- Reolink Innovation Inc. / Shenzhen Reolink Technology Co., Ltd. v. Throughtek Co. Ltd.Adverse judgmentPTAB · May 19, 2026 · IPR2025-01327 · APJ Sheila F Mcshane · IPR · Adverse judgment
The Board entered adverse judgment against Throughtek on claims 1–19 after finding it abandoned the contest by failing to file mandatory notices or respond to the show-cause order.
RulingsAdverse judgment- Adverse judgmentAdverse judgmentGranted
“The Order to Show Cause explained that under 37 C.F.R. § 42.73(b), “[a]ctions construed to be a request for adverse judgment include . . . [a]bandonment of the contest.” Paper 8, 3. The Order to Show Cause also explained that failure to participate in a proceeding, such as failure to file mandatory notices as required under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8, may be considered abandonment of the contest and result in adverse judgment against Patent Owner under 37 C.F.R. § 42.73(b). Id. (citing Cellpak, Inc. v. Mambate USA Inc., IPR2021-00007, Paper 4 at 2 (PTAB Mar. 23, 2021)). The Order to Show Cause gave Patent Owner ten calendar days to show cause why adverse judgment should not be entered against it. Id. Patent Owner did not respond to the Order to Show Cause. More than ten calendar days have elapsed since the date the Order to Show Cause was entered, and Patent Owner has not filed mandatory notices. In view of Patent Owner’s failure to file mandatory notices within the specified time period, we determine that Patent Owner has abandoned the contest. Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.73(b)(4), we construe Patent Owner’s abandonment of the contest as a request for adverse judgment. Under these circumstances, we determine that entry of judgment against Patent Owner is appropriate.” slip op. at 3
NonePatents in suitUS 9,727,655 - PTAB · May 13, 2026 · IPR2025-01444 · APJ George R Hoskins · IPR · Adverse judgment
The Board granted Patent Owner’s request for adverse judgment after it disclaimed the entire patent term, entering judgment against claims 1–6.
RulingsAdverse judgment- Adverse judgmentAdverse judgmentGranted
“A party may request entry of adverse judgment against itself at any time during an inter partes review proceeding. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.73(b). In addition, “[a]ctions construed to be a request for adverse judgment include: (1) Disclaimer of the involved application or patent; [and] (2) Cancellation or disclaimer of a claim such that the party has no remaining claim in the trial.” Id. Because Patent Owner has explicitly requested adverse judgment against itself pursuant to Rule 42.73(b), and has disclaimed the entire term of the ’584 patent, Patent Owner’s request for adverse judgment is granted. ORDER In consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby: ORDERED that Patent Owner’s Request for Adverse Judgment is granted; and FURTHER ORDERED that adverse judgment is entered against Patent Owner with respect to claims 1–6 of the ’584 patent.” slip op. at 3
NonePatents in suitUS 7,547,584 - PTAB · May 13, 2026 · IPR2025-01082 · APJ David C Mckone · IPR · Adverse judgment
The Board granted Patent Owner’s request for adverse judgment after it disclaimed the entire patent term, entering judgment against claims 1–10.
RulingsAdverse judgment- Adverse judgmentAdverse judgmentGranted
“A party may request entry of adverse judgment against itself at any time during an inter partes review proceeding. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.73(b). In addition, “[a]ctions construed to be a request for adverse judgment include: (1) Disclaimer of the involved application or patent; [and] (2) Cancellation or disclaimer of a claim such that the party has no remaining claim in the trial.” Id. Because Patent Owner has explicitly requested adverse judgment against itself pursuant to Rule 42.73(b), and has disclaimed the entire term of the ’181 patent, Patent Owner’s request for adverse judgment is granted.” slip op. at 3
NonePatents in suitUS 6,888,181 - Tableau Software, LLC v. Icharts LLCAll claims unpatentablePTAB · May 7, 2026 · IPR2024-01387 · APJ Iftikhar Ahmed · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–16 are unpatentable under the instituted obviousness grounds, including Becerra, the QlikView Manuals, and combinations with other references.
