BURLINGTON, Iowa (Nov. 15, 2011) – Winegard Company, manufacturer of the Carryout® portable automatic satellite system, announced that it has won a favorable jury verdict in its patent invalidity lawsuit against Electronic Controlled Systems, Inc. d/b/a King Controls in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.  The jury declared all asserted claims of two King Controls' patents invalid.  

King Controls had accused Winegard's Carryout® product of infringing claims of two U.S. Patents owned by King Controls.  Winegard challenged the validity of the patents on various grounds.  After a five-day trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Winegard in just over two hours of deliberations.  King Controls had asked the jury to award it $5 million in damages plus future royalties. Earlier in trial, King Controls withdrew its request that the court treble any damages awarded.  This jury verdict substantiates a recent determination of invalidity by the U.S. Patent Office in re-examination proceedings on both King Controls patents, evidence of which was excluded from the jury at trial.

Winegard was represented by Robert V.P. Waterman, Jr., April A. Marshall, and Joshua T. Mandelbaum from the law firm of Lane & Waterman LLP in Davenport, Iowa.   

Carryout® Automatic Portable Satellite TV Antenna by Winegard

The Winegard Carryout portable antenna provides television entertainment anytime, anyplace.  Initially designed to provide a signal for America’s RVing industry, the concept quickly caught on for camping, tailgating, racing, cabins, vacation homes, backyard BBQs and more. The Carryout is 100 percent automatic and is compatible with DIRECTV® and DISH Network® in the U.S. and Bell TV™ in Canada.  It can receive HD programming for both DISH Network and Bell TV.  It also works with most receivers, eliminating the need to buy a specific additional receiver. Single satellite viewing antenna with two coax inputs allow for multiple receiver hook up enabling owners to watch different programming on two TVs at the same time.  

The antenna plugs into a 12V outlet and can be connected to a 12V power converter (sold separately) so it can work with a standard 110V outlet. The Carryout features an easy grip handle and an eyelet is attached to the base, allowing the unit to be locked up for added security.  It includes a 50’ power and coaxial cable, has a 15.6” dome height and 20” diameter.  For more information on the Winegard Carryout, visit http://www.winegard.com/carryout or call 800-288-8094.

About Winegard

Winegard Company is a respected world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative antenna products for satellite and terrestrial communications. Since its founding in 1954, Winegard’s pioneering solutions have shaped the industry for home, recreational vehicle (RV), truck, marine, medical and automotive antennas. The company’s VSAT 2-way antennas provide real-time broadband solutions for extreme and remote environments in support of the oil and gas industries, as well as military and emergency response teams. Winegard is a privately-owned company that designed the first antenna for the U.S. It has designed more than 1,000 antenna models and does custom antenna design and development work. To learn more about Burlington, Iowa-based Winegard, visit http://www.winegard.com or call 800-288-8094.