- PTAB · Dec 20, 2023 · IPR2023-01069 · APJ Robert A Pollock · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted review of claims 1–8 on all three §103 grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would show the claims unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“and accompanying evidence under 35 U.S.C. § 314. An inter partes review may not be instituted unless “the 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(a). Further, a decision to institute may not do so on fewer than all claims challenged in the petition. SAS Inst., Inc. v. Iancu, 138 S. Ct. 1348, 1359–60 (2018).” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsDenied
“We integrate the above considerations into the Advanced Bionics two- part framework in deciding discretionary denial under § 325(d), first considering Becton, Dickinson factors (a), (b), and (d) to determine whether the same or substantially the same art or arguments were previously presented to the Office, and if so, evaluating Becton, Dickinson factors (c), (e), and (f) to determine whether the petitioner has demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of challenged claims. Advanced Bionics, 7–11.” slip op. at 58
- Other 314aDenied
“Patent Owner points to § 314(a)27 as a basis for denying institution but provides no substantive argument or evidence on this point. See Prelim. Resp. 2 (citation), 4 (citation), 15 (section heading), 31 (citation in parenthetical). At best, Patent Owner asserts that if we find “that fewer than all three Grounds meet the standard for Section 325(d), institution of Samsung’s petition should still be denied in full, because institution on all three Grounds ‘would not be an efficient use of the Board’s time and 27 Under certain circumstances, the Board may apply its discretion under § 314(a) to deny institution in light of a parallel district court proceeding involving the same patent. See, e.g., Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020- 00019, Paper 11 (PTAB Mar. 20, 2020) (precedential). But as noted by Petitioner, the patent at issue here “has never been asserted in any litigation.” Pet. 63. 66 resources.’” Prelim. Resp. 31 (citing Deeper, UAB v. Vexilar, Inc., IPR2018- 01310, Paper 7 at 41–43 (PTAB Jan. 24, 2019) (informative)). Because we decline to exercise our discretion with respect to any of the Grounds under § 325(d), the Board’s Deeper decision is inapposite.” slip op. at 66
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“Patent Owner does not presently dispute this definition “except to clarify that the POSA would have at least two years of experience in engineering monoclonal antibodies for human therapeutic use, either in the laboratory or industry.” Prelim. Resp. 44–48 (emphasis omitted); see also id. at 48–49 (arguing that Petitioner cannot prove unpatentability of the challenged claims under either party’s definition). At this stage in the proceeding, we accept and apply Petitioner’s proposed definition of the skilled artisan, as being both unopposed by Patent Owner and inclusive of Patent Owner’s additional qualification. In this respect, it appears that Petitioner’s language “at least two years of experience in the discovery, development, and design of therapeutic antibodies for use as potential treatments in human disease” encompasses Patent Owner’s proposed modification, and is consistent with the level of skill in the art reflected in the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (“the prior art itself [may] reflect[] an appropriate level” as evidence of the ordinary level of skill in the art) (quoting Litton Indus. Prods., Inc. v. Solid State Sys. Corp., 755 F.2d 158, 163 (Fed. Cir. 1985)).” slip op. at 23
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,590,189 - PTAB · Dec 19, 2023 · IPR2023-01070 · APJ Ryan H Flax · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–29 on all twelve asserted obviousness grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim would be shown unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“At this stage in the proceedings, we accept and use Petitioner’s proposed definition of the ordinarily skilled artisan, as being both generally unopposed by Patent Owner and inclusive of Patent Owner’s supplemental definition. It appears that Petitioner’s language “at least two years of experience in the discovery, development, and design of therapeutic antibodies for use as potential treatments in human disease” includes Patent Owner’s proposed level of experience. Pet. 17–18. We also take into account the level of skill in the art reflected in the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (“the prior art itself [may] reflect[] an appropriate level” as evidence of the ordinary level of skill in the art) (quoting Litton Indus. Prods., Inc. v. Solid State Sys. Corp., 755 F.2d 158, 163 (Fed. Cir. 1985)).” slip op. at 16
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“For the purposes of this institution decision, we find it unnecessary to construe any claim language because it is readily understandable on its face and there is no dispute. 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.’” (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). As the case continues, we may determine that certain claim language should be interpreted.” slip op. at 17
- Obviousness (§103) › Analogous artAnalogous artDecided for petitioner
