- Palo Alto Networks, Inc. v. Centripetal Networks, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Mar 22, 2022 · IPR2021-01520 · APJ Steven M Amundson · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of inter partes review of claims 1, 2, 4, 9-11, 13, 18, and 19 under § 325(d), finding the same art had been evaluated and no material Office error was shown.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDenied
“If “either condition of first part of the framework is satisfied,” we must then determine “whether the petitioner has demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of challenged claims.” Advanced Bionics, Paper 6 at 8. “An example of a material error may include misapprehending or overlooking specific teachings of the relevant prior art where those teachings impact patentability of the challenged claims.” Id. at 8 n.9.” slip op. at 16
- Other 314aNot reached
“III. DISCRETIONARY DENIAL Patent Owner argues that we should exercise our discretion under § 314(a) or § 325(d) to deny institution. See Prelim. Resp. 13–43; Prelim. Sur-reply 1–8; 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a), 325(d). Petitioner argues that we should decline to exercise our discretion to deny institution. See Pet. 8–12; Prelim. Reply 1–10. For the reasons explained below, we exercise our discretion under § 325(d) to deny institution. Because we exercise our discretion under § 325(d) to deny institution, we do not reach discretionary denial under § 314(a).” slip op. at 15
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,686,193 - Palo Alto Networks, Inc. v. Centripetal Networks, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Jan 24, 2022 · IPR2021-01270 · APJ Lynne E Pettigrew · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of review of claims 2–5, 11–14, 22, 23, and 26–28 under § 325(d) because substantially the same prior art was previously presented and material Office error was not shown.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDenied
“applicant, such as on an [IDS].” Advanced Bionics, Paper 6 at 7–8. Because it was submitted in an IDS during prosecution of the ’380 patent, Sourcefire qualifies as art that was “previously presented” to the Office.” slip op. at 14
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied
“Bionics framework, and based on the particular circumstances here, we conclude that the same or substantially the same prior art as in the Petition was presented previously to the Office, and Petitioner has not demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to patentability of the challenged claims. Accordingly, we determine that discretionary denial of the Petition under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) is appropriate. IV. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, we exercise our discretion to deny institution under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d). V. ORDER Accordingly, it is ORDERED that the Petition is denied, and no inter partes review is instituted.” slip op. at 18
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 10,735,380 - Palo Alto Networks, Inc. v. Centripetal Networks, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Jan 24, 2022 · IPR2021-01156 · APJ Lynne E Pettigrew · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of IPR challenging claims 1, 6–10, 15–21, 24, 25, 29, and 30, because the same prior art was previously presented and no material Office error was shown.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“presented to the Office. Section 325(d) states, in relevant part, “[in] determining whether to institute or order a proceeding under this chapter, chapter 30, or chapter 31, the Director may take into account whether, and reject the petition or request because, the same or substantially the same prior art or arguments previously were presented to the Office.” The Board uses the following two-part framework in determining whether to exercise discretion under § 325(d) to deny institution: (1) whether the same or substantially the same art previously was presented to the Office or whether the same or substantially the same arguments previously were presented to the Office; and (2) if either condition of the first part of the framework is satisfied, whether the petitioner has demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of challenged claims.” slip op. at 9
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 10,735,380 - Palo Alto Networks, Inc. v. Centripetal Networks, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Jan 20, 2022 · IPR2021-01155 · APJ Jon M Jurgovan · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of IPR challenging claims 1–20 under § 325(d), finding the asserted art and arguments were previously presented and Petitioner failed to show material Office error.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“Examiner during prosecution of the ’343 patent and that Mantripragada is cumulative to Buck, which was considered during prosecution of the ’343 patent. We further find that Patent Owner’s argument during prosecution that the packet transformation function is configured “to prevent an exfiltration operation” resulted in allowance of the claims of the ’343 patent, which overlaps with the argument that Patent Owner makes in this case against Petitioner’s challenges. Prelim. Resp. 35–36. Petitioner has not shown that the two-stage filtering process was a basis for the Examiner’s allowance of the claims of the ’343 patent over the cited prior art. We, therefore, find that the same or substantially the same prior art, and the same or substantially the same arguments, previously were presented to the Office under the first part of the Advanced Bionics framework.” slip op. at 16
