#patent-claim-construction

#patent-claim-construction

SC Johnson's primary noninfringement argument was that its products do not include a "spout." Before the district court, both Zip Top and SC Johnson agreed that the spout claim element should be construed as a "distinct feature that directs liquid from and facilitates the pouring of fluid from a container." The dispute on appeal arose from an additional limitation the district court imposed, finding that "the zipper members are not the spout or part of it; rather, the spout is a separate feature."