Kenney Mfg. Co. v. J. L. Mott Iron Works

Citations

• 137 F. 431
• 1905 U.S. App. LEXIS 5229

Syllabus

<p>1. Patents—Infringement—Water-Closet Valves.</p> <p>The Cooper patent, No. 371,431, for a water-closet valve, held, valid, and infringed as to claims 1 and 2.</p> <p>2. Same—Validity—Operativeness of Device.</p> <p>It is sufficient to sustain a patent for a valve against the objection of inoperativeness if the combination of ’párts shown forms a workable device when attached to a structure for which it was evidently intended.</p> <p>3. Same—Construction of Claims.</p> <p>Where the field of invention has been narrowed by many prior devices in the same art, a patent for a new combination must be narrowly construed, and limited to the precise structure shown.</p> <p>[Ed. Note.—For eases in point, see vol. 38, Cent. Dig. Patents, § 245.]</p> <p>4. Same—Infringement—Water-Closet Valves.</p> <p>The Kenney patent No. 566,770, for an improvement in water-closet cisterns, which consists in an alleged novel combination of parts by which the closet is flushed, claim 1, in view of the prior art, must be narrowly construed. As so construed, held not infringed.</p>