- PTAB · May 12, 2025 · IPR2025-00018 · APJ Jeffrey S Smith · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–30 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Decided for petitioner
“court proceeding to the Northern District of California (Ex[.] 1036[,] 8).” Pet. 75–76. However, on March 25, 2025, the District Court denied the motion to transfer. Ex. 2026. Thus, we find that factor 2 weighs in favor of exercising discretion.” slip op. at 11
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“purposes of institution, we determine that Petitioner demonstrates a reasonable likelihood that independent claim 1 is unpatentable over Sheha.” slip op. at 32
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“permission is operable of being provided by said first wireless device for said second wireless device to access location information about said location.” The claim does not recite that the permission is limited to permission for only the second wireless device. The ordinary and customary meaning of “a permission . . . for said second wireless device to access location information” encompasses a permission that allows other devices, in addition to the “second wireless device,” to access location information.” slip op. at 17
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successInstituted
“On this record, in considering the background knowledge as well as the inferences that an ordinarily skilled artisan would draw from Sheha’s disclosure, we are sufficiently persuaded that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have caused the mobile telephone to display the map of Figure 5. See KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 418 (2007) (In an obviousness analysis, a court will “look to . . . the background knowledge possessed by a person having ordinary skill in the art” and “can take account of the inferences and creative steps that a person of ordinary skill in the art would employ.”). The references cited by Mr. Williams explicitly show what is already implicitly taught by Sheha, namely, that displaying the map of Figure 5 on a mobile telephone was within the background knowledge of a person of ordinary skill. Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 138–144; Ex. 1007 ¶¶ 2, 21, p. 85; Ex. 1016 ¶ 27; Ex. 1014, 3:28–31, 4:43–58; Fig. 4B; Ex. 1017, 4:38–57, 5:13–17, 6:14–27, 6:59–7:6, Fig. 2; Ex. 1018, 2:2–7, 3:59–67, 5:48–57, Fig. 4B. We agree with Mr. Williams, that a person of ordinary skill in the art, in light of the teachings of Sheha and his or her background knowledge, would have caused a mobile telephone to receive location information without initiating a telephone call and would have used the location information to display a map on the mobile telephone in a form similar to that shown in Figure 5 as taught by Sheha and as was well known in the art. Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 133–144.” slip op. at 31
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites KSRPatents in suitUS 11,122,418 - PTAB · May 12, 2025 · IPR2025-00124 · APJ Barbara A Parvis · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–46 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“WITHOUT PREJUDICE to refiling of the same within fourteen (14) days following the PTAB’s institution decision on the last of the pending IPRs” (Ex. 2008, 3), we decline to speculate whether the district court will grant a stay. Thus, we find that factor 1 is neutral. slip op. at 9
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Upon consideration of the arguments and the evidence of record at this preliminary stage, we determine that Petitioner has demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one of the challenged claims of the ’575 patent. Accordingly, we grant Petitioner’s request and institute an inter partes review of all challenged claims of the ’575 patent and with respect to all grounds set forth in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“had a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a similar degree, with one or two years of experience with wireless networks and devices, such as cellphones and personal digital assistants (‘PDAs’), as well as wireless positioning technologies, such as GPS or triangulation,” and that “[m]ore education could compensate for less practical experience, and vice versa.” Pet. 4 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 50–54). At this stage of the proceeding, Patent Owner does not challenge the level of ordinary skill in the art proposed by Petitioner’s expert. See generally Prelim. Resp. For purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s proposal as reasonable and consistent with the ’575 patent specification and the prior art.5” slip op. at 12
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITAPlain and ordinary meaningDecided for petitioner
