U.S. Bank wins appeal, invalidates patent relating to check processing methods

Client(s) U.S. Bank National Association

Jones Day successfully represented U.S. Bancorp and Elavon, Inc. on an appeal from a judgment that they had infringed Solutran, Inc.'s patent relating to check processing methods. Jones Day persuaded the Federal Circuit to reverse the judgment and invalidate Solutran's patent. The Federal Circuit ruled that Solutran's patent claim was an unpatentable "abstract idea" because it was directed to "crediting a merchant's account as early as possible," a long-standing commercial practice. The Federal Circuit rejected Solutran's argument that ordering the process steps to make a digital image of the paper checks after crediting was a patentable innovation, and also relied on the fact that Solutran's patent did not claim any technological improvements in electronic check processing.

Solutran, Inc. v. Elavon, Inc., No. 19-01345 (Fed. Cir.); Solutran, Inc. v. U.S. Bancorp, et al., No. 0-13-cv-02637 (D. Minn.)