DCT

2:21-cv-00699

Bowen v. Webb

Log In
Key Events
Amended Complaint

I. Executive Summary and Procedural Information

  • Parties & Counsel:
  • Case Identification: 2:21-cv-00699, D. Utah, 04/05/2022
  • Venue Allegations: Venue is alleged to be proper in the District of Utah because the Defendants have a physical, regular, and established place of business in the district and have committed the alleged acts of infringement there.
  • Core Dispute: Plaintiff alleges that Defendants’ "Stairslide" product, a modular slide for staircases, infringes a patent related to removable stair slides.
  • Technical Context: The technology concerns recreational equipment, specifically a portable slide apparatus designed for temporary installation and use on an indoor staircase.
  • Key Procedural History: The complaint alleges that Defendants had knowledge of their infringement since at least the patent application's publication date and were explicitly notified of the dispute by Plaintiff's counsel prior to the lawsuit.

Case Timeline

Date Event
2012-04-20 '729 Patent Priority Date
2014-10-16 '729 Patent Application Publication Date
2016-11-22 '729 Patent Issue Date
2021-04-20 Date Plaintiff's counsel allegedly contacted Defendants
2022-04-05 Amended Complaint Filing Date

II. Technology and Patent(s)-in-Suit Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 9,498,729 - "Removable Stair Slide"

  • Patent Identification: U.S. Patent No. 9,498,729, "Removable Stair Slide," issued November 22, 2016.

The Invention Explained

  • Problem Addressed: The patent's background section identifies several drawbacks of conventional outdoor slides, including dependency on weather, the need for significant yard space, and potential safety hazards for young children or at night (U.S. Patent No. 9,498,729, col. 1:16-28).
  • The Patented Solution: The invention is a slide apparatus designed to be removably placed on an indoor staircase. It consists of a slide portion, which is laid over the stairs, and an anchor member coupled to the top end of the slide ('729 Patent, Abstract). This anchor member is described in embodiments as being adjustable and configured to be secured between vertical surfaces of the staircase, such as opposing walls, to hold the slide in place ('729 Patent, col. 1:47-53). The slide portion itself can be constructed from various materials, with some embodiments featuring a slick top surface for sliding and a gripping bottom surface to prevent movement on the stairs ('729 Patent, col. 2:51-67).
  • Technical Importance: The described invention offers a method for providing an indoor sliding experience, decoupling the activity from outdoor constraints like weather and available space ('729 Patent, col. 1:16-28).

Key Claims at a Glance

  • The complaint asserts infringement of at least independent claim 1 ('Compl. ¶18).
  • The essential elements of independent claim 1 are:
    • A slide apparatus for use on one or more stairs of a staircase, comprising a proximal end and a distal end;
    • An anchor portion extending from the proximal end of the slide apparatus and configured to secure the slide apparatus to the one or more stairs of the staircase; and
    • A slide portion having a first surface and a second surface, where the first surface is placed over the stairs to contact them, and the second surface is conducive to sliding.
  • The complaint reserves the right to assert other claims, and the prayer for relief seeks judgment on "one or more claims" of the patent (Prayer for Relief, ¶B).

III. The Accused Instrumentality

Product Identification

Functionality and Market Context

  • The Accused Product is described as a modular slide system for staircases, where individual sections can nest into one another to create a slide of adjustable length (Compl. ¶25). The complaint alleges the product features a curved top section that functions as an anchor by resting on the top stair, and a main body that is placed over the stairs for sliding (Compl. ¶26, ¶28). An instructional graphic from the Defendant's website shows the curved top section being placed against the top stair to begin setup (Compl. p. 6). The product is marketed and sold through the website stairslide.com (Compl. ¶24, fn. 1). A photograph from the defendant's materials shows the accused product in use on a staircase (Compl. p. 7).

