Majority — Blatcheobd J.
Syllabus
1, Claims 1, 8, 9,11,12,14,16, and 19 of reissued letters-patent No. 2224, granted April 10, 1866, to Reuben Holfheins, for an “improvement in harvesters,” the original, No. 35,315, having been granted to him May 20, 1862; .-and claims 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9 of reissued letters-patent No. 2490, granted Eeb. 19, 1867, to him, for an “improvement in harvesters,” the original, No. 40,481, having been granted to him Nov. 3, 1863, and reissued in two divisions, one, No. 1888, Eeb. 28, 1865, and the other, No. 2102, Nov. 7,' 1865; and No. 2490 having been issued on the surrender of No. 2102, — considered; and the difference between the specifications and the drawings of No. 35,315 and those of No. 2224, and that between the raking apparatus and rake-support of No. 2224 and those of the defendants, pointed out.delivered the opinion of the court.
This suit is brought for the infringement of two reissued letters-patent granted to Reuben Hoffheins, the appellant. One, No. 2224, was issued April 10, 1866, for an “ improvement in harvesters,” the original patent, No. 35,315, having been issued to him May 20, 1862. The other, No. 2490, was issued Feb. 19, 1867, for an “ improvement in harvesters,” the original patent, No. 40,481, having been issued to him Nov. 3,1863, and reissued in two divisions, one, No. 1888, Feb. 28, 1865, and the other. No. 2102, Nov. 7, 1865, and No. 2490 having been issued on the surrender of No. 2102.
No. 2224 contains nineteen claims,, and No. 2490 contains
In No. 2224 the claims in question are these: “ 1. A sweep-rake, which is mounted upon - the heel of the finger-beam proper, or upon the inner front corner of the platform of a harvester which has its cutting apparatus and platform hinged to the draft-frame, all in such manner that the rake-arm sweeps the platform from front to inner side, and maintains a correct position in relation to the finger-beam and platform during the rising or falling movements thereof on the joint or joints by which the finger-beam is connected to the draft-frame, substantially as set forth.” “ 8. In a harvesting machine which has its cutting apparatus hinged or jointed to the main frame in such manner as to allow it to conform at both ends to the undulations of the ground, and a rake mounted upon the said cutting apparatus, or upon the platform thereof, I claim so constructing and arranging the several parts, that the support of the rake can occupy a position outside of the inner drive-wheel B, or a position which is between the point of suspension h and the outer divider Gr, and can also be hung or be suspended below the draft-frame, substantially as described.” “ 9. Effecting a combination of a rake and ‘reel, located substantially as described, and a finger-beam and platform, with the main frame, by means of a hinged draw-bar, 5, and hinged brace, I, or hinged suspender, /, and an extension bracket, 2, or their equivalents, substantially as and for the purposes described.” “ 11. Preventing a too sudden or abrupt deflection of a rake and reel mounted upon a hinged-joint cutting apparatus, by carrying the point of suspension beyond the rake-support toward the centre of the draft-frame, by means substantially as described.” “ 12. A continuously revolving
The original patent, No. 35,315, in stating what the invention is, says that -it consists of certain improvements “ in the manner of mounting and operating a revolving rake.” There were three features set forth in the specification of No. 35,315 : 1. The peculiar construction of the reel and rake. 2. The peculiar form and location of the rake-post. 3. The peculiar manner of operating the rakes. There were only three claims in No. 35,315, one covering each of said three features, as follows : “ (1.) A combined reel and rake, rotating upon a vertical axis, and having its arms .successively turned up into an inverted position to pass over the main frame, substantially as explained.” “ (2.) The inclined standard I, rigidly mounted upon a loosely hinged platform, and employed to support a revolving reel and rake in an unchangeable position in relation to the said platform, without obstructing the free motion of the latter.” “ (3.) The yielding and swivelled rod Q operating in combination with the band P and pulleys O and R, in the manner and for the purposes herein shpwn and explained.”
