throbber
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
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`PLAID TECHNOLOGIES INC.
`Petitioner
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`v.
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`YODLEE, INC. and YODLEE.COM, INC.
`Patent Owner
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Patent 6,317,783
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`TABLE OF CONTENTS
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`I. 
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`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 
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`II.  STATEMENT OF RELIEF REQUESTED ................................................. 2 
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`III.  CLAIM CONSTRUCTION ......................................................................... 3 
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`A. 
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`B. 
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`“non-public personal information” (Claims 1, 18, 20) .................... 3 
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`“protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely
`stored personal information via the network” (Claims 1, 18, 20) .... 8 
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`IV.  THE BOARD SHOULD DENY THE PETITION BECAUSE THE ’783
`PATENT IS INELIGIBLE FOR COVERED BUSINESS METHOD
`REVIEW ...................................................................................................... 9 
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`A. 
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`The ’783 Patent Claims a “Technological Invention” ................... 10 
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`V.  PETITIONER’S SECTION 101 GROUNDS ALSO FAIL ...................... 17 
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`A. 
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`B. 
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`The ’783 Patent is Not Directed to an Abstract Idea ..................... 18 
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`The ’783 Patent Contains an Inventive Concept ............................ 22 
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`VI.  CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 26 
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
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` Page(s)
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`Cases
`Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int’l,
`---U.S. ----, 134 S. Ct. 2347 (2015) ............................................... 2, 17, 18, 22
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`Bascom Global Internet Servs., Inc. v. AT&T Mobility LLC,
`2016 WL 3514158 at *7 (Fed. Cir. June 27, 2016) ....................................... 23
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`Bloomberg L.P. v. Quest Licensing Corporation,
`CBM2014-00205, Paper 16 (Apr. 7, 2015) ................................................... 16
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`DDR Holdings, LLC v. Hotels.com, L.P.,
`773 F.3d 1245 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ......................................................... 19, 20, 23
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`In re DiStefano,
`808 F.3d 845 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ..................................................................... 6, 8
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`Enfish Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.,
`2015-1244 (Fed. Cir. May 12, 2016) ................................................. 15, 19, 20
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`Enfish, LLC v. Microsoft Corp.,
`--- F.3d ----, 2016 WL 2756255 (Fed. Cir. May 12, 2016) ................. 2, 18, 19
`
`In re Lowry,
`32 F.3d 1579 (Fed. Cir. 1994) ..................................................................... 7, 8
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`Statutes
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`35 U.S.C. § 101 ............................................................................................. passim
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`35 U.S.C. § 324 ................................................................................................... 26
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`Other Authorities
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.207(a) ............................................................................................ 1
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.301 ................................................................................................ 9
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.301(b) ................................................................................... 10, 17
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`AIA § 18(a)(1) ...................................................................................................... 9
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`AIA § 18(d)(1) ................................................................................................ 9, 10
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`EXHIBIT LIST
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`
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`Description
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`Exhibit
`No.
`2001 Report and Recommendation, Yodlee, Inc. v. Plaid Techs. Inc., No.
`1:14-cv-01445-LPS (D. Del.), Dkt. 185.
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.207(a), Yodlee, Inc. (“Yodlee” or “Patent
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`Owner”), hereby submits the following Preliminary Response in opposition to
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`the Petition for Covered Business Method (“CBM”) Review of U.S. Patent No.
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`6,317,783 (“the ʼ783 Patent”) numbered CBM2016-00045, filed by Plaid
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`Technologies, Inc. (“Plaid” or “Petitioner”).
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`I.
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`INTRODUCTION
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`The ’783 Patent describes and claims a technical solution to a number of
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`problems that are specifically identified in the Patent itself. In particular, the
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`Patent describes methods and systems for accessing a number of different
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`websites storing non-public personal information, and the use of specific
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`protocols for accessing and retrieving that information from those websites. In
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`fact, this invention solves multiple technical problems, including the difficulty
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`of retrieving personal information from different websites having different
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`interfaces and protocols for accessing that information and the problem that
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`websites storing personal information may change over time, including
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`changing how that information is accessed.
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`Despite the demonstrably technical nature of the claimed invention,
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`which is potentially applicable to a number of different fields, the Petition
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`incorrectly asserts that the ’783 Patent is eligible for covered business method
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`review. An analysis of the claims as a whole makes clear that, because of the
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`disclosure of the technical problems being addressed by the ’783 Patent as well
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`as the disclosed and claimed technical solutions, the Patent recites a
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`“technological invention” and is therefore ineligible for CBM review.
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`Petitioner’s analysis is deficient in this regard and improperly breaks down the
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`claims into individual elements without considering whether the claims as a
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`whole recite a technological invention. In fact, as set forth below, Petitioner’s
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`own proposed claim constructions reinforce the specific technical nature of the
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`invention. A proper analysis of the claims as a whole shows that the ’783
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`Patent does recite a technological invention and is ineligible for CBM review.
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`Beyond this, as set forth below, Petitioner’s ground for invalidity under
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`Section 101 is fundamentally flawed. In particular, Petitioner fails to analyze
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`the full claim language, which shows that the ’783 Patent is directed to a
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`specific improvement in the way computers operate rather than an abstract idea
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`and thus is eligible under Section 101. See Enfish, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., ---
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`F.3d ----, 2016 WL 2756255 at *5 (Fed. Cir. May 12, 2016). The ’783 Patent
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`also contains inventive concepts, and thus satisfies step two of the Alice inquiry,
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`providing yet another reason why the ’783 Patent is patent eligible under
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`Section 101.
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`The Board should therefore deny the Petition because the ’783 Patent is
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`ineligible for CBM review and because Petitioner has failed to show that it is
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`more likely than not that at least one of the challenged claims is unpatentable.
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`II.
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`STATEMENT OF RELIEF REQUESTED
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`Patent Owner respectfully requests that this Board deny the Petition for
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`CBM review of the ’783 Patent with regard to all claims (1-36).
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`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`III. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION
`Patent Owner proposes constructions for the claim terms noted below.
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`All other terms should be given their broadest reasonable interpretation
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`(“BRI”).
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`“non-public personal information” (Claims 1, 18, 20)
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`A.
`The specification makes it clear that “non-public personal information”
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`has a specific meaning. Petitioner’s proposed construction appears to hinge on
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`the incorrect assumption that any information for which a login is required is
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`“non-public personal information.” This argument completely misses the point
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`of the inventive system.
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`As the specification of the ’783 patent states, “‘Personal Information’ is
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`all of the data that companies, information providers, have that is specific or
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`unique to each person such as monthly bills, bank account balances,
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`investments information, health care benefits, email, voice and fax messages,
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`401(k) holdings or potentially any other information pertinent to a particular
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`end user.” Ex. 1001 at 4:15-21 (emphasis added). The file history confirms
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`that “the essence of personal information is that it is not accessible to the
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`general public, i.e., other end users; rather, each information provider protects
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`personal information relating to a specific end user against access by persons
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`other than that end user or one acting under the authority of that end user.”
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`Ex. 1003 at 168 (emphasis added).
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`Petitioner’s proposed construction effectively reads out “non-public.”
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`Petitioner criticizes Patent Owner’s proposed construction as excluding certain
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`information like sports or weather information. However, there is no reasonable
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`argument that a sports score or publicly available weather forecast is “non-
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`public” merely because it relates to a user’s favorite sports team or is the
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`forecast for the town where the user lives. Petitioner’s selective citation to a
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`portion of the patent highlights the flaw in its construction: as Petitioner
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`correctly notes, the patent defines personal information as “all of the data
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`specific or unique to each person.” Petition at 15, quoting Ex. 1001 at 4:15-21.
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`But sports scores and weather forecasts are neither specific nor unique to any
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`individual person. Each person who looks up a sports score will see the same
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`score, just as each person who looks up a weather forecast for a particular
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`region will see the same forecast. In contrast, “non-public personal
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`information” is information that no other person without authorization can
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`access another person’s information, such as bank records, stock portfolio, etc.
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`See Ex. 1001 at 2:52-62.
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`The ’783 Patent clearly explains the difference between personal
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`information like a local weather forecast (which it refers to as “Generic PI”),
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`and the non-public personal information upon which the claims operate:
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`Generic PI refers to PI of interest to the particular end
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`user that does not require specific identity
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`verification to obtain. For example, an end user
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`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`might be interested in the weather forecast for his
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`local area. This information could be integrated into
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`a portal page without requiring identity verification
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`of the particular end user receiving this PI. The
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`individualized portal page provides a significant
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`benefit to users seeking to aggregate generic PI.
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`However, current portal pages do not generally
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`provide PI requiring identity verification such as an
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`end user's stock portfolio or bank balance.
