- Arashi Vision (U.S.) LLC (D/B/A Insta360) v. Gopro, Inc.No claims unpatentablePTAB · Dec 10, 2025 · IPR2024-01186 · APJ Brian D Range · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–20 were not shown unpatentable because Kwatra does not teach or suggest minimizing rotational velocity and acceleration as required by the claims.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“Petitioner contends that a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) would have the following characteristics: “a bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science, or equivalent field, and two years of experience working on image or video processing or digital cameras.” Pet. 6 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶¶ 36–37). Petitioner states that, “[a]lternatively, a POSITA would have four years of experience working on image or video processing 6 Patent Owner asserts objective evidence of nonobviousness. Prelim. Resp. 19–27. or digital cameras.” Id. 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 the level of ordinary skill in the art. Prelim Resp. 14–15. For purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s proposal as reasonable and consistent with the ’894 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).” slip op. at 10
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededDecided for patent owner
“Petitioner “does not believe any terms require a formal construction.” Pet. 6. Patent Owner agrees “no claim terms presently require construction to resolve any current dispute between the parties.” PO Resp. 15. We do not discern a need to construe explicitly any claim language at this juncture because doing so would have no effect on our analyses below of Petitioner’s asserted grounds and will not assist in resolving the present controversy between the parties. 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 11
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“Kwatra teaches, at Equation 7, minimizing velocity and acceleration of a function representing camera path (P). FF ¶¶ 6, 8–9. Kwatra does not state that this camera path function considers rotation. Rather, the words “camera path” suggest x, y, z movement of the camera rather than rotation of the camera. Dr. Foroosh’s testimony that Kwatra’s minimization of a smoothed camera path does not result in minimizing rotational velocity and acceleration is credible because this testimony is consistent with Kwatra as a whole and consistent with the other evidence of record. Id. ¶ 10. Kwatra recognizes that image rotation angle (“θ”) may not remain smooth. Id. ¶ 12. But rather than attempting to minimize velocity and acceleration of rotation of the camera housing, Kwatra states that applying a smoothness constraint on rotation angle “may be non-linear.” Id. ¶ 13. Consistent with Kwatra, Dr. Foroosh credibly explains the difficulty of applying linear techniques to rotation. Id. Thus, Kwatra proposes instead constraining the sine and cosine of theta. Id. ¶ 14. The Kwatra provisional application is part of the Kwatra reference (id. ¶ 15), and it similarly opts for simpler schemes rather than estimating all parameters for all frames jointly. Id. ¶ 16. The provisional explains that the rotational component is relatively small such that non-linear computations minimizing velocity and rotation can be avoided. Id. ¶¶ 17–18. The testimony of Patent Owner’s witness, Dr. Foroosh, explaining the provisional is credible (Ex. 2018 ¶ 72) because it is consistent with Kwatra’s complete disclosure. Dr. Foroosh’s testimony is more credible than the testimony of Petitioner’s witness, Dr. Katsaggelos, because Dr. Katsaggelos did not review the Kwatra provisional application and, thus, did not review the entire disclosure of Kwatra. Id. ¶ 19; see also In re Etter, 756 F.2d 852, 859 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (en banc) (obviousness analysis considers whether “the claimed inventions are rendered obvious by the teachings of the prior art as a whole” (emphasis added)).” slip op. at 28
- Expert testimonyPatent owner expert creditedPetitioner expert discountedDecided for patent owner
“(id. ¶ 15), and it similarly opts for simpler schemes rather than estimating all parameters for all frames jointly. Id. ¶ 16. The provisional explains that the rotational component is relatively small such that non-linear computations minimizing velocity and rotation can be avoided. Id. ¶¶ 17–18. The testimony of Patent Owner’s witness, Dr. Foroosh, explaining the provisional is credible (Ex. 2018 ¶ 72) because it is consistent with Kwatra’s complete disclosure. Dr. Foroosh’s testimony is more credible than the testimony of Petitioner’s witness, Dr. Katsaggelos, because Dr. Katsaggelos did not review the Kwatra provisional application and, thus, did not review the entire disclosure of Kwatra. Id. ¶ 19; see also In re Etter, 756 F.2d 852, 859 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (en banc) (obviousness analysis considers whether “the claimed inventions are rendered obvious by the teachings of the prior art as a whole” (emphasis added)).” slip op. at 28
Patent outcomesUS 10,574,894 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,574,894 - Arashi Vision (U.S.) LLC (D/B/A Insta360) v. Gopro, IncNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Nov 25, 2025 · IPR2024-01165 · APJ William V Saindon · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–21 were not shown unpatentable because Zhou does not teach the claimed low-light high-pass or stickiness parameter limitations.
