An Indiana inventor says his invention to speed the microwave oven heating of frozen foods was stolen from him by Birds Eye Foods and Clorox Co.
In a suit filed in Scott County Superior Court, Gary Hopkins is seeking unspecified damages from the companies, which he claims ignored confidentiality agreements on his patented system using plastic containers with pinholes and steam vents to cut in half the time needed to microwave frozen food.
Hopkins claims Birds Eye and Clorox, parent company of GladWare food containers, introduced identical products after seeing his work and refusing to pay him.
I haven’t seen the complaint yet (anyone down in Scott County want to send me a copy?) but the lawsuit apparently has claims of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and misappropriation of trade secrets. No mention of patent infringement, although Hopkins has several related patents:
The Indiana Intellectual Property blog will keep you updated. Follow the link below for the full story, including an interview with Mr. Hopkins.
Source: Indy Star
Michael Jackson was more than a great entertainer and Indiana native. He was also an inventor and U.S. Patent owner. Granted in 1993 to Jackson and two partners, U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, “Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion” covers a “system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes.” The shoes help create the anti-gravity illusion by hitching a heel slot in the shoes to a peg in the stage floor. The patent ended early, on Oct. 26, 2005, after failure to pay a final maintenance fee. Michael’s other legal fees may have taken precedence, or perhaps he felt there was no longer any competitive advantage to doing a “Smooth” lean. The full patent is available through the 
Indiana Intellectual Property Blog 