Stryker Corp. and Stryker Sales Corp. sued Zimmer, Inc. and Zimmer Surgical, Inc. in the Western District of Michigan on November 21, 2014. In its complaint, Stryker alleges that Zimmer’s “TotalShield Surgical Helmet System“ infringes four of Stryker’s patents related to personal protection systems for use in surgical environments: U.S. Patent No. 6,622,311, which issued in 2003; U.S. Patent No. 6,481,019, which issued in 2002; U.S. Patent No. 7,752,682, which issued in 2010; and U.S. Patent No. 8,282,234, which issued in 2012.  A figure from U.S. Patent No. 6,481,019 is shown below.

Stryker seeks damages and an injunction preventing Zimmer from selling any infringing personal protection system products.

Accordining to its website, Plaintiffs Stryker and Stryker Sales are Michigan corporations based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan.  According to Zimmer’s website, Defendants Zimmer and Zimmer Surgical are based in Indiana and Ohio, respectively.