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  • PTAB · Apr 12, 2017 · IPR2015-01992 · APJ Jon B Tornquist · IPR · Final written decision

    Claims 1, 2, 4–12, 14–24, and 34–48 are unpatentable over the stated grounds; claims 3 and 13 were not shown unpatentable, and claims 25–33 and 49 were disclaimed.

    RulingsFinal written decision
    • Adverse judgmentAdverse judgmentOther

      “On February 8, 2017, Patent Owner informed the Board that it had “disclaimed claims 25–33 and 49” of the ’002 patent, thereby “rendering the institution of claims 25–33 and 49 in the subject inter partes review proceeding moot.” Paper 18, 1; Ex. 2005 (disclaimer of claims 25–33 and 49 pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.321(a)).” slip op. at 2

    • BurdenMixed

      “2. Analysis To anticipate a claim a “prior art reference must disclose each and every feature of the claimed invention, either explicitly or inherently.” Eli Lilly & Co. v. Zenith Goldline Pharm., 471 F.3d 1369, 1375–76 (Fed. Cir. 2006). An inherent disclosure may be found when an asserted prior art reference “necessarily” includes the unstated limitation. Transclean Corp. v. Bridgewood Servs., Inc., 290 F.3d 1364, 1373 (Fed. Cir. 2002).” slip op. at 13

    • ExcludeMotion to exclude, deniedDenied

      “Upon review of Petitioner’s arguments and supporting evidence, we are persuaded that Petitioner has identified where each limitation of independent claim 1 is disclosed in Huang. Claims 11, 34, and 40 contain limitations similar to claim 1, Petitioner provides detailed arguments as to where each limitation of these claims is disclosed in Huang, and Patent Owner does not present any arguments for these claims separate from those 7 At oral argument, Patent Owner asserted that we should not consider Petitioner’s argument that the icons of Huang contain URL information because this argument was presented for the first time in Petitioner’s Reply. Tr. 32:19–35:5. Patent Owner did not file a motion to exclude this evidence, however, or request a sur-reply to address any allegedly new issues raised for the first time in Petitioner’s Reply. Id. at 34:18–23. Nor is it evident why Petitioner’s arguments are not appropriate rebuttal arguments addressing Patent Owner’s proposed construction of “pointer.” Accordingly, we decline to exclude Petitioner’s URL arguments and evidence.” slip op. at 15

    • Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Lexicography (patentee as own lexicographer)Term construed petitioner constructionDecided for petitioner

      “be used in conjunction with the mobile interface agent, including “a computer, cable set top box, cellular phone, or other device.” Ex. 1001, 4:44–45. Patent Owner does not explain why the description of a “pointer” in one “context,” i.e., on a computer or PDA, represents a clear and deliberate attempt to define the term in all contexts, such that all pointers must be a “reference” to “a type of menu item” and be “accessible on a computer, PDA, or server.” See In re Paulsen, 30 F.3d at 1480 (noting that an inventor is “free to define the specific terms used to describe his or her invention,” but “this must be done with reasonable clarity, deliberateness, and precision”). The broadest definition of the term “pointer” in the ’002 patent is “a link/shortcut to an item.” Ex. 1001, 10:8–10 (“As discussed above, a pointer is a link/shortcut to an item such as . . . .”); Dec. on Inst. 10. This definition is consistent with the description of “pointers” in the ’002 patent written description and claims. Ex. 1001, 20:4–6 (“wherein the pointers provide links to access the corresponding user specific resources and information.”). Accordingly, we construe “pointer” to mean “a link or shortcut to an item.”” slip op. at 9

    Patent outcomesUS 6,546,002 mixed
    Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousness
    Patents in suitUS 6,546,002
  • PTAB · Dec 9, 2016 · IPR2015-01309 · APJ Jon B Tornquist · IPR · Final written decision

    Claims 1, 3, 5, 6, 10–13, 16, and 19 are unpatentable as obvious; claims 7–9, 14, and 15 were not shown unpatentable.

    RulingsFinal written decision
    • Claim Construction › Threshold & procedure › Whether a term needs construction (O2 Micro)No construction neededNot reached

      “Petitioner and Patent Owner propose constructions for all, or a portion of, the term “Formula I, XCF3(I), where X is a C2 unsaturated, substituted, alkyl radical.” Pet. 17–19 (proposing a construction for the term “C2 unsaturated, substituted, alkyl radical”); PO Resp. 12–15. Neither party contends, however, that express construction of this claim term, or any other term in the ’808 patent, would impact any of Petitioner’s or Patent Owner’s arguments in this proceeding. Accordingly, we determine that no claim terms require construction for purposes of this Final Written Decision. See Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795, 803 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (“[O]nly those terms need be construed that are in controversy, and only to the extent necessary to resolve the controversy.”).” slip op. at 7

    • Skill levelSkill level patent owner adoptedDecided for patent owner

      “art. Patent Owner, relying upon the testimony of Dr. Bivens, asserts that one of ordinary skill in the art would have had either: “(1) a bachelor of science degree in a specialty area (such as chemical engineering or chemistry) and five years of work experience in developing/testing refrigerants, blowing agents, and propellants, or (2) a Ph.D. or masters of science degree and 2-3 years of work experience.” PO Resp. 12 (citing Ex. 2034 ¶¶ 21–24). Patent Owner’s identification of a person of ordinary skill in the art is uncontroverted and is consistent with the prior art of record. Accordingly, we adopt Patent Owner’s identification for purposes of this Final Written Decision. See Okajima v. Bourdeau, 261 F.3d 1350, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (noting that the prior art itself may reflect the level of ordinary skill in the art).” slip op. at 8

    • Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundReasonable expectation foundMixed

      “Accordingly, we are persuaded that: (1) Petitioner has identified where every limitation of claim 1 is disclosed or suggested in the combination of Kruse, Inagaki, and Butler; (2) Petitioner has set forth reasoned explanations supported by factual underpinnings to explain why one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the earliest filing date of the ’808 patent, would have sought to combine Kruse, Inagaki, and Butler to achieve the invention set forth in claim 1 of the ’808 patent; and (3) Petitioner has set forth reasoned arguments, supported by record evidence, to show why a person of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success in combining Kruse, Inagaki, and Butler to achieve the composition of claim 1.” slip op. at 17

    • Obviousness (§103) › Objective indicia / secondary considerations › NexusObjective indicia no nexusDecided for petitioner

      “patent met a long-felt but unresolved need or were commercially successful, we have been directed to no persuasive evidence to demonstrate these propositions. See Graham, 383 U.S. at 17–18 (noting that “long felt but unsolved needs” and commercial success may be utilized as indicia of nonobviousness). Indeed, we have been directed to no persuasive evidence that a mixture of CO2 and a fluoroalkene of claim 1 has ever been used commercially, or that such a mixture was considered by those of ordinary skill in the art to have met a long felt but previously unresolved need.9, 10 See Tr. 51:24–52:7; Pet. Reply 9 (asserting that Patent Owner “has provided no evidence, post- or pre- issuance of the ’808 patent, of the commercial advantages or uses of the claimed compositions”). With respect to Petitioner’s prior patent applications, although Patent Owner initially characterizes these applications as relating to CO2 and partially fluorinated hydrocarbons, Patent Owner later notes that these patents are directed to blends of HFO-1234yf, CO2, and R-134a. PO Resp. 44; Ex. 2024, 12 (arguing in support of patentability that “[t]he specific 9 To be relevant, Patent Owner must show that the asserted secondary considerations are attributable to “the merits of the claimed invention beyond what was readily available in the prior art.” Asyst Techs. v. Emtrak, Inc., 544 F.3d 1310, 1316 (Fed. Cir. 2008). Here, Inagaki discloses using compounds within the scope of claim 1 of the ’808 patent as refrigerants. Patent Owner presents no persuasive evidence that the addition of CO2 to the compounds of Inagaki, or the particular ranges recited in claim 1, resulted in a product that met a long felt but unresolved need or resulted in a commercially successful product beyond what was provided in Inagaki. Thus, we are also not persuaded that there is any nexus between the asserted secondary considerations and the features of claim 1 that are not disclosed in Inagaki. 10 As Patent Owner has not demonstrated any commercial use of the claim 1 compounds for any purpose, or provided evidence that those of skill in the art considered the claimed compounds to have met an unresolved need in the art, this analysis applies equally to the dependent claims of the ’808 patent, which each depend, directly or indirectly, from claim 1. combination of trans-R1234ze and R134a and CO2 simply is not suggested in Singh, let alone in the amounts defined in claim 1”). Patent Owner does not explain sufficiently why Petitioner’s arguments directed to the patentability of a blend of three compounds, utilized in specific proportions, are necessarily applicable to the combination of Kruse, Inagaki, and Butler proposed by Petitioner, or why these arguments are otherwise strong evidence of the nonobviousness of claim 1 of the ’808 patent. Based on the foregoing, and upon review of Patent Owner’s arguments as a whole, we are not persuaded that Patent Owner’s proffered objective evidence of nonobviousness is strong or tends to refute Petitioner’s arguments and evidence with respect to the obviousness of claim 1 of the ’808 patent.” slip op. at 25

