In re Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.

496 F.3d 1374 (2007)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

In re Icon Health & Fitness, Inc.

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
496 F.3d 1374 (2007)

Facts

Icon Health & Fitness, Inc. (Icon) (plaintiff) applied for a patent disclosing a foldable treadmill capable of being stored upright. The patent claims disclosed a gas spring connecting the base and upright component, allowing the treadmill to remain stable in the upright position. The patent examiner rejected Icon’s patent, finding the claims obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103 based on two prior art references: (1) the Damark advertisement, which described a folding treadmill; and (2) the Teague patent, which described a bed capable of folding up into a cabinet. The Damark advertisement anticipated each of Icon’s claims except for the gas spring component. The Teague patent demonstrated a dual-action spring providing support and stability for the folding bed in both the open and closed positions. Icon appealed the examiner’s decision, contending that the Teague patent did not constitute analogous prior art for purposes of an obviousness analysis. The Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (Board) affirmed the rejection, finding that both Teague’s and Icon’s patents were directed to the purpose of maintaining a folding mechanism in a stable position, and Teague’s patent thus properly constituted analogous art. Icon appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Prost, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 811,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials
  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership