William Burnham Woods

“ And yet the great majority of patents are for improvements in old and well-known devices, or on patented inventions. Changes in the construction of an old machine which increase its usefulness are patentable. Seymour v. Osborne, 11 Wall. 516. So, a new combination of known devices, whereby the effectiveness of a machine is increased, may be the subject of a patent. ”

“ Werner testified to this making and use, and to the further fact that, in 1874, he sold the box to Ladd, who some time afterwards began using it. The burden of proof is upon the defendants to establish this defense; for the grant of letters patent is prima facie evidence that the patentee is the first inventor of the device described in the letters patent, and of its novelty. ”

“ Murphy, 97 U.S. 120, when he said that, 'in determining the question of infringement, the court or jury are not to judge about similarities or differences by the names of things, but are to look at the machines, or their several devices or elements, in the light of what they do, or what office or function they perform ”

“ After thus passing the end of the strip of moulding through the openings in the plates, A, A', the composition may be introduced into the reservoirs, B, B', for all avenues for the escape of the fluids are cut off by the strip itself. Feed-rollers, X, X', (shown in dotted lines,) may be used for forcing strip after strip through the enameling box, the said rollers in no way interferring with the different coatings of enamel, because they are never in contact with the enameled surfaces. ”