    Patent outcomesUS 8,623,808 mixed
    Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · Graham
    Patents in suitUS 8,623,808
  • LG Chem, Ltd. v. Celgard, LLCSome claims unpatentable
    PTAB · Oct 5, 2015 · IPR2014-00692 · APJ Donna M Praiss · IPR · Final written decision

    Claims 1–11 are unpatentable as obvious: claims 7–10 over Tojo and claims 1–6 and 11 over Tobishima and Tojo; the other instituted grounds were not proven.

    RulingsFinal written decision
    • Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Specification disavowal / 'present invention' languageTerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner

      “Our reviewing court, however, has “cautioned against reading limitations into a claim from the preferred embodiment described in the specification, even if it is the only embodiment described, absent clear disclaimer in the specification.” In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech. Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2004). Patent Owner does not direct us to any specific disclosure in the Specification of the ’586 patent clearly limiting or defining dendrite blocking as impeding dendrite growth for the entire intended life of a rechargeable battery. Accordingly, because the ’586 patent does not clearly disclaim the scope of dendrite blocking in the manner Patent Owner advances, we are not persuaded that we should limit the claims to the asserted primary goal, or preferred result, of the ’586 patent. We, therefore, decline to adopt Patent Owner’s proffered claim construction.” slip op. at 9

    • Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Anticipation standard (single reference, every element) › Inherent disclosureNot shown unpatentableInherency not foundNot shown unpatentable

      “and Dr. Abraham, as well as the Handbook’s disclosure that separator pores as small as 0.1 µm are effectively barn doors, which cannot prevent electronic shorts caused by dendrite growth, Patent Owner persuades us that Tojo’s porous ceramic composite layer is not capable of hindering, interrupting, or delaying the passage, progress, or course of dendrite growth, with any degree of effectiveness that prevents electronic shorting. That is, Patent Owner persuades us that Tojo’s separators do not include a ceramic composite layer that is adapted to at least block dendrite growth and to prevent electronic shorting, as recited in claim 1 of the ’586 patent.” slip op. at 16

    • Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successNot shown unpatentableMotivation not foundNot shown unpatentable

