throbber
IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`Asghari-Kamrani, et al.
`In re Patent of:
`8,266,432 Attorney Docket No.: 36137-0007CP1
`U.S. Patent No.:
`September 11, 2012
`
`Issue Date:
`Appl. Serial No.: 12/210,926
`
`Filing Date:
`September 15, 2008
`
`Title:
`CENTRALIZED IDENTIFICATION AND
`AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
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`
`DECLARATION OF SETH NIELSON
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`I.
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`Personal Work Experience and Awards
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` My name is Seth Nielson, Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at
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`The Johns Hopkins University. I am also currently the Founder and Chief Scientist
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`of Crimson Vista, Inc., an independent consulting firm. In addition to the below
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`summary, a copy of my current curriculum vitae more fully setting forth my
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`experience and qualifications is submitted herewith as Appendix A.
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`I have more than 15 years of dual industrial and academic experience
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`in Computer Science. I received a B.S. in Computer Science in 2000 and my M.S.
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`in Computer Science in 2004, both from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
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`I received my Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2009 from Rice University in
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`Houston, TX. My doctoral dissertation concerned “Designing Incentives for Peer-
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`to-Peer Systems.” I am the recipient of the Brown Fellowship and a Graduate
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`Fellowship from the Rice University Computer Science Department. I was also a
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`John and Eileen Tietze Fellow.
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`During my final undergraduate semester, I worked both as a teaching
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`assistant for the Computer Networking course and as a researcher in the
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`Networked Computing Lab. In these capacities, I assisted students in debugging
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`and designing their TCP/IP protocol stacks, ARP protocol implementations, and
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`RPC projects. I also collaborated in investigating statistical traffic engineering for
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`bandwidth allocation which culminated in a published paper entitled, “Effective
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`Bandwidth for Traffic Engineering.”
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`Effective bandwidth relates to the concept of bandwidth reservation
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`for quality of service guarantees. On data connections designed to carry large
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`quantities of data for many users, some users may pay extra to guarantee a certain
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`quality of service. Nevertheless, given enough users, at any given time some
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`percentage of users with guarantees will not be utilizing their full capacity.
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`Effective bandwidth is a statistical model that dictates how many users can be
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`guaranteed service under these conditions.
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`During my graduate work I have also published additional papers
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`related to networking and computer security. In 2005, I published a paper entitled,
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`“A Taxonomy of Rational Attacks.” This paper categorized and described the
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`various types of attacks that one might see in a decentralized, peer-to-peer (p2p)
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`network. When there is no centralized authority, users have to cooperate to obtain
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`service. The term “rational attacks” refers to the economic incentives to not
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`cooperate while still exploiting the system for service.
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` My thesis, “Designing Incentives for Peer-to-Peer Systems” built on
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`this concept. Given a network where participants cannot be forced to cooperate,
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`the operation of said network must induce cooperation by design of the outcomes.
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`In other words, it must be in each participant’s best interest to contribute to the
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`cooperative operation. Experiments included simulated extensions to the
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`BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol for long-term identities and mechanisms for
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`cooperative anonymity. I constructed my own simulator of the BitTorrent
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`protocol, and simulated thousands of hours of operations. For further accuracy and
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`realism, I cooperated with researchers at other universities that provided me with
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`real data traces of BitTorrent users that used long term identifiers such as a login
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`name.
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`From 2001 through 2003, I worked as a software engineer at
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`Metrowerks (formerly Lineo, Inc.). There I gained substantial experience in
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`software architecture, computer networking, and technical project management. In
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`particular, I developed and maintained the GUI for the Embedix SDK, ported the
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`Linx GUI of the Embedix SDK to Windows, created an automated system to
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`forward Linux python scripts to a Windows GUI, and developed a packaging and
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`automated updating system for client software.
