Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/304/364/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 22:28:09+00:00

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Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 304 › General Elec. Co. v. Wabash Appliance Corp.
General Elec. Co. v. Wabash Appliance Corp.
1. Product claims 25-27, of Patent No. 1,410,499, to Pacz, for a filament for electric incandescent lamps or other devices, composed substantially of tungsten and made up mainly of a number of comparatively large grains of such size and contour as to prevent substantial sagging and offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life for such a lamp or other device, held void for want of a sufficiently definite disclosure. R.S. § 4888; 35 U.S.C. § 33. P. 304 U. S. 368.
2. Claimed inventions, improvements, and discoveries, turning on points so refined as the granular structure of products, require precise descriptions of the new characteristic for which protection is sought. In a limited field, the variant must be clearly defined. P. 304 U. S. 369.
3. A patentee may not broaden his product claims by describing the product in terms of function. P. 304 U. S. 370.
4. A limited use of terms of effect or result, which accurately define the essential qualities of a product to one skilled in the art, may in some instances be permissible and even desirable, but a characteristic essential to novelty may not be distinguished from the old art solely by its tendency to remedy the problems in the art met by the patent. P. 304 U. S. 371.
5. The difficulty of making adequate description may have some bearing on the sufficiency of the description attempted, but it cannot justify a claim describing nothing new except perhaps in functional terms. P. 304 U. S. 372.
6. A patentee who does not distinguish his product from what is old except by reference, express or constructive, to the process by which he produced it, cannot secure a monopoly on the product by whatever means produced. P. 304 U. S. 373.
7. The product claims in question, which seek to monopolize the product, however created, may not be saved by a limitation to products made in accordance with the processes set out in the specification. P. 304 U. S. 374.
Certiorari, 302 U.S. 676, to review the reversal of a decree for injunction and accounting in a patent infringement suit.
the same claims valid and infringed. To resolve the conflict, this Court granted certiorari. .
In incandescent lamps, the tungsten filament, through which the electric current passes, grows more luminous than the carbon filament of the early days of the art. There were faults of "offsetting" and "sagging," however, affecting the efficiency of the first tungsten filaments. "Offsetting" occurs when, during heating in the use of the lamp, the filament forms crystals which extend their boundaries across the entire diameter of the filament, substantially perpendicular to its axis. The crystals in the filament thus come to have an appearance somewhat analogous to the joints in a bamboo rod. Lateral slipping of the crystals reduces the cross-sectional area at the point of contact of the crystals, with the result that the temperature at that point is increased, thus hastening the burnout, and the filament is weakened. "Sagging" is a change of position by the filament during incandescence. It elongates, and thus is forced out of the plane it occupied between fixed supports. Sagging has many objections. The sagging filament may touch the glass and end the life of the lamp. In gas-filled lamps, when sagging causes the coils to spread apart, the gas flows in between the coils and unduly cools the filament. Combatting sagging by additional supports is also said to cool the filament and reduce electrical efficiency.
"the sagging is substantially eliminated, and 'offsetting' of the filament is substantially prevented, during a normal or commercially useful life of the lamp."
association with tungsten a material [an alkaline silicate] which will have the desired influence upon the grain growth of the metal."
"When the metal reaches the temperature at which extensive grain growth would ordinarily take place, the presence of this material intimately associated with the tungsten particles has a marked effect on the shape and size of the tungsten grains. The ingot of tungsten thus produced, whether it be due to the fact that the grains have not reached the equilibrium grain size or to other causes, is particularly susceptible to grain growth during subsequent heat treatments."
"The probable reason why filaments made according to my invention do not sag is that the structure is comparatively coarse-grained. The coarse-grained filament produced by means of my invention does not 'offset' so as to cut short the life of the lamp appreciably."
The District Court found that Pacz's patent exhibited novelty and invention; that Pacz produced large crystals early in the life of the lamp; that, although coarse-grained, and thus nonsagging, filaments meant "offsetting" to the art, where it was "common knowledge" that grains large enough to extend across the filament induced slippage, Pacz procured a particular kind of coarse-grained filament which did not "offset" because of the nature of the boundaries of the grains, their contour being "a very important element."
The Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Pacz product was anticipated by patent No. 1,082,933, issued December 30, 1913, to William D. Coolidge for a process of producing ductile tungsten for incandescent electric lamp filaments and for the product itself.
"25. A filament for electric incandescent lamps or other devices, composed substantially of tungsten and made up mainly of a number of comparatively large grains of such size and contour as to prevent substantial sagging and offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life for such a lamp or other device."
"in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it appertains . . . to make, construct, compound, and use the same, . . . and he shall particularly point out and distinctly claim the part, improvement, or combination which he claims as his invention or discovery."
"inform the public during the life of the patent of the limits of the monopoly asserted, so that it may be known which features may be safely used or manufactured without a license and which may not. [Footnote 5]"
The claims "measure the invention." [Footnote 6] Patentees may reasonably anticipate that claimed inventions, improvements, and discoveries, turning on points so refined as the granular structure of products, require precise descriptions of the new characteristic for which protection is sought. In a limited field, the variant must be clearly defined. This was one in a series of patents. United States v. General Electric Co., 272 U. S. 476, 272 U. S. 480.
The claim further states that the grains must be "of such size and contour as to prevent substantial sagging and offsetting" during a commercially useful life for the lamp. The clause is inadequate as a description of the structural characteristics of the grains. Apart from the statement with respect to their function, nothing said about their size distinguishes the earliest filaments, and nothing whatever is said which is descriptive of their contour (termed by the District Court a "very important element"), not even that they are irregular.
"In view of the difficulty, if not impossibility, of describing adequately a number of microscopic and heterogeneous shapes of crystals, it may be that Pacz made the best disclosure possible. . . ."
in functional terms. It may be doubted whether one who discovers or invents a product be knows to be new will ever find it impossible to describe some aspect of its novelty.
The product claims here involved cannot be validated by reference to the specification. Assuming that, in a proper case, a claim may be upheld by reference to the descriptive part of the specification in order to give definite content to elements stated in the claim in broad or functional terms, [Footnote 14] the specification of the Pacz patent does not attempt in any way to describe the filament, except by mention of its coarse-grained quality. Even assuming that definiteness may be imparted to the product claim by that part of the specification which purportedly details only a method of making the product, [Footnote 15] the description of the Pacz process is likewise silent as to the nature of the filament product. Although, in some instances, a claim may validly describe a new product with some reference to the method of production, [Footnote 16] a patentee who does not distinguish his product from what is old except by reference, express or constructive, to the process by which he produced it cannot secure a monopoly on the product by whatever means produced.
held to infringe the patent which is not made by that process. [Footnote 17]"
their validity, to cover only the products of the process described in the specification, or its equivalent.
"26. A drawn filament for electric incandescent lamps or other devices, composed substantially of tungsten and made up mainly of a number of comparatively large grains of such size and contour as to prevent substantial sagging and offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life for such a lamp or other device."
"27. A filament for electric incandescent lamps or other devices, composed of tungsten containing less than three-fourths of one percent of nonmetallic material and made up mainly of comparatively large grains of such size and contour as to prevent substantial sagging or offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life for such a lamp or other device."
Merrill v. Yeomans, 94 U. S. 568, 94 U. S. 570.
Cf. The Incandescent Lamp Patent, 159 U. S. 465, 159 U. S. 474 ff.
See Brooks v. Fiske, 15 How. 212, 56 U. S. 215.
Permutit Co. v. Graver Corp., 284 U. S. 52, 284 U. S. 60; Grant v. Raymond, 6 Pet. 218, 31 U. S. 247.
Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co., 210 U. S. 405, 210 U. S. 419.
"When this crystalization becomes excessive the crystals may, in the case of a filament, become so large as to extend across the entire section of the filament and thereupon the sections may move laterally upon each other and produce the condition known as 'offsetting.' I shall hereinafter describe more in detail the special method which I employ for minimizing the loss in ductility and for preventing this offsetting effect."