A copy of the model filed in the Patent Office with the
As to the method of mounting the rake, the specification of No. 35,315 says: “I is a post rigidly secured.to the inner side of the platform, and inclining over the rear of the main frame ; i is a brace-rod extending from the draw-bar to the said post, to support the latter at top; J is a box mounted on the top of the post I, and constituting the bearing in which the disk K rotates. The rakes or reel-arms L L/ are mounted in couples upon the ends of horizontal shafts M M7, which are journalled at right angles across the rotating disk K.” This is all that is found in that specification as to the location of the axis of the rake. On the other hand, the specification of the reissue says : “ Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of a portion of the machine, show
As to claim 1 of the reissue, the finger-beam is made an element of the combination, .while in the specification and drawings of No. 35,315 there is no reference to a finger-beám. Moreover, the raking apparatus of the appellant is so constructed that when one of the arms has descended to force the grain towards the platform and to sweep across the platform, the opposite arm must be raised to such a point as to clear the wheel of the machine. The arms are in pairs, and the motion of one arm of a pair is controlled by the motion and operation of the opposite arm of that pair. The inclination of the two to each other is such that when one is sweeping across the platform the other forms an exactly opposite angle to the axis
In analyzing the two machines, in view of the state of the art, it appears that the appellant adapted a continuously revolving gathering and discharging rake to a two-wheeled loosely jointed finger-bar machine. To do this he employed a peculiar rake and a peculiar rake-support. The appellees employ an entirely different rake. They have a series of radial arms pivoted each independently of every other in a head, which has a double cam guideway for each arm, and the arms are thereby elevated vertically so as not to strike the frame in passing up. This makes it possible for the appellees to place the support for their rake on the finger-beam by the side of the frame and in the line of the cutters instead of behind the frame. No such organization is possible with the appellant’s arrangement of rakes. The centre of movement of his rakes must be brought in line with the cutters by having an inclined rake-post, the base of which is not in a vertical line with the line of the cutters. He shows no mode of placing the base of the post on the finger-beam. If it were placed there, with his arrangement of rake-arms, and his inclined post, the centre of motion of the arms would be so far out of its proper position that the ■ arms would not do their work. Having independent radial arms, the appellees can have a vertical and not an
The foregoing views apply also to claims 8, 9, 11, 12,14, 16, and 19, being all the other claims alleged to have been infringed, and each of which has, as an element, either a rake, or a rake and reel, mounted on or attached to the cutting apparatus or the finger-beam.
In the reissue claim 2 is substantially the same as claim 1 of the original, claim 5 (with the interpolation- of the finger-beam) is intended to take the place of claim 2 of the original,
It is made an element of claim 11 of the reissue that the point of-guspension of the plaffqrm to the main frame is carried beyond the rake-sy'pport toward ,the centre of the draft-frame, by means described in the specification, so. as to prevent a too sudden or abrupt deflection of the', rake and reel. The specification of the reissue says, that '“it is important that the great weight of the rake,.finger-beam, and platform shall not cause the draftfraiñe to tilt over on its"right-hand drive-wheels by sudden and abrupt motions, but shall tend to insure a square run of the draff-ffame upon the ground during.the pitching or rising and falling'motions of the finger-beam, platform, and rake, and thus
For the foregoing reasons, without considering the many other questions raised in the case, it must be held that the . appellant has not established any cause of action against the appellees on reissue No. 2224.