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`During the 2004 fall semester of my Ph.D. program at Rice
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`University, I identified a security vulnerability in the Google Desktop Search that
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`could have allowed hackers to compromise users’ computers and obtain private
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`information. After contacting Google and assisting them in closing the
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`vulnerability, we published the details of our investigation.
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`Later, in 2005, I completed an internship at Google, where I designed
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`and implemented a solution to privacy loss in Google Web Accelerator. The
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`Google Web Accelerator was designed to increase the speed of browsing the
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`Internet. Once installed on a user’s computer, the browser would request all
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`content through a Google Proxy. The proxy performed pre-fetching and extensive
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`caching in order to provide fast and responsive service to the user. At the time of
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`my internship, news reports had identified odd problems in which users of the
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`Accelerator were accessing other individual’s private pages. During my internship,
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`I designed and implemented a prototype solution for this issue.
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` From 2005 through 2011, I worked as a Security Analyst and later a
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`Senior Security Analyst for Independent Security Evaluators. There, I developed a
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`parallel-processing based security tool, developed a FIPS-certified encryption
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`library, developed hardware-accelerated encryption algorithms, developed
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`encrypted file-system prototypes, developed an encryption library for an ISE
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`client, performed port-scanning analyses, evaluated security protocols using formal
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`methods and hand analysis, and evaluated security failures. I also designed and
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`managed the implementation of a secure communication technology that splits
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`trust between multiple SSL Certificate Authorities (CA), so that if one CA is
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`compromised, the communication stream can still be safely authenticated. My
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`work on the secure communications technology project led to the issuance of
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`multiple patents including U.S. 8,745,372 entitled ―Systems and Methods for
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`Securing Data in Motion.
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`In 2011, I began work as a Research Scientist at Harbor Labs and later
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`was promoted to the position of Principal. I served a wide range of clients
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`providing them with specialized consulting in network security, network
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`communications, software architecture, and programming languages. I have
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`analyzed an extensive collection of commercial software, including software
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`related to secure email, cloud-based multimedia delivery, document signing, anti-
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`virus and anti-intrusion, high-performance routing, networking protocol stacks in
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`mobile devices, PBX telecommunications software, VoIP, and peer-to-peer
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`communications. I have also analyzed security considerations for potential
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`technology acquisitions, re-created heuristic signatures for 1995-era viruses, and
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`re-created a 1995-era network for testing virus scanners of that time period in
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`gateway virus scanning. I, and teams under my direction, also review technologies
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`for compliance with various standards such as HIPAA and also for security
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`vulnerabilities.
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`In particular, I have reviewed and analyzed the design and
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`implementation of multiple security-related gateway products. This includes
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`industrial-grade firewalls that employ anti-virus and anti-malware engines for
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`processing network traffic. I have also reviewed other gateway products that
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`provide secure storage to cloud devices.
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`I have also assessed the security and privacy technologies and policies
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`provided by a third-party vendor to the Center for Copyright Infringement (CCI).
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`CCI represents content owners, such as the RIAA and the MPAA, in finding and
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`reducing piracy online. Because this process necessarily involves collecting
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`information about private individuals, I was asked to investigate and determine that
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`the information collected from online computing devices was adequately
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`safeguarded and protected.
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` One of my final assignments with Harbor Labs was leading an
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`engagement with a large biomedical device firm in a one-year analysis of the
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`security of their products. In particular, medical devices were for some time not
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`considered significant threats in terms of computer security. However, recent
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`demonstrations by security researchers of the various ways in which a malicious
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`individual might harm a person hooked up to a medical device has shifted the
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`thinking in the industry. Accordingly, I assisted this company in the analysis of
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`their products, their process, and their future roadmap in order to ensure that
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`patients are not harmed. These evaluations, under my direction, analyzed design
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`documents, hardware, and a broad range of additional resources in order to expose
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`as many potential problems as possible for remediation. The security of these
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`systems depends, in part, on the architecture and deployment of the networks in
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`which they operate.
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`I have now formed my own consulting company, Crimson Vista, Inc.
