Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Talge

• Decision Date: 21 February 1944
• Docket Number: No. 12659.,12659.
• Citation: 140 F.2d 395
• Parties: SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO. v. TALGE.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

140 F.2d 395 (1944)

SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO. v. TALGE.

No. 12659.

Circuit Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

February 21, 1944.

Harry W. Lindsey, Jr., and Raymond E. Fidler, both of Chicago, Ill. (Arthur C. Brown, Jr., and Claude A. Fishburn, both of Kansas City, Mo., on the brief), for appellant.

Thomas E. Scofield, of Kansas City, Mo., for appellee.

Before THOMAS and JOHNSEN, Circuit Judges, and OTIS, District Judge.

THOMAS, Circuit Judge.

Foster L. Talge as owner of the Hand (No. 105,071) and the Majewski (No. 105,335) design patents brought suit against Sears, Roebuck and Company for infringement of both patents. The answer denied infringement and alleged invalidity. The court found for the plaintiff on both issues and entered judgment against defendant, and this appeal followed.

The patents relate to household fruit juicers used to squeeze the juice from oranges, lemons and like fruits. The Hand device was never manufactured or sold. The Majewski device called "Juice-O-Mat", was marketed in large quantities. The accused device is called "Bestmade" De Luxe. All three of the devices belong to the rack-and-pinion type of fruit juicers.

The test of whether one design infringes another depends primarily upon whether the appearance of the two designs is substantially the same. The application of this test involves two considerations: first, to infringe, the identity of appearance, or sameness of effect as a whole upon the eye of an ordinary purchaser must be such as to deceive him, inducing him to purchase one, supposing it to be the other, Gorham Mfg. Company v. White, 14 Wall. 511, 81 U.S. 511, 20 L.Ed. 731; Smith v. Whitman Saddle Company, 148 U.S. 674, 679, 680, 13 S.Ct. 768, 37 L.Ed. 606; Ashley v. Weeks-Numan Co., 2 Cir., 220 F. 899, 902; Zidell v. Dexter, 9 Cir., 262 F. 145, 147; and, second, to infringe, the accused device must appropriate the novelty in the patented device which distinguishes it from the prior art. Applied Arts Corp. v. Grand Rapids Metalcraft Corp., 6 Cir., 67 F.2d 428, 429, 430; Whiting Mfg. Co. v. Alvin Silver Co., 2 Cir., 283 F. 75, 80; Smith v. Whitman Saddle Company, supra; S. Dresner & Son v. Doppelt, 7 Cir., 120 F.2d 50, 51.

The question whether the patented designs and the accused design are substantially the same is one of fact to be determined by the trial court, and its determination of that fact will not be set aside unless clearly erroneous. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, rule 52(a), 28 U.S.C.A. following section 723c; Strong-Scott Mfg. Co. v. Weller, 8 Cir., 112 F.2d 389, 395; Gasifier Mfg. Co. v. General Motors Corporation, 8 Cir., 138 F.2d 197, 199. A finding of fact is clearly erroneous only when it is not supported by substantial evidence, is contrary to the clear weight of the evidence, or is arrived at by the application of a wrong principle of law. Warren v. Keep, 155 U.S. 265, 267, 15 S. Ct. 83, 39 L.Ed. 144; Silver King Coalition Mines Co. v. Silver King Consol. Mining Co., 8 Cir., 204 F. 166, 177, Ann.Cas. 1918B, 571.

To determine, therefore, whether the conclusion reached by the trial court is clearly erroneous requires a comparison of the features of the patented designs with the prior art and with the accused design.

Various types of fruit juicers have been in use for several years. It will be necessary only to examine some of the rack-and-pinion type to which belong the devices under consideration. Standard among these are Shea, No. 382,774, issued 1888; Johnson, No. 101,000, issued 1936, called "Juice King" Model B; Johnson, "Juice King" Model A, designed 1936; Koch, No. 101,957, issued 1936, called Chicago "Orangeflow".

The exposed parts of a simple form of this type of fruit juicer as developed in the prior art comprise a base, a post rising from one end of the base, an arm extending forwardly from the upper portion of the post, a fruit cup supported on the arm, an upper round pressure member above the cup, a narrow arm extending rearwardly from the pressure member and connected with the rack, and a handle. In this combination of elements a receptacle to receive the juice may be placed directly...