“Two separate tests define the scope of analogous prior art: (1) whether the art is from the same field of endeavor, regardless of the problem addressed and, (2) if the reference is not within the field of the inventor's endeavor, whether the reference still is reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor is involved. In re Bigio, 381 F.3d 1320, 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2004). Petitioner, supported by the testimony of Dr. Ravetch, contends that Bowdish is analogous art. Pet. 36–37 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 128). In this respect, Dr. Ravetch testifies: A POSA looking for the amino acid sequences encoding eculizumab would have easily found Bowdish, and considered it to be analogous art to Bell and Evans for at least three reasons: (1) it provides express disclosures about the structure of the antibody “5G1.1,” (2) it identifies “Alexion Pharmaceuticals” as the inventors’ addressee that is the same as the assignee for Evans, and (3) it cites to the same Evans patent as does Bell for the structure of 5G1.1. Thus, a POSA would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Bowdish and Evans in view of Bell to arrive at the claimed sequence. Ex. 1003 ¶ 128. On the present record before us, it appears that Bowdish is both reasonably pertinent and within the same field of endeavor as the ’809 patent for the reasons identified by Dr. Ravetch, because it is directed to the construction of a humanized monoclonal antibody comprising a TPO mimetic peptide graft into the heavy chain CDR3 of antibody framework 5G1, and because it uses “the parental 5G1.1” sequence as a control for FACs analysis of the TPO mimetic antibody. See Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 191–193. Moreover, it is reasonable that an ordinarily skilled artisan seeking to understand the Alexion anti-C5 antibody disclosed in, for example, Bell or Hillmen or Hill as a treatment for PNH, would look to other Alexion prior art for guidance.” slip op. at 42
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of success › HindsightMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“overarching argument that Petitioner’s positions are fatally flawed by hindsight or that “[a] POSA as of March 15, 2007[,] would have understood that Alexion had developed a humanized antibody named ‘eculizumab,’ . . . [b]ut a POSA at that time would not have known that “eculizumab” had the sequence claimed in the ʼ809 patent.” See Prelim. Resp. 4, 7, 9. It appears that Petitioner’s positions here consider only the disclosures of the prior art and how the person of ordinary skill in the art would have read prior art references in view of one another. Regarding Patent Owner’s foundational preliminary argument that all prior art pointed exclusively to Thomas for the structure of eculizumab, rather than to Evans or Tacken or Mueller PCT, for example, we are unconvinced. We find Patent Owner’s position mischaracterizes Bell’s incorporation of Thomas by wholly ignoring that, in the very same sentence, and preceding the cite to Thomas, Bell also incorporates Evans by reference. Ex. 1007 ¶ 52. Bell incorporates Evans as disclosing “[p]articularly useful anti-C5 antibodies . . . h5G1.1-mAb, h5G1.1-scFv and other functional fragments of h5G1.1,” and “[m]ethods for the preparation” of these. Id. It appears that the ordinarily skilled artisan, like Bell’s inventors, would not have looked solely to Thomas for eculizumab’s structure. Moreover, the ’809 patent itself states that Evans, which is a part of Bell, discloses “a preferred whole antibody (now named eculizumab),” and how to produce it. See, e.g., Ex. 1001 12:34–37. Thus, even the ’809 patent, like Bell, acknowledges that Evans is an important reference regarding eculizumab, its structure, and how to make it.” slip op. at 43
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,703,809 - PTAB · Dec 8, 2023 · IPR2023-00999 · APJ Robert A Pollock · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–10 on all five grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“and accompanying evidence under 35 U.S.C. § 314. An inter partes review may not be instituted unless “the 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(a). Further, a decision to institute may not do so on fewer than all claims challenged in the petition. SAS Inst., Inc. v. Iancu, 138 S. Ct. 1348, 1359–60 (2018).” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsDenied
“As such, we find it error for the Examiner to have not expressly considered Tacken in the context of the other references Alexion pointed to as allegedly demonstrating the “consistent teachings as of March 15, 2007 that ‘eculizumab was the IgG4 antibody of Thomas.” Ex. 2102, 14840– 14843, 14854. But for this error, the Examiner would have better appreciated the disclosure of Mueller PCT. See Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 178, 180–182 (Dr. Ravetch’s testimony that “most critically, Alexion failed to provide its own 2005 publication, the Tacken article, that teaches that “eculizumab” contains an IgG2/G4 constant domain”).” slip op. at 62
- Other 314aDenied
“IV. DISCRETIONARY DENIAL UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) Patent Owner points to § 314(a)27 as a basis for denying institution but provides no substantive argument or evidence on this point. See Prelim. Resp. 2 (citation), 4 (citation), 17 (section heading), 32 (citation in parenthetical). At best, Patent Owner asserts that if we find “that fewer than all five Grounds meet the standard for Section 325(d), institution of Samsung’s petition should still be denied in full, because institution on all five Grounds ‘would not be an efficient use of the Board’s time and resources.’” Prelim. Resp. 32 (citing Deeper, UAB v. Vexilar, Inc., IPR2018- 01310, Paper 7 at 41–43 (PTAB Jan. 24, 2019) (informative)). Because we decline to exercise our discretion with respect to any of the Grounds under § 325(d), the Board’s Deeper decision is inapposite.” slip op. at 65
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Patent Owner does not presently dispute this definition “except to clarify that the POSA would have at least two years of experience in engineering monoclonal antibodies for human therapeutic use, either in the laboratory or industry.” Prelim. Resp. 51 (further arguing that Petitioner cannot prove unpatentability of the challenged claims under either party’s definition). At this stage in the proceeding, we accept and use Petitioner’s proposed definition of the skilled artisan, as being both unopposed by Patent Owner and inclusive of Patent Owner’s additional qualification. In this respect, it appears that Petitioner’s language “at least two years of experience in the discovery, development, and design of therapeutic antibodies for use as potential treatments in human disease” encompasses Patent Owner’s proposed modification, and is consistent with the level of skill in the art reflected in the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (“the prior art itself [may] reflect[] an appropriate level” as evidence of the ordinary level of skill in the art) (quoting Litton Indus. Prods., Inc. v. Solid State Sys. Corp., 755 F.2d 158,” slip op. at 23
Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,725,504 - PTAB · Dec 8, 2023 · IPR2023-00998 · APJ Robert A Pollock · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–3 over all six asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“and accompanying evidence under 35 U.S.C. § 314. An inter partes review may not be instituted unless “the 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(a). Further, a decision to institute may not do so on fewer than all claims challenged in the petition. SAS Inst., Inc. v. Iancu, 138 S. Ct. 1348, 1359–60 (2018). After considering the evidence and arguments presented in the Petition and Preliminary Response, Reply, and Sur-Reply, we determine that Petitioner demonstrates a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in showing that at least one of the challenged claims of the ’880 patent is unpatentable. Accordingly, we institute an inter partes review as to all the challenged claims of the ’880 patent on all the grounds of unpatentability set forth in the Petition. We note that there are disputed issues in this proceeding under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) and § 314(a) concerning discretionary denial; however,” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Patent Owner does not presently dispute this definition “except to clarify that the POSA would have at least two years of experience in engineering monoclonal antibodies for human therapeutic use, either in the laboratory or industry.” Prelim. Resp. 48; see also id. at 48–49 (arguing that Petitioner cannot prove unpatentability of the challenged claims under either party’s definition). 23 At this stage in the proceeding, we accept and use Petitioner’s proposed definition of the skilled artisan, as being both (largely) unopposed by Patent Owner and inclusive of Patent Owner’s additional qualification. In this respect, it appears that Petitioner’s language “at least two years of experience in the discovery, development, and design of therapeutic antibodies for use as potential treatments in human disease” encompasses Patent Owner’s proposed modification, and is consistent with the level of skill in the art reflected in the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (“the prior art itself [may] reflect[] an appropriate level” as evidence of the ordinary level of skill in the art) (quoting Litton Indus. Prods., Inc. v. Solid State Sys. Corp., 755 F.2d 158, 163 (Fed. Cir. 1985)). Our decision whether to institute, however, does not turn on which party’s definition of the skilled artisan is used, and our determinations would be unchanged if we applied Patent Owner’s definition. Further, we note that evidence may be presented as the case progresses to support some other proposed definition of the skilled artisan, which may influence our determination of this issue. C. Claim Construction” slip op. at 23
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for petitioner
“Neither party requests the construction of any claim term. See, e.g., Pet. 18. We need only construe the claims to the extent necessary to determine whether to institute inter partes review. 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.’” (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). At this stage in the proceeding, we find it unnecessary to construe the language of any challenged claim because the claim language is readily understandable to the person of ordinary skill in the art on its face, within the context of the claims.” slip op. at 25
- Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Anticipation standard (single reference, every element)Instituted
“TPO mimetic peptide graft in Fab clone X4b has been transplanted into the heavy chain CDR3 region of another antibody framework, 5G1.1. . . . Construction of 5G1.1 is described in U.S. Application Ser. No. 08/487,283, incorporated herein by reference.” Prelim. Resp. 50 (emphasis added); Ex. 1004 ¶ 191. It is not disputed here that U.S. Patent Application 08/487,283 issued as Evans. See Ex. 1005, code (21); see generally Prelim. Resp. The portion of Evans relating to “Construction of 5G1.1” (Ex. 1004 28 ¶ 191, emphasis added) appears to be (or at least includes) Example 11, which is titled “Construction and Expression of Recombinant mAbs.” Ex. 1005, 42:55–58 (emphasis added). According to Dr. Ravetch, “Evans’[s] Example 11 teaches construction of . . . humanized 5G1.1 scFv constructs.” Ex. 1003 ¶ 177. And, none of the other Evans Examples addressing an anti- C5 antibody or a 5G1.1 antibody designate their respective disclosure as relating to “construction,” as per the title of Example 11 and the sentence of Bowdish expressly incorporating Evans. See Ex. 1005, 33:1–42:54 (Examples 1–10); Ex. 1003 ¶ 177. Thus, on this record, we find that Petitioner’s pointing to the antibodies (or fragments) of Evans’s Example 11 for use as a starting point for Bowdish’s invention to be more reasonable than Patent Owner’s arguments that antibodies would have been selected from some other Example. Furthermore, Patent Owner does not dispute that, if Bowdish and Evans are read as asserted by Petitioner and Dr. Ravetch, the antibody sequences of claim 2, i.e., SEQ ID NO: 2 and SEQ ID NO: 4, are disclosed. Petitioner’s reading is also consistent with the Specification of the ’880 patent, which cites Evans (among others) for the proposition that “[s]uitable anti-C5 antibodies are known to those of skill in the art” and, in particular, that Evans discloses “antibodies which are specific to human complement . . . . includ[ing] a preferred whole antibody (now named eculizumab),” and “methods of engineering such antibodies.” Ex. 1001, 10:57–65, 12:13–21, 12:43–47. Therefore, we do not find any error in Petitioner’s assertion that Bowdish/Evans discloses the antibody of claim 2.” slip op. at 28
Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,718,880 - PTAB · Dec 8, 2023 · IPR2023-00933 · APJ Ryan H Flax · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claim 1 under all four asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that the claim is anticipated or obvious.
