Thomson-Houston Electric Co. v. Wagner Electric Mfg. Co.
Thomson-Houston Electric Co. v. Wagner Electric Mfg. Co.
Opinion of the Court
In expressing' our concurrence with the Circuit Court, we do not deem it necessary to add anything to the brief but clear opinion in -which its conclusions are expressed. The definition of the term “locally-closed circuit,” as given in that opinion, is “a circuit disconnected from the main line; * * * a circuit which does not extend from the source of energy, but pertains to the local place and no other.” Appellant criticises this definition as not taking into account the circumstance that “the secondary circuit of a transformer is entirely disconnected from the main line,” and that “the motor is on the secondary circuit, which is a closed circuit,” and hence both in starting condition and in running condition “the armature circuit is disconnected from the main line.” This is hypercritical; manifestly, by the words “main line” the court intended to express the circuit (whether primary or secondary) from which, either by con
Under the definition above approved, it is manifest that the defendant’s motor does not exhibit the change which the claims call for. In the starting condition and in the running condition alike, the armature coils are on locally-closed circuit, and, however slight the difference may be between this motor and the motor of the patent, infringement cannot be predicated of claims phrased as these are.
The decree is affirmed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC CO. v. WAGNER ELECTRIC MFG. CO.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Patents — Infringement—Electric Motors. The Thomson patent No. 430,328 for an alternating current motor, claims 1 and 2 construed, and held not infringed.