Tuning Claims From Oil Wells to Truck Axles

by Dennis Crouch

I’ve composed a quantity of situations about the Supreme Court’s previous choice in Halliburton Oil Effectively Cementing Co. v. Walker, 329 U.S. 1 (1946).  Walker’s patent claimed a “means . . . for tuning” a audio filter to a individual vibration frequency though seeking for an oil-properly blockage.  The Supreme Court docket discovered the claim problematic mainly because it did not claim the physical qualities of the invention’s level-of-novelty, but as a substitute that tuning aspect was claimed as a implies for accomplishing its purpose.  The final decision observed that some of the patent’s statements did include actual physical information of the tuning system, but individuals statements had not been asserted in the situation.

The specific keeping in Halliburton was that Walker’s patent assert was invalid as indefinite for the reason that it made use of suggests-in addition-purpose declare language at the place of novelty.  Halliburton was overturned by the Patent Act of 1952 with development of a statutory correct to include indicates-moreover-operate things in blend claims. 35 USC 112(f).  I surprise even though no matter whether less than the new law, the Supreme Court may possibly have found an choice mechanism for invalidating the claim, this kind of as whole-scope enablement, entire-scope published description, or ineligible subject matter matter.

I attract focus to Halliburton for the reason that of its similarity to the patent in American Axle.  The AmAxle patent statements a system of production a generate-shaft, with the evident issue-of-novelty getting “tuning [a] liner to attenuate at the very least two forms of vibration.” US7774911.  Despite the fact that this declare is most likely not fully purposeful, the Supreme Courtroom has also chastised partially-purposeful boasting:

But the vice of a functional assert exists not only when a claim is ‘wholly’ useful, if that is ever genuine, but also when the inventor is painstaking when he recites what has already been noticed, and then employs conveniently functional language at the actual stage of novelty.

Gen. Electric powered Co. v. Wabash Appliance Corp., 304 U.S. 364 (1938).

If the courtroom finishes up granting certiorari in American Axle, I anticipate these parallels will see further progress.