Power Probe Group, Inc. v. Fisher Tool Company, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-01320 (M.D.N.C.), is a 12-page patent complaint filed November 6, 2026, with a jury demand. The complaint says Power Probe Group, Inc. is a Delaware corporation in Charlotte, North Carolina. It alleges, on information and belief, that Fisher Tool Company, Inc. d/b/a Astro Pneumatic Tool Company, which the complaint calls AstroTools, is a California corporation in South El Monte, California. It alleges, on information and belief, that AstroTools is registered to do business in North Carolina and maintains a registered office in Mount Airy, North Carolina, in Surry County, within this district.
The patent and the accused product
U.S. Patent 11,054,093 is titled Modular Lighting System. It issued July 6, 2021, from Application No. 15/900,635, filed February 20, 2018, and was published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0257484 A1 on August 22, 2019. It names Joshua Carton and Wayne Russell as inventors and lists Power Probe Group, Inc. as assignee, and it issued with eleven claims. The complaint gives the same title, dates, inventors, and claim count. It alleges that Power Probe, as owner of the patent, holds all title to and interest in it, and that the patent's validity has never been challenged.
The complaint identifies the accused product as the AstroTools MWL2250 Modular 2,250 Lumens Rechargeable Work Light. It says the product is a lighting system with three detachable lighting elements, an enclosure retaining those elements, and a detachable power cable. It alleges, on information and belief, that AstroTools has infringed and continues to infringe the patent by making, distributing, offering for sale, selling, and/or importing the accused product in the United States, that AstroTools manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes the accused product to customers through a nationwide distribution network, including to customers in North Carolina and in this district, and that it manufactures products like the accused product and sells them through a nationwide distribution network of mobile tool truck brands and automotive wholesalers. It alleges, on information and belief, that AstroTools manufactures the accused product for sale as a white label product to at least one distributor in that network. The complaint says Power Probe makes, offers to sell, and sells a modular work light series that practices the patent, namely the MWL1000 Modular Work Light.
What the patent covers
U.S. Patent 11,054,093 covers a modular lighting system. Claim 1 covers a system with at least two detachable lighting elements, an enclosure configured to retain those elements, and a detachable power cable that is capable of being communicatively coupled to a power source. Each detachable lighting element includes a lighting source, a base area comprising a magnetic retainer configured to attach with a metal surface of a work area, and an independent power source. Each element is adapted to swivel, about a swivel axis parallel to the metal surface of the work area and near the base area, substantially a full range from zero to at least ninety degrees within a plane perpendicular to the metal surface when the base area is attached, which the claim says enables control of the degree of illumination of work areas. When the elements are retained in the enclosure, the swivel axis of each is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the enclosure. The complaint quotes that claim as exemplary independent claim 1.
What the lawsuit is about
Count I is the only count. The heading is direct patent infringement, and the count cites 35 U.S.C. § 271(a). The complaint alleges that AstroTools has infringed and continues to directly infringe one or more claims of the patent, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents, by making, using, selling, or offering for sale the accused product in the United States, or importing it, including in this district. It says a claim chart attached as Exhibit 4 shows that the accused product infringes at least claim 1. The complaint pleads subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1338(a). It alleges that venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(b)(2) and 1400(b).
The complaint alleges, on information and belief, that AstroTools has known of the patent and that the infringement has been willful. It says that on or about October 7, 2026, Power Probe, through counsel, wrote AstroTools about its sale of the accused product, and that the letter noted AstroTools' prior acknowledgement, in email correspondence with Power Probe, of overlap between the accused product and the patent. It alleges that continued infringement with that knowledge is willful and supports treble damages under 35 U.S.C. § 284. It alleges that the infringement renders the case exceptional under 35 U.S.C. § 285. It alleges irreparable harm, no adequate remedy at law, and no commercially available non-infringing alternative.
The prayer asks for a judgment that AstroTools has directly infringed one or more claims; a preliminary and permanent injunction; damages adequate to compensate Power Probe, in no event less than a reasonable royalty, with pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; treble damages for any infringement found to be willful, under 35 U.S.C. § 284, plus pre-judgment interest; a judgment that the case is exceptional, with costs and reasonable attorneys' fees under 35 U.S.C. § 285; and other relief the court deems just and proper. The complaint reserves the right, after further investigation and discovery, to assert further claims.
What to watch next
The docket lists the complaint, a corporate disclosure statement, and two notices of attorney appearance for the plaintiff, each entered November 6, 2026. Watch for service of the complaint and for an answer or a Rule 12 motion. The case can end at any time, including by settlement or voluntary dismissal.