- Google LLC v. Sandpiper CDN, LLCInstitutedPTAB · Nov 25, 2025 · IPR2025-00860 · APJ Sheila F Mcshane · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted review of claims 1–20 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that the Dilley, Pai, and Wang combination renders the claims obvious.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“partes review. See 35 U.S.C. § 314; 37 C.F.R. § 42.4(a). Under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), we may not authorize an inter partes review unless the information in the petition and the preliminary response “shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” For the reasons stated below, we determine that Petitioner has established a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail with respect to at least one claim. We therefore institute inter partes review as to all of the challenged claims of the ’573 patent and all of the asserted grounds of unpatentability in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“III. ANALYSIS A. Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art Petitioner asserts that a person of ordinary skill in the art: would have had at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field, and at least two years of work or research experience in the field of content delivery management or networks. Work experience can substitute for formal education and additional formal education can substitute for work experience. Pet. 12 (citing Ex. 1006 ¶ 70). Patent Owner asserts that “the Board does not need to resolve the appropriate level of skill for a POSA [person of ordinary skill in the art] for purposes of deciding institution because the Petition fails under any articulation of a POSA.” Prelim Resp. 10. For the purposes of this Decision, we adopt the assessment offered by Petitioner as it is consistent with the ’573 patent and the prior art before us. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001).” slip op. at 8
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“Petitioner asserts that no claim terms need to be expressly construed by the Board and all terms should be given their ordinary meaning. Pet. 12. Patent Owner agrees that the Phillips standard applies. Prelim. Resp. 10. We determine that we need not expressly construe any claim terms at this juncture. 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 9
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Written description adequateEntitled to earlier dateDecided for patent owner
“We consider the disclosures of the Provisional Application, which refer to cases 1 and 2, in which requests are redirected to an origin server for lower popularity content and to a parent server for medium popularity content at steps 522 and 524 as shown in Figure 5, respectively, wherein the edge server receives a redirect from the popularity service without a “followme” flag. See Ex. 1011 ¶¶ 43, 44. The Provisional Application also discloses that, by comparison, if there is a “follow-me” redirect sent to the edge server, it obtains and caches a resource as shown at step 528 for higher popularity content. Id. ¶ 44. On this record, as Patent Owner asserts, these disclosures are consistent with technical reasons provided in the Provisional Application for instructing the edge server not to cache unpopular resources. See Ex. 1011 ¶¶ 68–69. In light of these disclosures, we preliminarily find support for Dr. Shenoy’s testimony that, even with the words “instruction to not cache” are not literally recited in the Provisional Application, caching and not caching are alternative options that indicate the instruction to the edge server that will be implemented for each option. See Ex. 2014 ¶ 56. Further, these disclosures provide support for Dr. Shenoy’s testimony that the disclosures “reasonably convey to those skilled in the art that Patent Owner had possession of the edge server receiving an instruction to not cache the resource (and instead simply forward the redirect).” Id. In re Johnson states that “it is not true that the factual context out of which the question under § 112 arises is immaterial. Quite the contrary. Here, . . . the ‘written description’ in the [] specification supported the claims in the absence of the limitation, and that specification, having described the whole, necessarily described the part remaining.” See Johnson, 558 F.2d at 1019. This is consistent with M.P.E.P. § 2173.05(i) which states, “[i]f alternative elements are positively recited in the specification, they may be explicitly excluded in the claims.” M.P.E.P. § 2173.05(i). Further, “the failure of the specification to specifically mention a limitation that later appears in the claims is not a fatal one when one skilled in the art would recognize upon reading the specification that the new language reflects what the specification shows has been invented.” All Dental Prodx, LLC v. Advantage Dental Prod., Inc., 309 F.3d 774, 779 (Fed. Cir. 2002). Even though we do not discern that the Provisional Application explicitly discloses an “instruction to not cache,” at least on this preliminary record, and for the purposes of this Decision, there is positive recital of instructions to cache in the Provisional Application and Petitioner has provided sufficient supporting evidence that caching and not caching are alternative options. Further, there is sufficient evidence, in the context of the disclosures of written description support in the Provisional Application, providing support for Dr. Shenoy’s testimony that Patent Owner had possession of an edge server receiving an instruction to not cache the resource. Nonetheless, we invite additional briefing on these issues, including issues relating to alternative options of caching and not caching. On this preliminary record, we find that the ’573 patent has a priority date of April 2, 2008, which predates the earliest possible date on which Newton-471 could be effective as prior art, September 30, 2014 (the date on which the earliest application in the priority chain of Newton-471 was filed). Accordingly, we preliminarily find that Newton-471 is not prior art to the challenged claims. Thus, on the present record, Petitioner has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail in showing that claims 1–20 are anticipated by Newton-471.” slip op. at 13
Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,924,573 - Google LLC v. Sandpiper CDN, LLCInstitutedPTAB · Nov 10, 2025 · IPR2025-00806 · APJ Sheila F Mcshane · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–20 and all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood of success on the § 103 challenges.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“partes review. See 35 U.S.C. § 314; 37 C.F.R. § 42.4(a). Under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), we may not authorize an inter partes review unless the information in the petition and the preliminary response “shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” For the reasons stated below, we determine that Petitioner has established a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail with respect to at least one claim. We therefore institute inter partes review as to all of the challenged claims of the ’517 patent and all of the asserted grounds of unpatentability in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Not entitled to earlier dateDecided for petitioner
“application must comply with the written description requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 112.” Zenon Envtl., Inc. v. U.S. Filter Corp., 506 F.3d 1370, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (quoting Lockwood v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 107 F.3d 1565, 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1997)); see also In re Hogan, 559 F.2d 595, 609 (CCPA 1977). To comply with the “written description” requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph, an applicant must “convey with reasonable clarity to those skilled in the art that, as of the filing date sought, he or she was in possession of the invention. The invention is, for purposes of the ‘written description’ inquiry, whatever is now claimed.” Vas-Cath, Inc. v. Mahurkar, 935 F.2d 1555, 1563–64 (Fed. Cir. 1991) (emphasis omitted). The invention claimed does not have to be described in ipsis verbis to satisfy the written description requirement. Union Oil Co. v. Atlantic Richfield Co., 208 F.3d 989, 1000 (Fed. Cir. 2000). The question of written description support should not be confused, however, with the question of what would have been obvious to the artisan. Whether one skilled in the art would find the claimed invention obvious in view of the disclosure is not an issue in the “written description” inquiry. In re Barker, 559 F.2d 588, 593 (CCPA 1977). “A description which renders obvious the invention for which an earlier filing date is sought is not sufficient.” Lockwood, 107 F.3d at 1572.” slip op. at 11
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundInstituted
“motivated to combine Beaumont and Hasan. Pet. 13–14. Petitioner argues that “Beaumont does not describe a specific interface for manually entering [policy and rules] preferences, Hasan discloses a GUI for exactly this type of policy specification.” Id. at 14 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 70). Petitioner asserts that Hasan discloses that its Java-based, “platform independent” GUI takes the form of a “familiar tree structure” and allows administrators to “configure device and service configuration data and policy information.” Id. (citing Ex. 1006, code (57), 7:7–26, 8:19–29, 18:9–20). Petitioner asserts that the combination of Beaumont and Hasan would have been straightforward, and a person of skill “would have been motivated to incorporate Hasan’s GUI so that administrators could conveniently configure preferences for Beaumont’s DNS servers through an intuitive interface.” Id. (citing, inter alia, Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 70–71; Ex. 1007 ¶ 23). Patent Owner does not present any arguments on the rationale to combine. See generally Prelim. Resp. We find that at this juncture Petitioner has presented sufficient rationale to combine Beaumont and Hasan.” slip op. at 16
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Instituted
“We agree with Patent Owner that its understanding of a policy as a rule is consistent with the disclosure in the ’517 patent that “a policy may be created by generating a decision tree representing the ATC rules.” See Ex. 1001, 9:1–3. We do not agree with Patent Owner, however, that Beaumont in combination with Hasan does not disclose the claimed policy features as claimed. As discussed above, Petitioner relies upon Beaumont in combination with Hasan with its teachings on the use of Java-based GUIs in the form of a tree structure that allows administrators to configure device and service configuration data, as well as policy information. See Ex. 1006, code (57), 7:7–26, 8:19–29. For the policy teachings, Petitioner relies upon Beaumont’s “content provider DNS server that directs requests (traffic) according to a preference table (policy).” Pet. 15–16 (citing Fig. 1, ¶¶ 6, 17, 23). Petitioner also asserts that the Beaumont-Hasan GUI would enable an administrator to set policies for a selected content delivery server to allow setting server preferences and rules. Id. at 17–18 (citing, inter alia, Ex. 1007 ¶¶ 76–77). In support, Dr. Lin testifies that: The Beaumont-Hasan GUI would enable an administrator to select a content delivery server (e.g., in Japan) and set policies for that server. Hasan, 8:30–36, 10:25–34, 10:53–67; Beaumont, [0031]. For example, given the description in Hasan, selecting a server would bring up a menu enabling an administrator to assign the preferences shown in Fig. 3 of Beaumont. Hasan, 10:25–34; Beaumont, Figs. 2, 3, [0029]–[0031]. A POSITA would thus have recognized the combined GUI to “support[] the setting of said at least one policy using a decision tree representing rules” because it is presented in a “familiar tree structure” and would allow users to set server preferences and rules. Ex. 1003 ¶ 77 (emphasis added). Beaumont provides support for Dr. Lin’s testimony. Beaumont discloses that “rules such as selecting one [a server] based on user preferences can be used . . . [f]or example, a preference number can be assigned to each content delivery server and a destination domain.” Ex. 1007 ¶ 31. Beaumont further states that “FIG. 3 shows an illustrative example of incorporating preference numbers in a column.” Id. Thus, contrary to Patent Owner’s arguments, Beaumont discloses that rules or policies, represented by the preference number, are represented in the table shown in Figure 3 of Beaumont. Dr. Lin also testifies that in the Beaumont-Hasan combination “the GUI supports the setting of” policy is taught. Ex. 1003 ¶ 77. Hasan provides support that service policies can be modified by the use of a GUI. See Ex. 1006, 8:30–36, 10:25–34, 10:53–67. Accordingly, in the combination of Beaumont and Hasan, wherein the preference database is replaced by the GUI decision tree, Petitioner has provided sufficient evidence at this juncture that the combination of Beaumont and Hasan teaches that the GUI obtains a policy, the preference number, for the direction of network traffic, where the GUI supports the setting of the policy using a decision tree representing rules.” slip op. at 19
