Robert Bosch, GmbH v. Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc.
Infringement action filed 4 Apr 2022 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and closed 31 Jan 2023, with 2 patents asserted. Recorded basis of termination: case dismissed.
Case record
- Patents involved
- US6298829B1US6575138B2
- Case no.
- 1:22-cv-00370
- Verdict cause
- Infringement action
- Court
- E.D. Va.
- Court level
- District Court
- Case region
- Virgin Islands of the United States
- Chief judge
- None recorded
- Trial level
- First instance
- Filed – Closed
- 4 Apr 2022 – 31 Jan 2023
- Duration
- 302 days
- Basis of termination
- Case Dismissed
- Products & marks
- Directly actuated injection valve
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Directly actuated injection valve
A directly actuated injection valve comprises a hollow valve housing, a valve needle disposed within the hollow interior, a needle spring, an actuator assembly, and a hydraulic link assembly. The valve needle is movable between a closed position and an open position for governing the flow of fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. The displacement of the valve needle from the closed position is defined as the lift. The a needle spring biases the valve needle in the closed position. The actuator assembly generates an opening force that acts against the needle spring to open the valve. The hydraulic link assembly is interposed between the valve needle and the needle spring and the actuator assembly. The hydraulic link assembly transmits respective closing and opening forces to the valve needle. The hydraulic link preferably comprises a piston disposed within a cylinder that is filled with a hydraulic fluid. The opening and closing forces are transmitted through a thickness of the hydraulic fluid that is trapped between the planar surfaces of the piston and the head and base of the hydraulic cylinder. In the preferred embodiment, the thickness of the hydraulic fluid trapped between the piston and cylinder head or base is automatically adjustable in response to changes in the dimensional relationship between components of the injection valve to maintain a desired valve needle lift when the actuator assembly is activated. When the actuator assembly comprises a magnetostrictive or piezoelectric member, the movements of the valve needle can be controlled by the application of a shaped control pulse or waveform to improve the speed of the opening and closing motion of the valve needle, and to reduce the impact of the valve needle on the valve seat upon closing.
- Legal status
- Inactive
- Granted
- 9 Oct 2001
- Est. expiry
- 9 Mar 2020
- Validity challenges
- 2 on recordIPR2023-00352 · Patentability · filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLCIPR2023-00292 · Patentability · filed by ROBERT BOSCH LLC
- Licences recorded
- None recorded
- Inventors
- WELCH, ALAN B. · RAHARDJA, IRAWAN · HEBBES, MIKE
- Classification
- F02D41/20F02M61/10F02M61/16F02M61/08F02M61/00F02M21/02F02M51/06F02M51/00F02M63/00F02M47/00F02M47/04
- Prosecution counsel
- Porter Hedges LLP
- Examiner
- YUEN, HENRY C.
Directly actuated injection valve
A directly actuated injection valve comprises a hollow valve housing, a valve member disposed within the hollow interior, a biasing mechanism, an actuator assembly and a passive hydraulic link assembly. The valve member is movable between a closed position and an open position for governing the flow of fuel into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. The biasing mechanism, preferably a spring, biases the valve member in the closed position. The actuator assembly generates an opening force that acts against the valve spring to open the valve. The hydraulic link assembly is interposed between the valve member and the valve spring and the actuator assembly. The hydraulic link assembly transmits respective closing and opening forces to the valve member. The hydraulic link preferably comprises a piston disposed within a cylinder that is filled with a hydraulic fluid.
- Legal status
- Inactive
- Granted
- 10 Jun 2003
- Est. expiry
- 24 Jun 2020
- Validity challenges
- 2 on recordIPR2023-00351 · Patentability · filed by Mercedes-Benz USA, LLCIPR2023-00293 · Patentability · filed by ROBERT BOSCH LLC and MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC
- Licences recorded
- None recorded
- Inventors
- WELCH, ALAN B. · RAHARDJA, IRAWAN · HEBBES, MIKE
- Classification
- F02M61/16F02M61/08F02D41/20F02M61/00F02M61/10F02M21/02F02M51/06F02M51/00F02M63/00F02M47/00F02M47/04
- Prosecution counsel
- Porter Hedges LLP
- Examiner
- GIMIE, MAHMOUD
Parties of record
Robert Bosch, GmbH
- Core tech
- Not recorded
- Counsel
- Bas de Blank · Harrison Tasos Geron · Michael Ching-Yue Chow · Sten A. Jensen
- Firm
- Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (CA-NA)
Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc.