      “As discussed above, Petitioner does not persuade us that it has established that Tojo’s separator includes that feature, because of the pores in Tojo’s ceramic composite layer. Because Petitioner relies on this limitation being inherently present in Tojo as argued with respect to claim 1 (Pet. 19, 23), Petitioner does not provide any evidence to support the obviousness of this limitation. In the context of an obviousness analysis, inherency “‘may not be established by probabilities or possibilities. The mere fact that a certain thing may result from a given set of circumstances is not sufficient.’” In re Oelrich, 666 F.3d 578, 581 (C.C.P.A. 1981) (quoting Hansgirg v. Kemmer, 102 F.2d 212, 214 (CCPA 1939)). An inherent disclosure is one that is “sufficient to show that the natural result flowing from the operation as taught would result in the performance of the questioned function.” Id.; Par Pharm., Inc. v. TWI Pharm., Inc., 773 F.3d 1186, 1195 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (“[T]he concept of inherency must be limited when applied to obviousness, and is present only when the limitation at issue is the ‘natural result’ of the combination of prior art elements.”) (quoting In re Oelrich, 666 F.2d at 581). As discussed above, the preponderance of the evidence leads us to conclude that Tojo’s disclosure would not necessarily produce pores with a tortuosity sufficient to block dendrite growth. Thus, even if an ordinary artisan were to find it obvious to try one of the specific matrix materials recited in dependent claim 4 (id. at 19), the resulting ceramic composite layer required by both claim 4 and claim 12 would, nonetheless, have the pores that Tojo teaches should be present in that layer. Therefore, a preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that it would have been obvious that the separator disclosed by Tojo would result in a separator having the dendrite-blocking feature required by claims 4 and 12. Accordingly, because Petitioner has not shown that Tojo teaches or suggests all of the features required by claims 4 and 12, we conclude that Petitioner has not established by a preponderance of the evidence that claims 4 and 12 are unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over Tojo.” slip op. at 21

    • Obviousness (§103) › Objective indicia / secondary considerations › NexusObjective indicia no nexusDecided for petitioner

      “Even disregarding the procedural infirmities in Patent Owner’s Response, however, Petitioner persuades us that the evidence of secondary considerations is not entitled to substantial weight, because Patent Owner has not established a sufficient nexus between the merits of the claimed subject matter and that evidence. Petitioner persuades us also that the evidence of secondary considerations is not reasonably commensurate in scope with the claimed subject matter.” slip op. at 33

    Patent outcomesUS 6,432,586 mixed
    Claim construction§ 102 anticipation§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR · Graham
    Patents in suitUS 6,432,586
  • PTAB · Jan 30, 2015 · IPR2013-00480 · APJ Barbara A Parvis · IPR · Final written decision

    Claim 14 was held unpatentable as anticipated by Fox Thesis; claims 1, 5, 15, and 16 were not shown unpatentable.

    RulingsFinal written decision
    • Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for patent owner

      “determine whether “cluster links” means relationships between two nodes, which are represented in data stored in a computer. Claim 1 recites a method of analyzing data in a database with indirect relationships using links and nodes. Claim 14 similarly recites a method for representing the relationship between nodes, using stored direct links, paths, and candidate cluster links. As explained in the ’494 Patent specification, data in the database may be represented as a node. Ex. 1001, 12:29–33. Exemplary nodes include an object or a portion of an object, a document or section of a document, and a World Wide Web page. Id. at 12:35–38. The ’494 Patent specification states that a link is a “relationship between two nodes.” Id. at 12:65–66. The ’494 Patent specification continues, “[a] link [] can be represented by a vector or an entry on a table and contain information for example, a from-node identification [] (ID), a to-node ID [], a link type [], and a weight.” Id. at 13:3–6. As described in the ’494 Patent specification, a link is represented in data stored in a computer. We, therefore, determine that “cluster links” means relationships, which are represented in data stored in a computer and are used for grouping interrelated nodes.” slip op. at 11

    • Novelty / Anticipation (§102) › Anticipation standard (single reference, every element)Not shown unpatentableNot shown unpatentable

      “As described in Fox SMART, the concentration tests that are cited by Petitioner are performed as part of forming the cluster tree. Id. Petitioner does not identify disclosure in Fox SMART of deleting clusters other than those that simply overlap, or duplicate, other clusters. Overlapping clusters are deleted following a routine that identifies plausible clustering with “no limit on overlap.” Id. Additionally, Fox SMART includes code that collects orphans. Id. at 52. Petitioner, however, has not shown that Fox SMART describes a subset which does not include these orphans. Dr. Fox’s supplemental testimony that “Fox SMART teaches that potential (i.e., candidate) clusters are rejected (‘deleted’) if they fail any one of these tests” (Ex. 1028 ¶ 281 (citing Ex. 1005, 51)) suggests that the terms “rejected” and “deleted” are the same. We do not agree. In view of Dr. Fox’s testimony in both of his Declarations and the testimony of Dr. Jacobs, we find that one of ordinary skill in the art reasonably would have understood Fox SMART as describing deleting overlap that had been generated by the immediately preceding software routine. Additionally, we find that one of ordinary skill in the art reasonably would have understood Fox SMART as describing that the tests referred to by Dr. Fox are processed during formation of the tree. We, therefore, determine that Dr. Fox’s testimony does not address persuasively the requirement in claim 1 of deriving a subset of the already generated candidate cluster links.” slip op. at 15

    • PTAB / AIA Trials › Motions to amend / substitute claimsMotion to amend, grantedGranted

      “FURTHER ORDERED that Patent Owner’s Motion to Amend to cancel claims 8, 10, 11, 35, and 40 of the ’494 Patent is GRANTED;” slip op. at 24

    • ExcludeMotion to exclude, deniedDenied

      “arguments for the first time. Paper 44, 1. A reply may respond to arguments raised in the corresponding patent owner response. 37 C.F.R. § 42.23(a). Examples of indications that a new issue has been raised in a reply include new evidence necessary to make out a prima facie case for the unpatentability of a claim. Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed.Reg. 48,756, 48,767 (Aug. 14, 2012). We determine that the evidence presented in the Reply Fox Declaration that is discussed in this Decision properly responds to arguments raised in the Patent Owner Response. Additionally, we do not rely on evidence in the Reply Fox Declaration in our determination that Petitioner established by a preponderance of the evidence that claim 14 is unpatentable. For the reasons given, we deny Patent Owner’s Motion to Exclude.” slip op. at 22

    Patent outcomesUS 5,832,494 mixed
    Claim construction§ 102 anticipationcites Phillips
    Patents in suitUS 5,832,494
  • PTAB · Jan 29, 2015 · IPR2013-00481 · APJ Barbara A Parvis · IPR · Final written decision

    Claims 12 and 22 are unpatentable over Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision under § 103; claim 21 was not shown unpatentable because the art did not teach deriving actual cluster links from generated candidate …

    RulingsFinal written decision
    • BurdenMixed

      “The claim chart persuasively reads all elements of each of claims 12 and 22 onto the teachings of Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision, taken together. Despite the counter-arguments in Patent Owner’s Response, and the evidence cited therein, which we have also considered, Petitioner has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that claims 12 and 22 of the ’571 Patent are unpatentable, under 35 U.S.C. § 103, as they would have been obvious over the combination of Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision. Petitioner, however, has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that claim 21 of the ’571 Patent is unpatentable, under 35 U.S.C. § 103, as obvious over the combination of Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision. 1.” slip op. at 15

    • Expert testimonyPatent owner expert creditedDecided for patent owner

      “As taught in Fox SMART, the concentration tests that are cited by Petitioner are performed as part of forming the cluster tree. Id. Petitioner does not identify a teaching in Fox SMART of deleting clusters other than those that simply overlap, or duplicate, other clusters. Overlapping clusters are deleted following a routine that identifies plausible clustering with “no limit on overlap.” Id. Additionally, Fox SMART includes code that collects orphans. Id. at 52. Petitioner, however, has not shown that Fox SMART teaches a subset, which does not include these orphans. Dr. Fox’s supplemental testimony that “Fox SMART teaches that potential (i.e., candidate) clusters are rejected (‘deleted’) if they fail any one of these tests” (Ex. 1032 ¶ 281 (citing Ex. 1005, 51)) suggests that the terms “rejected” and “deleted” are the same. We do not agree. In view of Dr. Fox’s testimony in both of his Declarations and the testimony of Dr. Jacobs, we find that one of ordinary skill in the art reasonably would have understood Fox SMART as teaching deleting overlap that had been generated by the immediately preceding software routine. Additionally, we find that one of ordinary skill in the art reasonably would have understood Fox SMART as teaching that the tests referred to by Dr. Fox are processed during formation of the tree. We, therefore, determine that Dr. Fox’s testimony does not address persuasively the requirement in claim 21 of deriving a subset of the already generated candidate cluster links. In light of the Declaration by Patent Owner’s Declarant, Dr. Jacobs, we determine that Petitioner has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that the combination of Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision teaches deriving actual cluster links. For the foregoing reasons, Petitioner has not established that claim 21 of the ’571 Patent is unpatentable, under 35 U.S.C. § 103, as obvious over the combination of Fox Thesis, Fox SMART, and Envision.” slip op. at 27

    • ExcludeMotion to exclude, deniedDenied

      “Owner contends that the Reply Fox Declaration should be excluded in accordance with Federal Rule of Evidence (“FRE”) 702. Paper 44, 1. In particular, Patent Owner contends that the Reply Fox Declaration should be excluded because FRE 702 precludes admission of expert testimony unless “the testimony is based on sufficient facts or data, the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and the expert has reliably applied the principles and methods to the facts of the case.” Id. With regard to this objection, we note that under 37 C.F.R. § 42.65(a), “[e]xpert testimony that does not disclose the underlying facts or data on which the opinion is based is entitled to little or no weight.” Consequently, this objection properly goes to the weight to be given to Dr. Fox’s testimony, and not to its admissibility. It is within our discretion to assign the appropriate weight to the testimony offered by Dr. Fox. See, e.g., Yorkey v. Diab, 601 F.3d 1279, 1284 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (holding the Board has discretion to give more weight to one item of evidence over another “unless no reasonable trier of fact could have done so”); In re Am. Acad. of Sci. Tech Ctr., 367 F.3d 1359, 1368 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (“[T]he Board is entitled to weigh the declarations and conclude that the lack of factual corroboration warrants discounting the opinions expressed in the declarations.”). When weighing evidence, we are capable of determining whether the prior art references render obvious the challenged claims without being confused, misled or prejudiced by Dr. Fox’s testimony.” slip op. at 32

    • Claim Construction › Intrinsic evidence (Phillips canons) › Plain and ordinary meaning to a POSITATerm construed board ownDecided for petitioner

      “Claim 21 recites a method of displaying information about a network, which includes a determination regarding hyperjump data. As explained in the ’571 Patent specification, exemplary hyperjump data includes hyperjump links, which connect web pages, web sites, and documents on the web. Ex. 1001, 48:37–39. The specification of the ’571 Patent states that a link is a “relationship between two nodes.” Id. at 13:5–6. The ’571 Patent specification continues, “[a] link [] can be represented by a vector or an entry on a table and contain information for example, a from-node identification [] (ID), a to-node ID [], a link type [], and a weight.” Id. at 13:9–12. As described in the ’571 Patent specification, a link is represented in data stored in a computer. We, therefore, construe “cluster links” in light of the specification of the ’571 Patent to mean relationships, which are represented in data stored in a computer and are used for grouping interrelated nodes. 4. “indirect relationships” and “indirect reference” The term “indirect relationships” is recited in claim 12 and the term “indirect reference” is recited in claim 22. As discussed above, the terms “link” and “relationship” are used interchangeably in the ’571 Patent specification. For the reasons discussed above, therefore, we construe “indirect relationships” to mean indirect relationships that are represented in data stored in a computer. For these same reasons, we construct “indirect reference” to mean an indirect reference that is represented in data stored in a computer.” slip op. at 9

    Patent outcomesUS 6,233,571 mixed
    Claim construction§ 103 obviousnesscites Phillips · KSR
    Patents in suitUS 6,233,571

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.