Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. v. Ray-O-Vac Co.

This case involves the validity and alleged infringement of the Anthony Patent No. 2,198,423, issued April 23, 1940. The District Court held the patent valid and infringed1 and its judgment was affirmed by the Circuit Court of Appeals.2

The patent, a very narrow one in a crowded art, is for a leak-proof dry cell for a flashlight battery. The conventional dry cell embodies a cup-like zinc electrode acting as a container for a central carbon electrode, electrolyte, and depolarizing mix. The bottom enclosure is the terminal for one electrode, the top enclosure for the other. The electrolyte is a…