throbber
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`   
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`    
`
`CONOPCO, INC. dba UNILEVER
`
`Petitioner
`
`v.
`
`THE PROCTOR & GAMBLE COMPANY
`
`Patent Owner
`
`Case No. IPR2014-00507
`
`Patent 6,451,300
`
`REQUEST FOR REHEARING BY AN EXPANDED PANEL
`INCLUDING THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE PATENT JUDGE
`UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c)-(d)
`

`
`
`
`    
`
`     
`
`
`
`

`


`
`Table of Contents

`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
`
`II. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................ 1
`
`III. LEGAL STANDARDS ................................................................................... 4
`
`A. The Standard Under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d)........................................................4
`
`B. The Standard of Review for Rehearing by an Expanded Panel ....................5
`
`IV. ARGUMENT .................................................................................................. 5
`
`A. The Decision Should Be Reheard by an Expanded Panel .............................5
`
`1. Inconsistent Analyses under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) to Date ...........................6
`
`2. The Proper Scope of Analysis under § 325(d) ...........................................7
`
`B. The Decision Relies on Erroneous Factual Findings and a Misapprehension
`of Relevant Law ...................................................................................................8
`
`1. Improper Reliance on Estoppel Considerations .........................................9
`
`2. There Is No Statutory, Rule, or Policy Basis for Precluding a Petitioner
`from Filing a Second, Improved Petition ........................................................10
`
`3. The Board Committed Legal Error by Neglecting Substantial Differences
`in the Prior Art ................................................................................................11
`
`C. The 507 Petition Arguments are Not the Same or Substantially the Same .13
`
`V. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 15
`
`
`
`  
`
`i
`
`

`


`
`Cases
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`
`
`Page(s)
`
`Tafas v. Dudas
`541 F. Supp. 2d 805 (E.D. Va. 2008) ................................................................. 9
`
`In re Merck & Co., Inc.,
`800 F.2d 1091 (Fed. Cir. 1986) .................................................................... 7, 11
`
`Renda Marine, Inc. v. U.S.,
`509 F.3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2007) .......................................................................... 5
`
`Statutes
`
`35 U.S.C. § 314(a) ....................................................................................... 1, 10, 15
`
`35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(1) .............................................................................................. 9
`
`35 U.S.C. § 325(d) ......................................................................................... passim
`
`Other Authorities
`
`37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c) ...................................................................................... 1, 5, 17
`
`37 C.F.R. § 42.71(d) .......................................................................................... 1, 17
`
`
`
`ii
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c)-(d), Petitioner Conopco, Inc. dba Unilever
`
`(“Unilever”) respectfully requests rehearing by an expanded panel—including the
`
`Chief Administrative Patent Judge—of the decision rejecting Unilever’s petition in
`
`this proceeding (“507 Petition”) under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d). Patent policy dictates
`
`rehearing by an expanded panel to address inconsistent panel interpretations of
`
`§ 325(d), including the proper scope and requirements for a panel’s analysis
`
`thereunder. See Board SOP (Revision 13) 2009, Section III(A)(2). Rehearing is
`
`also requested to address the mistakes of fact and law in the panel’s decision where
`
`the 507 Petition advanced numerous prior art references and arguments that were
`
`not the same or substantially the same as in Unilever’s previous petition. The
`
`Board abused its discretion in rejecting Unilever’s current petition, which
`
`specifically addressed the purported deficiencies of the first petition. The statutory
`
`framework and rules implementing inter partes reviews contemplate that a
`
`petitioner may file more than one petition during the statutory period, and § 325(d)
`
`should not amount to a de facto estoppel. Petitioner therefore seeks reconsideration
`
`of the 507 Petition on its merits under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), and requests institution
`
`of trial on all proposed grounds of invalidity.
`
`II. BACKGROUND
`On August 14, 2013, Unilever filed a petition in IPR2013-00509 seeking
`
`1
`
`