RulingsInstitution decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“The two proposed definitions of the ordinarily skilled artisan are very similar, except that Patent Owner’s description more-specifically defines the field of experience of the artisan. At this stage in the proceedings, we accept and use Petitioner’s proposed definition of the ordinarily skilled artisan, as being both generally unopposed by Patent Owner and inclusive of Patent Owner’s supplemental definition. It appears that Petitioner’s language “at least two years of experience in the discovery, development, and design of therapeutic antibodies for use as potential treatments in human disease” includes Patent Owner’s proposed level of experience. Pet. 12–13. We also take into account the level of skill in the art reflected in the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (“the prior art itself [may] reflect[] an appropriate level” as evidence of the ordinary level of skill in the art) (quoting Litton Indus. Prods., Inc. v. Solid State Sys. Corp., 755 F.2d 158, 163 (Fed. Cir. 1985)). Our decision whether to institute does not turn on which party’s definition of the skilled artisan is used, and our determinations would be unchanged if we applied Patent Owner’s supplemented definition. Further, we note that evidence may be presented as the case progresses to support some other proposed definition of the skilled artisan, which may influence our determination of this issue. C.” slip op. at 15
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached
“CLAIM CONSTRUCTION Petitioner states, “Petitioner does not believe claim construction is necessary at this time.” Pet. 15. Patent Owner does not mention claim construction at this stage of the proceeding. See generally Prelim. Resp. At this stage in the proceedings, and for the purposes of this decision, we find it unnecessary to construe the language of claim 1 because the claim language is readily understandable on its face and there is no dispute. 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.’” (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). As the case continues, we may determine that certain claim language should be interpreted. D.” slip op. at 15
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDenied
“In view of the unique record before us, we agree with Patent Owner that all of the references relied on by Petitioner here, “were previously presented to the Office” as required by § 325(d) and Advanced Bionics. Prelim. Resp. 19. Accordingly, we proceed to part two of the analysis.” slip op. at 55
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied discretionary otherDenied
“DISCRETIONARY DENIAL UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) AND FINTIV Patent Owner points to § 314(a) as a basis for denying institution, but provides no substantive argument or evidence on this point. See Prelim. Resp. 17–32; see generally Prelim. Sur-Reply 6. Under certain circumstances, the Board may apply our discretion under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) to deny institution in light of a parallel district court proceeding involving the same patent. See, e.g., Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020-00019, Paper 11 (PTAB Mar. 20, 2020) (precedential). But, as noted by Petitioner, the patent at issue here “has never been asserted in any litigation.” Pet. 49. Accordingly, we also decline to exercise our discretion under Section 314(a) to deny institution.” slip op. at 61
Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,732,149 - PTAB · Dec 8, 2023 · IPR2023-01017 · APJ Meredith C Petravick · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted review of claims 1–26 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)Denied
“discretionarily deny institution under §314(a) when a petitioner submits a so-called Sotera stipulation, i.e., the petitioner “stipulates not to pursue in a parallel district court proceeding the same grounds as in the petition or any grounds that could have reasonably been raised in the petition.” Memorandum 7 (citing Sotera Wireless, Inc. v. Masimo Corp., IPR2020- 01019, Paper 12 (PTAB Dec. 1, 2020) (precedential as to § II.A)). Such a stipulation mitigates concerns of potentially conflicting PTAB and district-court decisions and duplicative efforts between the district court and PTAB. Id. Patent Owner contends that in light of “parallel District Court Litigation,” i.e., NorthStar Sys. LLC v. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, No. 2:22-cv-00496-JRG (E.D. Tex.), the Fintiv factors weigh in favor of denying institution under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). Prelim. Resp. 20–26. Petitioner responds that discretionary denial is not appropriate because it “has stipulated that if the Board institutes IPR on this Petition, it will not pursue 9 Available at: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ interim_proc_discretionary_denials_aia_parallel_district_court_litigation_m emo_20220621_.pdf or reasonably could have raised’ during this proceeding.” Pet. Prelim. Reply 1 (citing Sotera, Paper 12 at 18–19; Ex. 1021). Under the mandatory Fintiv guidance discussed above, this stipulation is dispositive. Memorandum 7. Patent Owner responds, however, that Petitioner “should not be credited with this stipulation as it has come at the eleventh hour.” PO Prelim. Sur-Reply 2. Petitioner submitted its Sotera stipulation to Patent Owner by email dated September 22, 2023, several days after Patent Owner filed its Preliminary Response.10 Patent Owner has not brought to our attention any binding precedent that establishes a time limit by which a Sotera stipulation must be submitted before we enter our decision on institution, and we are not aware of any such precedent. Nor does Patent Owner allege that it has been prejudiced by the timing of the stipulation.11 Therefore, we are not persuaded that we should disregard Petitioner’s Sotera stipulation because of its timing.” slip op. at 9
