- PTAB · Nov 7, 2025 · IPR2025-00988 · APJ Terrence W Mcmillin · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of IPR on claims 1–14 because Samsung took alternative claim-construction positions in the Board and district court without explaining why.
RulingsInstitution decision- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“decision in Revvo Technologies, Inc. v. Cerebrum Sensor Technologies, Inc., IPR2025-00632, Paper 20 (Nov. 3, 2025 (“Revvo”)).12 Revvo provides that “when a petitioner takes alternative positions [on claim construction] before the Board and a district court, that petitioner should, at a minimum, explain why alternative positions are warranted.” Revvo at 3–4. On November 5, 2025, the Director of the Office issued an informative decision in Tesla, Inc. v. Intellectual Ventures II LLC, IPR2025- 00340, Paper 18 (Nov. 5, 2025) (“Tesla”)). Tesla provides that: “Allowing a petitioner to advance a claim construction before the Board when that petitioner has made inconsistent indefiniteness arguments in district court fails to further, but instead detracts from, the Office’s goal of ‘providing greater predictability and certainty in the patent system.’” Id. at 4 (citing Revvo at 4–5). Tesla further provides that when a petitioner raises inconsistent invalidity challenges in two forums, “that petitioner is required to explain why those different positions are warranted.” Id. at 3 (citing Revvo at 3–5). In this proceeding, Petitioner takes alternative positions on claim construction before the Board and a district court, but fails to explain why alternative positions are warranted. Therefore, in accordance with Revvo and Tesla, we deny institution.” slip op. at 6
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied
“CONCLUSION For the foregoing reason, we determine that trial should not be instituted on claims 1–14 of the ’281 patent. ORDER Upon consideration of the record before us, it is ORDERED that an inter partes review is not instituted.” slip op. at 7
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)Not reached
“In the Petition, “Petitioner submits that no formal claim constructions are necessary.” Pet. 3. Petitioner does not discuss its position on claim construction in district court nor why alternative positions before the Board and the district court are warranted. See id.” slip op. at 7
Claim constructionDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 10,687,281 - Ford Motor Company / General Motors LLC et al. v. Neo Wireless LLCNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 3, 2025 · IPR2023-00962 · APJ Kristen L Droesch · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 7 and 11 were not shown unpatentable as obvious over Park and IEEE 802.16-2004 because the combination did not teach a mobile device as construed.
RulingsFinal written decision- Director reviewDirector review, grantedGranted
“Ford requested Director Review of the Institution Denial Decision, which was granted. Papers 18, 19. On March 22, 2024, the Director issued a Decision Vacating the Ford Institution Denial Decision as an improper extension of the “significant relationship,” as set forth in General Plastic and Valve, and remanding to the Board to issue a decision on institution that addresses the merits of the Petition. Paper 28 (“Director’s Decision”). In addition, the Director sua sponte granted Director Review of the GM and Nissan Institution Denial Decision and, on March 22, 2024, vacated and remanded the GM and Nissan Institution Denial Decision for the same reasons as those set forth in the Director’s Decision. GM and Nissan IPR, Papers 12, 16.” slip op. at 3
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › General Plastic (serial petitions)Institution denied general plasticInstitution denied
“On November 9, 2023, we denied institution under § 314(a), after considering the factors set forth in General Plastic Industrial Co. v. Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, IPR2016-01357, Paper 19 (PTAB Sept. 6, 2017) (precedential only as to Section II.B.4.i) (“General Plastic”), and expanded upon in Valve Corp. v. Electronic Scripting Products, Inc., IPR2019-00062, Paper 11 (PTAB Apr. 2, 2019) (precedential) (“Valve”). Paper 17 (“Ford Institution Denial Decision”). General Motors LLC and Nissan North America Inc. (“GM and Nissan”) filed a petition requesting inter partes review of claims 7 and 11 of the ’450 Patent and a motion for joinder with this proceeding. IPR2023- 00962 (“GM and Nissan IPR”), Papers 3, 4. On December 6, 2023, we denied institution under § 314(a) based on the petition filed in the GM and Nissan IPR after consideration of the factors set forth in General Plastic and Valve and denied the Motion for Joinder as moot on the basis of the Ford Institution Denial Decision. See GM and Nissan IPR, Paper 11 (“GM and Nissan Institution Denial Decision”).” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Subsequently, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314, we instituted trial on September 11, 2024, as to all of the challenged claims and all of the grounds raised in the Petition. Paper 30 (“Institution Decision,” “Dec. on Inst.”). We also instituted trial and granted the Motion for Joinder in IPR2023- 00962. See GM and Nissan IPR, Paper 18.” slip op. at 3
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Joinder §315(c) / SAS all-or-nothingJoinder, grantedGranted
“Subsequently, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314, we instituted trial on September 11, 2024, as to all of the challenged claims and all of the grounds raised in the Petition. Paper 30 (“Institution Decision,” “Dec. on Inst.”). We also instituted trial and granted the Motion for Joinder in IPR2023- 00962. See GM and Nissan IPR, Paper 18.” slip op. at 3
Patent outcomesUS 10,447,450 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,447,450 - Dell Inc. / Dell Technologies Inc. et al. v. Universal Connectivity Technologies, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Apr 24, 2025 · IPR2024-01480 · APJ Sharon Fenick · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution under § 314(a), citing the Fintiv factors, including the earlier trial date and the petition’s not particularly strong merits, for claims 1–3, 10–13, 17, and 20–22.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied fintivDenied