“We disagree with Patent Owner on this record. The language of claim 1, quoted above, recites “changing, at the direction of said first wireless telephone, a list of users on said remote server for a profile associated with said first wireless telephone that are allowed to access said location, wherein each user of said list of users is representative of one of a plurality of wireless telephones.” Ex. 1001, 12:65–13:3. The recitation of “said location” derives antecedent basis from element [1A], which recites “obtaining a location of a first wireless telephone,” thus “said location” in element [1C] is the location of the first wireless telephone. Id. at 12:62.7 The claim language does not limit access to the location of the first telephone to one other device, at the exclusion of other devices. Indeed, the claim language specifically recites that “a list of users” are changed “for a profile associated with said first wireless telephone” and that “each user of said list of users is representative of one of a plurality of wireless telephones.” Ex. 1001, 12:65– 13:3 (emphases added). The ordinary and customary meaning of “changing, at the direction of said first wireless telephone, a list of users on said remote server for a profile associated with said first wireless telephone that are allowed to access” to the location of the first wireless device “wherein each user of said list of users is representative of one of a plurality of wireless telephones” (Ex. 1001, 12:65–13:3) encompasses allowing “a list of users,” each having a telephone, access to the location of the “first wireless telephone” and further encompasses allowing other telephones, in addition to the recited plurality of wireless telephones access to the location of the first wireless telephone.” slip op. at 15
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites PhillipsPatents in suitUS 8,374,575 - PTAB · May 12, 2025 · IPR2025-00019 · APJ Miriam L Quinn · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–20 on all asserted § 103 grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Decided for petitioner
“WITHOUT PREJUDICE to refiling of the same within fourteen (14) days following the PTAB’s institution decision on the last of the pending IPRs” (Ex. 2008, 3), we decline to speculate whether the District Court will grant a stay. Thus, we find that factor 1 is neutral. slip op. at 10
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Based on the evidence and arguments currently of record, for purposes of institution, we determine that Petitioner demonstrates a reasonable likelihood that independent claim 1 is unpatentable over Sheha, Smith, and Carey.” slip op. at 24
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a similar degree, with one or two years of experience with wireless networks and devices, such as cellphones and personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) as well as wireless positioning technologies, such as GPS or triangulation.” Pet. 4. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 50-54). Petitioner further contends that “[m]ore education could compensate for less practical experience, and vice versa.” Id. Patent Owner does not propose a level of ordinary skill. The level of ordinary skill in the art usually is evidenced by the references themselves. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001); In re GPAC Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1995); In re Oelrich, 579 F.2d 86, 91 (CCPA 1978). As Petitioner’s description of a person of ordinary skill appears commensurate with the subject matter before us, we apply Petitioner’s definition for purposes of this Decision.” slip op. at 14
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“We disagree with Patent Owner on this record. The language of claims 1, 8, and 15, quoted above, recite that the “wireless” telephonic “device is operable to assign location access right to” one other wireless telephonic devices (claims 1 and 8) and that the “first wireless device is operable to assign a second permission to said second wireless device” (claim 15). The claim language does not limit the location access rights to be assigned only to the one other device, at the exclusion of other devices. Nor does the language regarding assigning a “permission” limit that assignment to a single (and only to the) second wireless device. The ordinary and customary meaning of “assigning . . . to said one of said plurality of wireless devices, “assigning . . . to said first wireless telephonic device” or “assign a second permission to said second wireless device” encompasses a right or permission that allows other devices, in addition to the recited device, to access location information. The disclosure in the written description is consistent with the ordinary and customary meaning. Although the written description states that an object of the invention is to provide a security feature which allows a user to limit or deny access to a particular user, the written description discusses other purposes served by the assignment of access rights or permissions. For example, the written description discloses that “[u]sers may be added, individually or in groups, to a list of users with location access rights to a specific user by that specific user. A specific user may, at any time, modify, delete, or add users allowed to access his or her location.” Ex. 1001, 3:22-26. The written description further discloses that “a user may organize his/her user list into groups and assign access rights to that group (e.g., family member user group, close friend user group).” Id. at 12:56−58. The fact that the written description of the ’283 patent sets forth multiple objectives to be served by the access rights or permission confirms that these terms should not be construed as limited to a single target device. Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1327. Further, because the written description here includes an embodiment where a user assigns access rights to a group, we are persuaded that the scope of the disputed claim terms encompasses a group permission. Vitronics Corp. v. Conceptronic, Inc., 90 F.3d 1576, 1583 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (holding that interpreting a claim to exclude an embodiment disclosed in the written description “is rarely, if ever, correct and would require highly persuasive evidentiary support, which is wholly absent in this case.”). At this stage, we interpret the scope of the “assign access rights” and” slip op. at 17
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,204,283 - PTAB · Apr 29, 2025 · IPR2025-00180 · APJ Scott B Howard · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–20 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that Comcast would prevail on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“determine whether to institute an inter partes review. 35 U.S.C. § 314 (2024); 37 C.F.R. § 42.4(a) (2024). Inter partes review may not be instituted unless “the information presented in the petition filed under [35 U.S.C.] section 311 and any response filed under [35 U.S.C.] section 313 shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). “When instituting inter partes review, the Board will authorize the review to proceed on all of the challenged claims and on all grounds of unpatentability asserted for each claim.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.108(a). For the reasons set forth below, upon considering the briefing and the evidence of record, we determine that the information presented in the Petition establishes a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner will prevail with respect to at least one of the challenged claims. Accordingly, we institute inter partes review on all of the challenged claims based on all of the grounds identified in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Parallel petitionsDenied
“We do not agree with Patent Owner that Petitioner’s filing of three parallel petitions is grounds to deny all three petitions on that basis alone. Petitioner has complied with our guidance by filing a statement ranking the petitions. See Practice Guide, 59–60. For reasons discussed in our concurrent Decisions Denying Institution in IPR2025-00181 and IPR2025- meaning does not resolve the parties’ dispute.”). Claim construction arguments should not be relegated to patentability arguments on the facts. warranted. Given our Decisions to Deny Institution in IPR2025-00181 and IPR2025-00182 and the official guidance we have received in the Practice Guide, we have no option but to deny Patent Owner’s request that we exercise our discretion to deny institution on all three of the petitions challenging the ’275 patent. Accordingly, we do not exercise our discretion to the deny institution in the instant proceeding. E. Anticipation of Claim 1 by Zhang” slip op. at 10
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Patent Owner does not address the level of skill. See Prelim. Resp. Because Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art is consistent with the field of the invention of the ’275 patent and not disputed by Patent Owner, for purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s formulation of the person having ordinary skill in the art.7 7 If Patent Owner disagrees with this formulation of the level of skill in the art, it must raise that disagreement in its Response. If a different level of skill would affect the outcome in this case, the parties must brief that issue as well. The failure of Patent Owner to describe how a different level of skill in the art is determinative will be a forfeiture of that argument. If there is a dispute regarding the level of ordinary skill in the art, then the parties are also encouraged to submit evidence, other than conclusory expert testimony, that supports their position. See 37 C.F.R § 42.65(a) (“Expert testimony that does not disclose the underlying facts or data on which the opinion is based is entitled to little or no weight.”).” slip op. at 8
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached
“Petitioner states that all of the limitations “should be given their ordinary and customary meaning to a” person having ordinary skill in the art. Pet. 19. Although Petitioner argues that none of the limitations are means-plus-function terms, Petitioner provides constructions to the extent that there are means-plus-function terms. Pet. 19–20. Patent Owner does not respond. See Prelim. Resp. For the purposes of this Decision, we need not expressly construe any claim terms.8 See Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor 8 If either party intends to argue a claim construction at trial, including what is the plain and ordinary meaning of a term, they should do so in a clearly designated section of their briefing. See Patent Trial and Appeal Board Consolidated Trial Practice Guide (Nov. 21, 2019) (“Practice Guide”), 46, 49 (available at https://www.uspto.gov/TrialPracticeGuideConsolidated); O2 Micro Int’l Ltd. v. Beyond Innovation Tech. Co., 521 F.3d 1351, 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (“A determination that a claim term ‘needs no construction’ or has the ‘plain and ordinary meaning’ may be inadequate when a term has more than one ‘ordinary’ meaning or when reliance on a term’s ‘ordinary’ construe terms ‘that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy’” (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). D. Parallel Petitions” slip op. at 9
Claim construction§ 102 anticipationDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,785,275 - Satco Products, Inc. v. The Regents Of The University Of CaliforniaAll claims unpatentablePTAB · Apr 28, 2025 · IPR2021-00662 · APJ Jennifer S Bisk · IPR · Remand
On remand, the Board held claims 1 and 2 unpatentable under § 103: Yamazaki and Schubert for claim 1, with Tadatomo added for claim 2.
