Case Filed: Aug 07, 2014
Origin Case: 1:13-cv-02027
Case Summary:
Natick, Massachusetts-based Cognex
filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Microscan Systems, a global
technology leader in barcode, machine vision and lighting solutions in Southern
District of New York. The lawsuit was filed in Mar 2013 to prohibit Microscan
from using Cognex’s patented technology in its products and to recover damages
resulting from the infringement. Jury’ verdict favored Cognex, which resulted
in Microscan filing an appeal with the Federal Circuit.
Patent-in-Suit:
The patent at issue is: US7874487
entitled ‘Integrated illumination assembly for symbology reader,’ legally
issued by USPTO to inventors: Laurens Nunnink and William H Equitz. The patent
was issued on Jan 25, 2011 and expires[i]
by Oct 24, 2025. Cognex is the current assignee[ii]
of the patent (source: MaxVal’s Assignment
Database). The ‘487 patent relates to machine vision systems and symbology
readers that employ machine vision and more particularly to illuminators for
the same.
Alleged Infringement:
Microscan, without authority,
makes, uses, sells products and/or software that incorporate or make use of the
inventions covered by the '487 patent. Cognex cited Microscan’s Mobile Hawk™, a
handheld product used to read Direct Part Mark codes, as infringing the patent
held by Cognex. The complaint stated that Microscan was notified about the
patent in Jun 2012, thus making the infringement willful and deliberate.
Conclusion:
In May 2014, jury verdict was
passed finding that Microscan is liable for infringement of claims 1 and 30 of
the ‘487 patent. The jury also stated that the infringement was willful and
awarded Cognex the sum of: $2,578,286.00 in compensatory damages.
See 2014-1681
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[i]
Expected expiration date. Patent Term Estimator
is a free web-based tool that automatically calculates patent terms and
expiration dates for U.S. utility patents
[ii]
MaxVal offers Patent Assignment Alert service
where subscribers receive email alerts when assignments relating to target
applications, patents or entities of interest are recorded.
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