McCormick v. Talcott

THIS was an appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the northern district of Illinois, sitting as a court of equity.

The bill which was filed by McCormick alleged that the defendants in error had infringed his patent for a reaping machine; called upon them for an account, and prayed for an injunction. The defendants denied the infringement, and claimed a right to construct their machines under letters patent granted to John H. Manny. The Circuit Court dismissed the bill, and McCormick appealed to this court.

McCormick's patents had been twice before this court, as will be seen by referring to 16 Howard, 480, and 19 Howard, 96. The same claims, viz: the fourth and fifth of the patent of 1845, were involved in the case in 19 Howard, and the remaining claim, viz: that relating to the seat of the raker, under the patent of 1847, was before the court in 16 Howard, only that it now comes up under a reissued patent in 1853.

The reporter despairs of giving any intelligible account of the argument in this case. The record was upwards of one thousand pages of printed matter, of which seven hundred and fifty pages were the depositions of witnesses; and the court room was filled with models and drawings, introduced upon either side, to which constant reference was made by the counsel.

The case was argued by Mr. Reverdy Johnson and Mr. Dickerson for the plaintiff in error, and Mr. Stanton and Mr. Harding for the defendants.

Mr. Justice GRIER delivered the opinion of the court.