throbber
Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 1 of 9 PageID #: 39160
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
`
`C.A. No. 16-453 (RGA)
`
`C.A. No. 16-454 (RGA)
`
`C.A. No. 16-455 (RGA)
`
`)))))))))
`
`)))))))))
`
`)))))))))
`
`
`)
`)
`
`ACCELERATION BAY LLC,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`ACTIVISION BLIZZARD, INC.,
`
`Defendant.
`ACCELERATION BAY LLC,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.,
`
`Defendant.
`ACCELERATION BAY LLC,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE,
`INC., ROCKSTAR GAMES, INC., and 2K
`SPORTS, INC.,
`
`Defendants.
`
`PLAINTIFF ACCELERATION BAY LLC’S REPLY BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF ITS
`MOTION TO CORRECT CLAIM 19 OF THE ‘634 PATENT
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 2 of 9 PageID #: 39161
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`The Court should grant the instant Motion because the intrinsic record confirms that
`
`Claim 19 contains an obvious typographical error. Claim 19, as written, provides for a “non-
`
`routing table based computer readable medium.” D.I. 117-2, Ex. A-4 (‘634 Patent) at Claim 19.
`
`This is an obvious typographical error as the Applicant explicitly stated during prosecution that
`
`Claim 19 was supposed to be amended to cover a “’non-routing table based’ method for routing
`
`information. D.I. 118-2, Ex. B-4, ‘634 Patent File History (Response to Office Action dated
`
`February 4, 2004) at Pg. 13. Because the error is clear on its face, the Court should correct
`
`Claim 19 by moving the term "non-routing table based" to be placed directly before the term
`
`“method” in the preamble in order to be consistent with the statements made in the prosecution
`
`history record.
`
`In addition to the prosecution history, the specification, as part of the intrinsic record,
`
`also makes clear that Claim 19 should be corrected in the manner proposed by Acceleration Bay
`
`because it supports the notion that Claim 19 was meant to cover a “non-routing table based
`
`method,” not a non-routing table computer readable medium. See, e.g., D.I. 117-2, Ex. A-4
`
`(‘634 Patent) at 2:45-52. For instance, the opening paragraph of the “Summary” section of the
`
`specification makes clear that the intended meaning of Claim 19 provides a method for moving
`
`data through the network that is not based on routing tables. Id.
`
`Moreover, Acceleration Bay’s proposed correction provides consistency to the Court’s
`
`current interpretation of the claims in the instant case. In particular, Claim 1 of the ‘069 Patent
`
`covers “a computer-based, non-routing table based, non-switch based method for adding a
`
`participant to a network of participants.” D.I. 117-2, Ex. A-5 (‘069 Patent) at Claim 1. As such,
`
`there is no reason for the Court to treat terms that are parallel in nature any differently.
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 3 of 9 PageID #: 39162
`
`Furthermore, rather than addressing the statements made in the prosecution history,
`
`Defendants’ response focuses on non-sequiturs and contains conclusory arguments that do not
`
`address the merits of the instant Motion. However, when the evidence is fully considered, it
`
`becomes readily apparent that Claim 19 contains a drafting error that the Court can correct.
`
`Acceleration Bay’s Motion should, therefore, be granted.
`
`ARGUMENT
`
`I. Acceleration Bay Moves To Correct Term 24, Not For Reconsideration Of The Prior
`Construction.
