Opinion ID: 472267
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim Construction and Literal Infringement

Text: 28 The first step in determining infringement is to construe the claims. Loctite Corp. v. Ultraseal, Ltd., 781 F.2d 861, 866, 228 USPQ 90, 93 (Fed.Cir.1985). The then-properly construed claims are compared to the alleged infringing device. Id. Improper claim construction can therefore distort the entire infringement analysis. That happened here. 29 The district court stated that claim interpretation is a question of law for the court to decide unless some ambiguity exists in the claim's language requiring the admission of extrinsic evidence to explain the ambiguity. It concluded that the three terms at issue, electrode, electrode body, and disposed in said body are unambiguous as a matter of law and, hence, there was no need for expert testimony to construe the claims. 30 We agree that claim interpretation is a question of law. McGill, Inc. v. John Zink & Co., 736 F.2d 666, 671, 221 USPQ 944, 948 (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 105 S.Ct. 514, 83 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984). However, resort to certain extrinsic evidence (i.e., the specification, prosecution history, and other claims) is always necessary to interpret disputed claims. Palumbo v. Don-Joy Co., 762 F.2d 969, 974-75, 226 USPQ 5, 8 (Fed.Cir.1985); McGill, 736 F.2d at 672-76, 221 USPQ at 949; Fromson v. Advance Offset Plate, Inc., 720 F.2d 1565, 1569-71, 219 USPQ 1137, 1140-43 (Fed.Cir.1983). 31 Here, the meanings of key terms in the claim were clearly disputed. For example, Ionetics asserted that electrode refers only to the ion selective tip of its product and did not include the entire length of silver wire. In opposing the motion for summary judgment, Moeller offered one of its expert's declarations, explaining that the term electrode is commonly used in three distinct senses: 32 (1) The entire system (as in the patent of Ionetics' president, Kater); 33 (2) The entire length of electrically conductive wire; and 34 (3) The tip of wire to be immersed into the solution. 35 It seems fairly obvious that under the second meaning, Ionetics' electrode device is at least partially within the body. If the membrane is part of the body, it is wholly within. The district court itself acknowledged the dispute. On pages 8 and 10 of her October 15th order, the judge recognized that the patent specification variously refers to both the electrode assembly and the sensitive tip of the electrode as the electrode. As a further complication, claim 4 refers not only to an electrode, but also to an electrode system and an electrode body. 36 Nonetheless, the district court here refused to allow one type of extrinsic evidence, expert testimony, on the meaning of the claims. Although use of experts is generally a matter of discretion with the trial judge, Seattle Box Co. v. Industrial Crating & Packaging, Inc., 731 F.2d 818, 826, 221 USPQ 568, 573 (Fed.Cir.1984), that discretion is not unlimited. In a patent case involving complex scientific principles, it is particularly helpful to see how those skilled in the art would interpret the claim. See, e.g., Palumbo, 762 F.2d at 975, 226 USPQ at 8; McGill, 736 F.2d at 675-76, 221 USPQ at 950; Fromson, 721 F.2d at 1571, 219 USPQ at 1140-42. Indeed, the test of claim interpretation is directed to one skilled in the art, Loctite, 781 F.2d at 867, 228 USPQ at 93, and it makes sense therefore to elicit testimony from such individuals. Though we do not establish that as a requirement in all cases, cf. Moleculon Research Corp. v. CBS Inc., 793 F.2d 1261, 1270 (Fed.Cir.1985), and leave it to the general discretion of the trial judge, we conclude that in this case the trial judge's failure to allow such testimony was an abuse of discretion. 37 The district court determined that the devices are sufficiently simple that they can be understood without the aid of experts. We, however, do not share the district court's view of simplicity in the technology involved here. In deciding whether to grant summary judgment, we do not think that the district court was justified in treating the interpretation of these claims as so simple that the question could be resolved without expert testimony. In our view, the district court's finding of infringement rested on an interpretation of the claim that, looking just at the literal language used, cannot stand. 38 The summary judgment of no literal infringement therefore must be vacated and the case remanded for further proceedings, including proper claim construction in light of extrinsic evidence including expert testimony. The district court's findings of differences between the claimed invention and the accused device will, of course, be affected by any new claim interpretation. 39 On remand, the district court should be aware that, although claim construction is a legal question, underlying fact disputes may arise pertaining to extrinsic evidence that might preclude summary judgment treatment of claim construction. See, e.g., Palumbo, 762 F.2d at 973-77, 226 USPQ at 7-10. Further, there exists an apparent conflict of opinion as to the description of the allegedly infringing Ionetics device that, unless resolved, could be another genuine dispute of fact. Moeller contends that the allegedly infringing Ionetics Electrode System is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,340,457, Ion Selective Electrodes, to J. Kater, the president of Ionetics. In his declaration, Mr. Kater appears to equate the electrode body with the insulating tube (in asserting that the electrode body does not support the membrane) whereas Dr. J. Leonard, another of Ionetics' experts, declares that the insulator tube is not an electrode body. The district court acknowledged that there are some ambiguities in defendant's experts' description of the device but found the differences to be immaterial, apparently in light of the simplicity of the device. As stated supra, we do not agree with the judge's characterization of simplicity. Moreover, we reiterate that all inferences in a summary judgment motion must be drawn in favor of the nonmovant. This the district court failed to do.