Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP Boasts Recent Victory at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- In Honeywell International, Inc. v. ITT Industries, Inc., Honeywell International Inc. and Honeywell Intellectual Properties Inc. sued Toyoda Gosei North America Corporation, TG Fluid Systems USA Corporation, and A. Raymond, Inc., as well as ITT Industries, Inc. and ITT Automotive, Inc., for allegedly infringing reexamined U.S. Patent No. 5,164,879 ("the '879 patent"), by selling fuel system components, including fuel line connectors ("quick connects"). The '879 patent is owned by Honeywell Intellectual Properties.

On June 22, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a summary judgment of non-infringement previously entered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Court of Appeals agreed with the District Court's ruling that the claim term "fuel injection system component" is limited to a fuel filter, based on the '879 patent specification's description of the invention as a fuel filter, and agreed that the claim does not cover the defendants' products. The Federal Circuit reversed the District Court's interpretation of the claim term "electrically conductive fibers," and agreed with the defendants that this limitation also is not infringed by the defendants' products.

Honeywell Intellectual Properties' efforts to license the '879 patent are noteworthy because this patent is limited to electrically conductive fuel filters made with conductive metal fibers, but Honeywell has asserted it more broadly against quick connects made with carbon filler. The defendants rejected Honeywell's overbroad interpretation of the '879 patent and obtained a summary judgment of non-infringement.

Toyoda Gosei North America Corporation, TG Fluid Systems USA Corporation, and A. Raymond are represented by Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP attorneys Stephen L. Sulzer and James P. Calve. The case will return to the District Court on TG's and Raymond's counterclaim seeking recovery of their attorneys' fees and expenses incurred in defending themselves against Honeywell's infringement allegations.