`
`Contrary to the Defendants’ assertions, there is nothing inconsistent with Acceleration
`
`Bay’s Motion. D.I. 472 at 1-3. Acceleration Bay initially proposed that Term 24 in Claim 19 be
`
`given its plain and ordinary meaning. D.I. 366 at 34. Subsequently, the Court ordered that
`
`Acceleration Bay provide a construction for the term. D.I. 206. Acceleration Bay complied with
`
`the Court’s Order and provided its construction. Then, in an effort to minimize the disputes
`
`before the Court, Acceleration Bay agreed to the Defendants’ proposed claim construction of
`
`Term 24 during the claim construction hearing because it was consistent with the plain and
`
`ordinary meaning of the term.1 D.I. at 14. Following the hearing, the Court held that Claim 19
`
`was indefinite as drafted and did not provide a construction for the term. D.I. 423 at 17. Based
`
`on the Court’s ruling that claim construction was not the appropriate vehicle to correct the claim
`
`as written, Acceleration Bay filed the instant motion to correct the typographical error under the
`
`Court’s inherent power to correct such obvious errors, particularly in light of the prosecution
`
`1 Notably, the fact that Defendants provided a construction for the term that is consistent with the
`plain and ordinary meaning highlights that the term contains an obvious drafting error, and that
`the claim is understandable when read in light of the intrinsic record as a whole.
`
`2
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 4 of 9 PageID #: 39163
`
`history. Thus, Acceleration Bay’s position has not waivered that it is readily understood by
`
`those of skill in the art in light of the intrinsic record.
`
`Defendants’ attempt to frame the Motion as another claim construction dispute is a red
`
`herring. The instant Motion requests the Court to correct Term 24 rather than give it a different
`
`construction as it is drafted. The only “change” set forth by Acceleration Bay in this respect has
`
`been where to move the “non-routing table based” modifier in the preamble of Claim 19. This
`
`perceived “change” in no way alters the significance of the modifier because the intent behind
`
`the use of the modifier has been consistently preserved by Acceleration Bay throughout case
`
`proceedings.
`
`For example, as Acceleration Bay proposed during claim construction proceedings, Term
`
`24 should receive its “plain and ordinary” meaning because one skilled in the art would
`
`recognize that Term 24 makes clear that (1) the computer-readable medium contains instructions
`
`for controlling communications within a network and (2) the nature of the network is that it is
`
`non-routing table based. D.I. 366 (Group III Claim Construction) at 34, (“Acceleration Bay
`
`proposes constructions that are consistent with the specifications and their plain and ordinary
`
`meaning”) (citing D.I. 367-1 (Medvidović Decl.), ¶ 20); see also id. at 55-57. Indeed, the
`
`intention behind the use of the modifier “non-routing table based” was also emphasized in
`
`Acceleration Bay’s claim construction brief when Acceleration Bay argued that “read as a whole
`
`and in the context of the specifications, the term makes clear that the computer-readable medium
`
`contains ‘instructions for controlling communications within a network’ and that the nature of
`
`the network is that it is non-routing table based.” See, e.g., D.I. 366 at 34-35. In fact, as pointed
`
`out by Acceleration Bay in the same excerpt, “[d]efendants had no trouble understanding this
`
`limitation or arguing (incorrectly) that it is found in the prior art.” Id. Furthermore, during
`
`3
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 5 of 9 PageID #: 39164
`
`Markman hearings, Acceleration Bay pointed out that its position with regards to Term 24 was
`
`maintained despite its agreement with the Defendants regarding their proposed construction.
`
`(Mr. Hannah: “I say I agree to the construction. I’m not agreeing to the positions that they’re
`
`taking.”). Exhibit 1 attached hereto, 12/18/17 Markman Tr. at 8:25-9:2.
`
` Thus, given that (1) Acceleration Bay never deviated throughout the case proceedings
`
`from the intent behind Term 24 and (2) a non-routing table-based network is the same as a
`
`network that does not use a routing-table based method, there are no inconsistencies between
`
`Acceleration Bay’s prescribed correction and any of Acceleration Bay’s previous claim
`
`constructions.
`
`II. The Court Should Correct Term 24 Because The Error In The Preamble Is Obvious
`In View Of The Intrinsic Record.
`
`Acceleration Bay’s proposed correction meets the standard for judicial correction. The
`
`correction is not subject to any form of reasonable debate because the intrinsic evidence clearly
`
`establishes the intended meaning of Claim 19.2 Defendants’ opposition is not to the contrary.
