Coakwell v. United States

Plaintiff sues for the infringement of his patent on an anti-blackout device (United States Letters Patent No. 2,676,586). The patent was applied for on June 24, 1942, and was issued on April 27,1954.

Defendant asserts that plaintiff’s patent was anticipated by the prior art and prior knowledge and is, therefore, invalid. This is defendant’s chief defense. It also says that plaintiff’s patent must be limited to the particular embodiment of it as disclosed by the drawings and specifications and that, as so limited, its device did not infringe it.

The apparatus on which plaintiff secured a patent…