Wayne K. Pfaff v. Wells Electronics, Inc. (525 U.S. 55)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided November 10, 1998 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 525 U.S. 55 · 119 S. Ct. 304
- Decided
- November 10, 1998
- Term
- October Term 1998
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Stevens
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court. Section 102(b) of the Patent Act of 1952 provides that no person is entitled to patent an “invention” that has been “on sale” more than one year before filing a patent application. We granted certiorari to determine whether the commercial marketing of a newly invented product may mark the beginning of the 1-year period even though the invention has not yet been reduced to practice. rH On April 19, 1982, petitioner, Wayne Pfaff, filed an application for a patent on a computer chip soeket. Therefore, April 19, 1981, constitutes the critical date for purposes of the on-sale bar of 35 TJ. S. C. § 102(b); if the 1-year period began to run before that date, Pfaff lost his right to patent his invention. Pfaff commenced work on the socket in November 1980, when representatives of Texas Instruments asked him to develop a new device for mounting and removing semiconductor chip carriers. In response to this request, he prepared detailed engineering drawings that described the design, the dimensions, and the materials to be used in making the socket. Pfaff sent those drawings to a manufacturer in February or March 1981. Prior to March 17,1981, Pfaff showed a sketch of his concept to representatives of Texas Instruments. On April 8, 1981, they provided Pfaff with a written confirmation of a previously placed oral purchase order for…
Excerpt of a 23,659-character opinion. The full text and citation network load in the interactive viewer above.