Bridge v. Excelsior Manuf'g Co. , 12 F. 928 ( 1881 )

Mr. Justice Bradley

delivered the opinion of the court affirming the decree: Cam movements, and others of like character, producing simultaneous operations, according to the needs of the case, such as opening valves on steam-engine, are in such common use that it requires but little invention to adapt them to a particular case; and, when used for an automatic device, the patentee is only entitled to the precise device which he has described and claimed in his patent.