Paper 11
`Trials@uspto.gov
`571-272-7822
`
` Entered: October 2, 2014
`
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED and
`FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR AMERICA, INC.,
`Petitioners,
`v.
`
`ZOND, LLC,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`____________
`
`
`
`
`Before KEVIN F. TURNER, DEBRA K. STEPHENS, JONI Y. CHANG,
`SUSAN L.C. MITCHELL, and JENNIFER M. MEYER,
`Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`CHANG, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`DECISION
`Institution of Inter Partes Review
`37 C.F.R. § 42.108
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Trials@uspto.gov
`571-272-7822
`
` Entered: October 2, 2014
`
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED and
`FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR AMERICA, INC.,
`Petitioners,
`v.
`
`ZOND, LLC,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`____________
`
`
`
`
`Before KEVIN F. TURNER, DEBRA K. STEPHENS, JONI Y. CHANG,
`SUSAN L.C. MITCHELL, and JENNIFER M. MEYER,
`Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`CHANG, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`DECISION
`Institution of Inter Partes Review
`37 C.F.R. § 42.108
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`I. INTRODUCTION
`Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited and Fujitsu Semiconductor America,
`Inc. (collectively, “Fujitsu”) filed a Petition requesting an inter partes
`review of claims 22–33, 37, 46, 48, and 50 of U.S. Patent No. 7,147,759 B2
`(Ex. 1301, “the ’759 patent”). Paper 1 (“Pet.”). Zond, LLC (“Zond”), filed
`a Preliminary Response. Paper 7 (“Prelim. Resp.”).
`We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 314. The standard for
`instituting an inter partes review is set forth in 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), which
`provides:
`THRESHOLD.—The Director may not authorize an inter
`partes review to be instituted unless the Director determines
`that the information presented in the petition filed under section
`311 and any response filed under section 313 shows that there
`is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with
`respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition.
`Upon consideration of the Petition and Preliminary Response, we
`conclude that the information presented in the Petition demonstrates that
`there is a reasonable likelihood that Fujitsu would prevail in challenging
`claims 22–33, 37, 46, 48, and 50 as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a).
`Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314, we hereby authorize an inter partes review to
`be instituted as to claims 22–33, 37, 46, 48, and 50 of the ’759 patent.
`
`
`A. Related District Court Proceedings
`
`Fujitsu indicates that the ’759 patent was asserted in Zond, LLC v.
`
`Fujitsu, No.1:13-cv-11634-WGY (D. Mass.). Pet. 1. Fujitsu also identifies
`other proceedings in which Zond asserted the ’759 patent. Id.
`
`
`
`
`2
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`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`B. Related Inter Partes Reviews
`
`The following Petitions for inter partes review also challenge the
`same claims based on the same grounds of unpatentability as those in the
`instant proceeding: Intel Corp. v. Zond, LLC., Case IPR2014-00446;
`Taiwan Semiconductor Manuf. Co., Ltd. v. Zond, LLC.,
`Case IPR2014-00782; Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd. v. Zond, LLC, Case
`IPR2014-00850; and The Gillette Co. v Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-00986.
`In each of IPR2014-00446 and IPR2014-00782, we instituted an inter
`partes review of claims 22–33, 37, 46, 48, and 50 of the ’759 patent, based
`on the following grounds of unpatentability (see, e.g., IPR2014-00782,
`Paper 11, “’782 Dec.”):
`
`Claims
`
`Basis
`
`References
`
`22–26, 28–31, 37, 46, 48
`
`§ 103
`
`Wang and Kudryavtsev
`
`27, 32, 33, 50
`
`§ 103
`
`Wang, Kudryavtsev, and Mozgrin
`
`
`
`In IPR2014-00446, we terminated the proceeding in light of the
`Written Settlement Agreement, made in connection with the termination of
`the proceeding in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R.
`§ 42.74(b), between Intel and Zond. IPR2014-00446, Papers 14, 15;
`IPR2014-00443, Ex. 1035.
`Fujitsu filed a revised Motion for Joinder with with IPR2014-00782.
`Paper 9. In a separate decision, we grant Fujitsu’s revised Motion for
`Joinder, joining the instant proceeding with IPR2014-00782, and terminating
`the instant proceeding.
`
`
`
`3
`
`
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`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`C. Prior Art Relied Upon
`Fujitsu relies upon the following prior art references:
`Wang
`
`
`US 6,413,382 B1
` July 2, 2002
`
`
`(Ex. 1305)
`
`D.V. Mozgrin, et al., High-Current Low-Pressure Quasi-Stationary
`Discharge in a Magnetic Field: Experimental Research, 21 PLASMA
`PHYSICS REPORTS 400–409 (1995) (Ex. 1303, “Mozgrin”).
`
`
`A.A. Kudryavtsev and V.N. Skrebov, Ionization Relaxation in a
`Plasma Produced by a Pulsed Inert-Gas Discharge, 28(1) SOV. PHYS.