In No. 2490 the claims in question are these: “ 1. The combination, in a two-wheeled hinged-joint machine, of a driver’s seat mounted upon the main frame, with a raking mechanism mounted upon the finger-beam, and rotating around a vertical axis, or one nearly so, substantially in the manner described, for the purpose of enabling the driver to ride on the machine while the rake is in operation.” “2. The combination, in a two-wheeled hinged-joint machine, of a shoe with a hinged joint in it, with a rake and platform having an extension, J2, and with a draft-frame which sustains the weight of the cutting apparatus and raking apparatus with platform attached, at a point between the two drive-wheels.” “ 6. Driving a revolving rake, or a combined revolving rake and reel, which move about a vertical or nearly vertical axis, by a device arranged on the grain side of the inner drive-wheel or inner side of the draft-frame.” “ 7. Making a direct driving connection
The original patent, No. 40,481, says that the improvements covered by it consist, 1st, in a peculiar construction and combination of frame, gearing, and double driving-wheels; 2d, in a device for affording protection to the main crank-shaft and strengthening the main frame; 3d, in the use of a movable tongue; 4th, in a device for permitting tfie finger-béam to turn freely on its own axis. There were only four .claims in No. ■40,481, one covering each of said four features, as follows: “1. The main frame and gear-frame A-A, constructed as described,” open at each end, when used in combination with shafts, gearing, and double driving-wheels arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.” “ 2;. The flange a cast or formed tipomthe gear-frame for the'eombiried purposes of strengthening' the latter and protecting the crank-shaft E,as hereinbefore explained.” “ 3. The movable tongues K, adapted to be attached to the frame on either side of the wheel B;, and employed to support or raise the inner end of the beam.” “ 4. Attaching the shoe to the drag-bar by a transverse swivel-joint, to permit the finger-beam to turn its axis to elevate or depress the joints of the fingers,- or to fold the beam against the frame for transportation, ..when combined with bracing-guides hi, substantially as herein described.”
Every one of the four claims of No. 40,481 — the iron frame cast in one piece, the flange, the movable tongue, and the transverse swivel-joint — r-is omitted from the reissue, and there are no corresponding claims. The rake-support is of the same form and in the same location as in No. 35,315, inclined and mounted on the platform, and-not on the finger .'beam, and the inner end of me platform is suspended on the main frame in the same way as in. No. .35,316. . The specification of No. 40,481 says :. “ On the inner side of the grain-.platform, near the heel of the finger-beam, is. firmly'"'mounted''' á post, R, which may incline, over toward the. main .'.fra,me, as shown in- Figure 1.” This' passage negatives theNdea_ or mounting .the. post on the
As to claim 1 of the reissue, although there is in No. 40,481 a driver’s seat mounted on the main frame, it is not in such a position, nor can it be placed on the frame described in such a position, that the' driver can ride on the seat while the appellant’s rake is in operation. The appellees’ raking apparatus has been above described. ■ The appellant’s raking apparatus is like that of No. 35,315 and of ’-eissue No. 2224. If the apr pellant’s raking apparatus -were substituted in the appellees’ machine for their raking apparatus, no person could ride on the driver’s seat located anywhere on the frame of the appel
As to claim 2, the raking apparatus is made an element in it, and the differences, before pointed out, between the two machines, in the construction of the raking mechanism and the arrangement and location of the rake-post, lead to the conclusion that the rake mentioned in claim 2 must be construed to be such a rake, and one so arranged, on a rake-post so mounted, as is shown and described in the specification, and thus does not include the appellees’ raking mechanism or rake-post..
As to claim 6, the driving device must be limited to one substantially the same as that of the appellant. He has an extensible tumbling-shaft. The appellees have a chain belt, with links, before described. Their arrangement requires that the axis of the driving-wheel and the driven-wheel shall be substantially parallel, while No. .2490 requires that in the appellant’s structure the axes of the two wheels, or the ends of
In regard to claim 7, the appellant’s raking apparatus and driving device are elements in it, and the observations before made apply, so that the appellees’ faking apparatus and driving device are not covered by this claim.
Claim 9 includes the rake and the driver’s seat, and, under the views before stated, the appellees’ machine cannot be held to infringe that claim.
These conclusions make it unnecessary to consider any other question.
Decree, in so far as it dismisses the bill, is
Affirmed.