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`
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`Filed on behalf of Intellectual Ventures II LLC
`By: Herbert D. Hart III
`Sharon A. Hwang
`McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.
`500 West Madison Street
`Chicago, Illinois 60661
`Tel.: (312) 775-8000
`Fax: (312) 775-8100
`Email: hhart@mcandrews-ip.com
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`______________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`______________
`
`ERICSSON INC. AND TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET
`LM ERICSSON,
`Petitioners
`
`v.
`
`INTELLECTUAL VENTURES II LLC
`Patent Owner
`______________
`
`Case IPR2014-01195
`Patent No. 7,787,431
`______________
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`PATENT OWNER PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
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`Patent Owner Preliminary Response
`IPR2014-01195
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`TABLE OF CONTENTS
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`I.
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`II.
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`SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ....................................................................... 1
`
`THE PETITION SHOULD BE DENIED BECAUSE OF
`PROCEDURAL DEFECTS ............................................................................ 2
`
`A. Petitioner Does Not Specify The Real Party-In-Interest ........................ 2
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`B.
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`Petitioner Improperly Circumvents The 60-Page Limit ......................... 3
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`III. THE ’431 PATENT ......................................................................................... 5
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`IV. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION ISSUES ............................................................ 10
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`A.
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`B.
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`C.
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`D.
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`“bandwidth” .......................................................................................... 11
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`“core-band” ........................................................................................... 12
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`“primary preamble” .............................................................................. 14
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`“peak-to-average ratio” ......................................................................... 16
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`V.
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`THE PETITION SHOULD BE DENIED BECAUSE PETITIONER
`FAILED TO MEET ITS BURDEN UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 314(A) ............... 17
`
`A. Challenge #1: Petitioner Has Not Shown That Any Of Claims
`8-11 Or 18-21 Is Unpatentable Over Li, Yamaura And Zhuang ......... 20
`
`1.
`
`Yamaura Combined With Li Does Not Teach The
`Recited “OFDMA Core-Band” ................................................. 20
`
`a.
`
`b.
`
`c.
`
`Li Alone Does Not Disclose Either A Core-Band
`Or The Use Of Variable Channel Bandwidth ................ 20
`
`Petitioner Fails To Show That Yamaura Teaches
`An OFDMA Core-Band Or The Use Of Variable
`Channel Bandwidth ........................................................ 22
`
`Petitioner Fails To Explain Why Yamaura And Li
`Would Be Combined To Render Obvious The
`Claimed “OFDMA Core-Band” ..................................... 24
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`2.
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`3.
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`4.
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`Yamaura Does Not Teach Or Suggest The Recited
`“Primary Preamble” .................................................................. 26
`
`Yamaura, Alone Or In Combination With Zhuang, Does
`Not Teach The “Properties” Feature Of The Primary
`Preamble .................................................................................... 29
`
`Petitioner Failed To Show Any Reason, Motivation, Or
`Suggestion To Combine Li, Yamaura, And Zhuang As
`To Claims 8-11 Or 18-21 .......................................................... 33
`
`B. Challenge #2: Petitioner Has Not Shown That Any Of Claims 1,
`2, 12, Or 22 Is Unpatentable Over Li, Yamaura, Zhuang, And
`Beta ....................................................................................................... 35
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`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
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`Yamaura Combined With Li Does Not Teach The
`Recited “Core-Band” ................................................................ 35
`
`Yamaura Does Not Teach Or Suggest The Use Of The
`Recited “Primary Preamble” ..................................................... 37
`
`Yamaura, Alone Or In Combination With Zhuang, Does
`Not Teach The “Properties” Feature Of The Primary
`Preamble .................................................................................... 37
`
`Petitioner Failed To Show Any Reason, Motivation, Or
`Suggestion To Combine Li, Yamaura, Zhuang, and Beta
`As To Claims 1, 2, 12, or 22 ..................................................... 38
`
`C. Challenge #3: Petitioner Has Not Shown That Any Of Claims
`8-11 And 18-21 Is Unpatentable Over Yamaura, Mody, Nobilet,
`And Popovic ......................................................................................... 38
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`1.
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`2.