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`I am already serving a wide range of clients in similar capacities, providing
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`specialized research and analysis on topics of computer security, networking, and
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`programming languages.
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`
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`In 2014 I received an appointment as a Lecturer at Johns Hopkins
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`University and in 2015 I advanced to an Adjunct Associate Research Scientist. My
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`responsibilities at Johns Hopkins include teaching classes, mentoring students, and
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`conducting research. More specifically, I currently teach the Network Security
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`course for which I created the curriculum from scratch. As part of this curriculum,
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`I designed a novel experimentation framework for allowing students to both build
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`and attack security protocols. The course covered topics ranging from
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`cryptography and access controls to network architecture and user psychology.
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` One of the components of the students’ lab work is to create a
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`protected sandbox for running untrusted code. The sandbox must provide access to
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`the system in a manner that cannot be exploited. Conversely, the other half of their
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`assignment is to design exploitative code that attempts to bypass and/or neutralize
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`the protections of the sandbox environment. This experimental framework enables
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`the students to learn about creating, identifying, and neutralizing malware such as
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`viruses.
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`In addition to my course instruction, I also mentor Masters students at
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`Johns Hopkins in their capstone projects. These projects include networking
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`security and privacy concerns across a wide range of technologies including iOS
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`security, BitCoin, SSL vulnerabilities, and Twitter botnets. These are all
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`contemporary issues in practical computer security.
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` One group of students and I investigated the known Heartbleed
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`vulnerability in certain versions of OpenSSL. Under my direction, the students
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`created a vulnerable server to test. Once they were able to re-create the known
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`vulnerability, they explored other ways of testing and finding vulnerabilities of the
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`same sort using, for example, fuzzing.
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` Another student performed an analysis on “bots” in social media such
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`as Twitter. Twitter relies on advertising to make money as the individual users are
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`not charged for their accounts. This advertising process is based, in part, on
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`identifying “influential” individuals (i.e., individuals with a large number of
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`friends). Unfortunately, “bots” are computer programs that can act like a real
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`person on social media sites. Individuals will sell buyers an arbitrary number of
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`“friends” that are, in fact, just bots. My student and I created an approach for
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`mapping out these so-called “botnets” in a novel way that may be useful in
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`deterring such botnets. We are currently working on a draft of this research to be
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`submitted for publication.
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`I first served as an expert witness at the request of RMail in 2012.
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`Since that time, I have been hired by numerous law firms to provide them and their
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`clients with expert consultation and expert testimony, often in the areas of patent
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`infringement litigation related to Computer Science.
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` Based on my above-described 15 years of education, and dual
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`industrial and academic experience in Computer Science, I have specialized
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`knowledge in the field of computer security, network security, network
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`communications, cryptography, and software architecture. I believe that I am
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`considered to be an expert in the field of computer science generally, and more
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`specifically in the fields of IT security and authentication.
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`II. Materials Considered
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`
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`In writing this Declaration, I have considered the following: my own
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`knowledge and experience, including my work experience in the fields of
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`computer science and IT security and authentication; my industry experience with
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`those subjects; and my experience in working with others involved in those fields.
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`I have also analyzed the following publications and materials, in addition to other
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`materials I cite in my declaration:
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` U.S. Patent No. 8,266,432 and its accompanying prosecution history
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`(“the ‘432 Patent”, Ex. 1001, 1002)
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` U.S. Patent No. 7,356,837 (“the ‘837 Patent” or “‘837”, Ex. 1005)
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` U.S. Patent No. 7,444,676 (“the ‘676 Patent” or “’676”, Ex. 1015)
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` U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0094403 to Norefors et al.