RulingsRemand decision- RemandOther
“As directed by the Federal Circuit, we assess whether Yamazaki teaches the cathode/anode limitation of claim 1. We do not revisit our analysis of the other limitations of claim 1. Remand Dec. 10–11 (agreeing with the Board’s findings on the other limitations of claim 1 disputed on appeal).” slip op. at 8
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert creditedDecided for petitioner
“using the j-lead method (Petitioner’s position) or the thin film deposition method (Patent Owner’s position). Pet Remand Br. 2–5; PO Remand Br. 1– 4. Each side has arguments and expert testimony supporting their position.9,10 After considering each side’s arguments and all the associated evidence, we agree that the record supports Petitioner’s position for the reasons discussed below.” slip op. at 13
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)UnpatentableUnpatentable
“b. Figure 1 of Yamazaki We find that Yamazaki’s Figure 1 plainly shows electrically conductive patterns 11a at opposite edges of chip substrate 11, with each conductive pattern wrapping around an edge of the substrate. Ex. 1007 9 Patent Owner argues that Dr. Dupuis’ analysis on this issue “is confined to a single paragraph and adds nothing of substance relative to the Petition” and the Board should, therefore, “afford it little or no weight.” PO Remand Br. 1 (citing Ex. 1035 ¶ 246). Patent Owner also points to its own expert, Dr. Schubert, noting that his “opinions on this issue span over 20 pages and are supported by technical literature.” Id. (citing Ex. 2112 ¶¶ 158–208). We do not agree that the length of expert testimony, by itself, is a determining factor in its reliability. Moreover, we note that Dr. Dupuis also cites to technical literature. Ex. 1035 ¶ 246 (citing Ex. 1017, Figs. 3–4, ¶ 22). We decline to discount expert testimony based on these arguments regarding their relative length. 10 Patent Owner also states that “the Federal Circuit noted how Dr. Schubert’s opinions regarding Yamazaki were ‘unrebutted’ and that Satco ‘provides no response.’” PO Remand Br. 2. This is a mischaracterization of the Federal Circuit’s opinion, which explicitly identifies as unrebutted only Dr. Schubert’s testimony that “‘[i]n real applications,’” the “‘adhesive between the LED chip and supporting substrate would be approximately 1 micron to 10 microns thick.’” Remand Dec. 9. We see no other statements in the Remand Decision characterizing any other, let alone all, of Dr. Schubert’s opinions regarding Yamazaki as unrebutted. Fig. 1; see Ex. 1035 ¶ 246. This is true even presuming, as directed by the Federal Circuit, that the bolding of this element does not provide any information on relative thickness of element 11a. Id.” slip op. at 13
- Obviousness (§103) › KSR rationalesMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundUnpatentable
“conventional options for creating element 11a, that, regardless of the figures, both methods would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill. Pet. Remand Br. 4–5. As stated, we find that Figure 1 teaches element 11a as composed of j-leads. However, we also agree that even if Figure 1 did not teach j-leads, the fact that there are only two conventional methods for creating element 11a indicates that both methods would have been obvious. See Uber Techs., Inc. v. X One Inc., 957 F.3d 1334, 1340 (Fed. Cir. 2020). In Uber, the parties agreed that there were only two possible solutions for whether to plot locations, i.e., either before transmitting location information (server-side plotting) or after transmitting location information (terminalside plotting). Id. at 1339. The Court held that both solutions would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill. Id. at 1340. The same is true here. The difference between the j-lead and thin film deposition methods amounts to a design choice between two ways to manufacture element 11a. A person of ordinary skill would therefore have two predictable choices for this manufacture, providing them with a simple design choice as to whether to use j-leads or thin film deposition. See Uber, 957 F.3d at 1340. “Because a person of ordinary skill ‘has good reasons to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp,’ § 103 bars the patentability of such obvious variations.” Id. (quoting KSR, 550 U.S. at 417, 421); see also CRFD Rsch., Inc. v. Matal, 876 F.3d 1330, 1347 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (explaining that “a person of ordinary skill would have two predictable choices for when the [prior art] would transmit browser information, providing a person of ordinary skill with a simple design choice” between the two options); ACCO Brands Corp. v. Fellowes, Inc., 813 F.3d 1361, 1367 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (explaining that where an “ordinary artisan would . . . be left with two design choices . . . [e]ach of these two design choices is an obvious combination”); Wyers v. Master Lock Co., 616 F.3d 1231, 1241 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (holding that a motivation to combine and a reasonable expectation of success exist when “it is simply a matter of common sense” to combine known elements of the prior art to solve a known problem). g. Conclusion The record supports a finding that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood Figure 1 to teach element 11a as composed of j-leads. The record also supports a finding that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that at the relevant time, both stamping j-leads and depositing/etching were conventional methods for creating metal leads. Based on either of these findings, we agree with Petitioner that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that Yamazaki teaches the cathode/anode limitation of claim 1. For the same reasons given in our Final Decision, we find that the combination of Yamazaki and Schubert teaches the other limitations of claim 1 and that an ordinarily skilled artisan would have had reasons, with rational underpinning, to combine the references, and the skilled artisan would have had a reasonable expectation of success. Final Dec. 28–42.” slip op. at 21
Patent outcomesUS 10,644,213 unpatentable§ 103 obviousnesscites KSRPatents in suitUS 10,644,213 - SAP America, Inc. v. Cyandia, Inc.InstitutedPTAB · Apr 7, 2025 · IPR2024-01433 · APJ Jason W Melvin · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted review of claims 1–7, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 23, 29, 35, and 36 based on the PCT publication and Austin-Lane under § 103.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“Petitioner’s Sotera stipulation will eliminate the overlap between this proceeding and invalidity at the district court. Unlike the other, related IPRs for which we discretionarily deny review (e.g., IPR2024-01432, -01495, & -01496), this proceeding does not involve references that fundamentally convey the same information as may be presented as system art in the Texas litigation. In light of the stipulation and nature of the asserted ground, we conclude that this ground strongly favors institution.” slip op. at 12
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“We conclude that the claim language reads on Austin-Lane’s disclosure of determining “a presentation method of the notification” such as “using an instant message to the notebook computer” (Ex. 1105 ¶¶ 39, 46), in combination with teachings regarding the device to which the notification is sent and the protocol used to deliver it. We further conclude that Petitioner has provided an adequate reason that skilled artisans would have looked to Austin-Lane’s teachings and combined them with the system described in the PCT publication, as discussed. We have further reviewed the uncontested aspects of the challenge to claim 1 (Pet. 43–58) and determine that Petitioner is reasonably likely to prevail proving obviousness of claim 1. IV. CONCLUSION For the reasons discussed above, we conclude that Petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to unpatentability of at least one claim. Accordingly, we institute inter partes review. V. ORDER Accordingly, it is ORDERED that, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), inter partes review of claims 1–7, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 23, 29, 35, and 36 of the ’948 patent is instituted on the grounds raised in the Petition; and” slip op. at 26
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“of filing “would have had a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or equivalent, with two or more years of experience developing and implementing graphical user interfaces for controlling server-based applications, including handling asynchronous notifications generated by those applications and web services, such as portal systems, or an equivalent amount of relevant work or research experience” and “would have been familiar with common approaches for presenting information on a graphical user interface, including various layouts for presenting multiple elements, such as icons, widgets, windows, etc.” Pet. 14–15. Petitioner describes further capabilities that such a person of ordinary skill in the art would have had. Id. at 15–16. Patent Owner asserts that a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing “would have had a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or the like, and/or four or more years of experience in server-based applications” and that “[a]dditional experience may make up for a lack of education and vice versa.” Prelim. Resp. 14. Because Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art appears to be consistent with the challenged patent and prior art, we adopt it and use “skilled artisans” to refer to people with such skill at the time the invention was filed. We do not perceive a substantive distinction between the parties’ definitions, but note that Petitioner’s definition provides more detail about the capabilities of skilled artisans. Should either party believe that the definition of ordinary skill in the art affects a disputed issue in the trial, it should point out how and identify any potential dispute about the level of skill.” slip op. at 14
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Not entitled to earlier dateDecided for petitioner
“We do not agree. Petitioner notes that certain disclosures added to the April 2011 CIP application describe a “notification manager” to “determine the best alert notification method.” Pet. 27 (quoting Ex. 1110 ¶ 131; citing id. ¶¶ 90–93, 130–132, 145–147, 160). That does not mean that Petitioner construes the claim language to require determining the best method, only that disclosing a mechanism that “determine[s] the best alert notification method” provides written-description support for a requirement to “determin[e] a notification method.” Petitioner is clear in its position that the May 2009 application “does not describe how to determine a notification method or how to use ‘session data’ in the manner required by this claim limitation.” Pet. 27–28. Patent Owner asserts that the May 2009 application discloses “determining a notification method” through a channel