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert discountedDecided for patent owner
“extent to which additional evidence and facts presented in the Petition warrant reconsideration of the prior art or arguments. Petitioner’s declarant testifies regarding the prosecution history of the ’343 patent. Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 85–90. He concludes that “the ’343 Patent claims were apparently allowed because the Examiner concluded that the prior art of record failed to disclose a two-stage packet filtering process,” mirroring Petitioner’s argument. Id. ¶ 90. Petitioner’s declarant does not indicate how the facts support this conclusion. As mentioned, Patent Owner’s argument during prosecution leading to allowance was that the ’343 patent’s claims recite applying the packet transformation function configured to prevent an exfiltration operation. Ex. 1002, 1614–1615, 1639. Petitioner’s declarant does not explain sufficiently where in the prosecution history Patent Owner argued that a two-stage packet filtering process distinguished the ’343 patent’s claims over the prior art, or where the Examiner allowed the claims because of two-stage packet filtering. Accordingly, lacking evidentiary support, the declarant’s testimony is entitled to little or no weight on this point. 37 C.F.R. § 42.65(a). Thus, we see no additional evidence or facts in the Petition that warrant reconsideration of the prior art. Therefore, we find that Petitioner has not demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of the challenged claims under the second part of the Advanced Bionics framework.” slip op. at 18
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 10,567,343 - Nikon Corporation v. Carl Zeiss AG And ASML Netherlands B.V.Rehearing deniedPTAB · Feb 1, 2019 · IPR2018-00686 · APJ Bryan F Moore · IPR · Rehearing
The Board denied Nikon’s rehearing request, leaving institution denied for claims 1–5, 7–10, 16, 24, and 30–33 based on § 325(d) and the priority-date analysis.
RulingsRehearing decision- RehearingRehearing, deniedDenied
“37 C.F.R. § 42.71(d) provides that: A party dissatisfied with a decision may file a request for rehearing, without prior authorization from the Board. The burden of showing a decision should be modified lies with the party challenging the decision. The request must specifically 1 The Petition, in an apparent typographic error, omits claim 5 from its listing of challenged claims on page 1. identify all matters the party believes the Board misapprehended or overlooked, and the place where each matter was previously addressed in a motion, opposition, or a reply. (Emphasis added.) See Office Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48756, 48768 (Aug. 14, 2012). Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c), “[w]hen rehearing a decision on petition, a panel will review the decision for an abuse of discretion.” An abuse of discretion occurs when a “decision was based on an erroneous conclusion of law or clearly erroneous factual findings, or . . . a clear error of judgment.” PPG Indus. Inc. v. Celanese Polymer Specialties Co. Inc., 840 F.2d 1565, 1567 (Fed. Cir. 1988) (citations omitted).” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“In the Institution Decision, we denied institution of Ground 1 based on our discretion under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d). Inst. Dec. 17. Specifically, we determined that the Kaifu reference relied on by Petitioner was considered during prosecution. Id. Petitioner asserts that we misapprehended or overlooked its arguments regarding why its contentions as to Kaifu were not considered by the Examiner.” slip op. at 3
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Written description adequateEntitled to earlier dateDecided for patent owner
“written description. To satisfy the written description requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 112 ¶ 1, the specification must “clearly allow persons of ordinary skill in the art to recognize that the inventor invented what is claimed.” Ariad Pharm., Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co., 598 F.3d 1336, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (internal brackets omitted) (en banc) (quoting Vas–Cath Inc. v. Mahurkar, 935 F.2d 1555, 1563 (Fed. Cir. 1991)). Thus, the specification must reasonably convey to those skilled in the art that the inventor possessed, at the time of filing, the subject matter that he or she has claimed. Id. “[T]he level of detail required to satisfy the written description requirement varies depending on the nature and scope of the claims and on the complexity and predictability of the relevant technology.” Id. Whether a specification complies with the written description requirement is a question of fact. Id. at 1351, 1355. Entitlement to a filing date extends only to subject matter that is disclosed, not to that which is obvious. Lockwood v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 107 F.3d 1565, 1571–72 (Fed. Cir. 1997).” slip op. at 7