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), an inter partes review may not be instituted unless the information presented in the petition “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.” After considering the Petition, the Preliminary Response, the Reply, the Sur-Reply, and the evidence of record, we determine the information presented shows a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail in establishing the unpatentability of at least one of the challenged claims of the ’943 patent. Accordingly, we institute an inter partes review of claims 1–26 of the ’943 patent on the grounds asserted in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“Second, Patent Owner improperly interprets the term “OVI” to require distance information. At the outset we note that Patent Owner has not expressly requested that any claim terms should be construed in this proceeding. See supra Section II.D. Patent Owner apparently reads the embedded term “vector” in isolation rather than as part of the term “object vector indicator.” See IGT v. Bally Gaming Int’l, Inc., 659 F.3d 1109, 1117 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (“Extracting a single word from a claim divorced from the surrounding limitations can lead construction astray.”); Trivascular, Inc. v. 13 Patent Owner alleges that “[t]he placement of the ‘south’ icon is likely hard coded as static information and therefore not computed by Kreitler.” Prelim. Resp. 12. This allegation is unsupported attorney argument to which we give little weight. In re Geisler, 116 F.3d 1465, 1470 (Fed. Cir. 1997). without considering the context in which those terms appear is not reasonable). Even if “vector,” read in isolation, means something akin to a “Euclidean vector” that would arguably contain both a “magnitude” (which we understand Patent Owner to mean distance) and a direction, an “OVI” would not necessarily contain this exact information. Moreover, defining “OVI” to contain both distance and direction would render superfluous the language in claim 1 that expressly requires the created OVI to “contain[] the distance . . . information.” See Stumbo v. Eastman Outdoors, Inc., 508 F.3d 1358, 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (construing a claim in a way that renders a term superfluous is “a methodology that [our reviewing court] has denounced”). We discern no reason to limit the claim language in such a way. Construing “OVI” as a “Euclidian vector” that necessarily contains both distance and direction information would also be contrary to the ’943 patent’s written description. The written description indicates that the word “vector” is broader than “Euclidean vector,” in that it may simply be an “arrow” that is “pointing in the direction of the referenced remote location marker.” Ex. 1001, 3:66–4:4. The written description states that “[i]nformation displayed in the OVI . . . may include a vector (e.g. arrow) pointing in the direction of the referenced remote location marker, the distance and travel time to the remote location marker.” (Ex. 1001, 3:66–4:3 (emphasis added)), indicating that such information is optional rather than always present.” slip op. at 21
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundInstituted
“Petitioner contends that the combination of Kreitler, Altman690, and Suomela teaches or suggests all of the limitations of claim 1, that the asserted references constitute analogous art, that the ordinarily skilled artisan would have had reason to combine the references, and such a person of ordinary skill would have had a reasonable expectation of success. Pet. 6– 22. Petitioner supports its contentions with citations to Kreitler, Altman690, Suomela, and Dr. Rosenberg’s declaration. Id. Turning to the elements of claim 1, Petitioner contends that Kreitler in combination with Altman690 teaches the preamble of claim 1 and limitations 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e and 1f. Pet. 23–32 (citing Ex. 1005, 1:38–46, 2:20–24, 5:36–37, 6:43–45, 6:50–55, 6:67–7:4, 10:27–29, 12:3–10, 12:16– 18, Figs. 1, 2, 4, 15; Ex. 1006 ¶¶ 8, 9, 41, 55, 77, Fig. 8B; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 101– 114, 116–118). Petitioner contends, for example, that Kreitler’s special icon 110 corresponds to the claimed OVI that is placed in a position corresponding to an off-map MO. Id. at 23–24 (citing Ex. 1005, 6:43–62, Fig. 1; Ex. 1003 ¶ 97). Petitioner further contends that “Altman690 discloses a social-networking system for displaying electronic maps with icons representing real-time locations of social network users and POIs.” “a POSITA would have found it obvious and advantageous to include Altman690’s social-networking functionality within Kreitler’s location-based items to enable sharing/accessing POIs between users.” Pet. 11 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 68). For limitations 1e and 1g, Petitioner relies on Kreitler individually and in combination with Suomela. Pet. 29–30, 32–34 (citing Ex. 1005, 5:36–41, 6:43–45, 6:51–57, Fig. 1; Ex. 1007, Abstract, 2:1–15, 4:34–41, Fig. 5; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 115, 119–123). Petitioner asserts, for example, that Suomela “expressly discloses displaying both distance and travel-related information,” and specifically discloses “‘a digital map’ including objects ‘in a peripheral portion’ representing off-map locations, placed according to the direction to the off-map locations.” Id. at 33 (citing Ex. 1007, Abstract, 2:1–15, 4:34–41, Fig. 5; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 121–122). According to Petitioner, “[a] POSITA would have been motivated to add Suomela’s distance and travel-related information to Kreitler[’s OVI] to provide further helpful information to a user.” Id. at 33 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 123). Petitioner further contends that: The ’943, Kreitler, Altman609, and Suomela are all in the field of mapping on electronic devices. All four address the known problem of displaying MO information, with Kreitler, Altman609, and Suomela disclosing known solutions, the combination of which yields predictable results. Therefore, it would have been obvious for a POSITA to combine Kreitler, Altman690, and Suomela for a more effective and efficient navigation system showing POIs on electronic maps.” slip op. at 17
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,014,943 - PTAB · Dec 8, 2023 · IPR2023-00934 · APJ Meredith C Petravick · IPR · Institution