alert server that can “determine the active devices of the subscriber . . . to provide a visual or auditory alert in the channel.” Prelim. Resp. 32 (quoting Ex. 1106 ¶ 39). That disclosure appears to address the claim language requiring an alert “based on the current state of the at least one external device indicated by the session data.” It does not, however, address the claim language “determining a notification method.” Patent Owner recognizes that Petitioner asserts disclosures in the prior art for “determining which devices to send the alert to, the protocols used to send the alert, and how alerts are presented.” Id. at 34 (emphasis omitted). But when Patent Owner asserts that the May 2009 application discloses determining how alerts are presented, it points to paragraphs that do not support the assertion. Id. at 35 (citing Ex. 1106 ¶¶ 23, 39). The first, paragraph 23, states that a “trigger may cause the information channel to change its appearance or to take other actions that may be implemented by the developer” and that “one action that may be implemented is to provide a notification to the user.” Ex. 1106 ¶ 23. Nothing about that indicates the system determines how an alert is presented. The second, paragraph 39, states that the channel alert server may “provide a visual or auditory alert in the channel” and that the “alert can appear as defined on other platforms.” Nothing about that indicates the system determines how an alert is presented. Patent Owner has not shown how the May 2009 application discloses a determining a notification method, as claimed. In Patent Owner’s view, Petitioner admits that the May 2009 application (which is the same as the asserted PCT publication) describes determining a delivery mechanism because Petitioner compares it to Austin-Lane, stating that the PCT publication “already includes a channel alert server that determines the active devices of the user and delivers an alert to the user’s device” and “discloses setting the same type of alert (stock alert) and presenting it in the same way (visually) as Austin-Lane.” Prelim. Resp. 35 (quoting Pet. 54) (emphasis omitted). But simply delivering an alert does not necessarily mean the notification method for that alert was determined. We conclude that Petitioner’s statement does not show the PCT publication discloses “determining a notification method” as claimed.” slip op. at 20
Claim construction§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosureDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,751,948 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. / Samsung Electronics America, Inc. v. Mullen Industries LLCInstitutedPTAB · Mar 31, 2025 · IPR2024-01472 · APJ Jeffrey S Smith · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–39, finding a reasonable likelihood that the challenged claims are unpatentable under the asserted obviousness grounds.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Decided for petitioner
“We agree with Petitioner that much work remains in the district court case as it relates to invalidity because discovery is in its early stages and a Markman hearing has not yet occurred. We also agree with Petitioner, that Petitioner’s diligence in filing its Petition (a) less than five months after receiving Patent Owner’s infringement contentions and (b) prior to the parties briefing claim construction issues weighs against exercising discretionary denial.” slip op. at 10
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“information presented in the petition . . . and any response . . . shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” 35 U.S.C. § 314; see 37 C.F.R. § 42.4. Upon consideration of the Petition, the Preliminary Response, and the evidence of record, we determine that Petitioner has established a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to the unpatentability of claims 1–39 of the ’633 patent. Accordingly, we grant the Petition and institute an inter partes review.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Pet. 7 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 25–29). Patent Owner does not challenge Petitioner’s definition of a person of ordinary skill in the art. Prelim. Resp. 14. Petitioner’s description of a person of ordinary skill appears commensurate with the subject matter before us. For purposes of this Decision, we apply Petitioner’s statement as our definition of a person of ordinary skill in the art.” slip op. at 12
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)Not reached
“to resolve the issues in the Petition. Pet. 8. In contrast, Patent Owner contends that the claim term “said first event and said second event,” and the claim term “said device includes motion sensing operable to distinguish between a plurality of different types of motion” require express construction. Prelim. Resp. 5–14. We do not need to resolve this dispute, because even under Patent Owner’s narrower constructions, Petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of success that at least one claim is unpatentable, as discussed below. See Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (“[W]e need only construe terms ‘that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy.’”).” slip op. at 12
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 11,190,633 - PTAB · Jan 28, 2025 · IPR2024-01084 · APJ Jeffrey S Smith · IPR · Institution
