`Trials@uspto.gov
`571-272-7822
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` Entered: November 19, 2014
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
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`ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC., RENESAS ELECTRONICS
`CORPORATION, RENESAS ELECTRONICS AMERICA, INC.,
`GLOBALFOUNDRIES U.S., INC., GLOBALFOUNDRIES DRESDEN
`MODULE ONE LLC & CO. KG, GLOBALFOUNDRIES DRESDEN
`MODULE TWO LLC & CO. KG, TOSHIBA AMERICA ELECTRONIC
`COMPONENTS, INC., TOSHIBA AMERICA INC., TOSHIBA
`AMERICA INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC., and
`TOSHIBA CORPORATION,
`Petitioners,
`
`v.
`
`ZOND, LLC,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2014-01074
`Patent 6,805,779 B2
`____________
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`
`
`Before KEVIN F. TURNER, 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
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`IPR2014-01074
`Patent 6,805,779 B2
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`I. INTRODUCTION
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`Petitioners (collectively, “AMD”) filed a Petition requesting an inter
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`partes review of claims 7, 9, 20, 21, 38, and 44 of U.S. Patent No. 6,805,779
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`B2 (Ex. 1401, “the ’779 patent”). Paper 1 (“Pet.”). Zond, LLC (“Zond”),
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`filed a Preliminary Response. Paper 8 (“Prelim. Resp.”).
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`We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 314. The standard for
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`instituting an inter partes review is set forth in 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), which
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`provides:
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`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.
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`Upon consideration of the Petition and Preliminary Response, we
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`conclude that the information presented in the Petition demonstrates that
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`there is a reasonable likelihood that AMD would prevail in challenging
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`claims 7, 9, 20, 21, 38, and 44 as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a).
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`Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314, we hereby authorize an inter partes review to
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`be instituted as to claims 7, 9, 20, 21, 38, and 44 of the ’779 patent.
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`A. Related District Court Proceedings
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`AMD indicates that the ’779 patent was asserted in Zond, LLC v.
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`Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., No.1:13-cv-11577-DPW (D. Mass.). Pet. 1.
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`AMD also identifies other proceedings in which Zond asserted the ’779
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`patent. Id.
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`B. Related Inter Partes Reviews
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`The following Petitions for inter partes review also challenge the
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`same claims based on the same grounds of unpatentability as those in the
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`instant proceeding: Intel Corp. v. Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-00913; Taiwan
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`Semiconductor Mfg. Co., Ltd. v. Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-00917; Fujitsu
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`Semiconductor Ltd. v. Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-00918; and The Gillette
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`Co. v. Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-01025.
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`In IPR2014-00913, we terminated the proceeding, prior to institution,
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`in light of the Joint Motion to Terminate and Written Settlement Agreement
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`made in connection with the termination of the proceeding in accordance
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`with 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(b) between Intel Corp. and
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`Zond. IPR2014-00913, Papers 6, 7; IPR2014-00598, Ex. 1013.
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`In each of IPR2014-0917 and IPR2014-00918, we instituted an inter
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`partes review of claims 7, 9, 20, 21, 38, and 44 of the ’779 patent, based on
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`the following grounds of unpatentability (see, e.g., IPR2014-00917, Paper
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`10 (“’917 Dec.”), 29):
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`Claims
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`Basis
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`References
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`7, 20
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, and Wells
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`9, 21, 44
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, and Gruber
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`38
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, and Pinsley
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`We further joined IPR2014-00918 with IPR2014-00917, and
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`terminated IPR2014-00918. IPR2014-00918, Paper 12.
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`AMD filed a revised Motion for Joinder, seeking to join with
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`IPR2014-00917, and Zond filed an Opposition to AMD’s Motion. Papers 9,
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`10. In a separate decision, we grant AMD’s revised Motion for Joinder,
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`joining the instant proceeding with IPR2014-00917, and terminating the
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`instant proceeding.
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`C. Prior Art Relied Upon
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`AMD relies upon the following prior art references:
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`Pinsley
`Angelbeck
`Iwamura
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`Gruber
`Wells
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`
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`US 3,761,836
`US 3,514,714
`US 5,753,886
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`Sept. 25, 1973
`May 26, 1970
`May 19, 1998
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`(Ex. 1405)
`(Ex. 1406)
`(Ex. 1407)
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`EP 0146509
`PCT WO 83/01349
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`Jun. 26, 1985
`Apr. 14, 1983
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`(Ex. 1413)
`(Ex. 1414)
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`D.V. Mozgrin, et al., High-Current Low-Pressure Quasi-Stationary
`Discharge in a Magnetic Field: Experimental Research, 21 PLASMA
`PHYSICS REPORTS, NO. 5, 400–409 (1995) (Ex. 1403, “Mozgrin”).
`
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`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. 1404, “Kudryavtsev”).
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`D. Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability
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`AMD asserts the following grounds of unpatentability:
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`Claims
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`Basis
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`References
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`7, 20
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley,1 and Wells
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`9, 21, 44
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, and Gruber
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`38
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`7, 20
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, and Pinsley
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Wells
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`9, 21, 44
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Gruber
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`38
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Iwamura
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`II. ANALYSIS
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`A. Claim Construction
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`AMD makes the same claim interpretation arguments that TSMC
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`made in IPR2014-00917. Compare Pet. 15–16, with IPR2014-00917,
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`Paper 2 (“’917 Pet.”), 15–16; Compare Prelim. Resp. 18–19, with IPR2014-
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`00917, Paper 8 (“’917 Prelim. Resp.”), 18–19.
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`We construed several claim terms in the Decision on Institution for
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`IPR2014-00917. See ’917 Dec. 7–11. For the purposes of the instant
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`1 Pinsley is omitted inadvertently from each statement of the asserted
`grounds of unpatentability based, in whole or in part, on the combination of
`Iwamura and Angelbeck, although included in the corresponding analysis.
`See, e.g., Pet. 38, 46. Therefore, we treat the statements as mere harmless
`error and presume that AMD intended to include Pinsley in each of those
`asserted grounds of unpatentability.
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`decision, we incorporate our previous analysis and apply those claim
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`constructions here.
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`B. Obviousness over Iwamura in Combination with Other Cited References
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`In its Petition, AMD asserts the same grounds of unpatentability based
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`on various combinations of Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, Wells, and
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`Gruber, as those on which a trial was instituted in IPR2014-00917. See Pet.
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`38–60; ’917 Dec. 29. AMD’s arguments are substantively identical to the
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`arguments made by TSMC in IPR2014-00917. Compare Pet. 38–60, with
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`’917 Pet. 38–60. AMD also proffers the same Declaration of Dr. Uwe
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`Kortshagen that TSMC submitted in support of its Petition. Compare
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`Ex. 1402, with IPR2014-00917 Ex. 1402. Zond’s arguments in the
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`Preliminary Response are essentially identical to those arguments that it
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`made in IPR2014-00917. Compare Prelim. Resp. 19–58, with ’917 Prelim.
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`Resp. 19–58.
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`We incorporate our previous analysis regarding the asserted grounds
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`of unpatentability over various combinations of Iwamura, Angelbeck,
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`Pinsley, Wells, and Gruber (’917 Dec. 11–28), and determine that AMD has
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`demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on those grounds of
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`unpatentability.
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`C. Other Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability
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`AMD also asserts the following grounds of unpatentability:
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`Claims
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`Basis
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`References
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`7, 20
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Wells
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`9, 21, 44
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Gruber
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`38
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, Pinsley, and Iwamura
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`The Board’s rules for inter partes review proceedings, including those
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`pertaining to institution, are “construed to secure the just, speedy, and
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`inexpensive resolution of every proceeding.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.1(b); see also
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`35 U.S.C. § 316(b) (regulations for inter partes review proceedings take into
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`account “the efficient administration of the Office” and “the ability of the
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`Office to timely complete [instituted] proceedings”). Therefore, we exercise
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`our discretion and do not institute a review based on these other asserted
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`grounds for reasons of administrative necessity to ensure timely completion
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`of the instituted proceeding. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.108(a).
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`III. CONCLUSION
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`For the foregoing reasons, we determine that the information
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`presented in the Petition shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that
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`AMD would prevail in challenging claims 7, 9, 20, 21, 38, and 44 of
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`the ’779 patent as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). At this stage in
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`the proceeding, we have not made a final determination with respect to the
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`patentability of the challenged claims, including the claim construction.
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`IV. ORDER
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`For the foregoing reasons, it is:
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`ORDERED that pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), an inter partes
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`review is hereby instituted for the following grounds of unpatentability:
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`Claims
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`Basis
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`References
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`7, 20
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, and Wells
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`9, 21, 44
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, Pinsley, and Gruber
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`38
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`§ 103(a)
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`Iwamura, Angelbeck, and Pinsley
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`FURTHER ORDERED that no other ground of unpatentability
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`asserted in the Petition is authorized for this inter partes review; and
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`FURTHER ORDERED that pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 314(c) and
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.4, notice is hereby given of the institution of a trial; the trial
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`will commence on the entry date of this decision.
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`IPR2014-01074
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`For PETITIONER:
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`Robinson Vu
`Robinson.vu@bakerbotts.com
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`John Feldhaus
`jfeldhaus@foley.com
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`Pavan Agarwal
`pagarwal@foley.com
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`Michael Houston
`mhouston@foley.com
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`David Tennant
`dtennant@whitecase.com
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`Brian Berliner
`bberliner@omm.com
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`Ryan Yagura
`ryagura@omm.com
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`Xin-Yi Zhou
`vzhou@omm.com
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`PATENT OWNER:
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`Gregory J. Gonsalves
`gonsalves@gonsalveslawfirm.com
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`Bruce J. Barker
`bbarker@chsblaw.com
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