`
`1. The File History In the Intrinsic Record Demonstrates An Obvious Error.
`
`Defendants fail to rebut the fact that the prosecution history makes clear that Claim 19
`
`was meant to cover a “non-routing table based method,” not a non-routing table computer
`
`readable medium. The claim language, written description, and patent prosecution history form
`
`2 The Federal Circuit confirmed that a district court may correct “obvious” errors in a patent
`claim if “(1) the correction is not subject to reasonable debate based on consideration of the
`claim language and the specification and (2) the prosecution history does not suggest a different
`interpretation of the claims.” CBT Flint Partners, LLC v. Return Path, Inc., 654 F.3d 1353, 1358
`(Fed. Cir. 2011) (reversing the district court’s summary judgment of invalidity based on
`indefiniteness because the court could have corrected an obvious error within the claim) (citing
`Novo Indus., L.P. v. Micro Molds Corp., 350 F.3d 1348, 1354, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2003)
`(establishing a two-part test to correct obvious errors in patent claims); Advanced Med. Optics,
`Inc. v. Alcon Inc., 361 F. Supp. 2d 370, 384 (D. Del. 2005) (correcting an obvious error under
`Novo Indus.).
`
`4
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 6 of 9 PageID #: 39165
`
`the intrinsic record, which is the most significant evidence when determining the proper meaning
`
`of a disputed claim limitation. See, e.g., Finjan, Inc. v. Blue Coat Sys., Inc., No. 13-cv-03999-
`
`BLF (“Finjan”), 2014 WL 5361976, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 20, 2014) (correcting a typographical
`
`error apparent from the file history of the patent based on a person of ordinary skill in the art
`
`recognizing the error after review of the file history). Similar to Finjan, a person of ordinary
`
`skill in the art reading the file history of the ‘634 Patent would quickly recognize the inadvertent
`
`typographical error in the instant case. In a response to an Office Action issued during
`
`prosecution of the ‘634 Patent, the Applicant expressly stated that the amendment was intended
`
`to disclose a “non-routing table based” method:
`
`McCanne fails to disclose a non-routing table based method for
`routing information. Independent claims 1, 13, 19, 28, 36, and 44
`have been amended to clarify the inherent language of previously
`pending claims 1, 13, 19, 28, 36, and 44. In other words, claims 1,
`13, 19, 28, 36, and 44 has [sic] been amended to recite, among
`other limitations, a “non-routing table based” method for routing
`information. McCanne fails to disclose such a method for
`routing information. For at least this reason, claims 1, 13, 19, 28,
`36, and 44 are patentable over McCanne.
`
`D.I. 118-2, Ex. B-4, ‘634 Patent File History (Response to Office Action dated February 4, 2004)
`
`at Pg. 13 (emphasis added). This excerpt demonstrates that Term 24 includes a typographical
`
`error because the Applicant explicitly referred to McCanne’s failure to disclose a non-routing
`
`table based method for routing information as a basis for establishing the patentability of Claim
`
`19, yet modified the “computer-readable medium” term with “non-routing table based” instead
`
`of the term “method.”
`
`2. The Specification In the Intrinsic Record Demonstrates An Obvious Error.
`
`Defendants also fail to grapple with the specification which similarly makes clear that
`
`Claim 19 was meant to cover a “non-routing table based method,” not a non-routing table
`
`5
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 7 of 9 PageID #: 39166
`
`computer readable medium. For instance, one does not need to look any further than the opening
`
`paragraph of the “Summary” section of the specification to confirm the intended meaning of
`
`Term 24:
`
`the
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: Embodiments of
`invention deal with a non-routing table based method for
`broadcasting messages in a network. More specifically, a network
`in which each participant has at least three neighbor participants
`broadcasts data through each of its connections to neighbor
`participants, which in turn send the data that it receives to its other
`neighbor participants. The data is numbered sequentially so that
`data that is received out of order can be queued and rearranged.
