Disavowed Claim Scope During Prosecution Gone For Good

Interpreting a claim preamble and related statements made during prosecution, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district courts summary judgment that the defendants did not infringe a patent directed to a portable microprocessor system. Computer Docking Station Corp. v. Dell, Inc., Case Nos. 07-1169, -1316 (Fed. Cir., March 21, 2008) (Rader, J.)

Computer Docking Station (CDS), a subsidiary of patent company Acacia Research, filed suit against computer companies Dell, Gateway, Toshiba America and Toshiba America Information Systems in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 5,187,645 (the 645 patent). The 645 patent is directed to a portable microprocessor system for business applications. The system includes the ability to connect peripheral devicessuch as a keyboard, mouse or monitorthrough either individual connectors