Jacobs v. Baker

JACOBS filed a bill in the Circuit Court for Southern Ohio against Baker, seeking relief for the infringement of four separate patents, which had been granted to him, Jacobs, for improvements in the construction of prisons. The bill set forth the different patents.

The first, dated January 7th, 1859, was for an improvement in the construction of prisons, which the complainant set forth in his specification with very numerous plates and designs. The claim concluded thus: 'What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by letters patent, is a secret passage, or guard-chamber, around the outside of an ironplate jail, and between said jail and a surrounding inclosure, constructed and arranged, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.' [The purpose was to allow the keeper to oversee and overhear the prisoners, without their being conscious of his presence.]

The next patent was dated 20th December, 1859, and purported to be for an 'improvement in iron-plate jails.' The claim was for 'the improved iron walls for the same, consisting of the following parts, arranged and united as set forth, to wit: the entire wall plates (A) having their edges closely abutting, the joint plates (e) united to and uniting the plate A, by rivets (i), which have their riveted ends inwards, and countersunk to the depth of the thickness of the plate A, in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.' This specification was also accompanied by numerous plates.

The third patent, dated 21st February, 1860, was for an 'improvement in joining plates of metal,' and was stated to be specially applicable to prisons. The claim was for 'the construction of the joint, made by means of the closely abutting plates (A A), and the flat and semicy lindrical plates B B, and rivets (c), substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.' This, too, had numerous drawings.

The fourth patent, dated 24th July, 1860, was for an 'improvement in iron prisons.' The claim was for 'constructing and arranging plate-iron cells in jails, separately from each other, with vertical spaces (e), between the cells, upon the same level, and horizontal spaces, between cells, arranged one above another, substantially as and for the purpose described.' This was also profusely illustrated by drawings.

The bill, which averred that the complainant was the original and first inventor of all these improvements, and that the defendant was an infringer of his patents, asked that the defendant might answer the bill under oath, and be compelled to state how extensively, and where he had sold the improvements patented, and to describe his modes of construction, &c.

The defendant did answer on oath, denying that the improvements were original with the complainant or new, but averring that they had been long in use; and setting out various jails in different parts of the country where they had been used in 1855, 1857, 1858, &c., all before the date of the patents relied on.

A large amount of testimony was taken on both sides, upon which the court below, considering that the defendant had established his case, dismissed the bill with costs. The case was now here on an appeal by the patentee.

Mr. Fisher, for the appellant, assuming that the matters embraced by the patents were the proper subjects of patents within the Patent Acts, went into an elaborate examination of the testimony to show that the inventions were original with the patentee.

No opposing counsel.

Mr. Justice GRIER delivered the opinion of the court.