Instituted IPR on claims 1–4, 8–18, 22–30, and 34–39; Petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood that Shiplacoff, alone or combined with Nan, renders at least one challenged claim obvious.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“purposes of institution, we are sufficiently persuaded that Petitioner has demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in showing that Shiplacoff renders obvious claim 1.” slip op. at 25
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDecided for petitioner
“Advanced Bionics, LLC v. MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GmbH, IPR2019-01469, Paper 6 at 8 (PTAB Feb. 13, 2020) (precedential) (“Advanced Bionics”). With respect to the first issue, previously presented art includes, among other things, “art provided to the Office by an applicant, such as on an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS), in the prosecution history of the challenged patent.” Id. at 7–8. With respect to the second issue, institution generally will be denied if a “petitioner fails to make a showing of material error,” and “[i]f reasonable minds can disagree regarding the purported treatment of the art or arguments, it cannot be said that the Office erred in a manner material to patentability.” Id. at 8–9. “[T]his framework reflects a commitment to defer to previous Office evaluations of the evidence of record unless material error is shown.” Id. at 9.” slip op. at 29
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“2. Reasons to Combine Shiplacoff and Nan Petitioner contends that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have implemented the touch gestures of Nan in Shiplacoff’s device that includes a touch screen for the benefits of avoiding latency and not displaying on-screen controls. Pet. 43–44. Petitioner contends that using the gestures of Nan, which include factors such as length, speed, hold time, and number of fingers, to execute a change from one of Shiplacoff’s display modes to another, does no more than yield predictable results. Id. at 43, 45. We are sufficiently persuaded that Petitioner has shown a reason to use the edge gestures of Nan to switch from one of Shiplacoff’s display screens to another.” slip op. at 26
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“have had a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, human-computer interaction, or a comparable field and at least two years of professional experience in the design and development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), human-computer interfaces, or equivalents thereof. Pet. 4 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 22). Petitioner’s declarant, Loren Terveen, Ph.D., testifies that “[s]uch experience could be obtained through research and study in a graduate program or through comparable exposure through industry employment, and additional years of experience could substitute for the advanced-level degree.” Ex. 1003 ¶ 22. Patent Owner notes that it does not agree with Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill, “but does not believe that resolving the level is necessary to resolve the issues raised in this preliminary response.” Prelim. Resp. 7.” slip op. at 5
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,649,578 - PTAB · Jan 28, 2025 · IPR2024-01083 · APJ Jeffrey S Smith · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted inter partes review of claims 1–3, 7, 9, 10, and 101 on the asserted §103 ground over Ahn, Chaudhri, and Hinckley.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), the Director may not authorize an inter partes review unless the information in the petition and preliminary response “shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” For the reasons that follow, we institute an inter partes review as to claims 1–3, 7, 9, 10, and 101 of the ’413 patent on the ground of unpatentability asserted in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“through industry employment, and additional years of experience could substitute for the advanced-level degree.” Ex. 1003 ¶ 30. Patent Owner notes that it does not agree with Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill, “but does not believe that resolving the level is necessary to resolve the issues raised in this preliminary response.” Prelim. Resp. 6. As Petitioner’s description of a person of ordinary skill appears commensurate with the subject matter before us, we apply Petitioner’s definition for purposes of this Decision. Also, the level of ordinary skill in the art can be evidenced by the references cited, and we find it commensurate with the cited references in this proceeding. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001); In re GPAC Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1995); In re Oelrich, 579 F.2d 86, 91 (CCPA 1978).” slip op. at 8
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“We construe only those claim terms that require analysis to determine whether to institute inter partes review. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (holding that “only those terms need be construed that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy”). Petitioner and Patent Owner contend that no claims need to be construed in order to resolve a controversy. Pet. 4– 5; Prelim. Resp. 6–7. We agree with the parties that no terms need to be construed expressly for this Decision. We discuss claim interpretation to the extent necessary in the context of analyzing the asserted grounds to determine whether to institute trial. We highlight that for the term “a magnitude of the blurring,” Patent Owner contends that “the amount of surface area that a translucent menu is displayed over a screen is not a magnitude of the blurring,” but provides no further construction of the term, other than a statement that even under Petitioner’s interpretation of “blurring,” the grounds are deficient. Prelim. Resp. 32–33 & n.4. On the present record, Petitioner’s proposed construction appears correct, and for purposes of institution, we apply this proposed construction of “a magnitude of the blurring” as discussed below in our analysis of limitation [1.d.ii]; the construction of this term may be addressed by the parties as this inter partes review proceeds.” slip op. at 9