`

`inter partes review of claims 1-25 of U.S. Patent No. 6,451,300 (“509 Petition”).
`
`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`On February 12, 2014, the Board entered a decision instituting trial as to claims 1-5,
`
`11-13, 16-20, 24, and 25 of the '300 patent, but not as to claims 6-10, 14, 15, and
`
`21-23 (“non-instituted claims”). IPR2013-00509, Paper 10 at 2, 12-16 (“509
`
`Decision”). As to certain non-instituted claims, the Board found that the
`
`information presented did not sufficiently show obviousness over a single reference
`
`(Kanebo) or a combination of references (Bowser and Evans), and failed to
`
`articulate “an adequate reason why a skilled artisan would have thought to
`
`incorporate the elements required by the claims.” Id. at 12, 15-16. Unilever sought
`
`rehearing (IPR2013-00509, Paper 12), but the Board reiterated that the 509 Petition
`
`did not contain sufficient support for the obviousness arguments advanced (id.,
`
`Paper 25 at 3-4).
`
`Unilever subsequently filed the 507 Petition as to all non-instituted claims,
`
`specifically “address[ing] the concerns expressed previously by the Board.” Id. at
`
`1-2. As the below chart illustrates, while relying partially on two references
`
`(Kanebo and Evans) cited in the 509 Petition, the 507 Petition: (i) cited eight new
`
`references in proposed combination with Kanebo or Evans; and (ii) detailed eight
`
`new grounds of unpatentability demonstrating that all claim elements were known
`
`in the prior art and that a rationale existed for combining the references. A new
`
`expert declaration also supported the 507 Petition. Ex. 1043 (“507 Decl.”).
`
`2
`
`

