After initiating an action in the Southern District of Illinois against The Coca-Cola Company (“Coca-Cola”) for patent infringement of seven patents, Beverage Dispensing Solutions, LLC (“BDS”) stipulated to transfer of the case to the Northern District of Georgia on January 22, 2014, based on the convenience of the parties and witnesses.

 The BDS complaint alleges that the Coke Freestyle beverage dispensing machines infringe seven patents invented by Henry Lee Crisp, III.  In seven separate counts, BDS alleges that the Coke Freestyle product directly infringes each product and either indirectly infringes, contributes to indirect infringement, or induces indirect infringement of each of the following seven patents:

U.S. Patent No. 6,986,263

U.S. Patent No. 7,356,381

U.S. Patent No. 8,103,378

U.S. Patent No. 8,190,290

U.S. Patent No. 8,290,615

 U.S. Patent No. 8,290,616

 U.S. Patent No. 8,548,624

 Selected figures from the patents appear below:

While alleging infringement, the BDS complaint does not elaborate on the specifics of the infringement or point out particular infringing attributes of the accused Coca-Cola dispensers.

The case is Beverage Dispensing Solutions, LLC v. The Coca-Cola Company, No. 1:14-cv-00220-TCB, transferred from the Southern District of Illinois to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.