In re Cruciferous Sprout Litigation

• Decision Date: 21 August 2002
• Docket Number: No. 02-1031.,02-1031.
• Citation: 301 F.3d 1343
• Parties: In re CRUCIFEROUS SPROUT LITIGATION. Brassica Protection Products LLC and Johns Hopkins University, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Sunrise Farms, Becky Crikelair, and Frank Crikelair, Defendants-Appellees, and Edrich Farms Inc., Edward B. Stanfield, III, Edward F. Stanfield, Jr., Richard Stanfield, and Sally F. Stanfield, Defendants-Appellees, and Banner Mountain Sprouts, Banner Mountain Sprouts Inc., and Lawrence Ravitz, Defendants-Appellees, and Harmony Farms, Greg Lynn, and Lorna Lynn, and International Specialty Supply and Robert L. Rust, Defendants-Appellees.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Federal Circuit

301 F.3d 1343

In re CRUCIFEROUS SPROUT LITIGATION Brassica Protection Products LLC and Johns Hopkins University, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Sunrise Farms, Becky Crikelair, and Frank Crikelair, Defendants-Appellees, and Edrich Farms Inc., Edward B. Stanfield, III, Edward F. Stanfield, Jr., Richard Stanfield, and Sally F. Stanfield, Defendants-Appellees, and Banner Mountain Sprouts, Banner Mountain Sprouts Inc., and Lawrence Ravitz, Defendants-Appellees, and Harmony Farms, Greg Lynn, and Lorna Lynn, and International Specialty Supply and Robert L. Rust, Defendants-Appellees.

No. 02-1031.

United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit.

Decided August 21, 2002.

Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc Denied September 30, 2002.

E. Anthony Figg, Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C., of Washington, DC, argued for plaintiffs-appellants. With him on the brief were Joseph A. Hynds and Mark I. Bowditch.

Joseph A. Kromholz, Ryan, Kromholz & Manion, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, argued for defendants-appellees. With him on the brief for defendants-appellees Sunrise Farms, et al. was Daniel R. Johnson. On the brief for defendants-appellees Harmony Farms, et al. was Delbert J. Barnard Barnard & Pauly, P.S. On the brief for defendants-appellees Edrich Farms Inc., et al. was Philip M. Andrews, Kramon & Graham, P.A., of Baltimore, Maryland. On the brief for defendants-appellees Banner Mountain Sprouts, et al. was Donald W. Ullrich, Jr., The Ullrich Law Firm, of Sacramento, California.

Before CLEVENGER, BRYSON, and PROST, Circuit Judges.

PROST, Circuit Judge.

Brassica Protection Products LLC and Johns Hopkins University (collectively "Brassica") appeal from the decision of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland granting summary judgment that U.S. Patent Nos. 5,725,895 ("the '895 patent"), 5,968,567 ("the '567 patent"), and 5,968,505 ("the '505 patent") are invalid as anticipated by the prior art. In re Cruciferous Sprout Patent Litig., 168 F.Supp.2d 534, 60 USPQ2d 1758 (D.Md. 2001). We affirm the district court's ruling.

BACKGROUND

The three patents-in-suit relate to growing and eating sprouts to reduce the level of carcinogens in animals, thereby reducing the risk of developing cancer. Specifically, the patents describe methods of preparing food products that contain high levels of substances that induce Phase 2 enzymes. These enzymes are part of the human body's mechanism for detoxifying potential carcinogens. Thus, they have a chemoprotective effect against cancer. '895 patent, col. 1, ll. 28-34. Foods that are rich in glucosinolates, such as certain cruciferous sprouts, have high Phase 2 enzyme-inducing potential. The inventors of the patents-in-suit recognized that the Phase 2 enzyme-inducing agents (or their glucosinolate precursors) are far more concentrated in certain sprouts (such as broccoli and cauliflower but not cabbage, cress, mustard or radish) that are harvested before the two-leaf stage than in corresponding adult plants. Id. at col. 7, l. 63 col. 8, l. 14. However, glucosinolate levels in cruciferous plants can be highly variable. See id. at col. 12, ll. 66-67 ("There is variation in inducer potential among different broccoli cultivars."). According to the inventors, it is therefore desirable to select the seeds of those cruciferous plants which, when germinated and harvested before the two-leaf stage, produce sprouts that contain high levels of the desired enzyme-inducing potential.

The '895 patent was filed on September 15, 1995, and claims, inter alia, "A method of preparing a food product rich in glucosinolates, comprising germinated cruciferous seeds, with the exception of cabbage, cress, mustard and radish seeds, and harvesting sprouts prior to the 2-leaf stage, to form a food product comprising a plurality of sprouts." '895 patent, claim 1. The '567 patent is a continuation of the '895 application and it claims a "method of preparing a human food product" from sprouts. '567 patent, claims 1 and 9. The '505 patent is a divisional of the '895 application and it claims a "method of increasing the chemoprotective amount of Phase 2 enzymes in a mammal," as well as a "method of reducing the level of carcinogens in a mammal," by creating a "food product" from sprouts and then "administering said food product" to a mammal. '505 patent, claims 1 and 16.