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for patent owner
“We determine that because the open ended term “comprising” was used in the original claim reciting “a” signal, the recitation of “a” signal and “one or more” signals would have the same scope. An indefinite article, such as “a,” in patent parlance encompasses “one or more” when used, as here, in open-ended claims containing the transitional phrase “comprising.” KCJ Corp. v. Kinetic Concepts, Inc., 223 F.3d 1351, 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2000). “Unless the claim is specific as to the number of elements, the article ‘a’ receives a singular interpretation only in rare circumstances when the patentee evinces a clear intent to so limit the article.” Id. Thus, the claim as amended, which removes the open ended preface “comprising” and changes the modifier of “select signals” from “a” to “one or more,” does not change the scope of the claim in that respect. It merely is a different phrasing. Thus, as we stated in the Institution Decision, any description of a system with one signal would necessarily support a claim to one or more signals. Inst. Dec. 28. Additionally, the claim, as amended, does not suggest there is choice between alternatives that would meet this claim. For example, the claim does not require a choice between a first type of signal and a second type of signal. The claim recites “one” signal, which can be optionally accompanied (“or”) by “more” signals.” slip op. at 8
Claim construction§ 112 disclosureDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,728,574 - Apple Inc. v. Immersion CorporationInstitution deniedPTAB · Aug 17, 2017 · IPR2017-00896 · APJ Minn Chung · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution on claims 1–7 and 23–29, rejecting the Rosenberg grounds under §325(d) and declining institution under §314(a) due to the repeated, evolving challenges.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDenied
“Section 325(d) provides, in pertinent part In determining whether to institute or order a proceeding under this chapter . . . the Director may take into account whether, and reject the petition or request because, the same or substantially the same prior art or arguments previously were presented to the Office. 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) (emphases added). It is undisputed that Rosenberg ’373 and Rosenberg ’846 asserted by Petitioner in this case are the same prior art references previously presented by Petitioner in IPR2016-01372. As discussed above, Petitioner challenges the same claims on the same grounds which were previously considered and denied in IPR2016-01372. See 1372 Dec. on Inst. 41–45.” slip op. at 8
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherDenied
“(a) whether the same petitioner previously filed a petition directed to the same claims of the same patent; (b) whether the petitioner knew or should have known of the prior art asserted in the later petition when it filed its earlier petition; (c) whether at the time of filing of the later petition, the petitioner already received the patent owner’s preliminary response to the first petition or received the Board’s decision on whether to institute review in the earlier petition; (d) the length of time that elapsed between when the petitioner had the patent owner’s or Board’s analysis on the earlier petition and when petitioner filed the later petition; and (e) whether the petitioner provides adequate explanation why we should permit another attack on the same claims of the same patent.” slip op. at 12
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 8,659,571 - Xactware Solutions, Inc. v. Eagle View Technologies, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Apr 18, 2017 · IPR2016-01775 · APJ Bryan F Moore · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution on the Hsieh and Applicad obviousness ground for all challenged claims under § 325(d), finding the petition repeated substantially the same art or arguments as the first petition.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“Petitioner argues that because we did not reach the merits of the First Petition, Petitioner should be allowed to present more specific evidence regarding public accessibility in the Second Petition to allow the Board to reach the merits of Petitioner’s challenge. Second Pet. 5–6. Absent a good reason, a subsequently filed petition that only corrects defects identified by a Board decision in a prior petition typically is not granted. See, e.g., Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC v. Gevo, Inc., Case IPR2014-00581, slip op. at 12–13 (PTAB Oct. 14, 2014) (Paper 8); NetApp Inc. v. Crossroads Sys., Inc., IPR2015-00776, slip op. at 8 (PTAB Sept. 8, 2015) (Paper 13).” slip op. at 6
