Computer Docking Station Corp. v. Dell, Inc.

Computer Docking Station Corp. (CDSC) (plaintiff) held a patent on a "brick" computer lacking a built-in display or keyboard, connectable to external peripherals through docking connectors; during patent prosecution, to overcome a rejection based on a prior laptop-and-docking-module patent (Herron), CDSC characterized its invention in terms that excluded laptops with built-in displays and keyboards. CDSC sued Dell and others (defendants) for infringement based on portable computers that did have built-in displays and keyboards; the district court granted summary judgment for Dell, and CDSC appealed.