MYTEE PRODUCTS, INC. v. Harris Research, Inc.
District Court, S.D. California · 2009-05-08
The case involves a patent infringement dispute in which Harris Research, the assignee of two patents for devices enhancing liquid removal from fabric using mechanical and aerodynamic techniques, accused Mytee Products of infringing those patents through its manufacture and sale of Banana Glider carpet cleaning attachments. Mytee moved for summary judgment of non-infringement, contending that its accused devices did not meet the limitations of the asserted claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. The court denied the motion after claim construction and comparison of the devices, concluding that genuine disputes of material fact existed as to whether the accused products included required elements such as apertures formed in the bottom of the base plate and barriers for forcing liquid toward those apertures. These factual issues precluded summary adjudication and required resolution at trial.