Instituted IPR of claims 1–30 on all asserted grounds after finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable, including claims 1, 13, and 18 over Kreitler and Suomela.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“(setting out six nonexclusive factors that the Board may consider in determining whether to deny institution because of a parallel district-court proceeding). Our analysis under Fintiv is guided by the USPTO Director’s June 21, 2022 Memorandum titled Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant Proceedings with Parallel District Court Litigation (“Memorandum”).11 The Memorandum sets forth, inter alia, that the Board will not discretionarily deny institution under §314(a) when a petitioner submits a so-called Sotera stipulation, i.e., the petitioner “stipulates not to pursue in a parallel district court proceeding the same grounds as in the petition or any grounds that could have reasonably been raised in the petition.” Memorandum 7 (citing Sotera Wireless, Inc. v. Masimo Corp., IPR2020-01019, Paper 12 (PTAB Dec. 1, 2020) (precedential as to § II.A)). Such a stipulation mitigates concerns of potentially conflicting PTAB and district-court decisions and duplicative efforts between the district court and PTAB. Id.” slip op. at 10
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“After considering Petitioner’s evidence and analysis, and taking into account Patent Owner’s arguments, based on the record before us at this stage of the proceeding, we determine that Petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood that claim 1 is unpatentable over Kreitler and Suomela.” slip op. at 20
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)Term construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“Second, Patent Owner improperly interprets the term “OVI” to require distance information. Patent Owner apparently reads the embedded term “vector” in isolation rather than as part of the term “object vector indicator.” See IGT v. Bally Gaming Int’l, Inc., 659 F.3d 1109, 1117 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (“Extracting a single word from a claim divorced from the surrounding limitations can lead construction astray.”); Trivascular, Inc. v. Samuels, 812 F.3d 1056, 1062 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (construing claim terms without considering the context in which those terms appear is not reasonable). Thus, even if “vector,” read in isolation, means something akin to a “Euclidean vector” that would arguably contain both a “magnitude” (which we understand Patent Owner to mean distance) and a direction, an “OVI” would not necessarily contain this exact information. Moreover, defining “OVI” to contain both distance and direction would render superfluous the language in claim 1, limitation 1d, that expressly requires the created OVI to “contain[] the distance . . . information.” See Stumbo v. Eastman Outdoors, Inc., 508 F.3d 1358, 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (construing a claim in a way that renders a term superfluous is “a methodology that [our reviewing court] has denounced”).” slip op. at 27
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“1d. Pet. 6–14, 19–22. Petitioner argues that Kreitler “teaches [1c] via determining navigational information including distance and direction (distance and travel-related information) to an item of interest (MO)” (id. at 19 (citing Ex. 1005, 5:36–41, 6:43–45, 7:5–31; Fig. 1)) and “discloses creating and displaying a special icon (OVI) indicating an off-map MO including the direction of the MO (travel-related information)” (Pet. 19 (citing Ex. 1005, 6:51–57)). Petitioner indicates that Kreitler does not expressly disclose OVI’s that contain distance-related information. Pet. 8. Petitioner contends that Suomela discloses displaying objects representing geographic points of interest that indicate direction and distance from the center of the map. Pet. 9 (citing Ex. 1006, Abstract 2:1–13, 4:34–56; Ex. obvious and advantageous to include distance indicators, as taught by Suomela, within Kreitler’s special icons to provide a user the distance from a position within the selected map to off-map POIs referenced by special icons.” Pet. 11 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 66). Based on the current record, and taking into account Patent Owner’s arguments, which we discuss below (see, supra, § II.E.4) we agree with Petitioner that a POSITA would have been motivated to include Suomela’s distance indicators within Kreitler’s special icons in order to advantegously provide distance information to a user. Ex. 1003 ¶ 66. We determine that Petitioner’s analysis and evidence sufficiently shows that the combination of Suomela and Kreitler discloses these steps.” slip op. at 18
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,478,527 - PTAB · Nov 17, 2023 · IPR2023-00884 · APJ Ryan H Flax · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–30 on every asserted ground, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“institute trial in an inter partes review. We may institute an inter partes review if the information presented in the petition filed under 35 U.S.C. § 311, and any preliminary response filed under § 313, shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition. 35 U.S.C. § 314. After reviewing the parties’ submissions in view of the preliminary record, we conclude Petitioner demonstrates a reasonable likelihood it would prevail in showing that at least one challenged claim of the ’572 patent is unpatentable under the presented grounds. Therefore, we grant institution of inter partes review. We note that there are disputed issues in this proceeding under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) and § 314(a) concerning discretionary denial; however, we determine institution should be not be denied. See Pet. 63–68; Prelim. Resp. 49–62. Our reasoning is discussed below.” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“1. whether the court granted a stay or evidence exists that one may be granted if a proceeding is instituted; 2. proximity of the court’s trial date to the Board’s projected statutory deadline for a final written decision; 3. investment in the parallel proceeding by the court and the parties; 4. overlap between issues raised in the petition and in the parallel proceeding; 5. whether the petitioner and the defendant in the parallel proceeding are the same party; and 6. other circumstances that impact the Board’s exercise of discretion, including the merits.” slip op. at 67