The three patents-in-suit are owned by Johns Hopkins University and exclusively licensed to Brassica Protection Products LLC. Johns Hopkins and Brassica sued Sunrise Farms, Becky Crikelair, Frank Crikelair, Edrich Farms, Inc., Edward B. Stanfield, III, Edward F. Stanfield, Jr., Richard Stanfield, Sally F. Stanfield, Banner Mountain Sprouts, Banner Mountain Sprouts, Inc., Lawrence Ravitz, Harmony Farms, International Specialty Supply, Greg Lynn, Lorna Lynn and Robert L. Rust (collectively "defendants") in various district courts. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the various cases in the District of Maryland for pretrial proceedings. On June 7, 2001, the defendants filed a joint motion for partial summary judgment of invalidity, arguing that the patents were anticipated by prior art references disclosing growing and eating sprouts. Brassica filed a cross-motion for summary judgment that the patents are not invalid. On July 23, 2001, the district court held a Markman hearing to address claim construction issues and the parties' motions for summary judgment.

On August 10, 2001, the court granted defendants' motion for summary judgment of invalidity and denied Brassica's cross-motion for summary judgment. According to the district court, "[t]he record before the Court makes it abundantly clear that, prior to the issuance of the patents-in-suit, one skilled in the art could, by following the teachings of the prior art, germinate broccoli seeds, harvest the sprouts, and sell them as a food product." In re Cruciferous Sprout Patent Litig., 168 F.Supp.2d at 540, 60 USPQ2d at 1762. While recognizing that the inventors of the patents-in-suit may have discovered a new and significant property of certain types of cruciferous sprouts, the district court concluded that "merely describing unexpected beneficial results of a known process does not entitle Plaintiffs to patent that process." Id. at 538, 60 USPQ2d at 1760. Thus, a "plant (broccoli sprouts), long well known in nature and cultivated and eaten by humans for decades, [cannot] be patented merely on the basis of a recent realization that the plant has always had some heretofore unknown but naturally occurring beneficial feature." Id. at 537, 60 USPQ2d at 1759. On October 1, 2001, the court entered a Judgment Under Rule 54(b) in favor of defendants but limited its invalidity ruling to claims 1-6 and 9 of the '895 patent, claims 1-8 of the '567 patent, and claims 1 and 16 of the '505 patent. In re Cruciferous Sprout Patent Litig., MDL Docket No. 1388 (D.Md. Oct. 1, 2001) (Rule 54(b) Determination). Brassica appeals the judgment of invalidity, arguing that the district court failed to properly construe the claims and did not apply the properly construed claims to the prior art when determining that the claims are anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(1).

DISCUSSION

This court reviews a grant of summary judgment de novo, drawing all reasonable factual inferences in favor of the non-moving party. See, e.g., Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. at 247-48. Anticipation is a question of fact, Gen. Elec. Co. v. Nintendo Co., 179 F.3d 1350, 1353, 50 USPQ2d 1910, 1912 (Fed.Cir.1999), and is determined by first construing the claims and then comparing the properly construed claims to the prior art, Gechter v. Davidson, 116 F.3d 1454, 1457, 43 USPQ2d 1030, 1032 (Fed.Cir.1997). Claim construction is an issue of law that we review de novo. Cybor Corp. v. FAS Techs., Inc., 138 F.3d 1448, 1456, 46 USPQ2d 1169, 1174 (Fed.Cir.1998) (en banc). We also determine de novo whether the evidence in the record raises any genuine disputes about material facts. Gen. Elec., 179 F.3d at 1353, 50 USPQ2d at 1912.

I.

Brassica contends that the district court erroneously construed the claims by failing to treat the preamble of claim 1 of the '895 patent as a limitation of the claims. In addition, Brassica argues that the district court failed to construe the limitations "rich in glucosinolates" (appearing in claims 1 and 9 of the '895 patent) and "high Phase 2 enzyme-inducing potential" (appearing in claim 1 of the '567 patent and claims 1 and 16 of the '505 patent).

No litmus test defines when a preamble limits claim scope. Corning Glass Works v. Sumitomo Elec. U.S.A., Inc., 868 F.2d 1251, 1257, 9 USPQ2d 1962, 1966 (Fed.Cir.1989). Whether to treat a preamble as a limitation is a determination "resolved only on review of the entirety of the patent to gain an understanding of what the inventors actually invented and intended to encompass by the claim." Id.; Catalina Mktg. Int'l v. Coolsavings.com, Inc., 289 F.3d 801, 808, 62 USPQ2d 1781, 1785 (Fed.Cir.2002). In general, a preamble limits the claimed invention if it recites essential structure or steps, or if it is "necessary to give life, meaning, and vitality" to the claim. Catalina Mktg., 289 F.3d at 808, 62 USPQ2d at 1784 (quoting Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co., 182 F.3d 1298, 1305, 51 USPQ2d 1161, 1165 (Fed.Cir.1999)). Clear reliance on the preamble during prosecution to distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art may indicate that the preamble is a claim limitation because the preamble is used to define the claimed invention. Catalina Mktg., 289 F.3d at 808, 62 USPQ2d at 1785; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Ben Venue Labs., Inc., 246 F.3d 1368, 1375, ...