OFF BEAT: Heinz in a squeeze over ketchup packet design

An Illinois man has put the makers of Heinz ketchup in legal pickle, claiming the company stole his idea for a better ketchup packet.

On Aug. 1, Scott Alan White filed a patent infringement suit against H.J. Heinz Co. L.P. in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. White claims Heinz’s new “Dip & Squeeze” condiment packets bear too close a resemblance to his invention, the CondiCup, which is designed to fit into a vehicle’s cup holder and designed to enable either dipping or squeezing of a condiment.

According to lawsuit, Mr. White, a fast food and drive-through window customer, conceived the dual-purpose packet in a “flash of inspiration” and filed a patent application for his invention in October 2005. The lawsuit also states that Mr. White briefed Heinz executives about his invention in summer 2006.

Judge Marvin E. Aspen is scheduled to hear the case.

“Heinz won a similar lawsuit earlier this summer," a Heinz spokeswoman said in an email. "This is another frivolous lawsuit, and we will aggressively defend our position and demonstrate that the allegations are groundless and without merit.”