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsDenied
“We agree with Petitioner that the Examiner committed error in failing to make any rejections over the references asserted here. As noted above, certain of Petitioner’s grounds for unpatentability present compelling merits and had the Examiner correctly evaluated the asserted references, a rejection under § 102 or § 103 would have been made. Accordingly, we determine that Petitioner demonstrates that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of the challenged claims. 3. Summary For the reasons discussed above, we decline to exercise our discretion under § 325(d) to deny the Petition.” slip op. at 77
Discretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,253,572 - BTC Corporation v. TG Biotech Co., Ltd.No claims unpatentablePTAB · Nov 13, 2023 · IPR2022-00998 · APJ Ulrike W Jenks · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–13 were not shown unpatentable under the asserted obviousness grounds; Patent Owner’s motion to strike Exhibit 1038 was granted.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“We are not persuaded by Petitioner’s contention that we should disregard Dr. Naumovski’s testimony because she may have taken a leave of absence from work for a couple of years. The record supports that Dr. Naumovski not only meets the requirements of the person of ordinary skill in the art, but also appears to have relevant knowledge with respect to Gynostemma pentaphylum (“GP”) saponins. See Ex. 2015 (Appendix A). related field, and at least two years of experience using techniques for extraction and characterization of plant-based materials.” PO Resp. 11 (citing Ex. 2015 ¶ 74). Because there are more than 400 species of plants that contain saponins, Patent Owner disagrees that a person of ordinary skill in the art would be familiar with the structure and utility of saponins. Id. The level of skill in the art is a reference point for gauging what would have been obvious based on the reference disclosures. See Okajima, 261 F.3d at 1355. In other words, the lens of the level of ordinary skill in the art does not change a prior art’s disclosure, though it may change one’s understanding of what is disclosed. Patent Owner, however, does not explain how its definition provides a reference point that would meaningfully alter the Petition’s assertions of obviousness. For purposes of this decision, we analyze the asserted prior art with respect to the level of skill set forth by Petitioner, but there would be no difference in the outcome of this Decision if we were to apply the level of skill in the art set forth by Patent Owner. C.” slip op. at 13
- Expert testimonyPatent owner expert creditedDecided for patent owner
“during the full trial, we determine that Petitioner has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that applying the methods of Kim 460 to the G. pentaphyllum starting material of Razmovski necessarily results in the damulin levels as claimed. We agree with Dr. Naumovski’s explanation that the use of an impure damulin B standard containing a double peak renders the results as shown in Exhibit 1013 unreliable. Ex. 2015 ¶¶ 141–143, 162–173; see Ex. 2007. Dr. Naumovski further explains that the use of an impure standard would require the application of a correction factor, but this correction factor would need to be reassessed as the purity of the standard decreases over time. See Ex. 2015 ¶ 166. As Dr. Naumovski explains that applying a correction factor to the linear regression would result in a shallower slope. Ex. 2015 ¶ 165 (citing 2006, 71:12–73:5; 99:2–9). “Reducing the calibration curve slope increases the amount of damulin B calculated from the experimental extracts.” Ex. 2015 ¶ 165. However, in the Experimental Report-1 the same correction factor for the damulin B standard was used to” slip op. at 41
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for patent owner
“Petitioner requests construction of the terms “an effective amount for improving or treating the metabolic syndrome,” which is found in claims 11–13, as meaning “an amount that produces any measurable amount of improvement in the metabolic syndrome” (Pet. 13–15 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 91)) and “[a] pharmaceutical composition for improving and treating a metabolic syndrome, comprising at least one of at least 0.7% damulin A and at least 0.5% damulin B . . . and a pharmacologically acceptable carrier or excipient,” which is found in claim 8, as meaning “a pharmaceutical composition that includes an extract with 0.7% and 0.5% of damulin A and damulin B[, respectively,] along with a carrier or excipient” (id. at 15–16 (citing Ex. 1002, 64–65, 251–52, 280; Ex. 1001, 12:15–67, Table 2)). Patent Owner argues that “constructions are not necessary.” PO Resp. 11–12. We agree with Patent Owner and determine that it is not necessary for purposes of this Decision to construe any claim terms. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng'g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (only terms” slip op. at 15
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundDecided for petitioner