“is our focus here. As stated, that trial is set to occur about six months before a final written decision would issue in this proceeding. The district court has stated that this trial date setting “cannot be changed without an acceptable showing of good cause.” Prelim. Resp. 4, 8 (quoting Ex. 2001, 5). We are not persuaded by Petitioner’s unsupported argument that the trial date is speculative. We also consider the fact that the median time-to-trial statistic projects a trial date of July 2025, earlier than the actual date set by the district court. Ex. 2001; Ex. 2007; Prelim. Resp. 8–9. The fact that the time-to-trial statistic is earlier than the scheduled trial date confirms that the scheduled trial date is credible and should be given weight. From this evidence, we are persuaded that we should rely on the scheduled trial date in the Lenovo Group litigation as the main indicator of a trial court reaching the merits of the invalidity of the patent-at-issue before we issue a final written decision. Accordingly, this factor strongly favors exercising discretionary denial. C.” slip op. at 9
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“1. Analysis of Petitioner’s Challenges a) Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art Petitioner asserts that one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or equivalent training, and three years of experience with data communications systems or interfaces, including at least some experience with serial or display data communications systems or interfaces. Additional education can substitute for less work experience, and vice versa. Pet. 14; see Ex. 1003 ¶ 41. Patent Owner does not dispute or comment on this proposal or propose an alternate level of ordinary skill in the art. Based on a review of the record, we adopt Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art, which is consistent with the evidence of record, including the asserted prior art and ’103 patent.” slip op. at 14
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“same standard used in district courts, as described in Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc). See 37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b) (2023). Under this standard, claim terms have their ordinary and customary meaning, as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, in light of the language of the claims, the specification, and the prosecution history. See Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1313–14. Neither Petitioner nor Patent Owner asserts that any claim term requires claim construction (Pet. 14–15; Prelim. Resp.) and we do not discern that any claim term requires construction to arrive at our conclusions herein. c)” slip op. at 14
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied
“2. Conclusion Regarding the Merits The discussion above identifies weaknesses in the Petition that we have considered in our evaluation of Fintiv factors. While we do not make a determination regarding whether the Petition shows that there is a reasonable likelihood of prevailing were we to institute, for the reasons given, we determine that this Petition does not present particularly strong merits. G. Weighing the Fintiv Factors We have considered the circumstances and facts before us in view of the Fintiv factors. We take “a holistic view of whether efficiency and integrity of the system are best served by denying or instituting review” when evaluating these factors. Fintiv at 6. Because of the Sotera stipulation, factor 4 weighs strongly in favor of not exercising discretion. However, two other factors weigh in favor of exercising discretion, especially the trial date factor. The merits of Petitioner’s challenge are not particularly strong. A balanced assessment of the factors leads us to exercise discretion to deny the Petition. Therefore, we conclude that the evidence of record favors exercising our discretion under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) to deny institution of an inter partes review.” slip op. at 22
Claim constructionDiscretionary denialcites PhillipsPatents in suitUS 9,852,103 - Lenovo (United States) Inc. / Dell Inc. et al. v. Universal Connectivity Technologies, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Apr 17, 2025 · IPR2024-01482 · APJ Thomas L Giannetti · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution on claims 1, 2, 4, 8–10, 12, 13, 15, 18–20, and 25, exercising § 314(a) discretion after balancing the Fintiv factors and finding the merits not particularly strong.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied
“partes review “allays concerns about inefficiency and duplication of efforts,” and strongly weighs against exercising our authority to deny institution. Fintiv, Paper 11 at 6. Of the three district court proceedings, the Lenovo Group case, pending in the Eastern District of Texas, is the most significant to our analysis here. In the Lenovo Group case, Lenovo Group has not requested a stay. Prelim. Resp. 16. Patent Owner argues that the Lenovo Group case is not likely to be stayed based on that court’s low grant rate in other cases and the progress of that case in particular. Id. at 17. The district court in the HP case denied a stay without prejudice and stated that a stay could be reconsidered in the future depending on the outcome at the PTAB. Prelim. Reply 3. The Dell case has been stayed. Id. On this record, we decline to speculate as to how any of the involved district courts where no stay is pending might rule on any future motion to stay. Thus, we determine that, while one stay has been granted, the lack of a stay in the other underlying district court cases, especially the Lenovo Group case, is not sufficiently persuasive to weigh this factor against exercising discretion. Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020-00019, Paper 15 at 12 (PTAB May 13, 2020) (informative), cautions against speculating whether the district court would grant a stay if one were requested. Therefore, this factor has a neutral effect on the overall balancing of the Fintiv factors. B. Proximity of Trial Date to Projected Statutory Deadline (Factor 2) The scheduled trial date for the Lenovo Group case is November 3, 2025, which is about six months prior to the expected date for the final written decision here (i.e., late April 2026). See Prelim. Resp. 20; IPR2024- 01429, Ex. 2002 (Lenovo Group case Docket Control Order), 1. Petitioner argues this trial date is uncertain. Prelim. Reply 3. Further, Petitioner focuses its argument on what it terms a “growing backlog” in the Eastern District of Texas and “associated scheduling uncertainty.” Id. at 4. Petitioner refers to the status of the HP case, which is currently set for trial on September 21, 2026, and the stay in the Dell case. Id. Patent Owner responds that “[b]oth the scheduled trial date and the date of trial [in the Lenovo Group case] based on median time-to-trial statistics occur months before a final written decision would be expected here.” Prelim. Sur-reply 4. Patent Owner asserts that the time-to-trial statistics for the Eastern District of Texas project a median time-to-trial of 21.9 months. Prelim. Resp. 20–21 (citing Ex. 2007, U.S. District Courts Federal Court Management Statistics–Profiles—September 30, 2024). This projection yields a trial date that is prior to the expected final written decision date of April 2026. Prelim. Sur-reply 4. As with the previous factor, the status of the Lenovo Group case is our focus here. As stated, that trial is set to occur about six months before a final written decision would issue in this proceeding. The district court has stated that this trial date setting “cannot be changed without an acceptable showing of good cause.” Prelim. Resp. 20. We are not persuaded by Petitioner’s unsupported argument that the trial date is uncertain. We also consider the fact that the median time-to-trial statistic discussed by both parties projects a trial date earlier than the actual date set by the district court. Ex. 2007; Prelim. Sur-reply 1. The fact that the time-to-trial statistic is earlier than the trial date set in the Lenovo Group case confirms that the schedule set by the district court is credible and should be given weight. From this evidence, we are persuaded that we should rely on the trial” slip op. at 9
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot reached
“E. Conclusion Regarding the Merits Petitioner does not present particularly strong merits. Petitioner’s arguments on the “bus limitation,” to succeed at trial, would require addressing a claim construction issue that was never addressed in the Petition and is arguably contradicted by the ’520 patent, which discloses transmitting packets representing a plurality of different control signals on a single bus. See Prelim. Sur-reply 2 (citing Ex. 1001, 7:34–38, 9:23–25, 9:50–54). Similarly, prevailing on the “modified protocol” issue would require proving that the HDMI–C protocol, which uses the same separate channel arrangement for CEC and DDC as standard HDMI, is sufficiently “modified” to meet the claim. Taking into account Patent Owner’s persuasive arguments supra in response, and for the reasons given, we do not find the merits of Petitioner’s position on either of these dispositive issues to be particularly strong.” slip op. at 20
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“and only to the extent necessary to resolve the issues in dispute. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999); Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017). Neither party proposes claim constructions for our consideration. Petitioner submits that it “for the purposes of this proceeding, the terms of the challenged claims should be given their plain and ordinary meaning, and no terms require specific construction.” Pet. 8. Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s position that no terms require construction. Prelim. Resp. 11–12. We determine there are no claim terms that need to be expressly construed for this Decision.” slip op. at 15
- Skill levelDecided for patent owner
“Patent Owner states that a person of ordinary skill “would have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or equivalent training and three years of work experience with data communications systems or interfaces, including at least some experience with serial or display data communications systems or interfaces .” Prelim. Resp. 12. The differences between these nearly-identical definitions are minor and immaterial to our decision. We regard either description as consistent with the challenged patent and the prior art before us. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (prior art itself may reflect an appropriate level of skill).” slip op. at 16
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 7,856,520 - Lenovo (United States) Inc. / Dell Inc. et al. v. Universal Connectivity Technologies, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Apr 17, 2025 · IPR2024-01481 · APJ Thomas L Giannetti · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution on all challenged claims under § 314(a), based on its Fintiv analysis, including the earlier district court trial date and weakness in the merits.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied fintivInstitution denied
“date in the Lenovo Group case as the main indicator of a trial court reaching the merits of the invalidity of the patent-at-issue before we issue a final written decision. Accordingly, this factor strongly favors discretionary denial of the Petition.” slip op. at 11
- Skill levelSkill level board ownOther