`
`D.I. 117-2, Ex. A-4 (‘634 Patent) at 2:45-52 (emphasis added).
`
`This excerpt from the specification alone clearly establishes the Applicant’s intent that the ‘634
`
`Patent provides a method for moving data through the network that is not based on routing
`
`tables. Thus, as demonstrated by Acceleration Bay, both the specification and file history of the
`
`‘634 Patent provide support from the intrinsic record for Acceleration Bay’s proposed correction.
`
`III. The Error In The Preamble Of Claim 19 Is Even More Obvious When Viewed With
`Other Independent Claims in the ‘634 Patent.
`
`Defendants incorrectly dismiss the significance of related claims. As illustrated in the
`
`table below, when the preamble of Claim 19 is viewed in parallel with the preamble of other
`
`independent claims of the ‘634 Patent, the placement of the term “non-routing table based”
`
`directly before the term “computer-readable medium” is confirmed as erroneous. This
`
`comparison highlights the asymmetrical nature of Term 24 because “non-routing table based”
`
`should clearly modify the term “method” rather than “computer-readable medium.”
`
`Claim 1 A non-routing table based computer network having…
`
`Claim 10 A non-routing table based broadcast channel for participants, comprising:
`
`6
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 8 of 9 PageID #: 39167
`
`Claim 19
`
`A non-routing table based computer-readable medium containing instructions for
`controlling communications of a participant of a broadcast channel within a network,
`by a method comprising:
`
`Acceleration Bay’s proposed correction to Term 24 allows the Court to remedy this error
`
`by simply moving the term “non-routing table based” to be placed directly before the term
`
`“method” in the preamble. Placing the term “non-routing table based” before “network,” as
`
`suggested by the Defendants, is completely arbitrary. See, e.g., D.I. 472 at 8-9. Defendants
`
`failed to provide the Court with support in the intrinsic record to make their alleged “correction”
`
`credible.
`
`IV. The Court Should Correct Term 24 Based On Obvious Error Because The Court
`Has Already Interpreted Similar Terms That Have Been Held as Definite.
`
`Defendants’ opposition also ignores that Acceleration Bay’s proposed correction
`
`provides consistency to the Court’s interpretation of the claims in the instant case. For instance,
`
`as conceded by Defendants, similar Term 25 uses essentially the same “non-routing table based
`
`method” phrase that Acceleration Bay seeks as a correction for Term 24. D.I. 472 at 9. Indeed,
`
`the Court provided a detailed basis as to why Term 25 should not be deemed “indefinite,” despite
`
`including essentially the same phrasing. D.I. 423 at 18-19. Defendants do not identify any
`
`reason for the Court to treat Term 24 any differently than Term 25.
`
`CONCLUSION
`
`For at least these reasons, Acceleration Bay’s motion to correct the preamble of Claim 19
`
`of the ‘634 Patent should be granted.
`
`7
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00453-RGA Document 473 Filed 02/23/18 Page 9 of 9 PageID #: 39168
`
`POTTER ANDERSON & CORROON LLP
`
`By: /s/ Philip A. Rovner
`Philip A. Rovner (#3215)
`Jonathan A. Choa (#5319)
`Hercules Plaza
`P.O. Box 951
`Wilmington, DE 19899
`(302) 984-6000
`provner@potteranderson.com
`jchoa@potteranderson.com
`
`Attorneys for Plaintiff
`Acceleration Bay LLC
`
`OF COUNSEL:
`Paul J. Andre
`Lisa Kobialka
`KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS
` & FRANKEL LLP
`990 Marsh Road
`Menlo Park, CA 94025
`(650) 752-1700
`
`Aaron M. Frankel
`KRAMER LEVIN NAFTALIS
` & FRANKEL LLP
`1177 Avenue of the Americas
`New York, NY 10036
`(212) 715-9100
`
`Dated: February 23, 2018
`5653003
`
`8
`
`

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket