Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corp. v. Z & J Technologies GmbH
Opinion
Opinion
Otero, J.
ORDER RE CURTISS-WRIGHT’S MOTION FOR CLAIM CONSTRUCTION
Plaintiff Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation (“Curtiss-Wright”) has brought this Motion for Claim Construe tion. This Court held a claim construction hearing on March 5, 2007, receiving attorney argument from both parties. For the reasons stated below, the Court adopts the definitions of Defendants Z & J Technologies GmbH and Zimmerman & Jansen, Inc. (collectively, “Z & J”) for the disputed terms.
In this patent suit, Curtiss-Wright alleges that Z & J infringes U.S. Patent No. 6,565,714 (“the '714 patent”) and U.S. Patent No. 6,964,727 (“the '727 patent”). These patents cover coke drum de-header valves, which are massive mechanical devices, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, used in the petroleum refining industry. Curtiss-Wright seeks to define the words “adjustable, dynamic live loaded seat” and “live loaded seat adjustment mechanism.” The former term appears in claims 14 and 33 of the '714 patent. The latter term appears in claims 1 and 36 of the '714 patent and claim 37 of the '727 patent. The parties agree that the terms should be interpreted to have the same meaning in the two patents.