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`(“Norefors”)
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` Radius, IEEE RFC (Request for Comments) 2865 (incorporated by US
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`2006/0094403 A1 to Norefors)
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` U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: US 20030080183 to
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`Rajasekaran et al (“Rajasekaran”)
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` U.S. Patent No. 5,740,361 to Brown (“Brown”)
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` Patent Owner Preliminary Response United Services Automobile
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`Association v. NADER ASGHARI-KAMRANI and KAMRAN
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`ASGHARI-KAMRANI, IPR2015-01842, Paper 7
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` Although for the sake of brevity this Declaration refers to selected
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`portions of the cited references, it should be understood that one of ordinary skill in
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`the art would view the references cited herein in their entirety, and in combination
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`with other references cited herein or cited within the references themselves. The
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`references used in this Declaration, therefore, should be viewed as being
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`incorporated herein in their entirety.
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`I am not currently and have not at any time in the past been an
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`employee of United Services Automobile Association, Inc. (“USAA”). I have
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`been engaged in the present matter to provide my independent analysis of the
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`issues raised in the petition for post-grant review of the ‘432 patent. I received no
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`compensation for this declaration beyond my normal hourly compensation based
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`on my time actually spent studying the matter, and I will not receive any added
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`compensation based on the outcome of this post-grant review of the ‘432 patent.
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`III. Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art
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`I am familiar with the content of the ‘432 patent, and I have reviewed
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`the other references cited above in this declaration. Counsel has informed me that
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`I should consider these materials through the lens of one of ordinary skill in the art
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`related to the ‘432 patent at the time of the invention. I believe that a person
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`having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the ‘432 Patent
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`(“PHOSITA”) would have had a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical
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`Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science with related work
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`experience. Individuals with additional education or additional industry
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`experience could still be of ordinary skill in the art if that additional aspect
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`compensates for a deficit in one of the other aspects of the requirements stated
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`above. I base my evaluation of a person of ordinary skill in this art on my own
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`personal experience, including my knowledge of students, colleagues, and related
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`professionals at the time of interest.
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`IV. Overview of the ‘432 Patent
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` The ‘432 Patent claims and describes systems and methods relating to
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`financial activity; specifically for centralized processing of user financial
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`information for electronic purchases. See ‘432 Patent at Abstract, 2:51-3:6, claims
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`1, 25, 48, and 52. In the words of the Patent Owner, the claims of the ‘432 Patent
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`are directed to “a Central-Entity for centralized identification and authentication of
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`users and their transactions to increase security and e-commerce.” See ‘432 at
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`2:51-3:6. In more detail, the subject matter of the claims is not tied, for example,
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`to a specific machine, and fail to transform an article into a different state or thing.
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`Id. The independent claims of the ‘432 Patent do recite computer-related terms
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`such as “electronic transaction,” “computer,” “digital identity,” and “dynamic
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`code,” but these are generic computer terms referring to concepts that were well
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`understood by the effective filing date of the ‘432 Patent. Indeed, as described in
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`more detail below, in my opinion, the claims of the ’432 Patent altogether fail to
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`recite a novel and unobvious technological feature, just as they fail to recite a
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`technical problem solved by a technical solution.
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` The specification of the ‘432 Patent confirms that the computer-
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`related terms cited in the ‘432 Patent’s claims do in fact relate to technology that is
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`merely, in the words of the Patent Owner, “standard.” See, e.g., ‘432 at 5:5-10
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`(describing that “the user 10 attempts to access a restricted web site or attempts to
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`buy services or products 110, as illustrated in FIG. 4, through a standard interface
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`provided by the External-Entity 20, similar to what exists today and selects digital
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`identity as his identification and authorization or payment option”) (emphasis
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`added), 4:67-5:4 (“The user 10 registers at the Central-Entity 30, 100, 104 and
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`receives his account and login information such as UserName and Password 108.
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`User 10 can access his account at any time by accessing the Central-Entity’s
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`system using a communication network 50 and logging into the system.”).
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`Consequently, the claims of the ‘432 Patent are not transformed into a
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`technological invention by mere recitation of generic computer-related terms.
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` The ’432 Patent fails even to recite a technical problem, and instead
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`addresses the non-technical tasks of allowing users “to participate in e-commerce
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`without worrying about [] privacy and security” and “be[ing] simple for businesses
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`to adopt and also doesn’t require the financial institutions to change their existing
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`systems.” ‘432 at 1:60-2:4. To “keep merchants, service providers, Internet sites
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`and financial institutions satisfied by positively identifying and authenticating the
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`users,” ‘432 at 3:47-49, the specification touts the use of “digital identity” as “a
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`combination of [the] user’s ‘SecureCode’ and user’s information.” ‘432, 2:35-44.
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`According to the specification, “The SecureCode is preferably implemented
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`through the use of an indicator [which] has two states: ‘on’ for valid and ‘off’ for
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`invalid.” ‘432, 5:62-64. This purported solution is trivial. Indeed, the solution
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`proposed in the ‘432 Patent to this non-technical problem is nothing more
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`application of well-known art to achieve a normal, expected, and predictable result:
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`the use of user-provided personal and financial information to a financial
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`institution for user identification and authentication. See e.g., ‘432 at Abstract,
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`1:61-2:4.
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`Insofar as claim 1 recites “A method for authenticating a user during
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`an electronic transaction between the user and an external-entity” that includes
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`“generating by the central-entity during the transaction a dynamic code for the user
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`in response to the request,” ‘432:6:24-34, these various steps can be performed by
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`an non-computer entity. Tellingly, the specification defines the “User” as “both a
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`typical person consuming goods and services as well as a business consuming
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`goods and services;” the “Central-Entity” as “any party that has user’s personal
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`and/or financial information, UserName, Password and generates dynamic, non-
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`predictable and time dependable SecureCode for the user [such as] banks, credit
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`card issuing companies or any intermediary service companies;” and the “External-
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`Entity” as “any party offering goods or services that users utilize by directly
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`providing their UserName and SecureCode as digital identity [such as] a merchant,
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`service provider or an online site.” ‘432 at 2:10-26. The specification amplifies
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`that the solution can be performed by a person and not a computer, thereby
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`establishing that the claims are not directed to a technical solution. A person
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`having ordinary skill in the art at the time that the ‘432 Patent was filed would not
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`have considered the methods described and claimed by the ‘432 Patent to be
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`technical.
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` This subject matter was, at the effective filing date of the ‘432 Patent,
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`already well known in the prior art. Indeed the references throughout this
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`declaration provide robust descriptions of the very subject matter that the ‘432
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`Patent claims.
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`V. Claim Construction1
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`I understand that, for the purposes of my analysis in this matter, the
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`claims of the ‘432 Patent must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation
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`(BRI) consistent with the specification. Stated another way, it is contemplated that
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`the claims are understood to have their broadest reasonable interpretation in view
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`of the specification to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`invention, without importing limitations into the claims from the specification. I
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`have followed these principles in my analysis. In a few instances, I have discussed
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`my understanding of the claims in the relevant paragraphs below. I note, however,
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`that I have been informed that the interpretation of claims used in the context of a
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`Patent Office proceeding, such as this one, is governed by different legal rules than
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`those used in the context of District Court litigation. As such, if I am ever asked to
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`consider the interpretation of the claims of the ‘432 Patent in a District Court
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`1 I understand that the specification of the ‘432 Patent explicitly defines several
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`terms recited in the claims. It should be noted that my opinions account for such
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`definitions even though, for brevity, those definitions are not repeated within this
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`section.
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`litigation context, my opinions under those different rules of interpretation very
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`well may differ.
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`In my opinion, under the BRI standard that I understand is applicable
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`to the claims subject to a post-grant proceeding, the “method for authenticating a
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`user” includes a scenario in which the “central-entity” and the “external-entity” are
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`the “same entity” as claimed in dependent claims 11, 46, 49, and 53.
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` Under the BRI standard, the “first central-entity computer” and
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`“second central-entity computer” as claimed in independent claims 25 and 52 can
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`be construed to be logically, but not necessarily physically, separated components
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`on a single computer because the “first central-entity computer” and “second
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`central-entity computer” are recited as “the same” in dependent claim 36. The
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`word “computer” only appears in the claims and with reference to a “public
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`computer network such as the Internet” in a discussion of related prior art.
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` Under the BRI standard, “transaction” as recited in independent
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`claims 1, 25, 48, and 52 is construed as “where [a] user [] attempts to access a
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`restricted web site or attempts or buy services or products . . . through a standard
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`interface provided by [an] External-Entity . . . and selects digital identity as his
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`identification and authorization or payment option” as stated by the specification of
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`the ‘432 Patent. ‘432 Patent, 5:5-22.
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` Under the BRI standard, “dynamic code” as recited by independent
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`claims 1, 25, 48 and 51 is construed as “any dynamic, non-predictable and time
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`dependent alphanumeric code, secret code, PIN or other code, which may be
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`broadcast to the user over a communication network, and may be used as a part of
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`a digital identity to identify a user as an authorized user” as stated by the
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`specification of the ‘432 Patent. ‘432 Patent, 2:35-40.
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`VI. Discussion of the Priority Application
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` The ‘432 Patent allegedly claims priority to the ‘046 Application,
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`which was filed September 30, 2005, and issued as the ‘676 Patent on October 28,
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`2008. Counsel has advised me that, for this claim of priority to be proper, the
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`specification of the ‘676 Patent must support the ‘432 Patent’s claims. I cannot
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`find support for the claims of the ‘432 Patent in the ‘676 Patent, and one of
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`ordinary skill in the art would conclude that the ‘676 Patent lacks written
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`description support for the claims of the ‘432 Patent. Just by comparing the ‘432
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`Patent with the ‘676 Patent reveals that the specifications are so different that the
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`Patent Owner’s characterization of the ‘432 patent as a continuation of the Parent
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`cannot be supported.
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`
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`In general, the ‘676 Patent describes a user (e.g., customer 20)
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`initiating an electronic transaction from one entity (e.g., originating participating
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`financial institution (OPFI) 25) to another entity (e.g., receiving participating
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`Page 18 of 59
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`financial institution (RPFI)), and as an example, an interbank funds transfer
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`between two different financial institutions. See, e.g., ‘676, 10:31-39; Figs. 1 and
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`4.
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`
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` In one example, claim 1 of the ‘432 Patent recites “authenticating by
`
`the central-entity the user and providing a result of the authenticating to the
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`external-entity during the transaction if the digital identity is valid.” ‘432, Claim
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`1 (emphasis added); see also Claims 25, 48, and 52.
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` This element of the independent claims clearly requires that the
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`central-entity authenticate the user and provide a result of the authenticating to the
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`external-entity if the digital identity is valid. However, in all diagrams and text of
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`the ‘676 patent, the DID operator, which is the closest disclosed entity to the
`
`claimed “central-entity,” does not do so.
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`
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`In certain scenarios described by the ‘676 patent, there are actually
`
`five entities: (1) the originator and (2) the receiver, (3) the originating bank (OPFI),
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`(4) the receiving bank (RPFI), and (5) the DID operator. In my opinion, either the
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`receiver or the RPFI is the closest entity described in the ‘676 patent to the claimed
`
`“external-entity.”
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` However, the DID operator does not send a validation response to
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`either one. Rather, the DID operator sends a validation response to the OPFI, i.e.,
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`the originator’s bank. This does not correspond to the requirements of the claims
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`of the ‘432 Patent and is not in accordance with the spirit of the concepts described
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`in the ‘432 Patent. In particular, the ‘432 Patent describes the transaction taking
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`place between a user and a website. The user does not receive a validation from
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`the central-entity that the user then forwards on to the website, and in fact, the
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`website would not trust the user to do so, based on the relationship between the
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`website and the user. By contrast, a main premise of how the scenarios described
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`in the ‘676 Patent work is that the financial institutions in the ‘676 Patent do
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`generally trust each other or have a secure, trusting relationship.