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`Ex. 1001 at 2:52-62 (emphasis added). As the intrinsic evidence makes clear,
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`this is “the essence” of claimed system. By definition, the public cannot access
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`“non-public personal information” – only the specific user in question.
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`Accordingly, in line with the specification, the BRI of “non-public
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`personal information” is “information relating to a specific end user that is not
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`intended for access by persons other than that end user or those authorized by
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`that end user.”
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`The Board recently considered this term in the ’783 Patent in proceeding
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`IPR2016-00273 and construed it as merely “information,” concluding that the
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`remaining words (“non-public personal”) were printed matter and not entitled to
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`any patentable weight. The “non-public personal” aspect of this limitation,
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`however, is entitled to patentable weight and thus should be construed by the
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`Board because it “has a functional or structural relation” to the remaining
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`aspects of the claim. See In re Distefano, 808 F.3d 845, 850 (Fed. Cir. 2015).
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`Specifically, the “non-public personal information” is functionally and
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`structurally related to the “protocol for instructing the processor how to access
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`the securely stored personal information via the network.” As explained below,
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`the protocol term should be construed as a “software script detailing the steps
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`necessary for instructing the processor how to login to a specific information
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`provider as the end user, and return requested information via the network.”
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`The nature of the information as “non-public” and “personal” is what
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`necessitates that the protocol contain instructions for how to login as an end
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`user and return the requested information. In contrast, if the claimed
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`information included public and generic information, as the Board’s
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`construction allows, it would render the protocol limitation superfluous to the
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`rest of the claim. See infra Section III.B (explaining that the protocol limitation
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`requires specific instructions for how to log in as the end user to obtain the non-
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`public personal information).
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`As the ’783 Patent explains, non-public personal information is typically
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`stored behind a unique login protocol. Ex. 1001 at 2:12-18; see also id. at 6:24-
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`38. This is different from public non-personal information, which is typically
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`available without the need for such a login protocol. Additionally, the ’783
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`Patent explains that retrieving this non-public personal information further
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`requires “additional data and steps required for accessing each particular piece
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`of PI on the PI provider's site.” Id. at 6:36-38. The Patent gives examples of
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`using a software script to communicate with a website running forms, scripts,
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`and/or applets. Id. at 10:5-24. Again, this is necessitated by the fact that non-
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`public personal information is stored in particular ways that require the script to
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`execute the necessary steps to access the non-public personal information from
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`the website once the script has logged into the website as the user. Therefore,
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`both the functionality and the structure (i.e., the actual lines of software code) of
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`the claimed protocol are directly affected by the nature of the information as
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`“non-public personal information.”
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`The claims here are similar to those in Lowry, where the Federal Circuit
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`held that claims were entitled to patentable weight under the printed matter
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`doctrine because they described how the claimed information was stored, which
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`provided a functional relationship. See In re Lowry, 32 F.3d 1579, 1583 (Fed.
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`Cir. 1994) (holding claims entitled to patentable weight because the claimed
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`data objects included “information regarding their physical interrelationships
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`within a memory” and thus “define[d] functional characteristics of the
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`memory”). The claims here also depend on the details of how non-public
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`personal information is stored (i.e., that it stored behind a login protocol), and
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`thus also contain a functional relationship to the remainder of the claim
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`language (i.e., that the non-public personal nature of the information
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`necessitates the claimed protocol in order to be able to access the information).
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`The “non-public personal information” limitation should therefore be given
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`patentable weight under Lowry.
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`Thus, the full “non-public personal information” limitation in claims 1,
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`18, and 20 should be construed by the Board as proposed by Patent Owner
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`because the full claim term bears a functional and structural relationship to other
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`aspects of the claim, namely, the claimed “protocol for instructing the processor
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`how to access the securely stored personal information via the network.”
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`DiStefano, 808 F.3d at 850.
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`B.
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`“protocol for instructing the processor how to access the
`securely stored personal information via the network” (Claims
`1, 18, 20)
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`Petitioner has proposed construing the term “protocol” as a “software
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`script.” While Patent Owner agrees that “protocol” means “software script” in
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`the context of this limitation, there is more to the limitation when considered as
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`a whole. In particular, Patent Owner proposes that the phrase in which the term
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`“protocol” is introduced means a “software script detailing the steps necessary
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`for instructing the processor how to login to a specific information provider as
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`the end user, and return requested information via the network.”