RulingsFinal written decision- BurdenFwd all claims patentableNot shown unpatentable
“4. Conclusion for the Prior Art Analysis In sum, we find that Zhou does not disclose the low-light high-pass parameter or the stickiness parameter. Petitioner’s grounds for both independent claims 1 and 16 rely on Zhou for teaching a low-light high-pass parameter or a stickiness parameter. Pet. 23–28, 64. Because we find Zhou does not teach these limitations, all of Petitioner’s grounds fall for this reason. III. CONCLUSION For the reasons given above, we determine that Petitioner has not established by a preponderance of the evidence that any claim of the ’840 patent would have been obvious in view of the prior art cited.” slip op. at 18
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“A person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in the field of the ’840 patent would have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science, or equivalent field, and two years of experience working on image or video processing, or digital cameras. Alternatively, a POSITA would have four years of experience working on image or video processing, or digital cameras. An advanced graduate degree in the disciplines cited above may make up for the work experience indicated above. Pet. 6 (citing Ex. 1002 ¶ 32). Patent Owner applies the same standard. PO Resp. 26–27. We use this agreed-upon standard for purposes of this Decision.” slip op. at 7
- Expert testimonyPatent owner expert creditedPetitioner expert discountedDecided for patent owner
“We review this testimony based on the strength of the underlying factual basis. 37 C.F.R. § 42.65(a); Ashland Oil, Inc. v. Delta Resins & Refractories, Inc., 776 F.2d 281, 294 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (“Lack of factual support for expert opinion going to factual determinations, however, may render the testimony of little probative value . . ..”). Here, the underlying factual basis is not very strong for either witness. That said, we find that Dr. Foroosh’s testimony is more logically sound and consistent with the ’840 patent disclosure. Based on our reading of the specification, we find a clear indication that “stickiness” has to do with the past. In order to control “the extent by which preceding portion(s) . . . impacts determination of the smoothed trajectory” (emphasis added), one must control the degree by which the past frames impact determination. And to control the degree of the past’s influence, one must, as a consequence, favor the past over the future. That is, the frame of reference of the stickiness parameter is the past. The specification could have used a time-agnostic term, like a “nearness” or “adjacency” parameter, but it did not. Thus, the fact that “stickiness” is used in conjunction with “preceding” indicates that it deals with a preference for preceding frames. On this basis, we find Dr. Katsaggelos’s testimony less persuasive than Dr. Foroosh’s.” slip op. at 10
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for patent owner
“That said, we do not construe a stickiness parameter as prohibiting consideration of future frames. Instead, we determine that the stickiness parameter’s value determines the impact of the preceding portions, versus the following portions. The ’840 patent recognizes this, when it says that a stickiness parameter value of “1,” representing a “lazy” stabilizer that maximally favors the past, would not override a violation of the margin constraint based on the look-ahead (i.e., would not allow the viewing window to fall out of bounds in the event of large future motion). See Ex. 1001, 22:26–30; see also id. at 12:61–13:29 (acknowledging that favoring the past may lead to a conflict with the viewing window determination), 15:39–60 (adjusting the viewing window to ensure it does not violate a margin constraint). Thus, while a past-favoring parameter by necessity favors the past over the future, it does not prohibit consideration of the future. In view of the above, we construe the claimed “stickiness parameter” as a parameter that controls the extent by which preceding portions of the trajectory impacts determination of the smoothed trajectory, with an understanding that in order to favor preceding portions, to some extent, the parameter must relatively disfavor following portions.” slip op. at 10
Patent outcomesUS 10,958,840 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,958,840 - Arashi Vision (U.S.) LLC (D/B/A Insta360) v. Gopro, IncNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Nov 25, 2025 · IPR2024-01164 · APJ William V Saindon · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–21 were not shown unpatentable because Shi does not disclose the claimed low-light high-pass parameter required by the asserted obviousness grounds.
RulingsFinal written decision- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed patent owner constructionDecided for patent owner
“Given the teachings of the specification, we agree with Patent Owner that a low-light high-pass parameter is a parameter of a smoothing function that favors high frequencies (high pass) when exposure times are long (low light). See Tr. 42:10–18 (Patent Owner’s counsel stating that “high-pass” means “there’s a bias or preference for high frequencies”); Ex. 2020, 93:23– 94:15 (Petitioner’s declarant, Dr. Katsaggelos, agreeing that a high-pass system attenuates the low frequency of a signal). Although we acknowledge Petitioner’s position that the specification provides other ways or considerations in implementing a smoothing function, based on our above analysis of the specification, we find that the specification describes the lowlight high-pass parameter as a specific component of a smoothing function. See, e.g., Ex. 1001, 21:17–25 (setting out several parameters besides the low-light high-pass parameter used in trajectory smoothing).” slip op. at 10
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“position and a real device position. Id. at 18:27–40. In other words, the blur is addressed by analyzing the image to identify motion and then shifting the image. Shi, however, does not disclose how its parameter is based on low light (or the long exposure times indicative of low light). In its Petition, Petitioner asserts that a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that “blurs can be caused by low light conditions.” Pet. 28 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 111). Although this is true, that does not mean that Shi’s blurs are identified by a parameter that considers low light. As we just described, Shi identifies the blur by quantifying the amount of motion of the points in an image, not by identifying low light. This is simply a different way to determine the presence of motion blur. In Shi, blur is measured, whereas in the ’840 patent, it is inferred based on low-light conditions (e.g., by observing the exposure time). See, e.g., Ex. 1007, 18:7– 26; Ex. 1001, 19:12–26. In its Reply, Petitioner does not point to any further disclosures. Accordingly, we find that Shi does not disclose the “low-light” aspect of the claimed low-light high-pass parameter. This is sufficient to determine that Petitioner’s ground does not meet all claim limitations. Similarly, we find that Shi does not disclose the “high-pass” aspect of the parameter. Shi’s blur compensation uses a spherical interpolation to modify the image. Ex. 1007, 18:27–40. The low-light high-pass parameter, as we have construed the term, allows more high frequencies. To allow more high frequencies, this necessarily means either allowing fewer low frequencies, or allowing more high frequences as opposed to some counterfactual situation in which fewer high frequencies were going to be allowed. See Ex. 2020, 94:23–95:15; Ex. 2022. We are directed to no persuasive evidence from Petitioner that Shi’s spherical interpolation favors high frequencies over low frequencies. Accord Ex. 2018 ¶ 107 (Patent Owner’s expert stating that Shi’s spherical interpolation “reintroduce[es] both high- and low-frequency motion”). Even if Shi allows the viewing window to track the camera position “consistent with the natural blur in the image” (Ex. 1007, 17:63–67), we are not provided with sufficient evidence to conclude by a preponderance of the evidence that providing a similar visual goal as a high-pass parameter (Ex. 1001, 22:16–18, “the output motion may include high frequencies that mask motion blur”) is the same as having a high-pass parameter. Again, merely preserving high frequencies is not the same as having a “high-pass parameter” because, as construed, a “high-pass parameter” also involves some degree of attenuation of low frequencies or relative increase of high frequencies. Accordingly, we find that Shi does not disclose the “high-pass” aspect of the claimed low-light high-pass parameter.” slip op. at 18