IV. Analysis of Infringement Allegations

’971 Patent Infringement Allegations

| Claim Element (from Independent Claim 1) | Alleged Infringing Functionality - |:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Complaint Citation | Patent Citation |
| a slide apparatus for use on one or more stairs of a staircase, the slide apparatus comprising: a proximal end; a distal end; - | The Accused Product is a slide apparatus designed for use on stairs, comprising a proximal and distal end. - | ¶24 | col. 6:61-62 |
| an anchor portion extending from the proximal end of the slide apparatus and configured to secure the slide apparatus to the one or more stairs of the staircase; and - | The Accused Product allegedly includes an anchor portion at its proximal end, described as a "curved part at top," which is configured to secure the slide to the stairs. An instructional graphic shows the curved top portion of the slide, which the complaint alleges functions as the claimed anchor portion (Compl. p. 6). | ¶26 | col. 6:63-66 |
| a slide portion having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is placed over the one or more stairs of a staircase such that at least a portion of the first surface is in contact with at least a portion of the one or more stairs of the staircase and wherein the second surface is conducive to sliding. | The Accused Product has a slide portion with a first (bottom) surface that rests on the stairs and a second (top) surface for sliding. A graphic from the defendant's website illustrates how multiple 'Stairslide' sections can be nested and extended to cover a varying number of stairs (Compl. p. 5). - | ¶28 | col. 7:1-6 |

  • Identified Points of Contention:
    • Scope Questions: A central question may be whether the accused product's static, curved top piece, which appears to rest on the nose of the top stair, meets the claim limitation of an "anchor portion... configured to secure the slide apparatus." The court will need to determine if "securing" requires more than passive placement or gravitational force.
    • Technical Questions: The complaint alleges the accused product’s curved top piece functions as an anchor, but the primary embodiment described in the patent is an adjustable member that actively fastens between vertical surfaces of a staircase ('729 Patent, Fig. 4). This raises the question of whether there is a functional mismatch between the mechanism described in the patent and the structure of the accused product.

V. Key Claim Terms for Construction

  • The Term: "anchor portion"
  • Context and Importance: The outcome of the infringement analysis may depend heavily on the construction of this term. The dispute will likely focus on whether the accused product's static, curved top section, which rests on a stair, can be considered an "anchor portion" as contemplated by the patent.
  • Intrinsic Evidence for Interpretation:
    • Evidence for a Broader Interpretation: The plaintiff may argue that the claim language itself—"an anchor portion... configured to secure the slide apparatus"—is broad and does not recite the specific extendable rod structure shown in the patent's figures ('729 Patent, col. 6:63-66).
    • Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation: The defendant may argue that the specification consistently describes the "anchor member" as an active component that moves between contracted and extended positions to be "secured between a first vertical surface of the staircase and a second vertical surface" ('729 Patent, Abstract; col. 3:30-41). This could support an interpretation that limits the term to structures that provide a similar type of active, compressive securing force, rather than merely resting on a horizontal surface.

VI. Other Allegations

  • Willful Infringement: The complaint alleges willful infringement based on two grounds. First, it alleges Defendants had knowledge of the patent "since at least October 16, 2014, when the ‘729 patent published" (Compl. ¶20). Second, it alleges Defendants had actual knowledge of their infringement "since at least April 20, 2021, when counsel for Plaintiff contacted Defendants regarding this dispute" and continued to infringe thereafter (Compl. ¶15).

VII. Analyst’s Conclusion: Key Questions for the Case

  • A core issue will be one of claim construction: can the term "anchor portion," which the patent specification primarily describes as an adjustable, securing rod, be construed to cover the accused product's static, curved top piece that rests on a stair tread? The resolution of this question will likely be dispositive for infringement.
  • A related evidentiary question will be one of functional operation: does the accused product’s top section perform the function of "securing" the apparatus in the manner required by the claim, or does it merely provide a starting point for the slide that is held in place by gravity and friction? The evidence presented on how the accused product interacts with a staircase will be critical.