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`
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`Importantly, the ‘676 Patent only speaks to sending a denial message
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`to the RPFI and the customer if the digital identity is invalid, and that if the digital
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`identity is valid, providing a result of authentication only to the OPFI. ‘676,
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`11:12-18 (“[t]he DID Operator 30, upon receiving the Digital Identity Message
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`from the RPFI 35, validates the customer’s digital identity 10 and identifies the
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`customer (Originator) 20, 40, 155. Upon successful validation and identification,
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`the DID Operator 30 may send a Digital Identity Message containing the
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`customer’s digital identity 10 and possibly other transaction information to the
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`OPFI 25 for processing 160.”); 11:24-26 (“An invalid digital identity 10 will cause
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`a denial message to be sent to the RPFI and to the customer 20, 157, 181, 182.”)
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`
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`In my opinion, the OPFI 25 described in the specification of the ‘676
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`patent cannot possibly correspond to the "external-entity," as claimed in the '432
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`Patent. In particular, the independent claims describe an authentication request
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`from the external-entity with “a user-specific information and the dynamic code
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`as a digital identity,” where the “dynamic code was received by the user during the
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`electronic transaction and was provided to the external-entity by the user during
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`the transaction.” See ‘432, Independent Claims 1, 25, 48, and 52 (emphasis
`
`added).
`
` By contrast, the specification of the ‘676 patent describes that “[w]hen
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`the OPFI 25 receives the customer’s digital identity 10 from the DID Operator 30,
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`the OPFI 25 present [sic] that to the customer (Originator) 20 over the
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`communication network 50,” and “[i]n addition to providing the digital identity 10
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`to the customer 20 (Originator), the OPFI 25 may request the customer
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`(Originator) 20 to provide the digital identity 10 to the second financial institution
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`(ORFI) 35 to finalize and complete the funds transfer transaction 130.” ‘676,
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`10:53-62. Then, “[t]he customer (Receiver) 20 authenticates him/herself to the
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`RPFI 35 over a communication network 50, 140 and provides his/her digital
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`identity 10 to the RPFI 35.” ‘676, 11:1-3 (emphasis added). Further, “[t]he RPFI
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`35 may validate the information provided by the customer 20 and for validation of
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`customer’s digital identity 10 and the transaction processing, the RPFI 35 may
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`forward a Digital Identity Message 15 containing the customer’s digital identity 10
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`to the DID Operator 150.” ‘676, 11:7-11. Thus, the Specification of the ‘676
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`Patent describes an authentication request from the RPFI, not from the OPFI, and
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`the user receiving the digital identity from the OPFI and providing the digital
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`identity to the RPFI, not to the OPFI.
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` Moreover, the security model described in the Specification of the
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`‘676 Patent, and in particular the secure relationships between entities, precludes
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`the OPFI 25 described in the Specification of the ‘676 Patent from corresponding
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`to the claimed “external-entity,” from which an authentication request is received
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`by the central-entity, and to which the dynamic code was provided by the user. See
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`‘432, Independent Claims 1, 25, 48, and 52. For example, as described in the
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`Specification of the ‘676 Patent, “the OPFI 25 present[s] that [digital identity] to
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`the customer (Originator) 20.” ‘676, 10:53-56. Thus, there would be no reason for
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`the customer to provide the digital identity back to the OPFI, as required by the
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`independent claims if the OPFI is to be considered the claimed “external-entity,”
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`because a trust relationship had already been established between the customer and
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`the OPFI. See ‘676, 10:37-42.
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` Therefore, the OPFI cannot possibly correspond to the claimed
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`external-entity, from which an authentication request is received and to which the
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`dynamic code is provided by the user, as set forth in the indep

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