Voltstar v. Amazon - Complaint

8/22/2019 Voltstar v. Amazon - Complaint

1/16

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTFOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOISEASTERN DIVISION

VOLTSTAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. f/k/aHORIZON TECHNOLOGIES. INC. CASE NO.:Plaintiff,

V.

AMAZON.COM, INC. a Delaware corporation,Defendant.

COMPLAINT FOR DESIGN PATENT INFRINGEMENTJURY TRIAL DEMANDED

Plaintiff VOLTSTAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. f/k/a HORIZON TECHNOLOGIES,fNC., by and through undersigned counsel, brings this civil action for patent infringement againstDefendant, and alleges as follows:

1. This is an action for patent infringement arising under the patent laws of theUnited States, 35 U.S.C, $$ 271, et seq., to enjoin and obtain damages resulting fromDefendant's unauthorized importation for sale, manufacture, use, and offer to sell a universalserial bus (USB) electrical charger that infringes United States Design Patent No. D587,192entitled "Electrical Charser."

Case: 1:13-cv-05570 Document #: 1 Filed: 08/05/13 Page 1 of 7 PageID #:1


2/16

PARTIES. JURISDICTION AND VENUE2. Plaintiff VOLTSTAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. flWa HORIZON

TECHNOLOGIES, INC. ("Voltstar") is an Illinois corporation with its principal place ofbusiness at 1320 Tower Road, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173.

3. Defendant AMAZON,COM, INC. ("Amazon") is a Delaware corporation with itsprincipal place of business at 4I0 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109.

4. Pursuant to 735 ILCS 512-209, Amazon is subject to personal jurisdiction withinthis judicial district and division because it operates, conducts, engages in, or carries on businesswithin this state, judicial district and division, and/or has an office or agency within this state,judicial district and division.

5. In addition, Amazon is subject to personal jurisdiction within this judicial districtand division because the unlawful conduct of Amazon took place within this judicial district anddivision, and jurisdiction over Amazon will not offend traditional notions of fair play andsubstantial justice.

6. This Court has exclusive subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.$1338(a) under the Patent Laws of the United States.

7. Venue is proper in this judicial district and division pursuant to 28 U.S.C.$1400(b) and 28 U.S.C. $1391 (b) because Amazon has committed acts of infringement withinthis judicial district and division.

THE PATENT-IN-SUIT8. Prior to November 28,2007, James W. McGinley, Donald Rimdzius, and Joseph

L, Kapushion, invented a new and novel ornamental design for an electrical charger.-l J



3/16

9. McGinley, Rimdzius, and Kapushion applied for and obtained United StatesDesign Patent No. D587,192 entitled "Electrical Charger" which was duly and legally issued onFebruary 24,2009 (the'192 Patent). A true and correct copy of the 'lg2Patent is attached asExhibit A.

10. McGinley, Rimdzius and Kapushion assigned all right, title and interest in and tothe '192 Patent to Plaintiff on November 30. 2007 .

I l. The '192 patent claims the following ornamental design for an electrical charger:

FIGURE 1



4/16

FIGURE 2

INFRINGEMENT OF THE '192 PATENT12. Amazon is the manufacturer and seller of a popular battery operated e-reader

device called the "Kindle."13. On February I0, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2. The Kindle 2 used the

same USB data connection for both data transfer and battery charging. The Kindle 2 comes witha USB cable and an electrical charger. The electrical charger included with every Kindle 2 lookslike this:



5/16

14. From 2009 through2012, millions of Kindle devices, including the Kindle 2,theKindle DX, and the third, fourth and fifth generation Kindles, manufactured and sold by Amazonwere sold with the electrical charger shown above.



6/16

15. Amazon's electrical charger for the Kindle infringes the ornamental design for anelectrical charger of the 'l92Patent.

COUNT IINFRINGEMENT OF U.S. DESIGN PATENT NO. D587.192

AGAINST AMAZON16. Plaintiff re-alleges paragraphs I through 15 above as fully and completely as if setforth herein verbatim.

17 . Defendant Amazon makes, uses, sells, offers to sell andlor imports into the UnitedStates for subsequent distribution, sale or use, products that infringe the 'lg2Patent.

18, Without limiting paragraph 17, Amazon's manufacture and sale of the Kindleelectrical charger constitutes infringement of the 'I92Patent,

19. The activities of Amazon have been done and continue to be done without licenseor permission from Voltstar andlor without authority of Voltstar.

20. The activities of Amazon have been and continue to be to the injury and detrimentand irreparable harm to Voltstar.

WHEREFORE, VOLTSTAR PRAYS :A. For judgment that Amazon has infringed the 'Ig2Patent:B. For an accounting and an award of damages sufficient to compensate Voltstar for

the infringement but in no event less than a reasonable royalty;C. For an award of costs: andD. For such other and further relief as to the Court may appear just and reasonable.