`

`509 Petition
`Grounds
`
`507 Petition
`Grounds
`
`New Prior Art
`Reference(s)
`
`Ground 2: Kanebo
`(§103)
`Claims 6-7
`
`Ground 1: Kanebo
`and Cothran
`Claims 6-10
`
`Ground 2: Kanebo,
`Cseh, c261SPEC
`Claim 6
`Ground 3: Kanebo,
`Reid and Bartolo
`Claims 6, 8, 9
`
`Ground 4: Kanebo,
`Cseh, Sime and
`c261SPEC
`Claim 6
`Ground 5: Kanebo,
`Cardin, and Kalla
`Claims 14, 15, 22
`Ground 6: Kanebo
`and Bar-Shalom
`Claims 21 and 23
`
`Ground 2: Kanebo
`(§103)
`Claims 6-7
`Ground 2: Kanebo
`Claims 6-7
`Ground 7: Evans
`and Coffindaffer
`Claims 8-10
`Ground 2: Kanebo
`(§103)
`Claims 6-7
`
`Ground 3: Kanebo
`and Cardin
`Claims 14, 15, 22
`Ground 4: Kanebo,
`Schwen and
`Gibson
`Claims 21 and 23
`Ground 5: Bowser
`and Evans
`Claims 6, 7
`Ground 7: Evans
`and Coffindaffer
`Claims 8-10
`Ground 5: Bowser
`and Evans
`Claim 6
`
`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`New Arguments/
`Rationale to
`Combine
`507 Pet. at 12-13,
`15-20; 507 Decl. at
`¶¶ 58-61, 64-65, 68-
`69, 72-73.
`507 Pet. at 22-24;
`507 Decl. at ¶¶ 78-
`82.
`507 Pet. at 26-28,
`29-31; 507 Decl. at
`¶¶ 89-91, 96-98.
`
`Cothran
`(completely new
`as to claims 8-
`10)
`Cseh, and
`c261SPEC
`
`Reid and Bartolo
`(completely new
`as to claims 8-9)
`
`Cseh, Sime and
`c261SPEC
`
`507 Pet. at 33-34;
`507 Decl. at ¶ 101.
`
`Kalla
`
`Bar-Shalom
`
`507 Pet. at 35-38;
`507 Decl. at ¶¶ 106-
`111.
`507 Pet. at 39-41;
`507 Decl. at ¶¶ 115-
`119.
`
`507 Pet. at 45-54;
`507 Decl. at ¶¶ 127-
`131, 134-135, 138-
`139, 141-142.
`
`Ground 7: Evans
`and Cothran
`Claims 6-10
`
`Cothran
`
`
`Ground 8: Evans,
`Cseh, c261SPEC
`Claims 6, 8, 9
`
`Cseh and
`c261SPEC
`
`507 Pet. at 56-59;
`507 Decl. at ¶¶ 150-
`154.
`
`3
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`On July 7, 2014, the Board rejected the 507 Petition under § 325(d) as
`
`presenting “the same or substantially the same” prior art and arguments as
`
`previously raised. Decision at 2, 6-8. Specifically, the Decision found that: (i)
`
`Unilever presented no argument or evidence that the newly cited references were
`
`not known or available to it at the time of filing of the 509 Petition; (ii) all proposed
`
`grounds relied at least in part on references (Kanebo and Evans) previously cited,
`
`notwithstanding the seven1 newly-cited references; (iii) both Unilever petitions
`
`argued obviousness over the primary reference “in view of other art”; and (iv) the
`
`second petition used the 509 Decision “to bolster challenges that were advanced,
`
`unsuccessfully, in the 509 Petition.” Id. at 6-8.
`
`III. LEGAL STANDARDS
`A. The Standard Under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d)
`Section 325(d) provides:
`
`In determining whether to institute or order a proceeding . . . the
`Director may take into account whether, and reject the petition or
`request because, the same or substantially the same prior art or
`arguments previously were presented to the Office.
`
`Logically, arguments based on new prior art should not be considered substantially
`
`the same. Nor was § 325(d) intended to estop a petitioner from correcting
`
`deficiencies that may be raised with respect to an initial petition. Yet, the Board has
`
`not provided clear guidance on the standards governing what prior art or arguments
`                                                            
`1
` Petitioner contends that actually eight references were newly cited, as Bartolo was
`not cited in any ground of the 509 Petition.  
`
`4
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`qualify as “the same or substantially the same,” resulting in conflicting panel
`
`decisions.
`
`The Standard of Review for Rehearing by an Expanded Panel
`
`B.
`The Board’s own procedures expressly allow for rehearing by a merits or
`
`motions panel where there are conflicting decisions by different panels of the
`
`Board. Board SOP (Revision 13) 2009, Section III(A)(2). Under 37 C.F.R. §
`
`42.71(c), “[w]hen rehearing a decision on petition, a panel will review the decision
`
`for an abuse of discretion.” An abuse of discretion “occurs when a court
`
`misunderstands or misapplies the relevant law or makes clearly erroneous findings
`
`of fact.” Renda Marine, Inc. v. U.S., 509 F.3d 1372, 1379 (Fed. Cir. 2007).
`
`IV. ARGUMENT
`A. The Decision Should Be Reheard by an Expanded Panel
`The Board’s discretion under § 325(d) should be exercised in a uniform and
`
`predictable manner to allow practitioners to reasonably expect that similar
`
`circumstances will lead to similar outcomes. This case presents an opportunity to
`
`set clear guidelines on what qualifies as the “same or substantially the same” prior
`
`art and/or arguments, and the appropriate factors for a § 325(d) analysis. Moreover,
`
`rehearing the Decision will allow the Board to provide appropriate guidance
`
`regarding a petitioner’s ability to correct a petition through a subsequent filing
`
`where deficiencies have been expressly pointed out by the Board. Absent clear
`
`guidance, § 325(d) decisions will remain highly panel-dependent and unpredictable.
`
`5
`
`

