Court Opinion

ID: 9489835
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:25:34.464823+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:44.811969
License: Public Domain

RADER, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
In my view, the district court granted summary judgment in the face of disputed factual issues over both literal infringement and infringement by equivalents. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.
My divergence on literal infringement focuses on the term “perforation means” in the fifth element of claim one. Under the statutory regime of 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 6, a means-plus-funetion format has significant implications. Because the “perforation means ... for tearing” claim also recites some structure, this court avoided addressing those implications. The recitation of some structure, however, does not remove a claim from the scope of section 112, ¶ 6. Laitram Corp. v. Rexnord, Inc., 939 F.2d 1533, 1536, 19 USPQ2d 1367, 1369 (Fed.Cir.1991). Mere invocation of the word “means” also does not magically conjure all the implications of means-plus-funetion claiming, but Laitram suggests that the use of “means” creates at least a presumption in favor of section 112, ¶6. See id.; see also York Prods. Inc. v. Central Tractor Farm & Family Ctr., 99 F.3d 1568, 1574, 40 USPQ2d 1619, 1623 (Fed.Cir.1996) (“[T]he use of the word ‘means’ triggers a presumption that the inventor used the term advisedly to invoke the statutory mandates for means-plus-function clauses.”) (citing Greenberg v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., 91 F.3d 1580, 1584, 39 USPQ2d 1783, 1787 (Fed.Cir.1996)). Some claim language describing the location of the structure should not be sufficient to over-come this presumption. Nor does the word “perforation” provide enough structure to negate the import of the very next word — “means.” I would honor the presumption and construe this claim under the statutory guidance of section 112;
To literally infringe a means-plus-funetion claim, an accused device must employ means identical to or the equivalent of the structures described in the patent specification. Valmont Indus. v. Reinke Mfg. Co., 983 F.2d 1039, 1042, 25 USPQ2d 1451, 1454 (Fed.Cir.1993). The final inquiry as to whether an accused element is an “equivalent” is a question of fact. D.M.I., Inc. v. Deere & Co., 755 F.2d 1570, 1575, 225 USPQ 236, 239 (Fed.Cir.1985). This court specifically refused to revisit this issue in Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 52 F.3d 967, 977 n. 8, 34 USPQ2d 1321, 1327 n. 8 (Fed.Cir.1995), aff'd, — U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996). Because the district court did not address any structural equivalents under § 112, ¶ 6, genuine issues of material fact remain on the literal infringement issue.
Further, the parties hotly dispute the prosecution history. Cole herself twice requested reexamination, citing the Repke, Strohbeen, and Heran patents. Both times her lawyer stated that these patents were not pertinent, structurally, to any of the claims in the Cole patent. In particular, Cole pointed out differences between the absorbent structures in the prior art and those recited in her claims. With regard to seams, Cole surrendered only coverage of “stitched seams.” Cole did not change her claims to escape coverage of any prior art. See Pall Corp. v. Micron Separations, Inc., 66 F.3d 1211, 1219, 36 USPQ2d 1225, 1230 (Fed.Cir.1995) (“Prosecution history estoppel normally arises when a change of claim scope is made in order to overcome an examiner’s rejection based on prior art.”). Thus, prosecution history estoppel should only pose a bar to her infringement case if her statements were “unmistakable.” Athletic Alternatives, Inc. v. Prince Mfg., Inc., 73 F.3d 1573, 1582, 37 USPQ2d 1365, 1373 (Fed.Cir. *5341996); Terns Instruments Inc. v. United States Int’l Trade Comm’n, 988 F.2d 1165, 1174, 26 USPQ2d 1018, 1025 (Fed.Cir.1993); accord Southwall Technologies, Inc. v. Cardinal IG Co., 54 F.3d 1570, 1580, 34 USPQ2d 1673, 1680 (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 515, 133 L.Ed.2d 424 (1995). This ambiguous record does not provide “unmistakable” evidence of Cole’s intent to surrender coverage. Thus, genuine issues of material fact remain preventing summary-judgment on infringement by equivalents.