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundDecided for petitioner
“For purposes of this Decision, we find Petitioner cites sufficient evidence to support its contention that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reason to combine the teachings of Ahn and Chaudhri.” slip op. at 20
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,642,413 - PTAB · Jan 27, 2025 · IPR2024-01085 · APJ Barbara A Benoit · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–4, 6–10, 17, 19, 22–26, 28–30, 32, 33, 36, 41, 48, 58–62, 64, 65, 67, 69, 70, 73, 77, 82, and 83 on all asserted obviousness grounds.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Applying the standard set forth in 35 U.S.C. § 314, which requires demonstration of a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail with respect to at least one challenged claim, we institute an inter partes review.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Patent Owner indicates it “does not necessarily agree with all aspects of Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill, but does not believe that resolving that level is necessary to resolve the issues raised in this preliminary response.” Prelim. Resp. 4. Dr. Davis indicates that his opinions provided in his declaration in support of Patent Owner’s Preliminary Response are “provided from the perspective of the POSITA” proposed by Dr. Cockburn. Ex. 2001 ¶ 24 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 26). We are persuaded, on the present record, that Petitioner’s proposal is consistent with the level reflected by the ’580 patent and the prior art of record. See In re GPAC Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1995); Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001). Accordingly, we adopt Petitioner’s definition of the level of ordinary skill for purposes of this Decision.” slip op. at 9
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for petitioner
“Petitioner contends “no claim terms need be construed to resolve issues of controversy in the present Petition.” Pet. 2. Similarly, Patent Owner indicates that no formal constructions are necessary at this point in the proceeding. Prelim. Resp. 3. We agree with the parties that no terms need to be construed expressly for this Decision. We discuss claim interpretation to the extent necessary in the context of analyzing the asserted grounds to determine whether to institute trial.” slip op. at 10
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundDecided for petitioner
“Patent Owner contends that “Petitioner’s alleged motivation for modifying Ramos’ Zlider to be transparent is superficial and conclusory.” Prelim. Resp. 24; see generally Prelim. Resp. 24–26. As noted above, Petitioner relies on evidence from Ording itself and Dr. Cockburn’s testimony that relies on evidence to support its conclusion. Thus, we do not agree with Patent Owner that Petitioner’s motivation is insufficient for institution. Patent Owner also argues, relying on Dr. Davis’ declaration testimony, that the Vernier on a semitransparent Zlider widget would be “completely illegible” in some circumstances “rendering the very core of Ramos’ work unusable.” Prelim. Resp. 24–25 (citing Ex. 2001 ¶ 88); see Ex. 2001 ¶ 88 (not adding reasoning or evidence beyond that in the Patent Owner Preliminary Response). On this preliminary record, it would appear that when the Zlider widget and the portion of the image underlying the Zlider widget are the same color, the semitransparent Zlider widget may not work as well as when the Zlider widget and the underlying image are different colors. That does not outweigh, for purposes of determining whether to institute trial, the prior art evidence that Petitioner offers of the from Ording and other prior art references on which Dr. Cockburn’s declaration testimony relies. Ex. 1003 ¶ 66 (citing Ex. 1025 ¶¶ 77, 94, 101; Ex. 1026 ¶¶ 153, 162); see Intel Corp. v. Qualcomm Inc., 21 F.4th 784, 799– 800 (Fed. Cir. 2021) (determining that a showing of the obviousness in predictable use of prior art elements according to their established functions requires only a showing that the combination be a suitable option, rather than a showing that it is the best option). Petitioner also contends, relying on declaration testimony from Dr. Cockburn, that one of ordinary skill would have had a reasonable expectation of success in combining the references in the manner proposed by Petitioner. Pet. 33–34. Petitioner contends that implementing the Zlider widget “described in the Ramos Paper and Ramos Video in a device, as taught by Ording, would have required only routine knowledge well within the skill of a POSITA” and would involve “combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield the predictable results” described by Petitioner’s proposed combination of the references. Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 67). Petitioner’s support for reasons one of ordinary skill would have made” slip op. at 20
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSRPatents in suitUS 10,649,580
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.