Manufacturing Company v. Ladd, 102 U.S. 408 (1880)
U.S. Supreme Court
Manufacturing Company v. Ladd, 102 U.S. 408 (1880)
Manufacturing Company v. Ladd
102 U.S. 408
Syllabus
1. Where a bill was filed charging an infringement of reissued letters patent No. 5154, dated Nov. 19, 1872, which was denied by the answer, the court, in view of the state of the art at the date of the invention for which the original letters were granted to Asa M. Swain, May 11, 1880, for improvements in water wheels, construed the claims of the reissued letters in accordance with the distinct limitation of that invention in the original letters to a wheel of specific construction and form with its associated apparatus, and finding that there was no infringement of the claims thus construed, dismissed the bill. Held that such a construction gave the complainant no just ground of exception.
2. The evidence examined, and the result of a comparison of the reissued letters with the original letters, including the drawings and model submitted with the application for them stated.
3. A reissue can only be granted for the same invention which was originally patented.
The facts are stated in the opinion of the Court.