"Such crystals seem to increase in size in much the same manner as crystals formed in liquid solutions, and, if the crystals become large enough to extend almost or entirely across the filament, adjacent crystals tend to slip along their cleavage planes, thereby giving the filament the offset or faulted appearance above referred to."
Myers and Hall patent, No. 1,363,162.
Holland Furniture Co. v. Perkins Glue Co., 277 U. S. 245, 277 U. S. 256-258, and cases cited.
277 U.S. at 277 U. S. 258.
"28. A coiled filament composed substantially of tungsten and capable of use in an electric incandescent lamp without either substantial sagging or offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life."
"29. A coiled filament composed mainly of drawn tungsten and capable of use in an electric incandescent lamp without substantial sagging and without substantial offsetting during a normal or commercially useful life."
See Gynex Corp. v. Dilex Institute, 85 F.2d 103, 105; Davis Co. v. New Departure Co., 217 F. 775 at 782.
There is no showing whether, under established principles in the science, the language indicated grains extending across the width of filament, and if so whether the boundaries were irregular, or regular but not perpendicular to the axis of the filament; or whether the language indicated grains larger than the fine grains of Coolidge's thoriated filament but not large enough to extend across the entire section, and if so what type of boundaries existed.
Indeed, those merely skilled might have suspected the absence of crystals large enough to extend across the entire section of the filament, in view of the efforts of other patentees to avoid such crystals (Coolidge, No. 1,082,933, p. 2, 1. 13; Myers and Hall, No. 1,363,162, p. 1, 1. 56), and in view of the "common knowledge in the art that, where grain boundaries, large enough to extend across the filament, were produced, there would be bound to be slippage" (17 F.Supp. 901, at 903); yet those are the crystals found in respondent's lamps.
Different considerations may apply under the Act of May 23, 1930, c. 312, § 2, 46 Stat. 376, 35 U.S.C. § 33, providing that no "plant patent shall be declared invalid on the ground of noncompliance with this section if the description is made as complete as is reasonably possible."
Compare 86 U. S. Tilghman, 19 Wall. 287, 86 U. S. 391; Westinghouse v. Boyden Power Brake Co., 170 U. S. 537, 170 U. S. 557-558.
Compare Holland Furniture Co. v. Perkins Glue Co., 277 U.S. at 277 U. S. 255, with United States Repair & Guarantee Co. v. Assyrian Asphalt Co., 183 U. S. 591, at 183 U. S. 600-601.
Cf. Dunn Wire-Cut Lug Brick Co. v. Toronto Fire Clay Co., 259 F. 258, 261; Trussell Mfg. Co. v. Wilson-Jones Co., 50 F.2d 1027, 1029.
Cochrane v. Badische Anilin & Soda Fabrik, 111 U. S. 293, 111 U. S. 310. See also Hide-Ite Leather Co. v. Fiber Products Co., 226 F. 34, 36; cf. Maurer v. Dickerson, 113 F.2d 870, 874.
"It has been said that a claim for a product produced by any process which will produce a like result covers the product only when made by equivalent processes. Pickhardt v. Packard, 22 F. 530."
Steinfur Patents Corp. v. William Beyer, Inc., 62 F.2d 238, 241; Buono v. Yankee Maid Dress Corp., 77 F.2d 274, 279; Dunn Wire-Cut Lug Brick Co. v. Toronto Fire Clay Co., 259 F. 258, 261, 262.
Smith v. Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Co., 93 U. S. 486; Cochrane v. Badische Anilin & Soda Fabrik, 111 U. S. 293, 111 U. S. 310; Plummer v. Sargent, 120 U. S. 442, 120 U. S. 448; Downes v. Teter-Heany Development Co., 150 F. 122; Hide-Ite Leather Co. v. Fiber Products Co., 226 F. 34.
Compare McCarty v. Lehigh Valley R. Co., 160 U. S. 110, 160 U. S. 116; Altoona Publix Theaters v. American Tri-Ergon Corp., 294 U. S. 477, 294 U. S. 487.

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