Patent outcomesUS 10,958,840 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,958,840 - Microsoft Corporation / Affirmed Networks, Inc. v. Lemko CorporationNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Aug 30, 2024 · IPR2023-00529 · APJ Brian D Range · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–8, 11–16, and 21 were not proven unpatentable over Mauer and Waylett because the asserted combinations did not teach key claim limitations.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“II. ANALYSIS A. LEVEL OF ORDINARY SKILL Petitioner defines the person of ordinary skill in the art as follows: As of February 2006, a person of ordinary skill in the art (“POSITA”) would have been a person with a degree in 1 The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, Pub. L. No. 112-29, 125 Stat. 284 (2011) (“AIA”), amended 35 U.S.C. § 103. Because the challenged claims of the ’414 patent have an effective filing date before the effective date of the applicable AIA amendments, we refer to the pre-AIA version of 35 U.S.C. § 103 throughout this Decision. 2 Mauer et al., U.S. Patent No. 7,395,085 B1, issued July 1, 2008 (Ex. 1005, “Mauer”). 3 Waylett et al., U.S. Patent No. 8,184,603 B2, issued May 22, 2012 (Ex. 1006, “Waylett”). computer science, electrical or computer engineering, physics, or a similar discipline . . . [and] would also have at least two years of relevant experience including, for example, work related to telecommunications networks. Pet. 3 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 54). The institution decision adopted Petitioner’s definition of a person having ordinary skill in the art. Dec. on Inst. 11–12. Patent Owner applied this definition for its response. Resp. 19. Petitioner’s undisputed definition of a person of ordinary skill in the art is reasonable and consistent with the prior art and ’414 patent specification. Based on the record before us, we adopt Petitioner’s undisputed proposal. 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).” slip op. at 12
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached
“Petitioner does not submit constructions for any claim terms. According to Petitioner, “[t]he Board construes claims under the same standard used in civil actions in federal district court. The district court for the related litigation has not yet construed the claim terms.” Pet. 7. The parties provided briefing regarding construction of “distributed mobile architecture (DMA).” Resp. 19–34; Pet. Reply 1–3; PO Sur-reply 11–14. But we do not need to construe “distributed mobile architecture (DMA)” to resolve this inter partes review. We thus do not construe this claim term. We also do not discern a need to construe explicitly any other claim language because doing so would have no effect on our analyses below of Petitioner’s asserted grounds and will not assist in resolving the present controversy between the parties. 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)). We discuss the meaning of ’414 patent claims to the extent necessary to resolve the issues we address below. Id.” slip op. at 14
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot reached
“a) Combination of Mauer and Waylett In support of both Ground 1 and Ground 2, Petitioner argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Mauer’s and Waylett’s disclosures, “using Waylett’s Network-in-a-box 224 in each of Mauer’s WWAN 14 and WLAN 12, resulting in at least two DMA systems.” Pet. 11–13. Asserting that “Mauer teaches providing sufficient network coverage by use of different kinds of networks, network interfaces, and protocols,” Petitioner contends that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that “Waylett discloses an inexpensive way to implement the same networks used in Mauer’s WWAN 14 and WLAN 12.” Id. Citing similarities in Mauer’s and Waylett’s systems, Petitioner argues that “a POSITA would have been able to modify Mauer’s WWAN 14 and WLAN 12 networks so that each network uses Waylett’s NIB 224.” Id. at 14. According to Petitioner, the combination would have included a number of beneficial features from Mauer. Id. at 14–15. Petitioner further advances three reasons that a person of ordinary skill would have had to combine the references’ teaching. Id. at 15–16. First, asserting that Waylett discloses cost benefits and Mauer discloses “an improved method and system for notifying mobile stations,” Petitioner contends the “references each provide reasoning” to combine their disclosures. Id. at 15. Second, Petitioner argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to “improve Mauer’s distributed wireless network system by consolidating it into a single box, making it compact in design allowing for faster deployment.” Id. at 16. “Third, Waylett’s NIB would help mitigate the shared concern of Mauer—that is, reaching a mobile station as it roams or moves outside of the service or coverage area.” Id.” slip op. at 24
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“Petitioner does not establish that Mauer sends calls to voicemail based on the two determinations claim 1 recites. Resp. 55–56. In particular, as we explain above, claim 1 requires making use of the DPR after first determining the second mobile subscriber is not located within a first wireless coverage area based on HLR and VLR information and also determining that the second mobile subscriber is not located within a second wireless coverage area based on certain CLR information. The Petition, at best, attempts to establish that Mauer directs to voicemail when a “communication session cannot be established over the first or second wireless network.” Pet. 37. But a general determination that a “communication session cannot be established” does not teach or suggest claim 1’s specific requirements that first, the DPR is utilized in the specific circumstance that the second mobile subscriber is not located within the first wireless coverage area (with this determination being made based on HLR and VLR information), and second, that the DPR is also not located within the second wireless coverage area (with this determination being made based on CLR information). See PO Sur-Reply 8–9; Ex. 2001 ¶¶ 111–113. For the reasons above, Petitioner does not establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the combined art teaches or suggests the final “when” recitation of claim 1.” slip op. at 29
Patent outcomesUS 7,653,414 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 7,653,414 - Hanwha Solutions Corporation / Hanwha Q Cells USA, Inc. v. Rec Solar Pte. Ltd.No claims unpatentablePTAB · Dec 9, 2022 · IPR2021-00989 · APJ Brian D Range · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–6, 11, and 13 were not shown unpatentable under either obviousness ground because Petitioner did not establish a motivation to combine Yagiura and Shimasaki.