“Obviousness does not require absolute predictability of success . . . all that is required is a reasonable expectation of success.” In re Droge, 695 F.3d 1334, 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (quoting In re Kubin, 561 F.3d 1351, 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (citing In re O’Farrell, 853 F.2d 894, 903–04 (Fed.Cir.1988)); Intelligent Bio-Systems, Inc. v. Illumina Cambridge Ltd., 821 F.3d 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (explaining that the expectation of success issue involves a showing of “a reasonable expectation of achieving what is claimed”) (emphasis added). Here, Petitioner relies on Kim 460 to show that heating ginseng, which contains the ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Rg3, and Rg5, results in a teaches that ginseng with the higher Rg3 and Rg5 content is 50-fold more potent in their vasodilation studies than the non-treated samples. Razmovski teaches that G. pentaphyllum contains over 100 saponins and eight of those saponins are the same as protoparaxadiol-type ginsenosides Rb1, Rc, Rb3, Rd, F2, Rg3, malonyl-Rb1, and malonyl-Rd that are found in P. ginseng. Ex. 1007, 4. Knowing that G. pentaphyllum also contains ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Rg3, and Rg5, we find Petitioner’s conclusion that heating a G. pentaphyllum extract that contains these ginsenosides would similarly increase the ginsenoside levels of Rg3 and Rg5 is a reasonable inference from the cited references. Based on the teachings in Kim 460, we agree with Petitioner that it would have been reasonable to expect that the same source material, although derived from a different plant, would behave similarly to heat treatment. See Pet. 24. Because G. pentaphyllum is a less expensive starting material, we also agree with Petitioner that there is sufficient motivation to substitute G. pentaphyllum for ginseng in the methods of Kim 460. slip op. at 29
Patent outcomesUS 8,357,786 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,357,786 - PTAB · Nov 9, 2023 · IPR2023-00890 · APJ Benjamin D M Wood · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–30 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that claims 1–30 would be unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“same parties and invalidity challenges. Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020- 00019, Paper 11 at 5–6, 12-13 (PTAB Mar. 20, 2020) (precedential) (“Fintiv”) (setting out six nonexclusive factors that the Board may consider in determining whether to deny institution because of a parallel district-court proceeding). Our analysis under Fintiv is guided by the USPTO Director’s June 21, 2022 Memorandum titled Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant Proceedings with Parallel District Court Litigation (“Memorandum”).8 The Memorandum sets forth, inter alia, that the Board will not discretionarily deny institution under § 314(a) when a petitioner submits a so-called Sotera stipulation, i.e., the petitioner “stipulates not to pursue in a parallel district court proceeding the same grounds as in the petition or any grounds that could have reasonably been raised in the petition.” Memorandum 7 (citing Sotera Wireless, Inc. v. Masimo Corp., IPR2020-01019, Paper 12 (PTAB Dec. 1, 2020) (precedential as to § II.A)). Such a stipulation mitigates concerns of potentially conflicting PTAB and district-court decisions and duplicative efforts between the district court and PTAB. Id.” slip op. at 9
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“inter partes review may not be instituted “unless . . . 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). Upon considering the Petition, Preliminary Response, Preliminary Reply, Preliminary Sur- Reply, and the present record, we determine that Petitioner has satisfied this threshold requirement, and therefore we institute inter partes review of claims 1–30 of the ’297 patent.” slip op. at 2
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“See IGT v. Bally Gaming Int'l, Inc., 659 F.3d 1109, 1117 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (“Extracting a single word from a claim divorced from the surrounding limitations can lead construction astray.”); Trivascular, Inc. v. Samuels, 812 F.3d 1056, 1062 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (construing claim terms without considering the context in which those terms appear is not reasonable). Thus, even if “vector,” read in isolation, means something akin to a “Euclidean vector” that would arguably contain both a “magnitude” (which we understand Patent Owner to mean distance) and a direction, an “OVI” would not necessarily contain this exact information. Moreover, defining “OVI” to contain both distance and direction would render superfluous the language in claim 1 that expressly requires the created OVI to “contain[] the distance . . . information.” See Stumbo v. Eastman Outdoors, Inc., 508 F.3d 1358, 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (construing a claim in a way that renders a term superfluous is “a methodology that [our reviewing court] has denounced”). Construing “OVI” as a “Euclidian vector” that necessarily contains both distance and direction information would also be contrary to the ’297 patent’s written description. The written description indicates that the word “vector” is broader than “Euclidean vector,” in that it may simply be an “arrow” that is “pointing in the direction of the referenced remote location marker.” Ex. 1001, 3:43–45. The written description states that “[i]nformation displayed in the OVI . . . may include a vector (e.g. arrow) pointing in the direction of the referenced remote location marker, the distance and travel time to the remote location marker, etc.” (Ex. 1001, 3:43–46 (emphasis added)),12 indicating that such information is optional rather than always present.” slip op. at 21
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“have had at least a bachelor’s degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering or equivalent engineering discipline, and approximately three years’ experience in telecommunications, navigation, or geolocation systems,” but “[a]dditional education could substitute for professional experience, and significant work experience could substitute for formal education.” Pet. 3–4. Patent Owner does not oppose Petitioner’s contention. See Prelim. Resp. 6 (stating that, “[f]or the purposes of this Preliminary Response only, Patent Owner utilizes Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art”). At this stage of the proceeding, we adopt Petitioner’s unopposed definition for purposes of this Decision. We also look to the cited prior art references as evidence of the level of ordinary skill at the time of the invention. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001)” slip op. at 11
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,032,297
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.