7/16

DEMAND F'OR JURY TRIALPlaintiff demands atrial by jury on all claims so triable.

DATED: August 5,2013Schneider Rothman Intellectual PropertyLaw Group PLLCP.O. Box 812182Boca Raton, FL 33481-2182Tel: 561-404-4350Fax: 561-404-4353Attorneys for Plaintiff

By: /s/ Jerold I. SchneiderJerold I. Schneiderj erol d. schneiderf[Dsriplaw. coniAdmitted to the General Bar of theNorthern District of Illinois-and-Keith A. VogtTakiguchi & Vogt1415 W. 22nd Street, Tower FloorOak Brook, Illinois 60523-2021Tel 773.340.9469Fax 630.423.9558Designated Local Counsel for Plaintiffpursuant to Local Rule 83.15.



8/16

E,XI]IBIT A

Case: 1:13-cv-05570 Document #: 1-1 Filed: 08/05/13 Page 1 of 8 PageID #:8


9/16

(12) United States Design PatentMcGinley et al.

I lil|| liltil ilt ilIil l]ilt l|il tillt ilil |lilt ilil |lilt il]il lt ilil lillus00D587192S1to; Patent No.:ias; Date of Patent:

us D587,192 Sr(* Feb. 24,2009(54) ELECTRICAL CIIARGER(75) Inventors: James W McGinley, Barrington, IL(US); Donald Rimdzius, Addison, IL(US); Joseph L. Kapushion, Erie, CO(US)(73) Assignee: Horizon Technologies, Inc.,

Schaurnberg, IL (US)(**) Tenn: 14 Years(21) Appl. No,: 291293,500(22) Filed: Nov.28,2007(s1) LOC (e) Cr. .,,,.......,..,. .,,,,,,,, 13-02(52) U.S. Cl. ... D13/110(58) Field of Classificatlon Search ..........,..... D13/110,D13ll07, 108, 118, 723, 137.7, 138.1, 199;

307 1105, 151; 3201111, 114; 363115, 76,3631 146; 4391105, 166, 77 7-773, 218, 51 8,4391692,956

See application file for cornplete search history.(s6) References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

D425,480 S r6,086,395 A *D452,842 S *D456,008 S +D483,721 S {D494,138 S +

* cited by examiner

5/2000 Jokinen Dl3/1077/2000 Lloyd et zl. ..,,,..,.,.,...., 43911721/2002 Kajiwara et al. ,..,....,., Dl3/110412002 Kzwatobe et al, ...,..... Dl3/ll0l212003 Kimet al.,..,...,.,,.,,,,,. Dl3/ll08/2004 Adams et al, ........... DI3/138.1

P r i m ary Ex am i ne r-P r abhakar DeshmukhA ss is tant Examiner-Denick Holland(7 4) Attorney, Agent, or Finn-Seyfarth Shaw LLP(57) CLArMThe ornarnental design for an electrical charger, as shown anddescribed.

DESCRIPTIONThis application is related to application Ser. No, 291293,501for Electrical Charger filed Nov,28,20O7 .FIG, L is a perspective view of the front end of an electricalcharger showing ow new design;FIG. 2 is perspective view ofthe back end thereof;FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof, the left side being a mirrorilnage;FIG. 4 is a top plan view thereof, the bottom being a mirrorimage;FIG. 5 is an end view ofthe back end thereof; and,FIG, 6 is an end view ofthe front end thereof.

I Claim, 6 Drawing Sheets

D127,010 s rD338,188 S *D339,563 S ED350,113 S *D381,624 S *6,042,400 A. *

5/1941 Judisch D13/137.18/1993 Lee etal. .,,,..,,,,,,,,,,.,, D13/ll09/1993 Usami Dl3l1078/1994 Nagele DI3/IIO7/1997 Mulleretal. ..,.,.,..,.,,. D13/tl03/2000 Queffelecetal.,,,.,,,,,., 439/131



10/16

U.S. Patent Feb.24,2009 Sheet 1 of6

FIGURE 1

US D587,192 S



11/16

U.S. Patent Feb. 24.2009 Sheet 2 of 6

FIGURE 2

us D587.192 S



12/16

U.S. Patent Feb. 24,2009 Sheet 3 of 6 us D587,192 S

(auMf,c2tL



13/16

U.S. Patent Feb.24,2009 Sheet 4 of6 us D587,192 S

rfIUt:)III



14/16

U.S. Patent Eeb.24,2009 Sheet 5 of 6

FIGURE 5

US D587,192 S



15/16

U.S. Patent Feb. 24.2009 Sheet 6 of 6

FIGURE 6

us D587,192 S



16/16

JS 44 (Rev 09/J t) CIVIL COVER SHEETthe civil docltet sheet. /,SEtt.INSTRUCT\ONS 6t NEXT pA(iE Ol" i'HlS FORM.)