- Core tech
- F02D41/20F02M61/10F02M61/16F02M61/08
- Counsel
- Joshua Forrest Pescud Long · Miranda Yan Jones · Ray Thomas Torgerson · Richard Hooper Ottinger
- Firm
- Porter & Hedges LLP (TX-NA), Woods Rogers V & eventer Black PLC
Counsel of record
| Attorney | For | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bas de Blank | Robert Bosch, GmbH | Plaintiff |
| Harrison Tasos Geron | Robert Bosch, GmbH | Plaintiff |
| Michael Ching-Yue Chow | Robert Bosch, GmbH | Plaintiff |
| Sten A. Jensen | Robert Bosch, GmbH | Plaintiff |
| Joshua Forrest Pescud Long | Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc. | Defendant |
| Miranda Yan Jones | Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc. | Defendant |
| Ray Thomas Torgerson | Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc. | Defendant |
| Richard Hooper Ottinger | Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc. | Defendant |
Basis of termination
From the record · verbatim“Plaintiff Robert Bosch, LLC (“Bosch”) provides this Notice of Supplemental Authority to inform the Court of recent orders relevant to Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc.’s (“Westport”) pending motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 17) and related litigation. On December 15, 2021, Westport filed five cases in the Eastern District of Texas alleging that certain car manufacturers infringed two Westport patents by selling vehicles that included a fuel injector sold by Bosch.1 On April 4, 2022, Bosch filed this suit seeking a declaration that the accused fuel injector does not infringe those two Westport patents. Dkt. No. 1. On May 27, 2022, Westport moved to dismiss this action for lack of jurisdiction or, alternatively, transfer it to the Eastern District of Texas. Dkt. No. 17. That motion is fully briefed. After briefing on Westport’s motion to dismiss was complete, all of the pending Texas cases have been dismissed or stayed in favor of this proceeding. As reported in Bosch’s September 14, 2022 Notice of Supplemental Authority, the cases Westport brought against Mercedes, Nissan, These cases are captioned Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc. v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 2:21-cv-453; Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc. v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, Case No. 2:21- cv-454; Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc. v. Nissan North America, Inc, Case No. 2:21-cv-455; Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc. v. General Motors, LLC, Case No. 2:21-cv-456; and Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc. v. FCA USA LLC D/B/A FCA Group US LLC, Case No. 2:21-cv-457. Case 1:22-cv-00370-RDA-JFA Document 37 Filed 01/24/23 Page 1 of 4 PageID# 2124 2 and FCA were dismissed for lack of venue and the deadline for Westport to appeal those dismissals has passed. On January 19 and 20, 2023, the Magistrate Judge issued the attached orders staying the Ford and GM cases “pending resolution of the declaratory judgment action in the Eastern District of Virginia.”2 See Ex. A at 7 & Ex. B at 7. These decisions in the Texas cases are relevant to Westport’s pending motion to dismiss or transfer this case. In addition, Bosch wishes to inform the Court of additional litigation related to the patentsin-suit. On December 14, 2022, Robert Bosch LLC and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC filed petitions asking the Patent Office to institute Inter Partes Review of the asserted Westport patents.3 And, on December 14, 2022, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC filed two additional IPR petitions challenging the same Westport patents on additional grounds.4 All four IPRs are pending, Westport may provide a patent owner response no later than March 23, 2023, and the Patent Office’s deadline to issue an institution decision is June 23, 2023”
Case 1:22-cv-00370 · E.D. Va. · closed 31 January 2023
Related cases
Three questions this record usually leads to. Each one runs against the full litigation and patent corpus, and cites what it finds.
Frequently asked questions
What is case 1:22-cv-00370?
1:22-cv-00370 is a patent infringement action brought by Robert Bosch, GmbH against Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc., filed on 4 Apr 2022 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The case closed on 31 January 2023.
Which patents were asserted in 1:22-cv-00370?
US6298829B1 (“Directly actuated injection valve”), assigned to WESTPORT FUEL SYSTEMS CANADA INC., currently inactive; US6575138B2 (“Directly actuated injection valve”), assigned to WESTPORT FUEL SYSTEMS CANADA INC., currently inactive. The record also lists Directly actuated injection valve.
How was case 1:22-cv-00370 terminated?
The recorded basis of termination is case dismissed. The termination text reads: “Plaintiff Robert Bosch, LLC (“Bosch”) provides this Notice of Supplemental Authority to inform the Court of recent orders relevant to Westport Fuel Systems Canada, Inc.’s (“Westport”) pending motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 17) and related litigation. On December 15, 2021, Westport filed five cases in the Eastern District of Texas alleging that certain car manufacturers infringed two Westport patents by selling vehicles that included a fuel injector sold by Bosch.1 On April 4, 2022, Bosch filed this suit seeking a declaration that the accused fuel injector does not infringe those two Westport pat
What does transfer mean?
A transfer moves the case to another district rather than deciding it. The action continues there under a new case number.
How long did case 1:22-cv-00370 take?
302 calendar days, from filing on 4 Apr 2022 to closure on 31 January 2023.
Who were the attorneys and the judge in 1:22-cv-00370?
Bas de Blank, Harrison Tasos Geron, Michael Ching-Yue Chow and Sten A. Jensen are recorded as counsel for plaintiff Robert Bosch. Joshua Forrest Pescud Long, Miranda Yan Jones, Ray Thomas Torgerson and Richard Hooper Ottinger appear for defendant Westport Fuel Systems Canada.
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