Gates Iron Works v. Fraser
Opinion of the Court
This is a suit in equity brought by the appellee,! against the Gates Iron Works for the inMngesnexit of reissue letters patent No. 3,633, to J. W. Rutter, September 7, 1868, for an ore mili. The original patent, No. 88,216, was issued to Sutter on March 23, 18(59. There was a. finding sustaining the complainants’ patent and claim for infringement, and, the case being referred to a master to take testimony as to the damages, ft report was made, and a decree entered in favor of the complainants on October 9, 1891, for the sum of $29,734.64. A. great nnmber of exceptions were taken to the decree, and an appeal was prayed and allowed. We have not found it necessary to consider all of the assignments of error in the finding and decree of the court. The second one assigned is as follows:
••(2) The court erred in constrains said first claim to be for a cono that rotates around its arbor on its own axis, when the claim expressly states that it does not rotate around said arbor, and the specification states that it does not. rotate on its own axis.”
The complainants’ patent is for an ore mill, the purpose of the machine being to crush and grind ore or stone. The patentee states in his specifications that he has invented a new and improved crushing and grinding machine, and that the invention relates to that class of crushing and grinding machines in which a conical grinder or crusher, with concentric and eccentric bearings, is operated within a stationary upright cylinder or chamber, or in which the crushing chamber is made conical, and the crusher straight. This class of machines is aptly described in the brief for appellant as follows:
“This type of machine for crushing ore is known as the ‘gyrating type,’ from the fact that one end of the vertical shaft rests on the bearing, concentric with a line drawn through the center of a surrounding case, which incloses a vertical cone that is carried on tne shaft of the machine, while the other end of the shaft or arbor is placed in a 'bearing eccentric to this line. The eccentric end of this vertical shaft or arbor, which carries the vertical crushing cone, is placed in a revolving wheel, so that when that wheel is revolved one end of the crushing cone is carried around in a circle within the inclosing case, approaching the inclosing case as it is carried around the circle, the opposite side of the crushing cone receding from the inclosing case; thus crushing the stone between the crashing cone and the case, and allowing the crashed stone to fall out at the bottom of the machine. In this type of gyrating machines, the crashing cone or the shaft or arbor was left free to rotate on its own axis, as a wagon wheel rotates on its axle, or the axle revolves with a wheel, like car axles, on its bearings, so that, when the crashing cone was carried around with the outside case or cylinder, it would roll against the stone, and impinge it between the crashing cone and the case, cracking it and breaking it into fine pieces, just the same as a wagon wheel rolls upon the gravel or stone in the street when the wheel is left free to revolve on its own axis in addition to its being moved around. If the arbor of the crashing cone be made rigid in its hearings, and the cone be rigidly attached to the shaft or arbor, then the crushing cone, when gyrating or carried around the circle within the case or cylinder of the machine, would crash and grind the stone by rubbing rigidly against it as it was squeezed between the surface of the cone and the indosing case, the same as a wagon wheel would operate if chained so as not to revolve on its own axis.”
The evidence shows that the defendant is engaged in the manufacture of a crushing machine as above described, in which the crushing cone is left free to rotate on its own axis. These machines they manufacture under previous patents which they own, and particularly under a patent known as the “Pearce Patent,” and another known as the “Wood Patent.” The Pearce patent is very similar in its action to the Rutter patent, if the latter is what it is claimed to be by the complainants, except that it did not have its crushing cone suspended by a ball and socket at tbe top. The Wood patent bad a gyrating cone which rotated on its arbor, while the Pearce patent had a gyrating crushing cone rigid on the shaft or arbor, but rotating on its own axis, and producing the same effect. Neither of them rubbed or ground, but both crushed. Now, the question turns upon the proper construction of the Rutter patent, under which the complainants claim. Does that describe such a machine as the defendant is manufacturing, or
Tint ihe court has given him an invention which he did not claim, and just the reverse of what he did claim. The court has given him credit for inventing a crasher with a cone revolving In a cylinder on its own axis or arbor. If this was his invention, it was, not new, as appears from the other patents named. Mor did his invention consist in attaching his power at the lower end of the shaft, as the court suggests. He makes no such claim, and, if he did, there could be no invention in attaching the power at one end or the other. All he says about the power in that the motion is imparted to thenhaft by any suitable application of power. If the prior state of the art showed that, the power was applied only at the upper end
Granting that, as the court below concluded, the description should be read, "the crushing cone is rigidly suspended on an oscillating arbor connecting with a rotating eccentric box,” etc., the result would be that the cone and arbor would become practically one piece, having one and the same axis; and if the cone could not revolve around its axis, as it is explicitly said it cannot, neither can
Rutter’s scheme, whether it was an improvement or not, was to make the cone fixed at one end in an eccentric, and fastened in such a, manner to the gearing that it would not rotate. The previous patents show clearly that what is now claimed for the Rutter reissue was already invented and in use. There was nothing new in having a conical shaped crushing iron cone revolving in a cylinder with concentric and eccentric connections, so as by its action to crush stone or ore, or whatever was put into it. Ratter saw this, and admits it, and Ms purpose seems to be to avoid the objection of a want of novelty by limiting himself to a rigid connection of Ids crushing cone axis to Ms drive wheel, so as to secure the two operations of grinding and erusMng. It is evident that in his machine it wa.s intended to cause the arbor and driving gear to move together, so as to cause the iron cone to swing around In the cylinder, instead of revolving on its axis. In both the original patent and in the reissue, Rutter described, as already in existence, just such a crusher or grinder as his assigns are now claiming that he
Reference
- Full Case Name
- GATES IRON WORKS v. FRASER
- Status
- Published