(CI Attornevs rliin Nunc. Addrcs.t. ad ltl,nlutt'NnmbLrtSchneider R6thman lP Law Group, 4651 N. Federal Hwy, Boca Raton,FL 33431; 561-404-4350II. BASIS OF JURISDICTION (Ptuce un "x" in One uox ottty) IIL CITIZENSHIP OF PRINCIPAL PARTIES etucc an "x" in onc Box lbr ptu0 l US GoveunrentPlaintil'fD 2 US Governrnetrl

Det'e ndan t

I. (a) PLAINTIFFSVOLTSTAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. f/K/AHORIZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,(b) Counry of Residence of First Listed Plaintifl CoOk(EXCEPT rN Lr.S. pr,AtNlIFIr CASI,S)

DEFENDANTSAMAZON.COM, INC.,County of Residence of First Listed Defendanc NeW CaStle

(tN II. S. p LA INl' I " '- CA SU S, ONLy)NOTE: lN LAND CONDEMNATION CASES,USETHELOCATION oTHE TRACT OF LAND INVOLVEDA[torneys (u Knovn)

X 3 Federal Question((1.5. (iowrnnent Nol u Pur\))O 4 Diversity(ltl.licqte Citizcnshtp oJ Portie.r in ltem lIl)

(l.it Dit'crsily Cases Only)PTFCitizen ofThis State D I

Citizel ofAlother State J 2Citizen or Subjcct ofa D 3

and Onc Box /br Dcllndant)PTF DElrrcorporatedorPrincipalPlace O 4 Jot'Busiuess In This Statelncor por ated ard Pr incipal Place O 5 DofBusiless Tn Anothel StateForcignNation D 6 D

DEFItlo213

IV. NATURE OF SUIT qn "X" in Onc lloxI l0 [nsurance120 Marinet30 Miller Act[40 Negotiable Instr unrent[ 50 RecoveD/ ol' Ovet paymcnt& Enfor cenrent of Judgmen(l5l Medicar e ActI 52 Recovery ol Dclaulted

S[udent Loans(Excl Veterars)D 153 Recovery ofOverpaymenlofVeteran's BenefitsO 160 Stockholders' SuitsD l90Other ContractO | 95 Contr act Pr oduct LiabilityD | 96 Fr anchise

2 l0 Land Condenrnatiou220 Foreclosure230 Rent Lease & Ejochuent240 Torts to Land245 Tort Product Liabiliry290 All Other Real Properry

DDtrDoDD

ooDoD

V. ORIGINd I original (Pldcc an "X" in One Box Onll)D 2 Removed from D 3 Remanded from

PERSONALINJURY PDRSONALINJURY310 Airplane O 365 Persoual Tnjury -315 AirplaneProduct ProductLiabilityLiabiliry O 367 ltealth Ca.e/320 Assault, Libel & Pharrnaceu[ioalSlandet Personal Injury330 Federal Employers' Product LiabilityLiabiliLy O 368 Asbesros Personal340 Marine lujury Procluct345 Maine Prodnct LiabilityLiability PTRSONAL PROPDRTY350 Motor Vehicle O 370 Othor Fraud355 Motor Vehicle O 371 Truth in LendingProductLiability D 380OtherPersonal360 Other Personal Ptopetty DamageIujury O 385 Proporfy Danrage362 Personal Injury - Product Liability

625 Drug Relatecl SeizureofProporb'21 USC 881690 Other

J 422 Appeal 28 USC 158D 423 Withdrawal28 USC r57

ts 830 PatcrrD 840 Traderrark710 Fair Labor Standards

Act720 Labor/Mgm1, Relations740 Railway Labor Act751 Family ard Medical

Leave Act790 Other Labor Litigation791 Enrpl Ret lnc

Sccurity Act

D 86r HIA ( t395ff)D 862 Black l-ung (923)D 863 Dlwc/D[ww (aos(g))D 864 SSTD Title XVTD 86s Rsl (40s(g))

D 440 Other Civil RightsO 441 VotingO 442 EnrploynrentO 443 Flousing/Accomtnodationsil 445 Anrer w/Disabilities -EmploymetrtD 446 Amer w/Disabilities -OtherO 448 Education

O 510 Motions to VacateSctrtence

Habeas Corpus:O 530 GeneralO 535 Death PenaltyO 540 Mandamus & OtherO 550 Civil RightsO 555 Prisor ConditionO 560 Civil Detainee -Conditions ofConfinement

D 870 Taxes (U S Plaintilfor DefeDdant)D 87llRS-ThirdPaty26 USC 7609

463 I{abeas Corpus -Alien Detainee(Pr isoner Petition)465 Other Imnrigr ationActrons

D 375 False Claiurs AotO 400 State ReapportionnrentO 410 ADtitrustD 430 Banks and BankingD 450 CornnrerccO 460 DeportationD 470 Raci

Date post:	08-Aug-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	sarah-burstein
View:	217 times
Download:	0 times

Voltstar v. Amazon - Complaint

Documents