`

`Inconsistent Analyses under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d) to Date
`
`1.
`Despite Unilever’s reliance on new art and new arguments supporting
`
`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`obviousness, the Board summarily dismissed the 507 Petition without a merits
`
`analysis. This is in sharp contrast to other panel approaches where § 325(d)
`
`challenges were raised. For example, in IPR2013-00368, the panel focused on the
`
`merits and declined to address the § 325(d) argument where petitioner had
`
`demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that the challenged claims were unpatentable.
`
`Paper 8 at 13. Similarly, in IPR2013-00100, despite the petitioner’s reliance on
`
`both an identical and similar prior art reference previously presented to the Office,
`
`the Board declined to reject the petition under § 325(d), instead finding that the
`
`petitioner presented “different arguments and new supporting evidence that were
`
`not before the examiner, [thus] shedding a different light.” Paper 8 at 20.
`
`By way of contrast, in IPR2013-00581, petitioner filed a second petition
`
`proposing new grounds of unpatentability based on combinations of references
`
`partially overlapping with combinations on which an inter partes review had
`
`already been instituted. Paper 15 at 21-22. Despite the newly proposed grounds
`
`being partially based on previously-asserted references, the panel analyzed most of
`
`the proposed grounds on their merits. Id. at 9-20. The panel decided only the
`
`remaining grounds under § 325(d), but specifically noted that similar grounds of
`
`rejection had already been adopted and were being adjudicated as part of the
`
`6
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`earlier-instituted trial as to those claims. Id. at 21-22. These conflicting approaches
`
`and results under § 325(d) highlight important issues that should be addressed and
`
`clarified by an expanded panel here.
`
`The Proper Scope of Analysis under § 325(d)
`
`2.
`Rehearing by an expanded panel is also warranted in order to clarify and set
`
`forth the proper scope of a § 325(d) analysis. Namely, the Office should address
`
`whether and to what extent a proposed obviousness combination that relies on both
`
`a new and a previously-cited reference can serve as a basis for rejection under
`
`§ 325(d), irrespective of the differences in the art and arguments that might fairly
`
`stem from consideration of the proposed obviousness combination as a whole.
`
`Such summary dismissals appear to contradict Federal Circuit law mandating that
`
`obviousness determinations consider the prior art “as a whole.” In re Merck & Co.,
`
`Inc., 800 F.2d 1091, 1097 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
`
`The Office should likewise address what constitutes “the same or
`
`substantially the same” argument under § 325(d). The Board rejected the 507
`
`Petition because a proposed obviousness ground was based on a previously cited
`
`reference “in view of other art.” Decision at 7. However, the panel declined to
`
`consider what the “other prior art” taught, as well as the newly proffered reasons for
`
`combining the prior art disclosures to arrive at the invention. Id.
`
`In the broadest sense, any second petition challenging the same claims will
`
`7
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`necessarily be asserting that the claims are invalid, whether under obviousness or
`
`anticipation grounds. If § 325(d) is interpreted to preclude a second obviousness
`
`argument with some minimal commonality with an earlier argument, the result is
`
`effectively an estoppel. Congress clearly could have designed the statutory
`
`framework to preclude second, follow-on petitions by the same petitioner, yet chose
`
`not to, and instead opted for a more limited estoppel provision under § 315(e).
`
`Given that subsequent petitions carry the same fees and statutory
`
`requirements as an initial petition, petitioners should have the benefit of their latter
`
`petition being decided on the merits—especially where, as here, the second petition
`
`expressly addresses alleged deficiencies in an earlier-filed petition. Clarification of
`
`this “estoppel” issue will minimize similar issues in the future, and will provide fair
`
`notice to petitioners.
`
`B.
`
`The Decision Relies on Erroneous Factual Findings and a
`Misapprehension of Relevant Law
`
`The Board abused its discretion under § 325(d), making both legal and
`
`factual errors, including: i) impermissibly relying on estoppel considerations as
`
`part of its analysis; ii) without legal basis, precluding a petitioner from filing a
`
`second, improved petition with new prior art and arguments; and iii) disregarding
`
`teachings in the newly-cited references and combinations of references that were
`
`not presented previously.
`
`8
`
`

`

`Improper Reliance on Estoppel Considerations
`
`1.
`The Board refused to address Unilever’s references, claiming there was “no
`
`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`argument or evidence that the seven newly cited references were not known or
`
`available to [Unilever] at the time of [the first] filing.” Decision at 6. However,
`
`§ 325(d) does not require Unilever to show that the newly cited references were
`
`unknown or unavailable to it at the time of filing the 509 Petition. Nor does the
`
`Board point to any other statute, rule, or case law supporting such a consideration.
`
`Instead, the estoppel effect of a ground of invalidity is governed by 35 U.S.C.
`
`§ 315(e)(1). This provision requires that a final written decision must issue in the
`
`inter partes review before the petitioner is estopped. Only then is the petitioner
`
`barred from requesting a proceeding before the Office on any ground that was
`
`raised or “reasonably could have been raised.” Id. Because no final written
`
`decision has been issued in IPR2013-00509, neither § 315(e)(1) nor § 325(d) permit
`
`the Board to consider whether newly cited references in the 507 Petition could have
`
`been raised previously.
`
`Put simply, the form of estoppel applied by the Board is not authorized by
`
`statute and is therefore improper. C.f. Tafas v. Dudas 541 F. Supp. 2d 805, 814
`
`(E.D. Va. 2008) (finding that USPTO does not have statutory authority to engage in
`
`substantive rulemaking). For this reason alone, the Board abused its discretion and
`
`should reconsider the 507 Petition in accordance with the standard set forth at 35
`
`9
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`U.S.C. § 314(a).
`
`2.
`
`There Is No Statutory, Rule, or Policy Basis for Precluding
`a Petitioner from Filing a Second, Improved Petition
`
`An expanded panel should review the Decision because it precludes a
`
`petitioner in most cases from ever filing a second petition, regardless of its merits.
`
`Nothing in the statutory framework or rules governing inter partes reviews suggests
`
`that a petitioner is barred from filing a second, follow-on petition that expressly
`
`attempts to correct deficiencies noted in a first petition, or that such petitions are
`
`subject to summary rejection under § 325(d) as presenting the “same or
`
`substantially the same” art and argument.
`
`Nor is such an approach good policy. Given the existing page limits and
`
`format requirements that constrain a petitioner’s ability to raise all known prior art
`
`and arguments, the position adopted by the panel in this case will burden the Board
`
`and patent owners with a flood of “initial” petitions attempting to leave no stone
`
`unturned. See, e.g., IPR2014-00535 to 00537 (three petitions filed as to the same
`
`claims of the same patent, each raising different grounds of unpatentability);
`
`IPR2014-00494 to 00498 (five petitions filed as to same patent, each challenging a
`
`subset of the 40 patent claims total). In contrast, a second petition that clearly
`
`addresses alleged deficiencies in a first petition is likely to be a far more efficient
`
`approach for the Board to adequately address legitimate unpatentability issues, yet
`
`would be no more prejudicial to patent owners who are otherwise likely to face
`
`10
`
`