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`As described in the claims and specification, the protocol instructs the
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`processor on how to login and access the securely stored PI from an information
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`provider. Ex. 1001 at claims 1, 18, 20. Each information provider typically has a
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`unique login protocol involving steps where a user navigates to the website,
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`enters credentials such as username and password, and then submits them for
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`verification by the website. Id. at 2:12-18; see also id. at 6:24-38. Once access is
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`achieved, the protocol continues to access each particular piece of PI on the
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`provider website for retrieval and storage in the PI store. Id. at 6:24-38. Because
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`a processor does not login by visually studying a web browser or other
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`application for input instructions, and because the processor in this invention,
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`not a human, is logging in for access, the processor must be specially equipped
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`with a software script to interpret and communicate with a particular
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`information provider website running forms, scripts, and applets. Id. at 10:5-24.
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`Accordingly, the claimed protocol should be construed as a “software script
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`detailing the steps necessary for instructing the processor how to login to a
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`specific information provider as the end user, and return requested information
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`via the network.”
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`IV. THE BOARD SHOULD DENY THE PETITION BECAUSE THE
`’783 PATENT IS INELIGIBLE FOR COVERED BUSINESS
`METHOD REVIEW
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`Covered business method review is available only for patents that (1)
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`claim “a method or corresponding apparatus for performing data processing or
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`other operations used in the practice, administration, or management of a
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`financial product or service”; and (2) are not “technological inventions.” AIA
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`§ 18(a)(1) & (d)(1); 37 C.F.R. § 42.301. The ’783 Patent claims clearly recite a
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`technological invention. Thus, the ’783 Patent fails to satisfy the requirements
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`for a CBM, and is not eligible for CBM review. The Board should therefore
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`deny the Petition.
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`A. The ’783 Patent Claims a “Technological Invention”
`The ’783 patent claims a true “technological invention” and thus is not
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`eligible for CBM review. AIA § 18(d)(1) (“the term ‘covered business method
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`patent’ . . . does not include patents for technological inventions”). The
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`regulations explain that in determining whether a patent qualifies as a
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`technological invention, “the following will be considered on a case-by-case
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`basis: whether the claimed subject matter as a whole recites a technological
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`feature that is novel and unobvious over the prior art; and solves a technical
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`problem using a technical solution.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.301(b). Petitioner here has
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`failed to show that the “claimed subject matter as a whole” does not satisfy the
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`technological invention exception, and thus has failed to prove the claims are
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`CBM-eligible. In fact, the specification of the ’783 Patent describes the
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`multiple technical challenges to which the claims are addressed, and how the
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`claimed invention addresses those problems (i.e., how the claims are the
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`“technical solution” to the identified “technical problem”).
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`For example, many of the technical problems identified in the ’783 Patent
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`revolve around the difficulty, and particularly the involvement required by a
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`user, to aggregate personal information from different websites having different
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`interfaces and protocols for accessing information: “Under current technology,
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`aggregating PI available over the Internet requires a significant burden in terms
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`of time, effort and learning curve. An end user wishing to access his PI needs to
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`individually visit a variety of information provider sites each with its own
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`requirements, graphical user interface and login protocol.” Ex. 1001 at 2:64-
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`3:2. For a user, having to login to different websites poses an inconvenience
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`and requires extensive time on the part of the user spent on each website. But
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`for an automated system, like that of the ’783 Patent claims, the different login
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`protocols and interfaces are more than just an inconvenience: they are a
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`technical problem that cannot merely be solved by visiting each website the way
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`a user could. An automated system must contain some mechanism that allows it
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`to login as the user and retrieve the requested information, without relying on
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`the visual cues that a user can use when navigating a website.
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`To address this problem, the patent describes that “The present invention
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`alleviates several of the problems with the current PI acquisition methods by
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`automatically aggregating PI, not only generic PI as aggregated by portals 25
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`but also PI specific to the end user requiring identity verification for access.”
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`Id. at 4:22-26. The way the ’783 Patent accomplishes this automatic
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`aggregation, with verifying the identity of the user for access, is using stored
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`information about the provider: “The PI engine also utilizes a provider store
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`310 that maintains general parameters associated with particular PI providers.