RulingsFinal written decision- ExcludeMotion to exclude, grantedMotion to exclude, deniedGranted in part
“why it is trustworthy and how it archives dates by which the webpages were accessible, as this is an information resource on which librarians reasonably rely. See FED. R. EVID. 703. We agree with Petitioner that Dr. Hall-Ellis does have personal knowledge of the facts stated in the remaining testimony (e.g., what she actually downloaded from websites), and that FEDERAL RULE OF EVIDENCE 602 is inapplicable to her testimony offered as an expert. See Pet. Opp. 5–6 (citing Ex. 1030 ¶¶ 26, 29–32, 35, 37–39). We find her testimony to be relevant to the issues presented and specifically to whether the QlikView documents were publicly accessible. We also find no danger that the testimony would confuse the issues or mislead the Board or present unfair prejudice to Patent Owner. Accordingly, we deny Patent Owner’s Motion as to the remaining portion of Dr. Hall-Ellis’s declaration.” slip op. at 92
- Strike new argumentNew argument disregardedGranted
“FURTHER ORDERED that Petitioner’s Motion to Strike portions of Patent Owner’s Reply on its Motion to Exclude (Paper 32) is granted; and” slip op. at 102
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundUnpatentable
“1. Motivation to Combine Becerra and Couckuyt Petitioner argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings of Becerra and Couckuyt because such a person would have recognized that Couckuyt discloses useful techniques of assigning data to Becerra’s charts, including assigning data to each axis. Pet. 34 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 19, 52, Fig. 5; Ex. 1003 ¶ 224). Petitioner contends that Couckuyt discloses associating data from a “spreadsheet document” with a chart, such as a “bar graph.” Id. at 35 (citing Ex. 1006, 6:1–37; Figs. 3a, 3c). below. Petitioner’s annotations to Figure 4 identify “Drop Zones” in red and “Data Fields” in Blue. Id. at 36. Petitioner contends Couckuyt discloses a “drag-and-drop user interface (DDUI) . . . associated with a data source, such as the two-dimensional data source 300,” and Figure 4 illustrates the DDUI permitting “value data fields and the characteristic data fields . . . to be dragged and dropped into drop zones.” Id. at 35–36 (citing Ex. 1006, 7:10–13). Petitioner contends that a “primary benefit of the charting DDUI is that the user can quickly change the data that is being presented in the chart,” and using Couckuyt’s techniques, a user can “quickly change the data” and see the desired effects. Id. at 36 (citing Ex. 1006, 1:18–19; Ex. 1003 ¶ 228). Petitioner contends that when Becerra’s control panel includes multiple charts, Couckuyt’s techniques would allow dragging-anddropping data from a data source to multiple charts, and would simplify the process of assigning data to multiple control panel components. Id. at 36–37 skill in the art would have also had a reasonable expectation of success combining Becerra with Couckuyt because the combination would amount to nothing more than incorporating Couckuyt’s well-known drag-and-drop techniques into Becerra’s system. Id. at 37 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 229–231). Patent Owner responds that Couckuyt focuses on selecting a data icon that corresponds to dragging and dropping data fields, not dragging and dropping data, while Becerra teaches that selecting various data ranges from the spreadsheet is desirable. PO Resp. 36–37 (citing Ex. 1004 7:48–52; Ex. 2001 ¶ 146). According to Patent Owner, a person of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to merely select data fields that do not limit the selected data in any way. Id. Patent Owner further argues Becerra’s method of binding components to a spreadsheet range and extracting formulas from a spreadsheet teaches away from the multiple chart generation scheme of Couckuyt that uses drag and dropping of data fields. Id. at 37. According to Patent Owner, Couckuyt is directed to the need for a charting DDUI that can generate multiple charts at the same time and such a need does not exist in Becerra which in turn is focused on creating a control panel that is an interactive graphics simulation. Id. (citing Ex. 1004, 1:66–67, 2:5–8; Ex. 1005 ¶ 11; Ex. 2001 ¶ 148). Based on our review of the complete record, we determine that” slip op. at 31
- Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Prior-art status of a reference › Printed publication / public accessibilityPrinted publication establishedDecided for petitioner
“2. Whether QlikView Manuals Qualify as Prior Art Petitioner argues that “the QlikView Manuals describe a well-known system and are printed publications available to the public at least by July 8, 2008.” Pet. 7–9. Petitioner offers ample evidence to demonstrate the QlikView Manuals were publicly accessible by July 8, 2008. See id. (citing Ex. 1008; Ex. 1009; Ex. 1014–1023; Ex. 1003 ¶ 129–140; Ex. 1030;11 Ex. 1068 ¶¶ 4–7; Ex. 1032; Ex. 1033). Petitioner contends in 2008, QlikView was a well-known software product sold by QlikTech International AB (“QlikTech”). Id. at 8 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 129; Ex. 1030 ¶ 23; Ex. 1068 ¶¶ 4–7). Petitioner asserts that QlikTech announced that QlikView version 8.50 was scheduled for release on June 30, 2008, and QlikTech’s website added the “QlikView 8.50” hyperlink by July 8, 2008. Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 129–131; Ex. 1022, 1; Ex. 1068 ¶ 7). Petitioner contends that, as of July 8, 2008, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that they could view the QlikView Manuals in the installation package. Id. (citing Exs. 1014–1017; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 131–132; Ex. 1068 ¶ 7). Petitioner further contends that the QlikView Manuals were also available on QlikTech’s website as of this 11 As discussed below (see infra § IV.A), we grant Patent Owner’s Motion to Exclude as to certain portions of Exhibit 1030 and do not give them any weight. However, we deny Patent Owner’s Motion as to the remaining portions of Dr. Hall-Ellis’s testimony as well as Ms. Lofton’s testimony and various other exhibits proffered by Petitioner to show public accessibility of the QlikView manuals as of July 8, 2008. QlikView 8.50 was published on July 8, 2008. Id. at 8–9 (citing Exs. 1008, 1009, 1017, 1059, 1060; Ex. 1030 ¶¶ 29, 37). In its Patent Owner Response, Patent Owner does not contest that the QlikView Manuals were published and publicly available by July 8, 2008. PO Resp. 50 n.2 (noting only that Patent Owner intends to move to exclude evidence Petitioner relies on to establish the publication date for QlikView Manuals); Tr. 45:3–19. We are persuaded that Petitioner has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the QlikView Manuals were publicly available as of July 8, 2008.12” slip op. at 50
Patent outcomesUS 8,271,892 unpatentable§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,271,892 - PTAB · Jan 14, 2026 · IPR2025-00632 · APJ Mitchell G Weatherly · IPR · Remand
On remand, the Board reinstituted review of all challenged claims on all grounds after finding Petitioner sufficiently explained its differing claim-construction positions.
RulingsRemand decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Id. The Director neither addressed the merits of Petitioner’s challenges nor found that our prior consideration of those merits was faulty. Accordingly, we understand that we need not reconsider our conclusion that Petitioner had demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of proving that claims 1, 2, 7–9, 11, 12, and 20–24 were unpatentable or that the merits of patentability set forth in the Petition warranted institution of inter partes review.” slip op. at 5
- BurdenDecided for petitioner
“The question before us, therefore, is whether the Petitioner’s proffered explanation that it has proposed a different claim interpretation before the Board because the District Court may decline to adopt the narrower claim interpretations it advocates there is sufficient. We find that Petitioner’s explanation is sufficient because it follows the Director’s exemplary logic. Whether a district court has already or might in the future decline to adopt constructions that a petitioner proposes in related district court litigation merely reflects the timing of when a dispute over claim interpretation will be resolved. The Director and Patent Owner both recognize that, to resolve the dispute over claim interpretation that exists here, a decision-maker must determine “a single claim construction that best captures the true meaning of the patent claim.” Remand 4; PO Remand Br. 3. Based on the record presented by the parties to date in this proceeding, no dispute exists that the disputed claim terms mean what Patent Owner says they mean in the Litigation. Accordingly, we find that, at this stage of the proceeding, it is undisputed that Patent Owner’s interpretations of the claim terms represent the “single claim construction that best captures the true meaning of the patent claim.”8 Under that claim interpretation, we” slip op. at 8
NonePatents in suitUS 11,835,421 - Orca Security Ltd. v. Wiz, Inc.InstitutedPTAB · Dec 15, 2025 · IPR2025-01084 · APJ Nabeel U Khan · IPR · Institution
Instituted IPR on claims 1–29 over Ross, Agarwal, and Biran because Petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“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). Having considered the arguments and evidence presented by Petitioner and Patent Owner, we determine that Petitioner has demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one of the challenged claims of the ’896 patent. We institute inter partes review as to all the challenged claims of the ’896 patent on all the grounds of unpatentability set forth in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Petitioner argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) “would have had a bachelor’s degree in an academic area emphasizing computer science (i.e., computer science, computer information systems, computer engineering, etc.) or cybersecurity and (2) at least two years of work experience with cybersecurity and cloud computing.” Pet. 5 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 53–54). Petitioner further argues that “[a]dditional education or experience might substitute for the above requirements.” Id. Patent Owner does not contest Petitioner’s proposed definition of a POSITA at this stage of the proceeding. See generally, Prelim. Resp. ordinary skill because it is consistent with the level of skill in the art at the time of the invention as reflected by the ’896 patent and the cited prior art.” slip op. at 7
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Preamble limiting or notPreamble not limitingDecided for petitioner
