Coca-Cola Keeps Win Over Rothschild Beverage-Dispenser Patent

The Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s ruling that Coca-Cola Co.'s Freestyle soda dispensers don’t infringe a patent belonging to Rothschild Connected Devices Innovations LLC.

A set of steps in the 11th claim of RCDI’s US Patent No. 8,417,377, which describes using a drink dispenser, should be interpreted to occur “in the order in which they are written,” wrote Judge Sharon Prost of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a Tuesday opinion. Under such an interpretation, Prost noted it was undisputed by the parties that Coca-Cola’s “Freestyle"-branded dispensers operate differently from the ‘377 patent. ...