RulingsFinal written decision- ExcludeMotion to exclude, deniedDenied
“Petitioner’s position is persuasive. We agree that documents from the Japanese Patent Office are self-authenticating official government documents. The technical issues regarding missing pages in the originally filed version of the document do not cause us to question authenticity. We also agree that Petitioner uses the documents to establish what the documents teach rather than establishing the truth of what the documents teach. In Reply, Patent Owner argues that Petitioner relies on the date printed on the document to prove up the truth of when the document was published. Mot. Excl. Reply 1–2. To the extent this is the case, an exception to hearsay applies because the document is a record of a public office. Fed. R. Evid. 803(8)(B) (a record of public office is an exception to the hearsay rule if the opponent does not show that the source of information or other circumstances “indicate a lack of trustworthiness”). Here, Patent Owner does not persuasively demonstrate a lack of trustworthiness; Patent Owner does not identify any substantively meaningful distinction in the missing pages of the originally filed document and does not identify any evidence to suggest that the missing pages were anything more than a harmless clerical error. For the reasons above, Patent Owner’s motion to exclude is denied with respect to these documents. B.” slip op. at 8
- Skill levelSkill level board ownOther
“Petitioner’s proposal is too broad. PO Resp. 8. For example, a person who merely installs solar panels for three years (satisfying “professional experience in solar energy”) while having some familiarity with module manufacturing would not be of ordinary skill in the design aspects of the ’060 patent as, for example, reflected by the claims at issue and the ’060 patent’s text and figures. See, e.g., Ex. 1101, Figs. 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 3:22–7:44. On the other hand, we also determine that Patent Owner’s proposal is too narrow. A person could, for example, have ordinary skill in the art of the ’060 patent by virtue of non-professional experience (for example, academic experience). When assessing relevant experience, research work done for a university (beyond mere classroom study) would have been just as valuable as research work done for a corporation. Also, ordinary skill in the art could be demonstrated by work that requires understanding of the ’060 patent’s field even if not “designing, developing, and/or researching” in the field itself We, thus, determine that a person of ordinary skill in the art of the ’060 patent would have been someone with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, applied physics, or the like, and at least two years of (a) experience designing, developing, and/or researching in the field or (b) experience in solar energy that required an understanding of the ’060 patent’s field. Alternatively, that person would have had an advanced degree in electrical engineering, applied physics, or the like and at least one year of” slip op. at 11
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert creditedDecided for petitioner
“qualifies as evidence in this matter. The Federal Circuit has held that expert testimony about the perspective of person of ordinary skill in the art (as Dr. Kimball provides here) must come from a person having at least ordinary skill in the art. Kyocera Senco Indus. Tools, Inc. v. ITC, 22 F.4th 1369, 1376–78 (Fed. Cir. 2022) (quoting Sundance, Inc. v. DeMonte Fabricating Ltd., 550 F.3d 1356, 1362, 1364–65 (Fed. Cir. 2008)) (holding that ITC Administrative Law Judge abused discretion by admitting expert testimony of witness who lacked the experience of a person having ordinary skill in the art); see Mot. Excl. 6–7 (arguing this point). Patent Owner, however, cites no authority that expert testimony on such matters come from a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. Cf. Scentair Tech., LLC v. Prolitiec Inc., IPR2021-00012, Paper 22 at 61 (PTAB Apr. 22, 2022) (similarly noting a party’s lack of authority on this point). Beyond needing to come from a person of ordinary skill in the art, expert testimony is admissible if the expert has the “scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge [that] will help the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue.” Fed. R. Evid. 702. Furthermore, “[t]here is … no requirement of a perfect match between the expert’s experience and the relevant field.” USPTO, Patent Trial and Appeal Board Consolidated Trial Practice Guide, 34 (Nov. 2019). Here, Petitioner adequately establishes that Dr. Kimball qualifies as a” slip op. at 12
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The Petition argues that all claim terms should be given their plain and ordinary meaning. Pet. 18. Patent Owner does not dispute this. PO Resp. 13. We determine that no claim term requires express construction for purposes of this Final Written Decision. Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co. Matal, 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (“[W]e need only construe terms that are in controversy, and only to the” slip op. at 15
Patent outcomesUS 10,749,060 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,749,060 - Cisco Systems, Inc. / Forescout Technologies, Inc. et al. v. K.Mizra LLCNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 19, 2022 · IPR2022-00084 · APJ Minn Chung · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–3, 5–13, and 15–19 were not shown unpatentable under § 103 over Gleichauf, Ovadia, and Lewis because the petitioner did not sufficiently explain why a skilled artisan would have combined Gleichauf and Lewis as …
RulingsFinal written decision- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert discountedOther
“Dr. Reddy additionally testifies that “URL redirection is a well-known concept in HTTP traffic” (Ex. 1003 ¶ 24) and that “[a person of ordinary skill in the art] would have been familiar with URL redirection, which was a common technique used to forcibly provide an alternative response to a client’s request for a web page” (id. at ¶ 134). During the oral hearing, Petitioner also stated, citing the Reddy Declaration, that “it was well known to redirect traffic to a separate server.” Tr. 17:8–12 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 134). This, however, does not provide a sufficient explanation why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Gleichauf and Lewis. This rationale and all of the other reasons for the proposed combination proffered by Petitioner establish, at most, that Gleichauf and Lewis could have been combined to meet limitations [1.8] and [1.9], rather than a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make the proposed combination. This is insufficient. See Belden Inc. v. Berk-Tek LLC, 805 F.3d 1064, 1073 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (“obviousness concerns whether a skilled artisan not only could have made but would have been motivated to make the combinations or modifications of prior art to arrive at the claimed invention”) (citing InTouch Techs., Inc. v. VGO Commc’ns, Inc., 751 F.3d 1327, 1352 (Fed. Cir. 2014)). We find, therefore, that Petitioner does not provide a sufficient reasoning to support obviousness of claim 1 based on the proposed combination.7 See Kinetic Concepts, 688 F.3d at 1366–67 (holding that “some kind of motivation must be shown from some source, so that the [trier of fact] can understand why a person of ordinary skill would have thought of either combining two or more references or modifying one to achieve the patented [invention]”)); InTouch Techs., 751 F.3d at 1348–49 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (“[The expert witness’s] testimony was nothing more than impermissible hindsight; she opined that all of the elements of the claims disparately existed in the prior art, but failed to provide the glue to combine these references.”).” slip op. at 36
- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedOther
“Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s articulation of the level of ordinary skill in the art. See generally PO Resp. Dr. Medvidovic, Patent Owner’s declarant, states that “[f]or the purposes of the subject IPR proceedings,” he “employ[s]” the level of ordinary skill in the art articulated by Dr. Reddy. Ex. 2009 ¶ 26. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s unopposed position as to the level of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the claimed invention because Petitioner’s proposal is consistent with the level of ordinary skill in the art reflected by the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001).” slip op. at 13
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The parties dispute construction of “trusted platform module” (Pet. 13–16; PO Resp. 5–6) but do not identify any issue that would turn on the construction of this term. See generally Pet.; PO Resp. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we determine no claim terms require express construction. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (holding that only terms that are in controversy need to be construed, and “only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy”); see also Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (applying Vivid Techs. in the context of an inter partes review).” slip op. at 14
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation not foundNot shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“Therefore, we find that Gleichauf alone provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis identified by Petitioner. As discussed above, in the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis, Gleichauf would be modified such that HTTP traffic from a quarantined device would not be redirected to a remediation server but instead would be redirected to a quarantine server, which serves an informational webpage to the user of the device, as taught by Lewis. Pet. 48–49; Pet. Reply 14 (citing Ex. 1005, 4:56–63, 21:1–12; Ex. 1007, 4:24– 31, 13:7–15; Pet. 48). Thus, Petitioner’s proposed combination contemplates (1) modifying Gleichauf’s network by adding a separate quarantine server, (2) modifying Gleichauf’s policy server to not redirect HTTP traffic from a quarantined device to a remediation server and to instead redirect the HTTP traffic to the quarantine server, and (3) providing a quarantine notice webpage to the user from the quarantine server, including a link to the remediation server, which the user can click on to access the remediation server. In addition, Gleichauf’s policy server would also need to be modified to not provide the notification messages to the user for HTTP traffic to avoid having both the policy server and the quarantine server provide the same or similar information displays to the user. Neither Petitioner nor Dr. Reddy explains adequately why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Lewis to introduce such significant changes to the architecture or design of Gleichauf’s network when Gleichauf alone already provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner. See Pet. 26–29; Pet. Reply 14–16; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 66–71. Thus, based on the complete record, we find that the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner do not provide sufficient basis for establishing why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Gleichauf and Lewis in the manner proposed by Petitioner. See In re Anova Hearing Labs, Inc., 809 F. App’x 840, 843 (Fed. Cir. 2020) (finding that the Board’s general statements that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have combined the prior art references to address the problem of occlusion effect in hearing aids was insufficient when the Board does not explain why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been “motivated to modify Brown, which already includes vents, to address occlusion effect”) (non-precedential); cf. Kinetic Concepts, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., 688 F.3d 1342, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (“Because each device independently operates effectively, a person having ordinary skill in the art, who was merely seeking to create a better device to drain fluids from a wound, would have no reason to combine the features of both devices into a single device.”).” slip op. at 34
Patent outcomesUS 8,234,705 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,234,705 - Cisco Systems, Inc. / Forescout Technologies, Inc. et al. v. K.Mizra LLCNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 19, 2022 · IPR2022-00081 · APJ Minn Chung · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–3, 5–13, and 15–19 were not shown unpatentable under § 103 because Petitioner did not sufficiently explain why a skilled artisan would combine Gleichauf and Lewis.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“person of ordinary skill in the art “would have had a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or an equivalent training, and approximately two years of professional experience in the field of network communications, and more specifically, network security.” Pet. 10 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 18). Petitioner asserts that “[l]ack of professional experience can be remedied by additional education, and vice versa.” Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 18). Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s articulation of the level of ordinary skill in the art. See generally PO Resp. Dr. Medvidovic, Patent Owner’s declarant, states that “[f]or the purposes of the subject IPR proceedings,” he “employ[s]” the level of ordinary skill in the art articulated by Dr. Reddy. Ex. 2009 ¶ 26. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s unopposed position as to the level of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the claimed invention because Petitioner’s proposal is consistent with the level of ordinary skill in the art reflected by the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001).” slip op. at 13
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The parties dispute construction of “trusted platform module” (Pet. 13–16; PO Resp. 5–6) but do not identify any issue that would turn on the construction of this term. See generally Pet.; PO Resp. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we determine no claim terms require express construction. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (holding that only terms that are in controversy need to be construed, and “only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy”); see also Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (applying Vivid Techs. in the context of an inter partes review).” slip op. at 14
