Opinion ID: 6984039
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Comparing the Construed Claims to the Accused Devices

Text: The literal infringement issue in this case centers on the feed tube/probe limitation of the asserted independent claims and the relevant structure of Ebco’s WaterGuard I, II, and III no-spill adapters. “To prove literal infringement, the patentee must show that the accused device contains every limitation in the asserted claims. If even one limitation is missing or not met as claimed, there is no literal infringement.” Mas-Hamilton Group v. LaGard, Inc., 156 F.3d 1206, 1211, 48 USPQ2d 1010, 1014-15 (Fed.Cir.1998). Judgment as a matter of law of no literal infringement is appropriate if no reasonable fact finder could determine that the accused devices meet every limitation of the properly construed claims. See Gentry Gallery, Inc. v. Berkline Corp., 134 F.3d 1473, 1476, 45 USPQ2d 1498, 1500 (Fed.Cir.1998). As we have discussed, the feed tube/probe limitation in the asserted claims is properly construed to refer to a single feed tube/probe with a single flow path for both liquid and air. There is no dispute that the WaterGuard devices use separate feed tubes for water and air. Thus, no reasonable fact finder could determine that the accused devices meet every limitation of the properly construed claims of the ’531 and ’855 patents. Consequently, we reverse the district court’s literal infringement decision and hold that Ebco is entitled to judgment as a matter of law concerning that issue.
Judgment as a matter of law of no infringement under the doctrine of equivalents is appropriate if no reasonable fact finder could determine that a claim limitation is met in the accused device by a substantial equivalent. See Gentry Gallery, 134 F.3d at 1476, 45 USPQ2d at 1500. “Arguments and amendments made to secure allowance of a claim, especially those distinguishing prior art, presumably give rise to prosecution history estoppel.” Wang Lab., Inc. v. Mitsubishi Elees., 103 F.3d 1571, 1578, 41 USPQ2d 1263, 1269 (Fed.Cir.1997) (citation omitted). Prosecution history estoppel prevents operation of the doctrine of equivalents from expanding a claim limitation to include subject matter surrendered during the patent’s prosecution. See id.; see also Bai, 160 F.3d at 1354, 48 USPQ2d at 1677. The prosecution history of the ’531 patent shows that Elkay surrendered coverage of a separate feed tube or flow path for liquid and air in claims 1 and 7. Prosecution history estoppel therefore applies to prevent operation of the doctrine of equivalents to extend the coverage of those claims to include a separate feed tube or flow path for liquid and air. We hold that Elkay’s surrender of coverage of a separate feed tube or flow path for liquid and air also applies to the feed probe limitation in claim 1 of the ’855 patent, based on the formal relationship between the ’531 and ’855 patents. and Elkay’s express connection of claim 1 of the ’855 patent to claim 1 of the ’531 patent. Consequently, prosecution history estoppel applies to prevent operation of the doctrine of equivalents to extend the coverage of that claim to include a separate feed probe or flow path for liquid and air. Because the accused devices use separate feed tubes for air and water, no reasonable fact finder could find that the feed tube/probe limitation in these claims is met equivalently in the accused devices. We therefore reverse the district court’s decision and hold that Ebco is entitled to judgment as a matter of law that the Wa-terGuard I, II, and III no-spill adapters do not infringe the asserted claims of the ’531 and ’855 patents under the doctrine of equivalents.