#means-plus-function

#means-plus-function

"Though we articulated a component-by-component analysis was unnecessary in Odetics, the patentee must still account for each element of the claimed structure in its equivalence analysis." - CAFC opinion The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on Thursday issued a precedential decision finding Sony's Playstation controllers and consoles did not infringe Genuine Enabling Technology's (GET's) patent for computer input devices. GET alleged that Sony directly and indirectly infringed its U.S. Patent No. 6,219,730 via certain Playstation products.

In a significant victory for software patent applicants, the Federal Circuit reversed the a PTAB rejection of computer system claims in In re McFadden, 2024-2107 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 5, 2025). One problem with the decision is its non-precedential status - even though it clearly breaks new ground. The case offers another example of the potential power of 112(f) means-plus-function claims.