“patent “would have had a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or equivalent training, and three years of experience with data communications systems or interfaces, including at least some experience with serial or display data communications systems or interfaces.” Pet. 6. Patent Owner states that a person of ordinary skill “would have the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or equivalent training and three years of work experience with data communications.” Prelim. Resp. 6–7. The differences between the definitions are minor and immaterial to our decision. We regard either description as consistent with the challenged patent and the prior art before us. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (prior art itself may reflect an appropriate level of skill).” slip op. at 16
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction needed
“and only to the extent necessary to resolve the issues in dispute. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999); Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017). Neither party proposes claim constructions for our consideration. Petitioner reports that it “does not believe that any specialized constructions are necessary.” Pet. 6. Patent Owner “does not disagree.” Prelim. Resp. 6. However, Petitioner’s challenge raises an implicit claim construction issue not addressed in the Petition that we discuss in our analysis below.” slip op. at 15
- BurdenNot reached
“example, claim 11 recites “receiving a synchronization symbol by a receiver indicating a packet type, each packet type having a different synchronization symbol.” Ex. 1001, 37:53–55. The other independent claims challenged in the Petition are similar in their recitation of a “synchronization symbol.” See id. at 37:9 (claim 1), 38:26–27 (claim 19). Petitioner argues this limitation is disclosed by Auld in view of MPEG-2 Part. 1. Pet. 15–16. Citing Figure 5 of Auld, reproduced in Section IV.C.1, supra, Petitioner asserts that “[t]he ‘sync codes’ in Auld consist of sequences of symbols that are used for synchronization, and therefore qualify as synchronization symbols.” Id. at 17. Patent Owner responds that “what the Petitioners identified as a ‘synchronization symbol’ [in Auld] is in what they have identified as a ‘packet of (or having) symbols.’” Prelim. Resp. 1. In contrast, “[i]n the specification and claims of the ’798 Patent, the claimed ‘synchronization symbol’ is separate from, and precedes, the claimed ‘packet of (or having) symbols.’” Prelim. Resp. 1. In disputing Petitioner’s identification in Auld of a synchronization symbol as claimed, Patent Owner points to Figure 9A of the ’798 patent (reproduced in Section II.C, supra), showing synchronization primitives 901 and 905 as separate from and transmitted before packets 902 and 907, respectively. Id. at 4. Patent Owner also relies on the description of the Figure 9A embodiment in the ’798 patent specification. Id. at 3–5. That description places transmission of the synchronization primitive encoded with the patent type before the control packet in the transmission sequence:” slip op. at 18
Claim constructionDiscretionary denialPatents in suitUS 7,746,798 - HP Inc. / Dell Technologies Inc. et al. v. Universal Connectivity Technologies, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Apr 16, 2025 · IPR2024-01429 · APJ Karl D Easthom · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution on all challenged claims, exercising § 314(a) discretion based on the Fintiv factors, especially the earlier district court trial date and weaknesses in the merits.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Denied
“is our focus here. As stated, that trial is set to occur about six months before a final written decision would issue in this proceeding. The District Court has stated that this trial date setting “cannot be changed without an acceptable showing of good cause.” Prelim. Resp. 17. We are not persuaded by Petitioner’s unsupported argument that the trial date is speculative. We also consider the fact that the median time-to-trial statistic projects a trial date of July 2025, earlier than the actual date set by the District Court. Ex. 2002; Ex. 2008; Prelim. Resp. 17–18. The fact that the time-to-trial statistic is earlier than the trial date set by Judge Gilstrap confirms that the schedule set by the District Court is credible and should be given weight. From this evidence, we are persuaded that we should rely on the trial date in the Lenovo Group litigation as the main indicator of a trial court reaching the merits of the invalidity of the patent-at-issue before we issue a final written decision. Accordingly, this factor strongly favors exercising discretionary denial. C.” slip op. at 8
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied
“integrity of the system are best served by denying or instituting review” when evaluating these factors. Fintiv at 6. Because of the Sotera stipulation, factor 4 weighs strongly in favor of not exercising discretion. However, two other factors weigh in favor of exercising discretion, especially the trial date factor. The merits of Petitioner’s challenge are not particularly strong. A balanced assessment of the factors leads us to exercise discretion to deny the Petition. Therefore, we conclude that the evidence of record favors exercising our discretion under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) to deny institution of an inter partes review challenging claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 23, 25, 31, 53, 68, 70–72, 74, and 75. IV. CONCLUSION Upon consideration of the Petition, the Preliminary Response, and the evidence presented, we exercise our discretion under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) to deny institution of an inter partes review challenging claims 1, 2, 6, 7, 23, 25, 31, 53, 68, 70–72, 74, and 75 of the ’307 patent. V. ORDER In consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby ORDERED that the Petition is denied, and no trial is instituted.” slip op. at 29
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The parties each raise facially valid points based on the claim language. Petitioner has the burden to show “[h]ow the challenged claim is to be construed.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.104 b(3). Petitioner does not explain how, under its broad construction, the decoder “decodes the encoded data to recover application and control bits in accordance with a line code.” That is, if the encoding does not encode both “application and control bits,” then how can decoding “recover” both under Petitioner’s claim construction? It is not clear on this preliminary record whether the specification supports Petitioner’s broad claim construction. For this reason, Petitioner’s showing based upon the broad claim construction outlined above is not “particularly strong.” See Fintiv at 14–15. As discussed further below, Petitioner also presents a showing under Patent Owner’s more narrow construction. 3.” slip op. at 15
- Skill levelSkill level board ownOther
“Prelim. Resp. 6 (citing Ex. 2001 ¶ 15). Relying on its declarant, Dr. Wolfe, Petitioner proposes materially the same level. Pet. 5 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 26– 29). Based on a review of the record, we adopt the parties’ proposed level of ordinary skill in the art because it is consistent with the evidence of record, including the asserted prior art and ’307 patent.” slip op. at 14
Claim constructionDiscretionary denialcites PhillipsPatents in suitUS 7,187,307 - Arista Networks, Inc. v. Orckit CorporationInstitution deniedPTAB · Mar 25, 2025 · IPR2024-01238 · APJ Kristen L Droesch · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution because the petition did not show a reasonable likelihood that claims 14–16 would have been obvious over Doshi, Guichard, and Ashwood Smith.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied meritsInstitution denied
“Based on the record before us, Petitioner does not set forth sufficient argument and evidence to demonstrate that the combined teachings of Doshi, Guichard, and Ashwood Smith teach or suggest “digital logic . . . configured to determine a probability of concurrent failure of said working entity and said protection entity,” as recited in claim 14. Accordingly, there is not a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail in showing that the subject matter of independent claim 14 would have been obvious over Doshi, Guichard, and Ashwood Smith. Due to the dependency of claims 15 and 16 from claim 14, and for the same reasons as those explained above addressing claim 1, based on the record before us Petitioner does not set forth sufficient argument and evidence to demonstrate that the combination of Doshi, Guichard, and Ashwood Smith teaches or suggests the limitations of claims 15 and 16. Accordingly, there is not a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail in showing that the subject matter of dependent claims 15 and 16 would have been obvious over Doshi, Guichard, and Ashwood Smith.” slip op. at 24
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot reached
“We agree with Patent Owner’s arguments. We find that Petitioner does not show sufficiently that Ashwood Smith discloses, teaches, or suggests “digital logic . . . configured to determine a probability of concurrent failure of a working entity and a protection entity,” as required by claim 14. Petitioner implicitly construes “digital logic . . . configured to determine a probability of concurrent failure of said working entity and said protection entity” to require “calculat[ing] the probability of concurrent failure of the paths.” Pet. 77; see also id. (“calculating such probability for two paths”), 78 (also implicitly construing “digital logic . . . configured to determine an entity cost of said plurality of transport entity descriptors” to require “cost calculation”). We agree with Petitioner’s implicit construction because it is consistent with the claim language and the ’821 Patent Specification which discloses a simultaneous failure probability (SFP) function (Eq. 1) and SFP values calculated by a concurrent failure probability matrix. See Ex. 1001, 3:44–47, 6:5–11, 6:39–40. Similar to Doshi’s description of the probability of failure in terms of “very insignificant” (see Ex. 1005 ¶ 40), Petitioner’s cited disclosures of Ashwood Smith describe the probability of failure at a common point in terms of “fairly low” (see Ex. 1037, 3:21–23) “highly unlikely” (see Ex. 1037, 10:32), and “below a certain level” (see Ex. 1037, 11:7–8). Although Petitioner asserts that Ashwood Smith’s method determines the probability of failure at a common point between two paths (see Pet. 67), the teachings of Ashwood Smith cited by Petitioner do not support a finding that Ashwood Smith discloses, teaches, or suggests “digital logic . . . configured to determine the probability of concurrent failure,” as implicitly construed by Petitioner to require calculating a probability of concurrent failure of a working entity and a protection entity. Petitioner also cites Ashwood Smith’s disclosure suggesting a possible refinement to the disclosed method that would take into account the actual probability of failure at a common point shared by two or more working paths. See Ex. 1037, 10:21–24. Petitioner, however, does not direct us to any disclosure in Ashwood of digital logic configured to determine or calculate the probability of failure at a common point. See Pet. 66–69, 74–78. Instead, Petitioner overlooks Ashwood Smith’s disclosure that the probability of failure at a common point is allocated (i.e., distributed, assigned, given out) by the data transport network operator. See Ex. 1037, 11:4–6. This allocation of failure probability by the data transport operator is similar to the ’821 Patent Specification’s disclosure that “[s]pan failure probabilities may be assigned, for example, manually by a network operator based on network knowledge” and “[n]ode failure probabilities may be configured by the operator, typically based on vendor-provided mean time between failure (MTBF) parameters, and on infrastructure failure probability, for example, power failure probability.” Ex. 1001, 6:20–23, 6:29–33. We also give little weight to Petitioner’s witness Dr. Min’s testimony (Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 234–237) that Ashwood Smith teaches determining a probability of concurrent failure of two paths because, for the same reasons, it is not supported by an underlying factual basis. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.65(a).” slip op. at 22
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert discountedDecided for patent owner
“IPR2023–00402, we find that Doshi does not disclose, teach, or suggest “digital logic . . . configured to determine a probability of concurrent failure of said working entity and said protection entity,” as required by claim 14. Although Doshi discloses selecting a subset of path pairs based on cost (see Ex. 1005 ¶ 144, Fig. 11), and that disjoint path pairs may have very insignificant probability of failure, Petitioner does not direct us to where Doshi discloses, teaches, or suggests “digital logic . . . configured determine the probability of concurrent failure of the primary path and the restoration path.” See Pet. 67, 74–76. We also give little weight to Petitioner’s witness Dr. Min’s testimony (Ex. 1003 ¶ 255) that determining path disjointedness corresponds to determining a probability of concurrent failure is entitled to little weight because, for the same reasons, it is not supported by an underlying factual basis. 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.”). For example, Petitioner does not provide a factual basis for equating a determination of path disjointedness (e.g., strictly disjoint, partially disjoint) with a determination of the probability of concurrent failure of the primary and restoration path. We also give little weight to Dr. Min’s testimony (Ex. 1003 ¶ 258) that Doshi’s disclosure of selection logic configured to perform the method of Figure 11 teaches logic configured to determine probability of concurrent failure of said working entity and said protection entity because it also is not supported by an underlying factual basis. See Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 256–258; Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 142–145; Fig. 11.” slip op. at 18
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“(‘POSITA’) would have had a working knowledge of network communications and multiprotocol label switching (‘MPLS’) techniques available at the time.” Pet. 11 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 50–51). Petitioner contends that “[a] POSITA would have had a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or equivalent training, and approximately two years of experience working in the field of network communications and been knowledgeable regarding MPLS techniques.” Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 51). Patent Owner does not address the skill level of a person of ordinary of skill in the art. See Prelim. Resp. For the purpose of determining whether to institute trial, we adopt Petitioner’s definition of a person of ordinary skill in the art because it is consistent with the level of skill reflected by the ’821 Patent Specification and the asserted prior art.” slip op. at 8
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,830,821 - Google LLC v. 138 East LCD Advancements LimitedInstitution deniedPTAB · Jan 8, 2025 · IPR2024-00955 · APJ Brian P Murphy · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution because Petitioner did not show a reasonable likelihood of proving any of claims 1–33 unpatentable on the asserted obviousness grounds.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied meritsInstitution denied
“1. Legal Standards “In an [inter partes review], the petitioner has the burden from the onset to show with particularity why the patent it challenges is unpatentable.” Harmonic Inc. v. Avid Tech., Inc., 815 F.3d 1356, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (citing 35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(3) (requiring inter partes review petitions to identify “with particularity . . . the evidence that supports the grounds for the challenge to each claim”)). This burden of persuasion never shifts to the patent owner. See Dynamic Drinkware, LLC v. Nat’l Graphics, Inc., 800 F.3d 1375, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2015). A patent claim is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 if the differences between the claimed subject matter and the prior art are such that the subject matter, as a whole, would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 406 (2007) (hereafter cited as “KSR”). The question of obviousness is resolved on the basis of underlying factual determinations including: (1) the scope and content of the prior art; (2) any differences between the claimed subject matter and the prior art; (3) the level of ordinary skill in the art; and (4) objective evidence of nonobviousness, if made available in the record, which has not happened here. See Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 17–18 (1966).” slip op. at 17
- BurdenDecided for patent owner
“To be sure, the pixel belief values used in the Luo-250 device are based on color. The Luo-250 device determines pixel probabilities “by assigning to each pixel a belief value as belonging to the subject matter region based on color and texture features.” Id. ¶ 42. However, using probability values or binary 1s and 0s to map the probability or “belief” that a pixel or area of pixels in an image either is, or is not, a subject matter target, is not the same as designating “certain pixels as certain colors” as asserted by Petitioner. Thus, we are not persuaded that the Petition has adequately supported or explained how the Luo-250 device designates “certain pixels as certain colors.” We also are not persuaded the Petition has established that Luo-250 discloses, teaches, or suggests a device or method that “determines the color range exhibited by the pixel data groups” as recited in Limitation 1[b]. Pet. 17–18 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 34–39). First, as indicated above, we are not persuaded the Petition has established that Luo-250 “designates certain pixels as certain colors,” which is foundational to Petitioner’s argument that the Luo-250 method determines a “color range exhibited by the pixel data groups.” Second, the evidence cited by Petitioner when attempting to map the quoted claim language regarding “color range” to Luo-250, refers to the designation of individual pixels as “either skin-tone or non skin-tone” in a binary belief map, not a range of colors. Id. at 18 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 35–39). Petitioner’s argument—that “[b]y analyzing the pixels to designate each as ‘either skin-tone or non skin-tone,’ Luo-250’s device determines ‘[r]egions of skin-tone colored pixels’ in the image” (id.)—is not persuasive evidence of “determin[ing] a color range exhibited by the pixel data groups” as recited in Limitation 1[b]. The Petition does not adequately explain how Luo-250 discloses, teaches, suggests, or otherwise renders obvious the determination of color ranges for pixel data groups in an image. We are further persuaded by Patent Owner’s argument and evidence that the Petition has not adequately explained how the Luo-250 device would “determine[] a color range” based on a determination of probability values for each pixel, rather than a range of colors. Prelim. Resp. 26–27 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 32, 34, 36, and 38). Dr. Papanikolopoulos’s Declaration testimony further supports Patent Owner’s position. Ex. 2001 ¶¶ 78–81. Dr. Papanikolopoulos testifies, in particular, that Mr. Parulski asserts only “that Luo-250 considers the color of individual pixels. He does not assert that Luo-250 anywhere ‘analyzes the image data . . . and determines the color range, as claimed.’” Id. ¶ 80. We agree.” slip op. at 22
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“To be sure, the pixel belief values used in the Luo-250 device are based on color. The Luo-250 device determines pixel probabilities “by assigning to each pixel a belief value as belonging to the subject matter region based on color and texture features.” Id. ¶ 42. However, using probability values or binary 1s and 0s to map the probability or “belief” that a pixel or area of pixels in an image either is, or is not, a subject matter target, is not the same as designating “certain pixels as certain colors” as asserted by Petitioner. Thus, we are not persuaded that the Petition has adequately supported or explained how the Luo-250 device designates “certain pixels as certain colors.” We also are not persuaded the Petition has established that Luo-250 discloses, teaches, or suggests a device or method that “determines the color range exhibited by the pixel data groups” as recited in Limitation 1[b]. Pet. 17–18 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 34–39). First, as indicated above, we are not persuaded the Petition has established that Luo-250 “designates certain pixels as certain colors,” which is foundational to Petitioner’s argument that the Luo-250 method determines a “color range exhibited by the pixel data groups.” Second, the evidence cited by Petitioner when attempting to map the quoted claim language regarding “color range” to Luo-250, refers to the designation of individual pixels as “either skin-tone or non skin-tone” in a binary belief map, not a range of colors. Id. at 18 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 35–39). Petitioner’s argument—that “[b]y analyzing the pixels to designate each as ‘either skin-tone or non skin-tone,’ Luo-250’s device determines ‘[r]egions of skin-tone colored pixels’ in the image” (id.)—is not persuasive evidence of “determin[ing] a color range exhibited by the pixel data groups” as recited in Limitation 1[b]. The Petition does not adequately explain how Luo-250 discloses, teaches, suggests, or otherwise renders obvious the determination of color ranges for pixel data groups in an image. We are further persuaded by Patent Owner’s argument and evidence that the Petition has not adequately explained how the Luo-250 device would “determine[] a color range” based on a determination of probability values for each pixel, rather than a range of colors. Prelim. Resp. 26–27 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 32, 34, 36, and 38). Dr. Papanikolopoulos’s Declaration testimony further supports Patent Owner’s position. Ex. 2001 ¶¶ 78–81. Dr. Papanikolopoulos testifies, in particular, that Mr. Parulski asserts only “that Luo-250 considers the color of individual pixels. He does not assert that Luo-250 anywhere ‘analyzes the image data . . . and determines the color range, as claimed.’” Id. ¶ 80. We agree.” slip op. at 22
- Skill levelSkill level board ownOther
“In determining the level of ordinary skill in the art, various factors may be considered, including the “type of problems encountered in the art; prior art solutions to those problems; rapidity with which innovations are made; sophistication of the technology; and educational level of active workers in the field.” In re GPAC, Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1995) (citing Custom Accessories, Inc. v. Jeffrey-Allan Indus., Inc., 807 F.2d 955, 962 (Fed. Cir. 1986)). “These factors are not exhaustive but are merely a guide to determining the level of ordinary skill in the art.” Daiichi Sankyo Co. v. Apotex, Inc., 501 F.3d 1254, 1256 (Fed. Cir. 2007). There is uncontested evidence in the record before us that reflects the knowledge and experience of a POSITA. We determine that no express finding is necessary, on the present record, and that the level of ordinary skill in the art is reflected by the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001); In re GPAC, 57 F.3d at 1579; In re Oelrich, 579 F.2d 86, 91 (CCPA 1978).” slip op. at 15
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 7,668,365 - PTAB · Dec 16, 2024 · IPR2024-00997 · APJ Christopher L Ogden · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution of IPR challenging claims 1–10, exercising its discretion under § 314(a) because the Fintiv factors favored denial.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied fintivDenied
“Based on the preliminary record, we can reasonably expect trial in the parallel district court proceedings to begin four to five months prior to the deadline for our final written decision, based on the scheduled trial date and the median time-to-trial statistics. See Fintiv Memo 8–9 & n.12 (approving the use of median time-to-trial statistics). Even if the proceedings are staggered, at least one of the proceedings would likely begin and conclude well before our decision, making it highly likely that there will be duplicate efforts in evaluating the challenged claims based on the prior art. Thus, we agree with Patent Owner that the second factor weighs substantially in favor of discretionary denial.” slip op. at 9
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied fintivInstitution denied
“and Trademark Office under 37 C.F.R. § 42.4(a), we may only institute an inter partes review when “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); see also 37 C.F.R. § 42.108(c). However, institution of inter partes review is discretionary. See Harmonic Inc. v. Avid” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“ordinary skill in the art. See Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1312– 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc) (the level of ordinary skill is pertinent to claim construction); Graham v. John Deere Co. of Kan. City, 383 U.S. 1, 17–18 (1966) (the level of ordinary skill is one of the factors to consider when determining obviousness). For this decision, we adopt Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill, which is “the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering; familiarity with the relevant 3GPP standards as of this time; and at least two years of experience in design, development, and/or testing of cellular networks.” Pet. 15–16 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 43–44). Although Patent Owner argues for a higher level of ordinary skill (see Prelim. Resp. 7–8), our determination that the Petition lacks compelling merits would be the same under Patent Owner’s proposal.” slip op. at 15
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The parties argue that we need not address any claim-construction issues for our analysis, and we agree. See Pet. 15; Prelim. Resp. 25. See Realtime Data, LLC v. Iancu, 912 F.3d 1368, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (“The Board is required to construe ‘only those 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))).” slip op. at 16
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnessDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,798,754 - Uber Technologies, Inc. v. Enovsys LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · Nov 22, 2024 · IPR2024-00825 · APJ Andrew L Nalven · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution because the petition did not show a reasonable likelihood of proving any challenged claim unpatentable under the asserted obviousness grounds.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied meritsInstitution denied
“Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), an 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.” For the reasons that follow, we determine that Petitioner has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in demonstrating the unpatentability of at least one of the challenged claims. Accordingly, we decline to institute an inter partes review.” slip op. at 2
- Claim Construction › Functional claiming / §112(f) means-plus-function › Corresponding structure / algorithm (indefinite if none)Term construed patent owner constructionDecided for patent owner
“Step 1 of Figure 7 begins by obtaining the geographic information of the area to search for possible remote targets. Id. at 8:57–59. In step 2, the next geographic region where a possible search for a PRU is estimated. Id. at 8:64–66. In step 3, a page is sent out to that geographic region for remote units in the region to reveal their location. Id. at 9:2–4. In steps 4 and 5, if remote units are identified in the paged area, that information is forwarded to the network and the process continues to step 7 where the process is aborted. Id. at 9:4–6. Step 6 is performed if no units are identified in the paged area. Id. at 9:6–9. There, a check is done to establish if there are any remaining cells or grids higher up in the chain to be searched, and if so, the process returns to step 2 to search additional geographic areas. Id. at 9:9–12. The iterative process described in Figure 7 is consistent with Patent Owner’s proposed construction requiring forwarding a notification to only one or more PRUs currently located in a specific geographic boundary. Ex. 2001 ¶ 55; see also Ex. 1001, 8:32–54 (describing a grid search technique that may be implemented by the process of Figure 7).” slip op. at 13
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“(“POSITA”) would have had “a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field, and at least two years of experience in the research, design, development, and/or testing of GPS and related location tracking techniques, or the equivalent.” Pet. 8 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 28–30). Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s proffered definition as to the level of ordinary skill in the art. Prelim. Resp. 6. For purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s assessment, which is consistent with the level of skill reflected in the Specification and asserted prior art.” slip op. at 16
- Expert testimonyPatent owner expert creditedDecided for patent owner
“We are further not persuaded by Petitioner’s argument that forwarding notifications to the PRUs only within a specified geographic region renders element 12[D]’s step of verifying whether the PRUs exists within said region unnecessary. Pet. 35 n.8. Rather, we credit Mr. McAlexander who testifies that forwarding notifications to individually pollable geographic boundaries “does not obviate the need for the PRU to identify that the notification has been received or verify its location within the individual geographic boundary before responding.” Ex. 2001 ¶ 155.” slip op. at 15
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 7,199,726
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.