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 8,078,436 - Arista Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Jun 11, 2016 · IPR2016-00301 · APJ Matthew R Clements · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of inter partes review of claims 1-5, 7-10, 12-22, and 25-31 under § 325(d), finding substantially the same art or arguments had been presented before.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“In determining whether to exercise our discretion to deny institution under § 325(d), we have reviewed the timeline of the Petition’s filings. Petitioner filed the instant Petition on December 9, 2015, approximately two months after the Board issued the decisions denying institution in the ’973 IPR. The reliance on Radia in the instant Petition appears, therefore, to be an attempt to bolster the unsuccessful challenge previously presented regarding Hendel’s alleged disclosure of the limitations of claim 1. See Prelim. Resp. 16–18 (arguing Petitioner used prior Institution Decisions as a roadmap); see also id. at 14–16 (arguing Petitioner fails to explain why Radia could not have been presented in an earlier petition). Under § 325(d), our determination here rests on whether the same or substantially the same prior art was presented previously. Finding that Hendel was presented previously in the ’973 IPR, and that the instant Petition relies on bolstering Hendel guided by our Decision in the ’973 IPR, we exercise our discretion under § 325(d) and deny institution of inter partes review. III. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the instant Petition raises the same or substantially the same prior art or arguments as those previously presented to the Office. In light of the circumstances of the present case, we exercise our discretion not to institute inter partes review of the ’577 patent.” slip op. at 8
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 6,377,577 - Arista Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Jun 6, 2016 · IPR2016-00304 · APJ Miriam L Quinn · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of inter partes review of claim 63 because the petition relied on substantially the same prior art and arguments previously presented.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dInstitution denied
“Hendel, however, was asserted as disclosing all the limitations of claim 63 in a previous inter partes review petition. In particular, Petitioner asserted Hendel, alone, in challenging the unpatentability of claim 63 in IPR2015-00976 (“the ’976 IPR”). The Board denied institution of inter partes review in the ’976 IPR on October 19, 2015, stating that “[n]either Petitioner, nor Petitioner’s Declarant, has tied the matching in Hendel to a decision whether or not to forward a packet.” Arista v. Cisco, ’976 IPR, Paper 9, slip op at 15 (PTAB Oct. 19, 2015). The instant Petition does not explain how Petitioner’s contentions are different from those presented previously in the ’976 IPR. Nor does Petitioner provide any cogent rationale for why the Board should undertake a second Petition asserting substantially similar prior art Petitioner previously presented.” slip op. at 6
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 7,023,853 - Arista Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc.Rehearing deniedPTAB · Mar 29, 2016 · IPR2015-01710 · APJ Bryan F Moore · IPR · Rehearing
The Board denied rehearing and maintained its denial of institution under § 325(d), finding the request did not show that it overlooked or misapprehended any matter.
RulingsRehearing decision- RehearingRehearing, deniedDenied
“ANALYSIS When considering a request for rehearing, we review the Decision for an abuse of discretion. 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c). The party requesting rehearing bears the burden of showing that the Decision should be modified, and “[t]he request must specifically identify all matters the party believes [we] misapprehended or overlooked.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(d).” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDecided for patent owner
“35 U.S.C. § 325(d). Petitioner does not address the Decision’s discussion of the anticipation ground presented in the ’974 Petition. The Decision found that the anticipation ground presented the same arguments regarding Habraken as were presented regarding Habraken in the ’974 Petition. Dec. 9–10.” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 7,224,668
Holdings, summaries, rulings, issues, outcomes, winners and claim constructions shown for a decision were generated by a large language model reading the opinion. They are a guide to the decision, not the decision. Confirm every one against the court's own text before relying on it. Outcomes read from the patent owner’s side. Party names are extracted from the decision and are missing on about 900 short Director denials and scans, which carry the trial number instead.