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`The general parameters of a PI provider define the types of verification data
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`necessary and the procedures to be followed to gain access to the particular PI
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`provider.” Id. at 4:60-65. Specifically, the patent gives examples of using a
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`URL or a Javascript interpreter to simulate the website and thereby obtain
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`access to the non-public personal information. Id. at 9:59-10:24
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`Aspects of this technical solution are recited in each of the independent
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`claims: claim 1 (“the processor retrieving personal information . . . based on
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`end user data . . . and information provider data . . . the provider data including
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`a protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely stored
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`personal information via the network”), claim 18 (“retrieving personal
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`information . . . based on end user data . . . and information provider data . . . the
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`provider data including a protocol for instructing the processor how to access
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`the securely stored personal information via the network”), and claim 20 (“a
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`provider store for storing information provider data . . . the provider data
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`including a protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely
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`stored personal information via the network” and “retrieving personal
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`information . . . based on end user data . . . and information provider data”).
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`The “protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely stored
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`personal information via the network” as properly construed is a specific
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`technical solution in the form of a “software script detailing the steps necessary
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`for instructing the processor how to login to a specific information provider as
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`the end user and return requested information via the network.” As described in
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`the specification, determining the specifics of the software script was a technical
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`challenge and “depends significantly upon the interaction method used on the PI
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`provider Web site.” Ex. 1001 at 9:61-64. This challenge was solved with the
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`claimed protocol, for example a URL or Javascript script as described in the
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`specification. Id. at 9:59-10:24.
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`In another example, the ’783 Patent addresses the technical problem that
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`websites storing personal information may change over time, including
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`changing the way in which those websites must be accessed. Thus, the ’783
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`Patent describes that the PI engine may “include a site monitor 370 processing
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`component. This component would systematically monitor supported PI
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`provider Web sites for changes.” Ex. 1001 at 15:35-38. As the ’783 Patent
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`describes, this is advantageous because it “enhances the ability of the system to
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`identify alterations in PI provider Web site procedures, data requirements and
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`cookies requirements” and “increases system efficiency.” Id. at 15:38-43. The
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`’783 Patent also describes that the system can update the provider store to
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`comply with any newly-changed access requirements: “When an inconsistency
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`is determined, updates to the Provider store 320 are made to bring the Provider
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`data into conformance with current access/transaction requirements.” Id. at
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`6:51-54.
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`The technical solution to this problem is also claimed in various
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`dependent claims: claim 2 (“monitoring information providers for changes”),
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`claim 3 (“updating the provider store to conform with requirements of the
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`information provider”), claim 21 (“monitoring information providers for
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`changes”), and claim 22 (“updating the provider store to conform with
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`requirements of the information provider”). Each of these is technical in nature.
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`The technical nature of the invention is reinforced by the proposed claim
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`constructions that Petitioner itself submitted. For example, Petitioner’s
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`construction for the “monitoring for changes” term in claims 2 and 21 confirms
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`that it embodies the technical solution to the problem described above: “[t]he
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`act of periodically accessing information providers to identify any changes that
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`may have occurred to the information supplied or on how [to] access the
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`information providers.” See Petition at 24-25. This is consistent with the ’783
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`Patent’s description of the technical solution, namely that the PI engine can
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`monitor and automatically update the provider store when a website changes.
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`See Ex. 1001 at 15:35-43, 6:51-54.
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`Additionally, Dr. Mowry’s declaration submitted with the Petition further
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`confirms the technical nature of the invention. When opining on the person of
`
`ordinary skill in the art, Dr. Mowry stated that such a person would have a
`
`“Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related
`
`scientific field, and some work experience in the computer science field” or
`
`some other combination of both technical education and practical experience.
`
`Ex. 1002 at ¶ 20. Thus, Dr. Mowry acknowledges the technical nature of the
`
`invention by admitting that a person would require both technical education and
`
`practical experience in a technical field like computer science in order to make
`
`and practice the claimed inventions.
`
`Thus, the ’783 Patent recites multiple “technical problems,” provides the
`
`“technical solutions” to those problems, and then recites the solutions in the
`
`claims. As a whole, the ’783 Patent describes a solution to the problem that
`
`users often have multiple websites they wish to access, where the user wants to
`
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`Case CBM2016-00045
`Attorney Docket No: 12233-0049CP1
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`gather non-public personal information from these different websites, and a
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`machine must be configured to perform actions (e.g., logon with credentials and
`
`retrieve specified data) that were designed to be performed by a human. The
`
`’783 Patent claims methods and apparatuses directed toward solving this
`
`problem using a “protocol for instructing the processor how to access the
`
`securely stored personal information via the network” (claims 1, 18, and 20).