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation not foundNot shown unpatentable
“Therefore, we find that Gleichauf alone provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis identified by Petitioner. As discussed above, in the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis, Gleichauf would be modified such that HTTP traffic from a quarantined device would not be redirected to a remediation server but instead would be redirected to a quarantine server, which serves an informational webpage to the user of the device, as taught by Lewis. Pet. 48–49; Pet. Reply 14 (citing Ex. 1005, 4:56–63, 21:1–12; Ex. 1007, 4:24– 31, 13:7–15; Pet. 48). Thus, Petitioner’s proposed combination contemplates (1) modifying Gleichauf’s network by adding a separate quarantine server, (2) modifying Gleichauf’s policy server to not redirect HTTP traffic from a quarantined device to a remediation server and to instead redirect the HTTP traffic to the quarantine server, and (3) providing a quarantine notice webpage to the user from the quarantine server, including a link to the remediation server, which the user can click on to access the remediation server. In addition, Gleichauf’s policy server would also need to be modified to not provide the notification messages to the user for HTTP traffic to avoid having both the policy server and the quarantine server provide the same or similar information displays to the user. Neither Petitioner nor Dr. Reddy explains adequately why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Lewis to introduce such significant changes to the architecture or design of Gleichauf’s network when Gleichauf alone already provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner. See Pet. 26–29; Pet. Reply 14–16; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 66–71. Thus, based on the complete record, we find that the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner do not provide sufficient basis for establishing why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Gleichauf and Lewis in the manner proposed by Petitioner. See In re Anova Hearing Labs, Inc., 809 F. App’x 840, 843 (Fed. Cir. 2020) (finding that the Board’s general statements that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have combined the prior art references to address the problem of occlusion effect in hearing aids was insufficient when the Board does not explain why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been “motivated to modify Brown, which already includes vents, to address occlusion effect”) (non-precedential); cf. Kinetic Concepts, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., 688 F.3d 1342, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (“Because each device independently operates effectively, a person having ordinary skill in the art, who was merely seeking to create a better device to drain fluids from a wound, would have no reason to combine the features of both devices into a single device.”).” slip op. at 34
Patent outcomesUS 8,234,705 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,234,705 - Cisco Systems, Inc. / Forescout Technologies, Inc. et al. v. K.Mizra LLCNo claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 19, 2022 · IPR2021-00593 · APJ Minn Chung · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–3, 5–13, and 15–19 were not shown unpatentable because Petitioner did not sufficiently explain why a skilled artisan would combine Gleichauf and Lewis as proposed.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“person of ordinary skill in the art “would have had a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or an equivalent training, and approximately two years of professional experience in the field of network communications, and more specifically, network security.” Pet. 10 (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 18). Petitioner asserts that “[l]ack of professional experience can be remedied by additional education, and vice versa.” Id. (citing Ex. 1003 ¶ 18). Patent Owner does not dispute Petitioner’s articulation of the level of ordinary skill in the art. See generally PO Resp. Dr. Medvidovic, Patent Owner’s declarant, states that “[f]or the purposes of the subject IPR proceedings,” he “employ[s]” the level of ordinary skill in the art articulated by Dr. Reddy. Ex. 2009 ¶ 26. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we adopt Petitioner’s unopposed position as to the level of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the claimed invention because Petitioner’s proposal is consistent with the level of ordinary skill in the art reflected by the prior art of record. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001).” slip op. at 13
- Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededOther
“The parties dispute construction of “trusted platform module” (Pet. 13–16; PO Resp. 5–6) but do not identify any issue that would turn on the construction of this term. See generally Pet.; PO Resp. Based on the complete record, for purposes of this Decision, we determine no claim terms require express construction. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (holding that only terms that are in controversy need to be construed, and “only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy”); see also Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (applying Vivid Techs. in the context of an inter partes review).” slip op. at 14
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation not foundNot shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“Therefore, we find that Gleichauf alone provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis identified by Petitioner. As discussed above, in the proposed combination of Gleichauf and Lewis, Gleichauf would be modified such that HTTP traffic from a quarantined device would not be redirected to a remediation server but instead would be redirected to a quarantine server, which serves an informational webpage to the user of the device, as taught by Lewis. Pet. 48–49; Pet. Reply 14 (citing Ex. 1005, 4:56–63, 21:1–12; Ex. 1007, 4:24– 31, 13:7–15; Pet. 48). Thus, Petitioner’s proposed combination contemplates (1) modifying Gleichauf’s network by adding a separate quarantine server, (2) modifying Gleichauf’s policy server to not redirect HTTP traffic from a quarantined device to a remediation server and to instead redirect the HTTP traffic to the quarantine server, and (3) providing a quarantine notice webpage to the user from the quarantine server, including a link to the remediation server, which the user can click on to access the remediation server. In addition, Gleichauf’s policy server would also need to be modified to not provide the notification messages to the user for HTTP traffic to avoid having both the policy server and the quarantine server provide the same or similar information displays to the user. Neither Petitioner nor Dr. Reddy explains adequately why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Lewis to introduce such significant changes to the architecture or design of Gleichauf’s network when Gleichauf alone already provides all of the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner. See Pet. 26–29; Pet. Reply 14–16; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 66–71. Thus, based on the complete record, we find that the alleged benefits or advantages of the proposed combination identified by Petitioner do not provide sufficient basis for establishing why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine Gleichauf and Lewis in the manner proposed by Petitioner. See In re Anova Hearing Labs, Inc., 809 F. App’x 840, 843 (Fed. Cir. 2020) (finding that the Board’s general statements that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have combined the prior art references to address the problem of occlusion effect in hearing aids was insufficient when the Board does not explain why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have been “motivated to modify Brown, which already includes vents, to address occlusion effect”) (non-precedential); cf. Kinetic Concepts, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., 688 F.3d 1342, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (“Because each device independently operates effectively, a person having ordinary skill in the art, who was merely seeking to create a better device to drain fluids from a wound, would have no reason to combine the features of both devices into a single device.”).” slip op. at 34
Patent outcomesUS 8,234,705 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 8,234,705 - ROKU, Inc. v. Universal Electronics, Inc.No claims unpatentablePTAB · Aug 11, 2022 · IPR2021-00455 · APJ Patrick M Boucher · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–9 were not shown unpatentable over Chardon and HDMI 1.3a because the combination does not disclose data that itself identifies a controllable function.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“As Patent Owner observes, the two proposals differ “in terms of the level of experience specifically with home theater systems.” Id. at 10. Because all of the challenged claims make specific reference to a “home theater device,” Petitioner’s proposal is reasonable on the current record, and is additionally supported by the testimony of Dr. Russ. See Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 15– 19. Patent Owner notes that its expert, Dr. Turnbull, agrees with Patent Owner’s proposed articulation, but that Dr. Turnbull’s “conclusions resulting from his analysis did not change when reviewing the cited references from the perspective of the level of ordinary skill in the art as proposed by the Petition.” PO Resp. 10–11 (citing Ex. 2003, 31–41). We adopt Petitioner’s articulation of the level of ordinary skill for purposes of this Decision. We note, however, that we would reach the same ultimate conclusion were we to adopt Patent Owner’s proposal.” slip op. at 17
- Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed patent owner constructionDecided for patent owner
“phrase creates a degree of ambiguity, we are mindful that “the claims themselves provide substantial guidance as to the meaning of particular claim terms” and that “the context in which a term is used in the asserted claim can be highly instructive.” Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1314. In this instance, the related phrasing that appears in the “automatically adding” and “causing” limitations of issued independent claim 1 is illuminating. Both of those limitations refer to “the controllable function of the controllable appliance that was identified by the data received from the controllable appliance.” Ex. 1001, 17:11–14, 17:21–24 (emphasis added). There is no question that the only antecedent for “the data” in these limitations is the “data that functions to identify a controllable function of the controllable appliance” recited in the “receiving” limitation. See id. at 17:8–9. And there is no apparent room in the language “that was identified by the data” for the introduction or consideration of such “other information” that Petitioner would like to use “in connection with” the recited “data” to identify the controllable function. See Reply 2.” slip op. at 19
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot reached
“Petitioner reasons that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have combined such teachings from HDMI 1.3a with Chardon’s system because HDMI 1.3a “is a technical guide for the interoperability of the HDMI standard and how HDMI enabled devices operate,” and that “Chardon relies on HDMI capabilities to facilitate communication and monitoring-device state changes in its system.” Pet. 30–31 (citing Ex. 1005, 4:18–21; Ex. 1010, 17; Ex. 1003 ¶¶ 130–131). According to Petitioner, “[a] person of ordinary skill in the art would have therefore turned to at least one of the versions of the HDMI Specification to fill in any details in Chardon with respect to how HDMI-capable devices, such as those of Chardon and the ’486 patent operate, and would have had a reasonable expectation of success in doing so.” Id. at 31. Petitioner supports this reasoning with testimony by Dr. Russ that it is a “well-known industry practice” to rely on HDMI 1.3a as “specification of an industry standard” when “designing and building devices that implement the HDMI standard, incorporating all of the capabilities it offers.” Ex. 1003 ¶ 133. Patent Owner disputes the sufficiency of Petitioner’s showing. In” slip op. at 35
- Obviousness (§103) › Graham factors (scope of art, differences, level of skill)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable
“The difficulty with Petitioner’s and Dr. Russ’s position is that it is inconsistent with our adopted claim construction that the data itself identify a controllable function of the controllable appliance from which the data is received. See supra § II.C. As Patent Owner asserts, HDMI 1.3a “does not contemplate the exchange of any information that itself functions to identify a controllable function of a playback device.” PO Resp. 24 (emphasis added). All that the “Deck Status” message indicates in the example of Figure 17 is that the current status of the playback device is “Stop.” We also are not persuaded by Petitioner’s and Dr. Russ’s argument that HDMI 1.3a’s Tables 13 and 26 disclose that “Deck Info” information is returned with the “Deck Status” message, and that such “a deck status message includ[es] the features that the device can provide (e.g., play, pause, stop, etc.).” Pet. 41; Ex. 1003 ¶ 117. Reliance on such “Deck Info” information is problematic at least because it is “other information” that would be used in combination with the “Deck Status” to determine controllable functions of the controllable device, which is precluded by our adopted claim construction.” slip op. at 36
Patent outcomesUS 10,325,486 not shown unpatentableClaim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 10,325,486 - Apple, Inc. v. Corephotonics Ltd.No claims unpatentablePTAB · Nov 8, 2021 · IPR2020-00906 · APJ John F Horvath · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 19–22 were not shown unpatentable because Petitioner did not establish that Ogata’s lens could be scaled for Parulski’s camera with a reasonable expectation of success.
RulingsFinal written decision- Expert testimonyDecided for patent owner
“first embodiment lens and the data entered into the “Lens Editor Data” spreadsheet are noticeable. First, the Abbe number for the third lens element is 42.72 in Ogata’s first embodiment lens and 26.5 (i.e., 38% smaller) in the “Lens Data Editor” spreadsheet. Compare Ex. 1026, 7:46, with Ex. 1021, 36. Second, the data for the fourth and tenth aspherical surfaces are noticeably different. For example, the fourth order term (A4) for the fourth aspherical surface is 0.66 x 10-4 in Ogata’s first embodiment lens and 151.69 x 10-4 (i.e., 0.015) in the “Lens Data Editor” spreadsheet. Compare Ex. 1026, 7:55, with Ex. 1021, 36. Neither Petitioner nor Dr. Sasián explain these discrepancies.” slip op. at 15
- Strike new argumentNew argument disregardedDecided for patent owner
“We agree with Patent Owner. The Petition contends that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have known that Ogata’s lens (using glass lens elements) could have been scaled to focus an image onto a 1/2.5” image sensor for use in Parulski’s camera. See Pet. 24–30; Ex. 1021, 36. Petitioner’s reply evidence and argument is not introduced to support that contention but a different contention—that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have known that Ogata’s lens could have been redesigned using aspheric plastic lens elements to focus an image onto a 1/3” image sensor. See n.11, supra. This is a new contention that does not support Petitioner’s 11 We note that Dr. Sasián’s analysis discloses how Kawamura’s lens can be modified by replacing the spherical glass lens elements with aspherical plastic lens elements, moving the aperture stop to the first lens element, changing the F number to 2.8, and reducing the effective focal length to focus an image onto a 1/3” image sensor rather than a 1/2.5” image sensor. See Ex. 1039 ¶¶ 25–30; App’x, 17–18. Dr. Sasián also opines that although this analysis illustrates how Kawamura’s lens could have been modified, a person skilled in the art “would have recognized that Ogata could have been similarly adjusted to yield a miniaturized form-factor.” Id. ¶ 25. because it is a new and untimely contention, we do not consider it further. See Consolidated Trial Practice Guide (Nov. 2019)12 (“Petitioner may not submit new evidence or argument in reply that it could have presented earlier, e.g., to make out a prima facie case of unpatentability.”); see also Ariosa Diagnostics v. Verinata Heath, Inc., 805 F.3d 1359, 1368 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (“The Board must make judgments about . . . when a Reply contention crosses the line from the responsive to the new.”); Intelligent Bio-Sys., Inc. v. Illumina Cambridge Ltd., 821 F.3d at 1359, 1369–70 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (affirming the Board’s rejection of a reply argument presenting an “entirely new rationale to explain why one of skill in the art would have been motivated to combine” prior art references); Henny Penny Corp. v. Frymaster LLC, 938 F.3d 1324, 1330–31 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (affirming the Board’s rejection of a reply argument presenting an “entirely new rationale” for why a claim would have been obvious).” slip op. at 18
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot shown unpatentableReasonable expectation not foundNot shown unpatentable
“first embodiment lens and the data entered into the “Lens Editor Data” spreadsheet are noticeable. First, the Abbe number for the third lens element is 42.72 in Ogata’s first embodiment lens and 26.5 (i.e., 38% smaller) in the “Lens Data Editor” spreadsheet. Compare Ex. 1026, 7:46, with Ex. 1021, 36. Second, the data for the fourth and tenth aspherical surfaces are noticeably different. For example, the fourth order term (A4) for the fourth aspherical surface is 0.66 x 10-4 in Ogata’s first embodiment lens and 151.69 x 10-4 (i.e., 0.015) in the “Lens Data Editor” spreadsheet. Compare Ex. 1026, 7:55, with Ex. 1021, 36. Neither Petitioner nor Dr. Sasián explain these discrepancies.” slip op. at 15
Patent outcomesUS 10,225,479 not shown unpatentable§ 103 obviousnessPatents in suitUS 10,225,479
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.