“1[Pre] A method for generation of unified graph models for network entities, comprising: Petitioner contends that the preamble is not limiting, but to the extent by teaching the remaining limitations of the claim which are the steps in generating unified graph models for network entities, as the preamble recites. Pet. 9–10. Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s contentions. At this stage of the proceeding, we agree with Petitioner that the preamble is not limiting because it merely states the purpose or intended use of an invention and because none of the subsequent limitations rely upon the preamble for completeness or antecedent basis. See Catalina Marketing Int’l., Inc. v. Coolsavings.com, Inc., 289 F.3d 801, 808 (Fed. Cir. 2002); Bicon, Inc. v. Straumann Co., 441 F.3d 945, 952 (Fed. Cir. 2006); In re Hirao, 535 F.2d 67 (CCPA 1976).” slip op. at 14
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“sufficiently established a motivation to combine Ross, Agarwal, and Biran in the manner proposed. For example, Petitioner contends for limitation 1[b] that a POSITA would have been motivated to implement Ross’s system to genericize network entities as taught by Agarwal and that Agarwal provides an express motivation to do so, explaining that “[t]he grouping of nodes can be helpful when attempting to understand system properties in a cloud environment, like availability, security and performance, where the system includes a large number of nodes.” Pet. 21 (citing Ex. 1005, 4:13–26, 13:21–27; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 103–108). Similarly, for limitation 1[d] Petitioner argues that “Biran provides express motivation to implement Ross to gather information on host-less components . . . to generate an accurate, service-aware view of the system infrastructure.” Id. at 32 (citing Ex. 1006, 1:59– 61; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 134–136). These disclosures demonstrate that Petitioner’s motivation to combine stems from the prior art references themselves rather than from hindsight. Moreover, Petitioner’s contentions are supported by credible testimony from Dr. Easttom. See Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 103–108, 122–123, Addressing a motivation to combine on a limitation-by-limitation basis, as Petitioner has done in its Petition, is not necessarily improper, and may in fact be more suitable in certain situations depending on the proposed combination. Patent Owner does not provide any authority supporting its contention that providing a motivation to combine in the manner asserted in the Petition is contrary to proper obviousness analysis under Graham.” slip op. at 25
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,929,896 - Orca Security Ltd. v. Wiz, Inc.InstitutedPTAB · Dec 15, 2025 · IPR2025-01087 · APJ Lisa A Murray · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–17 because Orca showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on its § 103 obviousness ground over Shua and Lang.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“An inter partes review may be instituted only if “the information presented in the petition . . . and any [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.” 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). For the reasons given below, on this record, Petitioner has established a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail in showing the unpatentability of at least one of the challenged claims. We determine that institution of an inter partes review of the challenged claims is appropriate. B. Real Parties in Interest” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“35 U.S.C. § 103 involves determining the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art at the time the invention was made. Graham, 383 U.S. at 17. The level of skill in the art is “a prism or lens” through which we view the prior art and the claimed invention. Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001). The person of ordinary skill in the art is a hypothetical person who knows the relevant art. In re GPAC Inc., 57 F.3d 1573, 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1995). Factors to consider include the types of problems encountered in the art, the sophistication of the technology, and the educational level of active workers in the field. Id. One or more factors may predominate. Id. Petitioner asserts that one of ordinary skill in the field of the ’529 Patent would have had “a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or a similar degree, with 2–3 years additional education or experience might substitute for these requirements.” Pet. 5; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 32–33. Patent Owner’s Preliminary Response does not address this issue. We find Petitioner’s formulation to be consistent with the evidence of record at this stage of the proceedings, including the asserted prior art and the ’529 Patent, and we preliminarily adopt and apply that definition for purposes of this Decision. C. Claim Construction” slip op. at 6
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)Term construed board ownOther
“Owner contends that Petitioner’s argument “inverts the appropriate understanding: just because the challenged patent identifies an example security database that stores a representation of a computing environment as nodes and edges does not mean that anything that stores a representation of a computing environment as nodes and edges is necessarily a security database.” Prelim. Resp. at 7–8. We agree with the logic of Patent Owner’s argument, but disagree that Petitioner necessarily “relies on this inverted understanding for its prior art mapping.” Id. at 8. We understand Dr. Zadok’s explanation to mean only that the claim term “security database” encompasses graph databases that include a representation of the computing environment, meaning that some (but not necessarily all) security databases are graph databases. See Ex. 1003 ¶ 100. The language in the Petition to which Patent Owner objects can be read consistently with Dr. Zadok’s declaration. Petitioner does not, however, take a position on what the outer bounds of the claim term “security database” should be. Without attempting a full construction of the term “security database,” it is possible to determine from the current record, at least on a preliminary basis, some of the database types that would fall within its scope. The ’529 Patent explains that the claimed “security database” is part of an “inspection cybersecurity threats. Specifically, it provides as follows: In certain embodiments, the cloud computing environment 110 is monitored for cybersecurity objects, threats, risks, and the like, by an inspection environment 130. In an embodiment, the inspection environment 130 is configured to monitor the cloud computing environment 110 for cybersecurity objects, threats, risks, combinations thereof, and the like. Ex. 1001, 6:1–7; see id. Fig. 1. The ’529 Patent also provides: “In an embodiment, the inspection environment 130 further includes a security database 136. In some embodiments, the security database 136 is configured to store a representation of the cloud computing environment 110, for example based on a predetermined data schema.” Id. at 7:46–50. Thus, we can conclude that the term “security database,” as used in the ’529 Patent, encompasses at least a database within an inspection environment that monitors for cybersecurity threats and is configured to store a representation of a cloud computing environment that is monitored by the inspection environment. An example of such a security database is the Neo4j® graph database. Id. at 7:58–60. As discussed below, another example is the “context map” disclosed in Shua ’048. See Ex. 1005, 15, 25.” slip op. at 19
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“We find nothing contradictory in Petitioner’s argument that “100% of an organization’s assets” would include its AI models. Pet. 11, 21. Shua ’048 appears to contemplate treating multiple layers of structures as assets to be mapped and monitored. Ex. 1005 ¶ 30 (Shua’s Orca system “automatically assesses the security state of discovered asset[s] throughout the technology stack, including all four cloud layers: I/S, OS, apps, and data.”). On the current record, a VM is an asset that contains other assets, including an AI model.10 We conclude that for the purposes of institution, Petitioner’s mapping, as elucidated by Dr. Zadok, adequately demonstrates that the combination of Shua and Lang discloses limitation 1[c] and the corresponding limitations in claims 9 and 10. We further conclude that Petitioner’s identification of a motivation to combine Shua with Lang is adequate for institution purposes.” slip op. at 23
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 12,003,529 - Orca Security Ltd. v. Wiz, Inc.InstitutedPTAB · Dec 15, 2025 · IPR2025-01085 · APJ Karl D Easthom · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR on claims 1–21, finding a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on both § 103 grounds: Calvo and Nguyen, and Calvo, Nguyen, and Datsenko.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“presented in a petition and preliminary response shows that “there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.” 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). For the reasons explained below, we determine that Petitioner establishes a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail with respect to at least one challenged claim. Accordingly, we institute an inter partes review as to the challenged claims and the grounds raised in the Petition.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“B. Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art Petitioner contends that a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) at the time of the ’693 Patent would have had a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or a similar degree, with at least two years of experience in the field of cybersecurity; additional education or experience might substitute for these requirements. Pet. 7 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 63–64). Patent Owner does not provide a level of ordinary skill in the art. See generally Prelim. Resp. Based on a review of the record, we adopt Petitioner’s proposed level of ordinary skill in the art because it is consistent with the evidence of record, including the asserted prior art and ’693 patent specification.” slip op. at 6
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“support a construction that is similar to Petitioner’s construction of a “network path” as “a link between two machines.” See Pet. 17. That is, limitation 1(a) recites “selecting a reachable resource having a network path to access the reachable resource, wherein the reachable resource is a cloud object . . . having access to an external network which is external to the cloud computing environment,” and limitation 1(b) recites “actively inspecting the network path to determine if the network path of the reachable resource is accessible from the external network.” This plain language shows that a network path is simply a connection (link) between an external network object and a resource in a cloud (or cloud object). The specification provides an example of accessing “port 22”: “Active inspection allows to [sic] generate instructions directed at the reachable resource over a network path, which when received by the reachable resource cause the reachable resource to send a response.” Ex. 1001, 5:40–45. The specification also states that “a network path may include sequential representations of possible data/control flows between two or more objects in a graph.” Ex. 1001, 12:49–52; accord Ex. 1001, 12:60–62 (describing “a path show[ing] a connection between security objects and/or computing objects that communicate over a network”), 12:42–44 (“A network path is a connection of two or more security objects accessible from an external or internal network, and/or an external or internal object.”). In other words, the specification indicates that a transmitting testing object may be an object external to the cloud connected via a network path to another object (a cloud resource for testing). The “network path” may also include resources/objects (represented as graph vertices) on the path. See id. at 12:51–59 (“A path may be a vertexonly path, describing a sequence of vertex-to-vertex ‘hops,’ an edge-only path, describing only the edges included in the sequence without description of the associated vertices, or a combined edge-vertex path, describing both edges and vertexes included in the sequence.” (emphasis added)). Accordingly, for purposes of institution, we construe a “network path” as “a connection between an external object and a cloud resource, wherein the connection itself include objects and/or cloud resources.”” slip op. at 9
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“4. Remaining Terms No express construction of any other claim term is necessary to determine whether to institute inter partes review. See Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (“[W]e need only construe terms ‘that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy.’” (quoting Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999))). D.” slip op. at 12
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,936,693 - PTAB · Dec 12, 2025 · IPR2025-01327 · APJ Sheila F Mcshane · IPR · Institution
The Board instituted IPR of claims 1–19 on all asserted grounds, finding a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on the Schwan-Lee and Schwan-Lee-Strickland obviousness grounds.
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 ’655 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 a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or equivalent, and two years of work experience with network devices and communication technologies. EX1003, ¶¶17–19. Additional education might compensate for less experience, and vice versa. Pet. 4 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 17–19).” slip op. at 6
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Lexicography (patentee as own lexicographer)Term construed board ownDecided for petitioner
“The ’655 patent Specification states that: The topology data table 21 of the online server 20 is mainly recorded with a link data 49 between each of the P2P devices 41– 46 within the P2P device community. The link data 49 refers to the connection relationship between the P2P devices 41–46, which includes, but is not limited to, the connection structure, connection data and/or locations of connection. Ex. 1001, 4:51–57. On this preliminary record, we agree with Petitioner that the term “link data” is a “connection relationship between the P2P devices.” This meaning is consistent with the ordinary meaning of the term within the context of the claim, that is, “link data” means data on the links (connections) between each of the P2P devices, where the Specification provides a more fulsome meaning that the term includes, at least, “the connection structure, connection data and/or locations of connection.” See id. at 4:55–57. We invite the parties to provide additional briefing on the construction of this term during trial.” slip op. at 8
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundDecided for petitioner
“Lee discloses that the P2P overlay is generated with the overlay generation unit 220 that generates the P2P overlay by analyzing information regarding “the corresponding application service, the peer, and the network,” where the network information “may include a network topology, a maximum bandwidth, a current network usage, [and] a transmission delay time, and the like.” Ex. 1005 ¶ 54. We determine that this disclosure provides support for Mr. Lett’s testimony that “Lee describes techniques for changing an overlay in response to changing network characteristics,” which could be beneficial. Ex. 1003 ¶ 48. Accordingly, on this preliminary record, we find this evidence is sufficient to support a rationale to combine Schwan and Lee. See KSR, 550 U.S. at 401 (“[I]f a technique has been used to improve one device, and a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would improve similar devices in the same way, using the technique is obvious.”).” slip op. at 13
Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 9,727,655 - Arashi Vision (U.S.) LLC (D/B/A Insta360) v. Gopro, Inc.Some claims unpatentablePTAB · Dec 2, 2025 · IPR2024-01052 · APJ Brian D Range · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1, 2, 7–12, and 17–20 are unpatentable as obvious; claims 3–6 and 13–16 were not shown unpatentable because the asserted Watanabe combinations were unsupported.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“cameras.” Pet. 6 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 36–38). Petitioner further contends “[a]n advanced graduate degree in the disciplines cited above may make up for the work experience indicated above.” Id. Patent Owner does not dispute and applies Petitioner’s proposed level of skill. PO Resp. 6. We find that Petitioner’s proposal is reasonable and consistent with the ’832 patent specification and the prior art. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (the prior art may reflect an appropriate level of skill in the art). Thus, we apply Petitioner’s proposal in our analysis.” slip op. at 13
- Prior constructionPrior construction adoptedDecided for petitioner
“In our Institution Decision, we construed “determin[ing] a viewing window for the visual content as a function of progress through the progress length” as “requiring determining a viewing window for different times of the video.” Inst. Dec. 21. Neither party disputes this construction. PO Resp. 7; Pet. Reply 1–7. We maintain this same construction.” slip op. at 13
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundDecided for petitioner
“Thomason are in the same field of endeavor. Thomason describes a camera and method for correctly orientating pictures from the camera. See, e.g., Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 1, 2 29–40, Figs. 3a–3b. In particular, Thomason is interested in rotating and cropping images to reduce the effect of poor orientation. Pet. 9 (citing Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 2, 34, 36). Pacurariu likewise describes aligning and resizing/cropping of a captured image to correct poor orientation. See, e.g., Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 1, 3, 45–56, Figs. 5A–5C. The preponderance of the evidence also supports that a person having ordinary skill in the art would have had reason to combine the Pacurariu’s teachings with Thomason to predictably improve Thomason. Thomason teaches correct rotation of video data and makes use of rotation sensor to correct rotated images. Pet. 19–21 (citing, e.g., Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 4, 27, 29, 35; Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 76–77). Pacurariu similarly uses sensors and measures tilt angle of the camera. Id at 21–22 (citing, e.g., Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 51–52, Fig. 6; Ex. 1002 ¶ 78). Pacurariu further teaches that its tilt data angle can be stored for each “video frame.” Id. at 22 (citing Ex. 1005 ¶ 52). Petitioner, with support from credible testimony of Dr. Katsaggelos, explains how the teachings of Thomason and Pacurariu could be successfully combined. Id. at 23 (citing, for example, Ex. 1002 ¶ 81). A person of ordinary skill in the art could have known that Thomason’s system could be improved by saving rotation data for each video frame and correcting images on a frame-by-frame basis. Id. at 23–24. The testimony of Dr. Katsaggelos is credible in this regard. Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 80–81. Petitioner and Dr. Katsaggelos explain the references’ teachings and, based on these teachings, assert that a person having skill in the art would have had reason to combine with reasonable expectation of success based on those teachings. Reason to combine may properly come from the references themselves. KSR Int’l Co., 550 U.S. at 418 (explaining reason to combine may come from “interrelated teachings of multiple patents”). Based on the evidence presented, Petitioner establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that a person having ordinary skill in the art would have had reason to combine the teachings of Thomason and Pacurariu with a reasonable expectation of success. Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 76–81, 89–92; Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 4, 8–9, 27, 29, 35; Ex. 1005 ¶¶ 26, 41, 46, 51–52, 55–57, Figs. 6, 7.” slip op. at 27
- Obviousness (§103) › Objective indicia / secondary considerations › NexusObjective indicia no nexusDecided for patent owner
“evaluating nexus between the claimed invention and objective evidence of nonobviousness, also referred to as secondary considerations. Lectrosonics, Inc. v. Zaxcom, Inc., IPR2018-01129, Paper 33 at 33 (PTAB Jan. 24, 2020) (precedential). We first consider whether Patent Owner has demonstrated “that its products are coextensive (or nearly coextensive) with the challenged claims,” resulting in a rebuttable presumption of nexus. Id. at 33. If not, that “does not end the inquiry into secondary considerations”; “the patent owner is still afforded an opportunity to prove nexus by showing that the evidence of secondary considerations is the ‘direct result of the unique characteristics of the claimed invention.’” Id. (quoting Fox Factory, 944 F.3d at 1373–75).” slip op. at 62
Patent outcomesUS 11,336,832 mixedClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,336,832
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.