`
`The ’783 patent also claims “monitoring information providers for changes” and
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`“updating the provider store to conform with requirements of the information
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`provider” (claims 2, 3, 21, and 22) to solve the problem that the procedure to
`
`access a website may change over time. It is clear, when looking at the claims
`
`as a whole, that the ’783 Patent recites a “technological innovation” within the
`
`meaning of the statute and the regulations, and thus the ’783 Patent is not
`
`eligible for CBM review.
`
`None of Petitioner’s arguments to the contrary are persuasive. Petitioner
`
`improperly breaks down the asserted claims into individual pieces without
`
`assessing the claims as a whole. While it is undeniable that the Internet,
`
`websites, and software (in the abstract) were all known at the time of the
`
`invention of the ’783 Patent, Petitioner has made no detailed analysis of the
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`actual claim language. See Enfish, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., --- F.3d ----, 2016
`
`WL 2756255 at *6 (Fed. Cir. May 12, 2016) (cautioning that “describing the
`
`claims at such a high level of abstraction and untethered from the language of
`
`the claims all but ensures that the exceptions to §101 swallow the rule”).
`
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`For example, Petitioner’s analysis of CBM eligibility fails because it
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`entirely ignores certain claim language, such as the “protocol for instructing the
`
`processor how to access the securely stored personal information via the
`
`network.” As explained above, this is one of the technical solutions described
`
`to solve a specific technical problem identified by the ’783 Patent, and is
`
`claimed in each independent claim. Yet, nowhere in Petitioner’s analysis of
`
`CBM eligibility does Petitioner mention this claim language. See generally
`
`Petition at 26-42. The most that Petitioner ever says is that software generally
`
`was known – an undeniable truth. The claim language, however, is much more
`
`specific than that. As Patent Owner makes clear in its analysis of the claim
`
`construction above, the entire “protocol” limitation recites a specific technical
`
`solution, namely a “software script detailing the steps necessary for instructing
`
`the processor how to login to a specific information provider as the end user and
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`return requested information via the network.” Petitioner completely fails to
`
`address the entire claim language of any claim in the ’783 Patent, and thus
`
`Petitioner’s analysis fails to satisfy its burden of proving that the ’783 patent is
`
`eligible for CBM review.
`
`In fact, the Board has previously faulted petitioners and denied institution
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`when a petitioner has performed similarly deficient analysis. See, e.g.,
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`Bloomberg L.P. v. Quest Licensing Corporation, CBM2014-00205, Paper 16
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`(Apr. 7, 2015) at 9 (denying institution and concluding Petitioner’s arguments
`
`were “insufficient
`
`to discharge Petitioner’s burden of proof” on
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`the
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`technological invention prong because “Petitioner has failed to assess the claims
`
`as a whole as required by 37 C.F.R. § 42.301(b), and has instead focused on
`
`certain individual elements”).
`
`As explained above, the ’783 Patent claims a technical solution to
`
`multiple technical problems identified in the specification. It therefore claims a
`
`“technological invention.” Petitioner has failed to satisfy its burden to show
`
`otherwise. The Board should deny the Petition.
`
`V.
`
`PETITIONER’S SECTION 101 GROUNDS ALSO FAIL
`
`The ’783 Patent is not directed to an abstract idea, and it contains an
`
`inventive concept, thus it is patent eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Indeed, since
`
`the filing of the Petition, the Magistrate Judge in the related litigation between
`
`Petitioner and Patent Owner has issued a Report and Recommendation denying
`
`Petitioner’s motion to dismiss with respect to the ’783 Patent, confirming that
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`(a) Petitioner has failed to show that the ’783 Patent is directed to an abstract
`
`idea; and (b) Petitioner failed to show that the ’783 Patent lacks an inventive
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`concept. Exhibit 2001 at 27-33.
`
`Determining patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 involves a two-step
`
`inquiry. First, the Board must determine “whether the claims at issue are
`
`directed to a patent-ineligible concept,” such as an abstract idea. Alice Corp.
`
`Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int’l, ---U.S. ----, 134 S. Ct. 2347 at 2355 (2015). The
`
`second step is the search for an “‘inventive concept’—i.e., an element or
`
`combination of elements that is ‘sufficient to ensure that the patent in practice
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`17
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`Case CB

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