Claim construction§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,645,517 - Reolink Innovation Inc. / Shenzhen Reolink Technology Co., Ltd. v. Throughtek Co., Ltd.All claims unpatentablePTAB · Aug 4, 2025 · IPR2024-00509 · APJ Michael J Strauss · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–4 and 6–19 are unpatentable as obvious over Throughtek-2012 and the Lorex Video; claims 1–3, 6, 10, 12–14, 17, and 18 are also unpatentable under two other grounds.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“II. ANALYSIS A. Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art Relying on the testimony of Dr. Bims, Petitioner proposes that a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the ’842 patent would have been a person having a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and two years of work experience with network and communication technologies. Pet. 11 (citing Ex. 1001 ¶¶ 15–16). Patent Owner does not provide any proposed qualifications for a person of ordinary skill in the art. 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) (citation omitted). The level of ordinary skill in the art is also reflected by the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001). We adopt the assessment offered by Petitioner as it is consistent with the ’842 patent and the asserted prior art.” slip op. at 7
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for petitioner
“Petitioner asserts “no claim elements need a formal construction for purposes of resolving the controversy in this proceeding.” Pet. 11 (citing Ex. 1001 ¶ 55; Wellman, Inc. v. Eastman Chem. Co., 642 F.3d 1355, 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2011); Google Inc. v. Intellectual Ventures II LLC, 701 Fed. Appx. 946, 956 (Fed. Cir. 2017)). Petitioner states “[a]ll claim terms should be construed according to the Phillips standard.” Id. (citing Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1303; 37 C.F.R. §42.100). Patent Owner presents no proposed claim constructions. We determine that we need not expressly construe any claim terms to resolve the parties’ disputes on the current record. 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)).” slip op. at 8
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Not entitled to earlier dateDecided for petitioner
“In addition, “[n]egative claim limitations are adequately supported when the specification describes a reason to exclude the relevant limitation. Such written description support need not rise to the level of disclaimer.” Santarus, Inc. v. Par Pharm., Inc., 694 F.3d 1344, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2012). A reason to exclude an element may be found in “statements in the specification expressly listing the disadvantages of using” that element. Santarus, 694 F.3d at 1351. Another reason to exclude may be when the specification “distinguishes among” the element and alternatives to it. Inphi Corp. v. Netlist, Inc., 805 F.3d 1350, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2015). As the Federal Circuit explained, “[t]he common denominator of these examples [(i.e., the reasons to exclude an element)] is disclosure of the element.” Novartis Pharm. Corp. v. Accord Healthcare, Inc., 38 F.4th 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2022). More particularly, “[s]ilence is generally not disclosure.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017; see also Seabed Geosolutions (US) Inc. v. Magseis FF LLC, 8 F.4th 1285, 1288 (Fed. Cir. 2021). Accordingly, “the written description requirement cannot be met through simple disregard of the presence or absence of a limitation.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017. Our reviewing court further notes that “it is possible that the written description requirement may be satisfied when a skilled artisan would understand the specification as inherently disclosing the negative limitation.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017 (emphasis added, footnote omitted). Thus, “it is a question whether the application necessarily discloses that particular device . . . A description which renders obvious the invention for which an earlier filing date is sought is not sufficient.” Lockwood v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 107 F.3d 1565, 1572 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (quoting Jepson v. Coleman, 314 F.2d 533, 536 (CCPA 1963)) (emphasis added).” slip op. at 20
- Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Priority / effective filing date / continuation supportDecided for petitioner
“In addition, “[n]egative claim limitations are adequately supported when the specification describes a reason to exclude the relevant limitation. Such written description support need not rise to the level of disclaimer.” Santarus, Inc. v. Par Pharm., Inc., 694 F.3d 1344, 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2012). A reason to exclude an element may be found in “statements in the specification expressly listing the disadvantages of using” that element. Santarus, 694 F.3d at 1351. Another reason to exclude may be when the specification “distinguishes among” the element and alternatives to it. Inphi Corp. v. Netlist, Inc., 805 F.3d 1350, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2015). As the Federal Circuit explained, “[t]he common denominator of these examples [(i.e., the reasons to exclude an element)] is disclosure of the element.” Novartis Pharm. Corp. v. Accord Healthcare, Inc., 38 F.4th 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2022). More particularly, “[s]ilence is generally not disclosure.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017; see also Seabed Geosolutions (US) Inc. v. Magseis FF LLC, 8 F.4th 1285, 1288 (Fed. Cir. 2021). Accordingly, “the written description requirement cannot be met through simple disregard of the presence or absence of a limitation.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017. Our reviewing court further notes that “it is possible that the written description requirement may be satisfied when a skilled artisan would understand the specification as inherently disclosing the negative limitation.” Novartis, 38 F.4th at 1017 (emphasis added, footnote omitted). Thus, “it is a question whether the application necessarily discloses that particular device . . . A description which renders obvious the invention for which an earlier filing date is sought is not sufficient.” Lockwood v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 107 F.3d 1565, 1572 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (quoting Jepson v. Coleman, 314 F.2d 533, 536 (CCPA 1963)) (emphasis added).” slip op. at 20
Patent outcomesUS RE47,842 unpatentableClaim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · Graham - PTAB · Mar 19, 2024 · PGR2022-00052 · APJ Sheila F Mcshane · PGR · Final written decision
The Board cancelled claims 1–27 and denied substitute claims 28–51 because the original disclosure lacked written-description support for the claimed CSP limitations.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“In our Institution Decision, we adopted Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art, with the exclusion of “at least” because it introduces ambiguity. Inst. Dec. 8. Patent Owner “does not dispute the Board’s findings on the qualifications of a POSA [person of ordinary skill in the art] for purposes of this proceeding.” See RMTA 13. We determine that Petitioner’s definition, with the exclusion of “at least,” is consistent with the prior art of record and the skill reflected in the Specification of the ’034 patent and we use this level of skill here in the evaluation of the Revised Motion to Amend.” slip op. at 9
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for patent owner
“Patent Owner argues that “claim construction is not necessary” and that “the meaning of the claims would be easily understood by a POSA.” RMTA 13. In the Petition, Petitioner proposed constructions for the terms “client device” and “first server,” and the original claims were rendered obvious under this construction. Pet. 23–27. Petitioner does not assert that the substitute claims of the Revised Motion to Amend are anticipated or rendered obvious by prior art or are patent ineligible. See generally RMTA Opp. Nor does Petitioner’s patentability challenge of the substitute claims contend that express construction is needed. See generally id. For purposes of this Decision, we determine that express claim construction is unnecessary. We need only construe terms that are necessary to resolve disputes. See Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017); Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (“[O]nly those terms need be construed that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy.”).” slip op. at 10
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Written description inadequateDenied
“written description requirement. In re Wright, 866 F.2d 422, 425 (Fed. Cir. 1989); All Dental Prodx LLC v. Advantage Dental Prods., 309 F.3d 774, 779 (Fed. Cir. 2002). The issue here, however, is whether the disclosure of the ’034 patent would have reasonably conveyed to a person of ordinary skill that the inventors had possession of the CSP Limitations. Ariad, 598” slip op. at 14
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Motions to amend / substitute claimsMotion to amend granted in partGranted in part
“to cancelling claims 1–27; and deny-in-part the Motion to Amend as to proposed substitute claims 28–51. In summary: Motion to Amend Outcome Claim(s) Original Claims Cancelled by Amendment 1–27 Substitute Claims Proposed in the Amendment 28–51 Substitute Claims: Motion to Amend Granted Substitute Claims: Motion to Amend Denied” slip op. at 20
Claim construction§ 112 disclosurePatents in suitUS 11,272,034 - Netskope, Inc. v. Fortinet, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Sep 11, 2023 · IPR2023-00457 · APJ James P Calve · IPR · Institution
The Board denied institution because Netskope did not show a reasonable likelihood that claims 1–9 were unpatentable on any of its four §103 grounds.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)Institution denied meritsInstitution denied
“review. See 35 U.S.C. § 314 (2018); 37 C.F.R. § 42.4(a) (2022) (“The Board institutes the trial on behalf of the Director.”). 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.” 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). Upon consideration of the evidence and arguments in the record, we determine that the information presented does not show a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail with respect to at least one of the challenged claims. We therefore deny institution of an inter partes review.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level patent owner adoptedDecided for patent owner
“The parties substantially agree on the level of ordinary skill in the art and differ mainly in the level of experience required for different levels of education. We consider Patent Owner’s proposed level of ordinary skill to be slightly more consistent with the ’968 patent and the asserted prior art, and we apply it in our obviousness analysis below. We note, however, that our decision would be the same under either party’s proposed definition of the level of ordinary skill in the art.” slip op. at 8
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached
“B. Claim Interpretation We interpret claims “using the same claim construction standard that would be used to construe the claims in a civil action [held] under 35 U.S.C. 282(b).” 37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b). Under this standard, we construe a claim “in accordance with the ordinary and customary meaning of such claim as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art and the prosecution history pertaining to the patent.” Id. We construe the claims only 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). The parties agree that no claim constructions are needed. Pet. 21; Prelim. Resp. 15. Having considered the record, we determine that no express claim construction is necessary to reach our decision.” slip op. at 9
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot reached
“3. Motivation to Combine Petitioner contends that a skilled artisan would have been motivated to combine Jordan and FortiGate because FortiGate analyzes content in real-time and downloads new or updated virus definitions to identify suspicious network traffic, and this capability would improve Jordan’s complementary system, which generates and updates rules for malware detection. Pet. 25.” slip op. at 12
Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites KSRPatents in suitUS 9,231,968 - Facebook, Inc. v. Palo Alto Research Center LLCAll claims unpatentablePTAB · Mar 22, 2023 · IPR2021-01461 · APJ Christopher L Ogden · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–5, 7–11, 13–17, 19, and 20 are unpatentable under § 103; PARC’s contingent motion to amend is denied because the pending substitute claims lack written-description support and are obvious.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Relying on Mr. Schmandt’s testimony, Facebook argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art “would have possessed at least a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer science, and two years of work experience in the field of context-based computer systems, such as the collection, processing and use of context data in computer systems capable of adapting their operation based on context.” Pet. 6 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 15– 18). Facebook also contends that a person might qualify as an ordinarily skilled artisan “with more formal education and less technical experience, or vice versa.” Id. For this proceeding, PARC does not dispute this proposed level of ordinary skill. PO Resp. 16–17. Because Facebook’s uncontroverted articulation of the level of ordinary skill in the art is supported by testimonial evidence and appears consistent with the types of problems and solutions in the ’439 patent, we adopt it for this decision. See, e.g., Ex. 1001, 1:4–33 (“Background” section of the ’439 patent, describing the field and related art as relating to the use of using contextual data in computer systems).” slip op. at 10
- Strike new argumentNew argument consideredDecided for petitioner
“construction of the term “facts and assertions” or the identification of facts and assertions within Cheng. See Paper 23, 1–2. Having reviewed the arguments, we do not consider them untimely. As we discuss in more detail below, Facebook relied on the ordinary and customary meaning of the term “facts and assertions” in its Petition, and then when PARC raised an alternative construction of the term in its Response, Facebook responded to those arguments. See infra Sections IV.B.2, IV.C.4(a). Facebook’s Reply only responded to arguments raised in PARC’s Response and was not untimely. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.23(b) (permitting a petitioner to respond to arguments in a patent owner response); Anacor Pharm., Inc. v. Iancu, 889 F.3d 1372, 1380–81 (Fed. Cir. 2018) (“[T]he petitioner in an inter partes review proceeding may introduce new evidence after the petition stage if the evidence is a legitimate reply to evidence introduced by the patent owner, or if it is used ‘to document the knowledge that skilled artisans would bring to bear in reading the prior art identified as producing obviousness.’” (quoting Genzyme Therapeutic Prod. Ltd. P’ship v. Biomarin Pharm. Inc., 825 F.3d 1360, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2016))). Moreover, PARC had a meaningful opportunity to address the arguments in its Sur-reply and in oral argument. See PO Sur-reply 7–12; Tr. 22–34. Thus, we do not find Facebook’s contested arguments untimely and we have considered them in our decision.7” slip op. at 8
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached
“We agree with Facebook. As we discuss below, Cheng teaches a graph-based model that stores data in memory on a per-user basis. See infra Section IV.C.4(a); Ex. 1003, Fig. 7. Also, as PARC acknowledges, Facebook’s expert Mr. Schmandt stated in deposition that he assumed, for his analysis, that the term “context graph” requires a “graph-based model.” PO Resp. 22 (citing Ex. 2019, 36:16–37:8); see also PO Sur-reply 4. Thus, because Facebook’s analysis of Cheng is consistent with the assumption that “context graph” has the meaning PARC proposes in this proceeding, we do not need to construe the term “context graph” to reach our decision. 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))).” slip op. at 13
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“We agree with the parties that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood the term “fact” to include an indication of truth, whereas an assertion need not include such an indication. However, we disagree with PARC that a person of ordinary skill would have considered the term “assertion” to exclude facts. Indeed, in its ordinary and customary meaning, a fact stored in a context graph would be a type of assertion. We appreciate PARC’s argument that when two different terms appear in a claim, they presumably refer to different things. See PO Resp. 27 (citing CAE Screenplates, 224 F.3d at 1317). And we agree that the two terms have different meanings in claim 1 based on the plain meaning of each term. However, the specification refers to “stor[ing] facts and assertions about a user’s behavior and interests,” which simply appears to identify a single category of data for storage, i.e., “facts and assertions,” without specifying a clear difference between “facts” and “assertions.” See Ex. 1001, 3:21–22. In any event, we find no evidence of record suggesting that either (1) the (citing Pet. Reply 8–9). Because Facebook appears to have been relying on what it regarded as the plain meaning of the terms without proposing an explicit construction, we do not interpret Facebook’s argument in the Petition (Pet. 20–21) to imply that there is no distinction between a fact and an assertion, and do not find Mr. Schmandt’s later testimony (see, e.g., Ex. 2019, 41:3–11) inconsistent with arguments made in the Petition. ordinary and customary meaning of the term “assertion” excludes facts, or (2) that the ’439 patent uses these terms in a way that departs from their ordinary and customary meaning. That claim 1 requires the presence of both “facts” and “assertions” does not render the two terms superfluous, as this would exclude prior art in which a context graph includes only assertions but not facts. On the other hand, a disclosure of a collection of facts would meet the term “facts and assertions” because a person of ordinary skill in the art would have regarded any subset of the facts to also be assertions.” slip op. at 15
Patent outcomesUS 9,208,439 unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,208,439 - Twitter, Inc. v. Palo Alto Research Center LLCAll claims unpatentablePTAB · Mar 22, 2023 · IPR2021-01430 · APJ Christopher L Ogden · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–5, 7–11, 13–17, 19, and 20 are unpatentable under § 103; PARC’s contingent motion to amend is denied because the proposed substitute claims lack written-description support and are unpatentable.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“Relying on Dr. Turnbull’s testimony, Twitter argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art “would at minimum have a bachelor’s in software, computer, or electrical engineering or computer science with at least two years’ experience in software development, including with respect to context-aware devices and systems, or the equivalent.” Pet. 16 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 24). Also, “[a]dditional graduate education could substitute for professional experience, or significant experience in electronic messaging could substitute for formal education.” Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 24). For this proceeding, PARC does not dispute this proposed level of ordinary skill. PO Resp. 21. Because Twitter’s uncontroverted articulation of the level of ordinary skill in the art is supported by testimonial evidence and appears consistent with the types of problems and solutions in the ’439 patent, we adopt it for this decision. See, e.g., Ex. 1001, 1:4–33 (“Background” section of the ’439 patent, describing the field and related art as relating to the use of contextual data in computer systems).” slip op. at 9
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“We agree as to Twitter’s last point, as we discuss below, that Cheng teaches a graph-based model that stores data in memory on a per-user basis. See infra Section IV.C.4(a); Ex. 1005, Fig. 7. Moreover, this decision does not address grounds of the Petition that omit Cheng as a reference, Cheng discloses a “context graph” under either party’s construction. Thus, we need not construe the term for this decision. See Nidec, 868 F.3d at 1017. Because the terms “recommender” and “application event data and/or operating system data” are not contested and are not material to our decision, we do not construe these two terms. 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))). To the extent that other claim terms are significant, we discuss them below in the context of the asserted prior art.” slip op. at 12
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundUnpatentable
“We determine that Twitter has persuasively, and with sufficient specificity, shown that the combination of Huomo and Cheng teaches all aspects of limitation 13[d], and that it would have been obvious to modify Huomo by using Cheng’s personal interest graph as the model for how facts and assertions are stored in Huomo’s “blackboard.” This modification would have been compatible with Huomo and would simply affect the form of the information, or types of information, that are stored in Huomo’s blackboard. See Intel Corp., v. PACT XPP Schweiz AG, No. 2022-1037 at 10–13 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 13, 2023) (there is motivation to combine where one reference addresses a problem in one way, and another reference addresses the same problem in an alternative way that would be a suitable option). We agree with Twitter that this modification would have been within the ordinary skill in the art, that there would have been a reasonable expectation of success, and that an ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized benefits to using Cheng’s graph-based structure such as the ability to better track social relationships through annotating the nodes and edges, and the ability to more easily track users’ shared interests and the influences that users may have on each other. See Pet. 53–55; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 156–161.” slip op. at 30
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of success › HindsightDecided for petitioner
“We determine that Twitter has persuasively, and with sufficient specificity, shown that the combination of Huomo and Cheng teaches all aspects of limitation 13[d], and that it would have been obvious to modify Huomo by using Cheng’s personal interest graph as the model for how facts and assertions are stored in Huomo’s “blackboard.” This modification would have been compatible with Huomo and would simply affect the form of the information, or types of information, that are stored in Huomo’s blackboard. See Intel Corp., v. PACT XPP Schweiz AG, No. 2022-1037 at 10–13 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 13, 2023) (there is motivation to combine where one reference addresses a problem in one way, and another reference addresses the same problem in an alternative way that would be a suitable option). We agree with Twitter that this modification would have been within the ordinary skill in the art, that there would have been a reasonable expectation of success, and that an ordinarily skilled artisan would have recognized benefits to using Cheng’s graph-based structure such as the ability to better track social relationships through annotating the nodes and edges, and the ability to more easily track users’ shared interests and the influences that users may have on each other. See Pet. 53–55; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 156–161.” slip op. at 30
Patent outcomesUS 9,208,439 unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,208,439 - Netskope, Inc. v. Bitglass, Inc.All claims unpatentablePTAB · Dec 9, 2022 · PGR2021-00091 · APJ James J Mayberry · PGR · Final written decision
Claims 1, 2, 4–10, and 12–16 are unpatentable; the Board found the asserted obviousness and written-description grounds persuasive, but did not reach specified grounds.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelOther
“unpatentability of the challenged claims, and the burden of persuasion never shifts to the patent owner. Dynamic Drinkware, LLC v. Nat’l Graphics, Inc., 800 F.3d 1375, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2015). To prevail in this proceeding, Petitioner must support its challenge by a preponderance of the evidence. 35 U.S.C. § 326(e) (2011); 37 C.F.R. § 42.1(d) (2022). Accordingly, all of our findings and conclusions are based on a preponderance of the evidence standard.” slip op. at 15
- Strike new argumentNew argument consideredNew argument disregardedOther
“considering these arguments, we conclude that the arguments do not demonstrate a deficiency in Petitioner’s position. As to the third alleged new argument, we do not reach any of the Cronk-Woelfel grounds. Accordingly, we dismiss Petitioner’s motion as moot. B.” slip op. at 91
- ExcludeOther
“Owner’s “counter” Motion to Strike is dismissed as unauthorized. Finally, Petitioner’s Motion to Exclude Evidence is dismissed as moot.” slip op. at 93
- Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Priority / effective filing date / continuation supportDecided for petitioner
“1[a][iii], and 1[b][ii] are not disclosed in the ’989 application for the embodiment of Figure 11. Instead, as Patent Owner argues, these limitations are described with respect to the embodiment of Figure 3b. Accordingly, Patent Owner’s assertions require that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that the inventors contemplated combining steps from the two embodiments of Figure 3b and 11. For the reasons discussed below, and as Petitioner asserts, the evidence does not support a person of ordinary skill would find that disclosure.” slip op. at 29
Patent outcomesUS 10,855,671 unpatentable§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,855,671 - PTAB · Jun 16, 2022 · IPR2022-00300 · APJ John D Hamann · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–20 and 22 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsInstitution denied 325dDenied
“(1) whether the same or substantially the same art previously was presented to the Office or whether the same or substantially the same arguments previously were presented to the Office; and (2) if either condition of first part of the framework is satisfied, whether the petitioner has demonstrated that the Office erred in a manner material to the patentability of challenged claims.” slip op. at 7
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Institution of an inter partes review is authorized by statute 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) (2018); see 37 C.F.R. § 42.108. Upon consideration of the papers, we conclude that the information presented shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that Petitioner would prevail in establishing the unpatentability of at least one challenged claim of the ’570 patent.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“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 touch and/or proximity sensors, human-machine interaction and interfaces, and related firmware and software, or the equivalent, with additional education substituting for experience and vice versa.” Pet. 5 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶ 46). Patent Owner does not identify a proposed level of skill in the art that one would have had at the time of the invention of the ’570 patent or identify any specific shortcoming in Petitioner’s formulation. See generally Prelim. Resp. For purposes of this Decision, and based on the current record, we adopt Petitioner’s assessment of the level of skill for one of ordinary skill in the art, except we decline to adopt “at least” as that language is vague and open-ended. Pet. 5. This assessment is consistent with the ’570 patent and the asserted prior art, and we apply it in our analysis below.” slip op. at 12
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)Plain and ordinary meaningOther
“same claim construction standard that would be used in a civil action under 35 U.S.C. § 282(b), following the standard articulated in Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc). 37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b). In applying such standard, claim terms are generally given their ordinary and customary meaning, as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the invention and in the context of the entire patent disclosure. Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1312–13. “In determining the meaning of the disputed claim limitation, we look principally to the intrinsic evidence of record, examining the claim language itself, the written description, and the prosecution history, if in evidence.” DePuy Spine, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., 469 F.3d 1005, 1014 (Fed. Cir. 2006) (citing Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1312–17). The parties do not identify any claim terms for construction. Pet. 15; see generally Prelim. Resp. Thus, at this stage of the proceeding, we do not provide any express constructions, and we afford the claim terms their plain and ordinary meaning. See, e.g., Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999)) (“[W]e need only construe terms ‘that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy.’”).” slip op. at 12
Claim construction§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosureDiscretionary denialcites Phillips · GrahamPatents in suitUS 7,952,570 - Hulu, LLC v. Sito Mobile R&D IP, LLC And Sito Mobile, Ltd.All claims unpatentablePTAB · May 4, 2022 · IPR2021-00265 · APJ Joni Y Chang · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 15–19, 21, 24, and 27 are unpatentable as obvious over Eyal and Wiser; claims 15, 16, 19, 21, and 27 are also unpatentable over Madison and Wiser.
RulingsFinal written decision- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Lexicography (patentee as own lexicographer)Term construed board ownDecided for patent owner
“The Specification sets forth the following definition: “[a] reservation is a feature that enables the streaming system 102 to reserve system resources, such as switches, processors, or media, either now or in the future, to ensure a quality media experience.” Ex. 1001, 11:59−62 (emphasis added). The Federal Circuit has recognized that “the specification may reveal a special definition given to a claim term by the patentee that differs from the meaning it would otherwise possess,” and “[i]n such cases, the inventor’s lexicography governs.” Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1316 (citing CCS Fitness, Inc. v. Brunswick Corp., 288 F.3d 1359, 1366 (Fed. Cir. 2002). Therefore, consistent with the definition in the Specification, we construe “reservation” as “a feature that enables the streaming system . . . to reserve system resources, such as switches, processors, or media, either now or in the future, to ensure a quality media experience.” Ex. 1001, 11:59−62. We agree with Patent Owner that the construction of the term “reservation” does 7 not require “a set of instructions uniquely identifying the communication device.” As to “reservation identification,” we adopt Patent Owner’s construction, construing the term “reservation identification” as “identification of a reservation” because this construction is consistent with the term’s plain and ordinary meaning, without requiring the identification to be unique.” slip op. at 7
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed patent owner constructionDecided for patent owner
“is a feature that enables the streaming system 102 to reserve system resources, such as switches, processors, or media, either now or in the future, to ensure a quality media experience.” Ex. 1001, 11:59−62 (emphasis added). The Federal Circuit has recognized that “the specification may reveal a special definition given to a claim term by the patentee that differs from the meaning it would otherwise possess,” and “[i]n such cases, the inventor’s lexicography governs.” Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1316 (citing CCS Fitness, Inc. v. Brunswick Corp., 288 F.3d 1359, 1366 (Fed. Cir. 2002). Therefore, consistent with the definition in the Specification, we construe “reservation” as “a feature that enables the streaming system . . . to reserve system resources, such as switches, processors, or media, either now or in the future, to ensure a quality media experience.” Ex. 1001, 11:59−62. We agree with Patent Owner that the construction of the term “reservation” does 7 not require “a set of instructions uniquely identifying the communication device.” As to “reservation identification,” we adopt Patent Owner’s construction, construing the term “reservation identification” as “identification of a reservation” because this construction is consistent with the term’s plain and ordinary meaning, without requiring the identification to be unique.” slip op. at 7
- Skill levelSkill level patent owner adoptedDecided for patent owner
“Here, Petitioner asserts that a person of ordinary skill in the art of the ’360 patent would have had “at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical or computer engineering, or equivalent.” Pet. 16. And, such an artisan also would have had “at least two years of experience in distributed systems, multimedia streaming, and various HTTP-related technologies, or an equivalent amount of relevant work or research experience,” citing to the Declaration of Henry Houh, Ph.D., for support. Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 59−61). Patent Owner’s declarant, Mr. Michael Adams, provides similar assessment, but also testifies that such an artisan, alternatively, would have had “at least five years of work experience and training in the design and development of distributed network systems and/or multimedia streaming.” Ex. 2012 ¶ 28. Neither party points out any meaningful difference between the parties’ assessments. We apply Patent Owner’s assessment on the level of ordinary skill in the art. However, our analysis would be the same under either party’s description.” slip op. at 9
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)UnpatentableNot shown unpatentableUnpatentable
“added). Dr. Houh testifies that an ordinarily skilled artisan would have used Wiser’s voucher ID in Eyal’s play-list because delivery servers may have a “limited number of active streams of data being delivered at any one time,” so that generating and tracking reservations by the content server using voucher IDs is necessary. Ex. 1003 ¶ 144 (citing Ex. 1006, 14:65−15:1). We agree with and credit Dr. Houh’s testimony, and we find that such an artisan of ordinary skill would have understood that, in Eyal in combination with Wiser, the voucher ID provided in the play-list is uniquely associated with the client device and a viewing session of the media. Ex. 1003 ¶ 151 (citing Ex. 1006, 8:30−33, 15:23−28). We do not agree with Patent Owner’s assertion that “Wiser teaches away from video.” PO Resp. 33 (citing Ex. 2012 ¶ 174). “A reference may be said to teach away when a person of ordinary skill, upon reading the reference, would be discouraged from following the path set out in the reference, or would be led in a direction divergent from the path that was taken by the applicant.” In re Gurley, 27 F.3d 551, 553 (Fed. Cir. 1994). Here, nothing in Wiser would discourage a relevant artisan from applying its teachings to video media, as Patent Owner alleges. Patent Owner’s argument of teaching away is based on speculation. As discussed above, Wiser’s disclosure is not limited to audio media. Ex. 1006, 1:5−8, 1:23−26, 3:8−10; Ex. 1083, 145:20−147:21. The “mere disclosure of alternative designs does not teach away.” In re Fulton, 391 F.3d 1195, 1201 (Fed. Cir. 2004). Moreover, KSR instructs us that “if a technique has been used to improve one device, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize 20 that it would improve similar devices in the same way, using the technique is obvious unless its actual application is beyond his or her skill.” KSR, 550 U.S. at 417. As Dr. Houh testifies, “[s]ervers’ limited streaming capacity was a common media delivery problem, and well-known solutions existed before the ’360 Patent, including generating a reservation to ensure resource availability for streaming media to the user.” Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 106, 167 (citing Ex. 1019, 263 (Discussion on Resource Reservation Protocols (RSVP) in the book entitled “Communication and Computing for Distributed Multimedia Systems”); Ex. 1023 (RSVP Specification); Ex. 1024, 194 (Discussion on the Reservation Protocol in the book entitled “Multimedia Servers”)).” slip op. at 20
Patent outcomesUS 9,591,360 unpatentableClaim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,591,360
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.