`TECH. PHYS. 30–35 (1983) (Ex. 1304, “Kudryavtsev”).
`
`D. Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability
`
`Fujitsu asserts the following grounds of unpatentability:
`
`Claims
`
`Basis
`
`References
`
`22–23, 37, 46, 48, 50
`
`§ 103 Mozgrin and Kudryavtsev
`
`22–26, 28–31, 37, 46, 48
`
`§ 103 Wang and Kudryavtsev
`
`27, 32, 33, 50
`
`§ 103 Wang, Kudryavtsev, and Mozgrin
`
`
`
`
`
`II. ANALYSIS
`
`A. Claim Construction
`
`The parties make the same claim interpretation arguments that TSMC
`and Zond made in IPR2014-00782. Compare Pet. 15–18, with ’782 Pet. 15–
`18; compare Prelim. Resp. 16–21, with ’782 Prelim. Resp. 16–21.
`
`
`
`4
`
`
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`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`We construed the claim terms identified by TSMC and Zond in
`IPR2014-00782. See ’782 Dec. 6–9. For the purposes of the instant
`decision, we incorporate our previous analysis and apply those claim
`constructions here.
`
`
`B. Obviousness over Wang in Combination with Other
`Cited Prior Art References
`In its Petition, Fujitsu asserts the same two grounds of unpatentability
`based on the combinations of Wang, Kudryavtsev, and Mozgrin, as those on
`which a trial was instituted in IPR2014-00782. See Pet. 38–59; ’782
`Dec. 26. Fujitsu’s arguments are substantively identical to the arguments
`made by TSMC in IPR2014-00782. Compare Pet. 38–59, with ’782 Pet.
`38–59. Fujitsu also proffers the same Declaration of Dr. Uwe Kortshagen
`that TSMC submitted in support of its Petition. Compare Ex. 1302, with
`IPR2014-00782, Ex. 1302. Zond’s arguments in the Preliminary Response
`are essentially identical to those arguments that it made in IPR2014-00782.
`Compare Prelim. Resp. 21–53, with ’782 Prelim. Resp. 21–53.
`We incorporate our previous analysis regarding the asserted grounds
`of unpatentability based on the combinations of Wang, Kudryavtsev, and
`Mozgrin (’782 Dec. 9–25), and determine that Fujitsu has demonstrated a
`reasonable likelihood of prevailing on those two grounds of unpatentability.
`
`
`C. Other Asserted Ground of Unpatentability
`
`Fujitsu also asserts that claims 22–23, 37, 46, 48, and 50 are
`unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) over Mozgrin and Kudryavtsev. The
`Board’s rules for inter partes review proceedings, including those pertaining
`5
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`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
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`
`
`to institution, are “construed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive
`resolution of every proceeding.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.1(b); see also 35 U.S.C.
`§§ 316(b), 326(b) (regulations for inter partes review proceedings take into
`account “the efficient administration of the Office” and “the ability of the
`Office to timely complete [instituted] proceedings”). Therefore, we exercise
`our discretion and do not institute a review based on this asserted ground for
`reasons of administrative necessity to ensure timely completion of the
`instituted proceeding. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.108(a).
`
`III. CONCLUSION
`For the foregoing reasons, we determine that the information
`presented in the Petition shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that
`Fujitsu would prevail in challenging claims 22–33, 37, 46, 48, and 50 of
`the ’759 patent as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). At this stage in
`the proceeding, we have not made a final determination with respect to the
`patentability of the challenged claims, including the claim construction.
`
`
`
`
`IV. ORDER
`For the foregoing reasons, it is:
`ORDERED that pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), an inter partes
`review is hereby instituted for the following grounds of unpatentability:
`
`Claims
`
`Basis
`
`References
`
`22–26, 28–31, 37, 46, 48
`
`§ 103
`
`Wang and Kudryavtsev
`
`27, 32, 33, 50
`
`§ 103
`
`Wang, Kudryavtsev, and Mozgrin
`
`
`
`
`
`6
`
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`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`FURTHER ORDERED that no other ground of unpatentability
`asserted in the Petition is authorized for this inter partes review; and
`FURTHER ORDERED that pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(c) and
`37 C.F.R. § 42.4, notice is hereby given of the institution of a trial; the trial
`will commence on the entry date of this decision.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`7
`
`
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`
`
`IPR2014-00850
`Patent 7,147,759 B2
`
`
`
`
`
`
`For PETITIONER:
`David McCombs
`david.mccombs.ipr@haynesboone.com
`
`David M. O’Dell
`david.odell.ipr@haynesboone.com
`
`Richard C. Kim
`rckim@duanemorris.com
`
`
`PATENT OWNER:
`
`Gregory J. Gonsalves
`gonsalves@gonsalveslawfirm.com
`
`Bruce J. Barker
`bbarker@chsblaw.com
`
`
`
`
`
`
`8
`
`
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