`

`multiple, concurrently-filed petitions presenting an even larger number of grounds
`
`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`of unpatentability.
`
`The panel’s refusal to consider a second petition that expressly fills alleged
`
`gaps noted in prior decisions on an earlier petition (e.g., Paper 10 at 14-16; Paper 25
`
`at 3-4) finds no basis in the rules or statutory scheme, thereby warranting
`
`consideration by an expanded panel to fairly address this weighty issue.
`
`3.
`
`The Board Committed Legal Error by Neglecting
`Substantial Differences in the Prior Art
`
`The Board also abused its discretion by making factual errors in determining
`
`that the prior art cited in the 507 Petition is the same or substantially the same.
`
`The Board acknowledged seven of the 507 Petition’s eight newly-cited references,
`
`yet dismissed the petition because each ground included a previously presented
`
`reference (Kanebo or Evans). Decision at 6. The Board erred in not considering
`
`the teachings of the new references/combinations, notwithstanding their partial
`
`reliance on Kanebo or Evans.
`
`In an obviousness analysis based on a combination of references, the
`
`teachings of the references must be considered as a whole; references may not be
`
`attacked individually. Merck, 800 F.2d at 1097. As shown in the table in Section
`
`II above, each of the 507 Petition grounds relied at least partially on one or more
`
`newly-cited references. And as detailed in the Petition and supporting declaration,
`
`each of these combinations, when considered as a whole, presented a new set of
`
`11
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`teachings not present in the original petition—which was the express purpose of
`
`the newly-proposed grounds. The Board therefore committed factual error by not
`
`considering these new teachings to support unpatentability.
`
`The deficiency in the Board’s approach is illustrated by its analysis of claim
`
`10. Claim 10 requires all of the limitations of claims 1 and 2, but recites cellulose
`
`derivatives within a specified charge density range. While the earlier 509 Petition
`
`proposed an obviousness ground based on Evans over Coffindaffer, the 507
`
`Petition argued that claim 10 was obvious in view of Evans over Cothran. Despite
`
`being set forth in the 507 Petition, however, the Decision disregards the teachings
`
`of Cothran—which are not found in Coffindaffer—that: “cationic polymers form a
`
`net-like suspension by bridging miscelles [sic] of the anionic surfactant. The
`
`droplets of insoluble silicone become suspended within this network. …[L]ow
`
`levels of cationic polymer can be highly effective for providing stability.” 507
`
`Petition at 46.
`
`Unilever submits that there is no basis for ignoring teachings that provide a
`
`motivation to combine references and therefore result in substantially different
`
`arguments in comparison to previously proposed grounds of invalidity. Since
`
`Cothran provides a new teaching not found in Coffindaffer, it was factual error for
`
`the Board to find this prior art combination “substantially the same” as the
`
`previously-presented Evans and Coffindaffer combination.
`
`12
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`Furthermore, the Decision fails to even acknowledge let alone address the
`
`fact that no overlap exists for certain grounds as to certain claims. For example,
`
`the 507 Petition proposes that claims 8-10 would have been obvious in view of
`
`Kanebo and Cothran (see Ground 1), yet neither Kanebo nor Cothran was applied
`
`against claims 8-10 in the earlier 509 Petition. It was therefore error for the panel
`
`to dismiss this aspect of Ground 1 in the 507 Petition under § 325(d). Such a result
`
`is also inconsistent with other Board decisions that a reference applied against
`
`different claims in the same patent was not “substantially the same.” See, e.g.,
`
`IPR2012-00041, Paper 19 at 8 (declining to reject a petition under § 325(d) where
`
`the same reference was cited against different claims in the same patent).
`
`To fulfill its duty to identify each matter Unilever believes the Board
`
`misapprehended or overlooked, Unilever directs the Board’s attention to the table
`
`in Section II above, which shows that at least one reference in each new
`
`combination provides new teachings addressing claim elements and/or providing a
`
`rationale to combine the cited references. As such, the table shows each matter
`
`where the Board abused its discretion in refusing to substantively consider the
`
`teachings from the newly-cited prior art that differ from those previously asserted.
`
`C. The 507 Petition Arguments are Not the Same or Substantially the
`Same
`
`The Board also abused its discretion in finding the 507 Petition arguments to
`
`be the same or substantially the same. In reviewing only the invalidity arguments
`
`13
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`of Grounds 5 and 8 against claims 15 and 10, respectively (Decision at 6-7), the
`
`Board erred by not considering all of the new arguments in the newly proposed
`
`grounds and disregarding material differences in the arguments it did review.
`
`For example, the Board asserted that Unilever advanced substantially the
`
`same argument as to claim 10, “namely that claim 10 would have been obvious
`
`over Evans in view of other prior art disclosing cellulose derivatives that overlap or
`
`fall within the specified charge density range.” Id. at 10. As noted in the previous
`
`section, this broad generalization disregards Cothran’s teaching of the role of
`
`cationic polymers in suspending silicone, which in turn provides a rationale for
`
`arriving at the claimed subject matter. See Petition at 46. Given the Board’s
`
`express finding that the earlier-filed 509 Petition lacked an articulated rationale for
`
`combining the elements required by claim 10 (see 509 Decision at 16), the
`
`argument in the 507 Petition providing this allegedly missing rationale simply
`
`cannot be the same or substantially the same as that offered in the 509 Petition.
`
`Likewise, the Board similarly erred in not considering the new arguments
`
`presented with respect to claim 15 based on Kanebo, Cardin and Kalla. As with
`
`claim 10, the Board determined that the 509 Petition’s argument based only on
`
`Kanebo and Cardin failed to provide a rationale for combining the prior art. 509
`
`Decision at 16. As a result, the 507 Petition addressed this deficiency by relying
`
`on the teachings of a third reference, Kalla, which expressly teaches that an
`
`14
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`antidandruff shampoo preferably contains the claimed form of ZPT in combination
`
`with cationic polymers, such as those taught in Kanebo, for enhancing the
`
`deposition of antidandruff agents. 507 Petition at 34-35. This new argument in the
`
`507 Petition thus addresses the alleged deficiency in the earlier petition by
`
`providing a clear rationale for combining the ZPT particle size taught by Cardin
`
`with the composition of Kanebo. Id. at 36. Given that this argument was allegedly
`
`missing from the 509 Petition, its inclusion in the 507 Petition thus cannot be the
`
`same or substantially the same as what was previously presented, and it was error
`
`for the Board to have concluded otherwise.
`
`V. CONCLUSION
`For the foregoing reasons, Unilever respectfully requests that the Board
`
`withdraw the rejection of the 507 Petition under 35 U.S.C. § 325(d), consider the
`
`prior art and arguments set forth in the 507 Petition on its merits under 35 U.S.C. §
`
`314(a), and authorize inter partes review of claims 6-10, 14, 15, and 21-23 of the
`
`'300 patent.
`
`
`
`15
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`

`Date: August 6, 2014
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Edward A. Squillante, Jr.
`Reg. No. 38,319
`
`
`Ronald Koatz
`
`
`Reg. No. 31,774
`
`
`Conopco Inc. dba Unilever
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`By:
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Jeanne M. Gills
`Reg. No. 44,458
`Joseph P. Meara
`Reg. No. 44,932
`Michael R. Houston
`Reg. No. 58,486
`
`Foley & Lardner LLP
`
`Counsel for Petitioner
`
`
`16
`
`

`

`Case IPR2014-00507
`Patent 6,451,300
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the foregoing REQUEST FOR
`
`RECONSIDERATION BY AN EXPANDED PANEL INCLUDING THE
`
`CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE PATENT JUDGE UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 42.71(c)-
`
`(d) are being served by electronic mail this 6th day of August, 2014 on counsel for
`
`  
`
`Steven W. Miller
`Kim W. Zerby
`Carl J. Roof
`Angela K. Haughey
`THE PROCTOR & GAMBLE
`COMPANY
`299 E. Sixth Street
`Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
`Telephone (513) 983-1246
`Facsimile (513) 945-2729
`miller.sw@pg.com
`zerby.kw@pg.com
`roof.cj@pg.com
`haughey.a@pg.com
`
`
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`Patent Owner as follows:  
`
`David M. Maiorana
`John V. Biernacki
`Michael S. Weinstein
`JONES DAY
`North Point
`901 Lakeside Avenue
`Cleveland, Ohio 44114
`Telephone (216) 586-3939
`Facsimile (216) 579-0212
`dmaiorana@jonesday.com
`jvbiernacki@jonesday.com
`msweinstein@jonesday.com
`
`Dated: August 6, 2014
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`By:
`
`
`
`
`
`/Joseph P. Meara/
`Joseph P. Meara
`Reg. No. 44,932
`Foley & Lardner LLP
`Counsel for Petitioner
`
`17
`
`

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


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

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

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

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

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

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

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

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

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

Your account does not support viewing this document.

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

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

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

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

Become a Member

One Moment Please

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

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

Your document is on its way!

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

Sealed Document

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

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


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket