxi m al or near es t t o; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of t he s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ectent er s t he devi ce. ” “D i s t al end” m eans “fa r t hes t fr om ; r efe r r i ng t o t he end of

t he sc an n ing de vi ce w her e an obj ectexi t s t he devi ce. ” N ot hi ng f u rt h e r i s im p lie d b yth o s e d e f in itio n s .P lain tiff o rig in a lly p ro p o se d th e d e f in iti o n to b e “ c a p a b le o f

f itt in g c o m p a c tly 8 o r w ith in o n e a n o th e r.” A tor al ar gum ent , t he courti nqui r ed as t o w hy p lain tiff ’s d e f

in iti o n in c lu d e d th e w o rd “ o r ” a n d c o u n se l re p lied th a t it s defi ni t i on at t empt ed t o captur e both t hatt he tr ay s fi tw i t hi n one anotherand th a t th e yd o s o s n u g ly. See H r ’ g T r . 45. T he us e of “ or ” i n t he def i ni t i on cr eat es a l ogi cal di s

j unct i on w her ebyei ther orbot h s t at ement s can be t rue. T he m eaning sou gh t by plai nti ff i s bet t er s erved w i t ho ut the w ord “or” beca use pl ai nt i ff i nt ends t hat“nes t abl e” means t hatt he tr ay s fi tbo th co m pact l yand w ith in o n e a n o th e r. 12 D . N e sta b le
C l ai m 3 s t at es t hata “pl ur al i t yof s ai d t r ay s [us ed i n C l ai m 1] compri s es n estab le t ray s. ” D X 1 at S P 1 8

. C lai m 4 ex p lai n s that the “n estab le t ray s” a re compri s ed of “ expos ed s i des capa bl e of di s pl ay i ng advert i s i ng. ” The par t i es d isa g re e a s to w h a t “ n e sta b le” m e a n s. P e r p lain tiff , “ n e sta b le” m e a n s “ c a p a b le of fi t t i ng comp ac tl y w i t hi n one another

. ” J oi ntC l ai m C ons t r . St at ement 3. 8 D e f e n d a n t o f

f e rs th a t “n e sta b le” m e a n s “ c a p a b le o f f itt in g a t lea st p a rtially w i t hi n one another

. ” I

d.
A tfi r s tgl ance i tappea r s t hatbot h defi nit i ons ar e enc om pas s ed byt he pl ai n m eani ng of t he t er m “nes t abl e. ” W hati s i m po r t ant , how ever , i s t hat defe ndant ’ s cons t ruct i on w oul d, as pl ai nt i ff poi nt s out , encompas s a s i tuat i on nott aught b y the pat ent

. T he pat ents peci fi cat i on cont ai ns t he fol l ow i ng exampl es of how t he tr ay s ar e t o s t ack: “s t acke d i ns i de one a not her , ” PX 1 at SP16; “be e as i l y s t acke d w i t hi n one another , ” i d. ; “ n e s te d w ith in o n e a n o th e r,” i d. ; and “pl ace d w i t hi n one ano ther, ” i d. T h is trac k s w ith p lai n ti ff ’s cons t ruct i on of t r ay s fi t t i ng “compact l yw i t hi n one another

. ”
D e f e n d a n t’s c o n stru c tio n o f “ c a p a b le o f f itt in g a t lea st p a rtiallyw ith in one another ” i s t rue of the exa m pl es quot ed above , buti s also t rue of other s i tuat i ons t h at w o u ld notbe cons i s t entw i t h t he l anguage us ed i n t he s peci fi cat i on. Pl ai nt i ff’ s exampl e of appl y i ng defe ndant ’ s defi ni t i on i s t hat“a ref ri g era to r is c ap ab le of

fit ti n g at l ea st pa rt ial lyw ith in o n e sh o eb o x . ” P l. ’s R epl yi n Supp. 21. I f w e assum e tw o s i des of the s hoebox ar e r emoved, t hat poi nti s w el l t aken. A s m ent i oned ea r l i er , t he s peci fi cat i on cont empl at es at l eas tt w o di ffe r ents i zed t r ay s , one gene r al l yl ar gert han the other

. T he l ar ger t r aym i ghtbe ca pabl e of f i t t i ng onl y p arti al l yw i t hi n t he s m al l ert r ay , butt hat i s cl ear l ynot w hat t he m ethod cont empl at es . W e cons t rue “ne s t abl e” t o m ean13

“ca pabl e of f

i t t i ng compact l yw i t hi n one another

. ”
E

. A dapt ed
T h e p a rties d isa g re e a s to th e m e a n in g o f th e ter m “ a d a p ted ” a s u se d in c laim s 6 , 8 , 9 , 1 4 , an d 1 5 . T h o se c laim s te a c h v a rio u s a ttribu tes o f th e tra yc a rts and the tr ay s t hemsel ves . C l ai m 6 s t at es t hat“tr aycart s ar e ada pt ed t o be roll ab le. ” P X 1 at S P 1 8

. C lai m 8 instructs tha t a “p lurali tyo f sa id tr ay s are a d a p t e d t o r e c e iv e a n ite m s e le c te d f ro m a g ro u p [ a n d e x a m p le s a re g iv e n ].” I d. C l ai m 9 i s t he s ame as C l ai m 8 exce ptt hati tdes cr i bes i t ems fr om a gr oup of sm al l e ri t e ms . Cl a i m 14 t e a c h e s t h a tt h e “ t r a y s a r e a d a p t e d t o d i s pl ay advert i s i ng on an i nt er i orbot t om s ur fac e. ” I d. C l a i m 1 5 d e t a i l s t h a t t h e t r a ys “ar e ada pt ed t o di s pl aya t ag number

. ” I d.
D efe ndantunder s t ands t he t er m “ada pt ed” t o m ean “s peci al l ydes i gned or m ad e f

o ra s p e c i f

i c p u rp o s e . ” J t

. Cl a i m Con s t r . St a t e me n t3

. Pl a i n t i ff b e liev e s th e ter m “ a d a p ted ” is s yn o n ym o u s w ith th e ter m “ su ited .” W e m u st, in es sen ce , d ec ide w h ethe r th e d e g re e to w h ich th e trayca rt s an d tr ay s are s peci al l ydes i gned fort he purpos e theyar e us ed fori n the 460 pat entm ethod is n e c e s s a r y to th e c laim . W e f in d th a t th e c laim u se s “ a d a p ted ” a s a k in to

“ s u ite d ,” a s p la in tif

f p ro p o s e s . A l t hough i ti s notcl earatt hi s poi ntw hatdi ffe r ence i tw oul d m ake w h e th e r th e tra y s a re “ sp e c if ica llyd e sig n e d ” to re c e iv e c e rta in item s o r m e re ly “s ui t ed” t o do s o, defe ndant ’ s cons t ruct i on i s unnece s s ar i l yl i m i t i ng and ought not be re ad i nt o t he cl ai m s . N ot hi ng i n t he s peci fi cat i on orcl ai m s t hemsel ves l ead us t o concl ude thatt he tr aycart s m us t be spec i al l ydes i gned t o r ol l ort hat t he tr ay s be s peci al l ydes i gned t o hol d cert ai n s i zed i t ems, di s pl ayadvert i s i ng on t he bot t om , and di s pl aytag n u m ber s . T hatt he tr aycart s can r ol l w i t hout p r o b le m o r a d d iti o n a l m o d if ica tio n a n d th a t th e tra y s c a n a n d d o h o ld c e rta in s i zed i t ems, can di s pl ayadvert i s i ng on t he bot t om , and a t ag number w i t hout problem or addit i on al m od i fi cat i on i s w hat i s taugh t by t he patent

. T his i s best encompas s ed in the m eani ng of the w or d “s ui t ed” a s pr opos ed bypl ai nt i ff w i t houtt he furt herl i m i t at i on i n t he cons t ruct i on o ff ere d bydefe ndant

. T he p la in a n d o rd in a ry m e a n in g o f “ a d a p te d ” is “ s u ite d .”
F

. R ec eivin g T h e T rayIn T h e S ec o n d T rayC art
T he l as tdi s agr eement betw een t he par t i es conce r ns t he meani ng of the t er m “r ece i vi ng s ai d t r aypas s ed thr ough s ai d s canni ng devi ce in said s econd14

tra yc a rt,” w h ich a p p e a rs in C laim 1 o f th e 4 6 0 p a ten t. P lain tiff p ro p o se s to expl ai n i t as “comi ng i nt o pos s es s i on of t he t r ay i n t he s econd t r ay car t aft er bei ng pas s ed thr ough t he s canni ng devi ce a tt he di s t al end of the s canni ng devi ce. ” J t

. C l ai m C ons t r . St at ement 4. D efe ndant offe r s t hati tm eans “af t er a tr ayhas pas sed t hr ough t he s canni ng devi ce f r om t he pr oxi m at e end t o t he di s t al end, a s econd tr aycartr ece i ves t he tr ay . ” I d. W e v iew t hes e as di s t i nct i ons w i t houta di ffe r ence . T he l anguage ati s s ue i n t hi s t er m is d esc ri bi ng a s t ep i n t he s cr eeni ng process as t aug ht by t he 460 patent

. A ft er a t ray has been t aken from t he fir st t r aycart , i ti s t hen pas s ed thr ough t h e scanni ng devi ce, and r ece i ved i nt o t he s econd tr aycartpos i t i oned at t he ot her end of the s canni ng devi ce, w hi ch the p a ten t d e sc rib e s a s “ re c e iv in g sa id tra yp a ss e d th ro u g h sa id sc a n n in g d e v ice in sa id se c o n d tra yc a rt.” P X 1 a t S P 1 8 . N o th in g f u rth e r is n e c e ss a ryto un derst and w hat i s bei ng t aug ht. T he F ederal C i rcui thas w arned ag ai nst a d d in g “ m e a n in g le s s v e rb ia g e to th e d e f in itio n o f

th e c la im e d in v e n tio n .” H ar r is C or p. , 1 1 4 F .3 d a t 1 1 5 2 ; see al so H as t i ngs v. U

ni t ed Stat es , 7 8 F e d . C l. 729, 732- 34 ( 2007) ( decl i ni ng t o cons t rue a t er m w her e i t w oul d not add t o t he u n d e rsta n d in g o f

th e p a ten t). W e th u s d e c lin e to c o n stru e th e ter m b e c a u se it i s u n n e c e s s a r yt o u n d e r s t a n d t h e p l a i n a n d o r d i n a r yme a n i n g o f t h e c l a i m. CO NC L US I ON Th e f o l l o wi n g t a b l e s u mma r i z e s o u rh o l d i n g s a s t o e a c h t e r m:

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t he s canni ng devi ce w her e an obj ectent er s t he devi ce15

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