`
`3.
`
`Yamaura Combined With Li Does Not Teach The
`Recited “OFDMA Core-Band” ................................................. 39
`
`Yamaura Does Not Teach Or Suggest The Use Of The
`Recited “Primary Preamble” ..................................................... 39
`
`Yamaura, Alone Or In Combination With Mody, Nobilet,
`And Popovic Does Not Teach The “Properties” Feature
`Of The Primary Preamble ......................................................... 40
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`4.
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`5.
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`Petitioner Failed To Show Any Reason, Motivation, Or
`Suggestion To Combine Li, Yamaura, Mody, Nobilet,
`and Popovic As To Claims 8-11 or 18-21 ................................ 43
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`The Board Should Deny Challenge #3 Because It
`Duplicates Challenge #1 With Respect To Claims 8-11
`And 18-21 ................................................................................. 43
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`D. Challenge #4: Petitioner Has Not Shown That Any Of Claims 1,
`2, 12, Or 22 Is Unpatentable Over Li, Yamaura, Mody, Nobilet,
`Popovic, And Beta ................................................................................ 44
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`1.
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`2.
`
`3.
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`4.
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`5.
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`Yamaura Combined With Li Does Not Teach The
`Recited “Core-Band” ................................................................ 45
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`Yamaura Does Not Teach Or Suggest The Use Of The
`“Primary Preamble” As Claimed .............................................. 45
`
`Yamaura, Alone Or In Combination With Mody, Nobilet,
`And Popovic Does Not Teach The Recited “Properties”
`Of The Primary Preamble ......................................................... 45
`
`Petitioner Failed To Show Any Reason, Motivation, Or
`Suggestion To Combine Li, Yamaura, Mody, Nobilet,
`Popovic, and Beta As To Claims 1, 2, 12, And 21 ................... 46
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`The Board Should Deny Challenge #4 Because It
`Duplicates Challenge #2 With Respect To Claims 1, 2,
`12, And 22 ................................................................................. 47
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`VI. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 48
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
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`Cases
`A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. v. Prince Castle LLC,
`IPR2014-00511, Decision Petitioner’s Request for Rehearing (Paper No.
`16, Sep. 10, 2014) ................................................................................................... 5
`
`Broadcom Corp. v. Emulex Corp.,
`732 F.3d 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2013) ............................................................................ 26
`
`BSP Software v. Motio, Inc., IPR2013-00307, Paper 10 (P.T.A.B. Nov. 29,
`2013) ..................................................................................................................... 25
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`Cisco Systems, Inc. v. C-Cation Technologies, LLC,
`IPR2014-00454, Decision Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review
`(Paper No. 12, Aug. 29, 2014) ............................................................................... 5
`
`Google v. EveryMD, IPR2014-000347,
`Decision Denying Institution (Paper 9 at 19, May 22, 2014) .............................. 36
`
`In re Translogic Tech., Inc.,
`504 F.3d 1249 (Fed. Cir. 2007) ............................................................................ 10
`
`InTouch Technologies, Inc. v. VGO Communications,
`751 F.3d 1327 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ................................................................ 25, 30, 40
`
`Irdeto Access, Inc. v. Echostar Satellite Corp.,
`383 F.3d 1295 (Fed. Cir. 2004) ............................................................................ 14
`
`Kara Tech. Inc. v. Stamps.com Inc.,
`582 F.3d 1341 (Fed. Cir. 2009) ............................................................................ 12
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`KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.,
`550 U.S. 398 (2007) ............................................................................................. 19
`
`Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Progressive. Cas. Ins. Co.,
`CBM2012-00003, Paper 7 (P.T.A.B. Oct. 25, 2012) ........................................... 44
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`Phillips v. AWH Corp.,
`415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) ............................................................................ 10
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`Power-One, Inc. v. Artesyn Technologies, Inc.,
`599 F.3d 1343 (Fed. Cir. 2010) ............................................................................ 34
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`
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`
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`SuperGuide Corp. v. DirecTV Enterprises, Inc.,
`358 F.3d 870 (Fed. Cir. 2004) .............................................................................. 12
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`Unigene Labs., Inc. v. Apotex Inc.,
`655 F.3d 1352 (Fed. Cir. 2011) ............................................................................ 19
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`Wowza Media Systems, LLC v. Adobe Systems, Inc.,
`IPR2013-00054, Paper No. 12 (P.T.A.B. April 8, 2013) ..................................... 32
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`Statutes
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`35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(2) ............................................................................................. 1, 3
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`35 U.S.C. § 314(a) ..................................................................................................... 1
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`35 U.S.C. §103(a) .................................................................................................... 17
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`35 U.S.C. 316(b) ........................................................................................................ 3
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`Other Authorities
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`Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48,756, 48,766 (Aug. 14,
`2012) ............................................................................................................... 10, 36
`
`Rules
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b) .............................................................................................. 10
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.104(b)(4) ............................................................................................ 1
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.24 ....................................................................................................... 3
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`37 C.F.R. § 42.8 ..................................................................................................... 1, 3
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`v
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`Patent Owner Preliminary Response
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`I.
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`SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
`The Board should deny the Petition and decline to institute inter partes
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`review of claims 1, 2, 8-12, and 18-22 of U.S. Patent No. 7,787,431 (“the ’431
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`patent,” Exhibit 1001) for at least three reasons:
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`1.
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`Petitioner fails to properly identify the real parties-in-interest, as
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`required by 35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(2) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.8;
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`2.
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`Petitioner improperly circumvents the sixty-page limit by including
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`argument on the unnumbered Title Page and by incorporating by reference
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`multiple pages of an expert declaration (“the Haas Declaration,” Exhibit 1012) to
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`support conclusory statements in the Petition; and
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`3.
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`Petitioner fails to establish, under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a) and 37 C.F.R. §
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`42.104(b)(4), that there is a reasonable likelihood that any of claims 1, 2, 8-12, and
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`18-22 (“the challenged claims”) are unpatentable. Indeed, Petitioner’s cited prior
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`art references, alone or in combination, do not disclose key elements of the
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`challenged claims, such as the “OFDMA core-band” feature or the “primary
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`preamble” for or sufficient to enable “radio operations,” including the claimed
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`properties relating to autocorrelation, cross-correlation, and small peak-to-average
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`ratio.
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`Indeed, none of the cited prior art references even pertains to variable
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`bandwidth OFDMA systems, as claimed. Nor does Petitioner identify any reason
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`or motivation that one of ordinary skill in the art would have to combine the prior
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`art in a manner that would lead to the specific combination of elements recited in
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`challenged claims 1, 2, 8-12, and 18-22. Instead, contrary to well-established
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`Federal Circuit law, Petitioner simply cobbles together references that teach a
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`limitation, or worse, one part of a limitation of the asserted claims, without
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`explaining why a person of skill in the art would have combined such references to
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`achieve the combination recited in the challenged claims. At most, Petitioner
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`offers conclusory reasons for combining prior art references in an effort to meet a
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`particular limitation. But Petitioner nowhere even attempts to explain why a
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`person of ordinary skill in the art at the relevant time would have combined the
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`prior art to achieve the claimed combination of elements.
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`To the extent that the Board nevertheless institutes inter partes review, it
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`should find Challenge #3 redundant of Challenge #1, and Challenge #4 redundant
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`of Challenge #2. The Board should also reject Petitioner’s erroneous constructions
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`of the claim terms “bandwidth,” “core-band,” and “primary preamble.”
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`II. THE PETITION SHOULD BE DENIED BECAUSE OF
`PROCEDURAL DEFECTS
`A.
`Page 1 of the Petition improperly identifies “Ericsson” as the real party-in-
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`Petitioner Does Not Specify The Real Party-In-Interest
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`interest. However, to Patent Owner’s knowledge, there is no legal entity known
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`simply as “Ericsson.” There are, however, at least 33 legal corporate entities
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`whose names include the word “Ericsson.” While Petitioner identified “Ericsson”
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`as shorthand for both Ericsson Inc. and Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson in an
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`argument improperly included on the unnumbered title page of the Petition, it is
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`unclear whether Petitioner intended those entities to be identified as real parties-in-
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`interest or whether the argument on the unnumbered title page was even intended
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`to be part of the Petition. The Petition should be denied or, at the very least,
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`corrected to identify the real party-in-interest. See 35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(2); 37
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`C.F.R. §42.8.
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`B.
`Petitioner Improperly Circumvents The 60-Page Limit
`A petition for inter partes review may not exceed 60 pages. 37 C.F.R.
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`§ 42.24. Consistent with the considerations stated in 35 U.S.C. 316(b), the 60-page
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`limit has been set to further the goals of “integrity of the patent system, the
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`efficient administration of the Office, and the ability to complete the trials timely.”
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`See 77 Fed. Reg. 48612, 48620 (Aug. 14, 2012). “[A] 60-page limit is considered
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`sufficient in all but exceptional cases and is consistent with the considerations
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`provided in 35 U.S.C. 316(b).” Id. at 48621.
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`The Petition, as filed, includes 60 numbered pages. However, Petitioner
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`attempts to improperly incorporate by reference multiple pages of argument from
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`the 126-page Haas Declaration as support for conclusory statements in the Petition
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`relating to claim 8.
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`Claim 8 recites in part: “[a] cellular base station comprising circuitry
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`
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`configured to transmit a broadcast channel in an [] OFDMA core-band, wherein
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`the core-band is substantially centered at an operating center frequency and the
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`core-band includes a first plurality of subcarrier groups.” Exhibit 1001, 11:54-59.
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`The Petition states, without explanation, that “Yamaura discloses that control
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`signals are transmitted in a broadcast preamble, which utilizes one, two, or three
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`subcarriers substantially centered at an operating frequency for use as a broadcast
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`channel carrying control signaling in Figs. 22, 16, and 20, respectively. See ERIC-
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`1012, ¶ 40-41.” Petition at 23-24. By that citation, Petitioner relies on nearly three
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`pages of arguments and figures appearing in paragraphs 40-41 of the Haas
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`Declaration. Moreover, Petitioner concedes that it intentionally incorporated eight
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`additional pages from the Haas Declaration, noting that “Figs. 22, 16, and 20 are
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`presented in the discussion of claim element 8.1 at ERIC-1012, Challenge #1, pp.
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`51-58 along with disclosure regarding Fig. 16.” If Petitioner’s arguments were
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`actually developed within the body of the Petition rather than incorporated by
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`reference in the supporting declaration, the Petition would have significantly
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`exceeded the 60-page limit, i.e., by more than eleven (11) pages.
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`The Board has recognized that the “practice of citing the Declaration to
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`support conclusory statements that are not otherwise supported in the Petition
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`amounts to incorporation by reference.” A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. v. Prince
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`Castle LLC, IPR2014-00511, Decision Denying Petitioner’s Request for Rehearing
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`at 6-7 (Paper No. 16, Sep. 10, 2014). Similarly, in refusing to consider arguments
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`from a declaration in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. C-Cation Technologies, LLC,
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`IPR2014-00454, the Board stated that "in the Petition before us, incorporation by
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`reference of numerous arguments from Dr. Roy’s 250-page Declaration into the
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`Petition serves to circumvent the page limits imposed on a petition for inter partes
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`review, while imposing on our time by asking us to sift through over 250 pages of
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`Dr. Roy’s Declaration (including numerous pages of claim charts) to locate the
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`specific arguments corresponding to the numerous paragraphs cited to support the
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`Petitioner’s assertions.” Cisco Systems, Inc. v. C-Cation Technologies, LLC,
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`IPR2014-00454, Decision Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review at 10 (Paper
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`No. 12, Aug. 29, 2014). Petitioner has employed the same tactic here to
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`circumvent the page limit.
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`III. THE ’431 PATENT
`The ‘431 patent, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Multi-Carrier
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`Communications with Variable Channel Bandwidth,” addresses the significant
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`challenges associated with the nomadic nature of wireless communications. The
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`inventors recognized
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`that “[w]hile
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`it
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`is
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`ideal for a broadband wireless
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`communication device to be able to roam from one part of the world to another,
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`wireless communication spectra are heavily regulated and controlled by individual
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`countries or regional authorities” and that it “also seems inevitable that each
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`country or region will have its own different spectral band for broadband wireless
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`communications.” Exhibit 1001, 1:32-35. In fact, “even within a country or
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`region, a wireless operator may own and operate on a broadband spectrum that is
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`different in frequency and bandwidth from other operators.” Id., 1:35-38.
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`The claimed inventions allow a broadband wireless communication device
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`(e.g., a smartphone) to effectively roam from one variable bandwidth system to
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`another through the transmission of a “primary preamble” within a “core-band”
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`that reliably identifies the bandwidth available for use. As disclosed in the ’431
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`patent, the variable channel bandwidth is constructed by “adjusting the number of
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`usable subcarriers.” Id., 1:30-32, 4:26-29. “The structure of a subchannel
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`[composed of subcarriers] is designed in a certain way to meet the requirements of
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`FEC (Forward Error Correction) coding and, therefore, should be maintained
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`unchanged.” Id., 4:29-32. Nevertheless, “the number of subchannels can be
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`adjusted to scale the [variable bandwidth (VB) wireless] channel in accordance
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`with the given bandwidth.” Id., 4:32-34.
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`The specific signaling and control methods needed to operate in a variable
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`bandwidth environment are realized through the use of the core-band. Id., 4:64-67.
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`“[The] core-band, substantially centered at the operating center frequency, is
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`defined as a frequency segment that is not greater than the smallest operating
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`channel bandwidth among all the possible spectral bands that the receiver is
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`designed to operate with.” Id., 4:67-5:4. The core-band is used by a mobile station
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`entering a geographic area “to initiate communication and obtain essential
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`information and subsequently switch” a mobile station’s operating bandwidth to
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`the “full operating bandwidth of the area for the remainder of the communication.”
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`Id., Abstract. This allows “a broadband wireless communication device to be able
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`to roam from one part of the world to another.”
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`FIG. 6 of the ’431 patent (reproduced below) illustrates an exemplary
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`system intended to work at 5, 6, 8, and 10 MHz.
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`In this exemplary system, the core-band has a width of 4 MHz, which is smaller
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`than the widths of the possible operating channel bandwidths (5, 6, 8, and 10
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`MHz). Additionally, the core-band is substantially centered in one of the possible
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`operating channel bandwidths. Id., 5:1-4.
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`While the core-band identifies the physical “frequency segment” through
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`which the bandwidth information is sent, the actual bandwidth information is sent
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`via a preamble called a “primary preamble.” As depicted in FIG. 8 (reproduced
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`below), “a preamble, called an auxiliary preamble (AP), which occupies the
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`sideband (SB), is combined with the EP [primary preamble] to form a full
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`bandwidth preamble (FP) (e.g., appended
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`in
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`the frequency domain or
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`superimposed in the time domain).” Id., 5:36-39.
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`The “primary preamble (EP), is designed to only occupy the CB, as depicted
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`in FIG. 8,” and is alone “sufficient for the basic radio operations.” Id., 5:19-22.
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`The specification explains that “[s]uch a basic radio operation, for example,
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`constitutes the primary state of operation.” Id., 5:13-15. These basic radio
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`operations, sent using the primary preamble, allow a mobile station entering into a
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`specific network and initially transmitting at the primary state to transition to a
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`normal full-bandwidth operation. Id., 5:15-18.
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`The ‘431 patent provides that the primary preamble is readily and reliably
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`identified when it possesses specific properties such as:
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`1. Having an autocorrelation that exhibits a large correlation peak with
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`respect to sidelobes. Id., 5:28-29.
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`2. Having a cross-correlation with other primary preambles with a small
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`cross-correlation coefficient with respect to the power of the other
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`primary preambles. Id., 5:30-32.
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`3. Having a peak-to-average ratio that is relatively small. (Id., 5:33.)
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`4. Having a large number of primary preambles that exhibit the above
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`three properties. Id., 5:34-35.
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`When the primary preamble meets these criteria, good quality multi-carrier
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`communications using a variable channel bandwidth can be achieved.
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`IV. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION ISSUES
`In an inter partes review, claim terms in an unexpired patent are interpreted
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`according to their broadest reasonable construction in light of the specification of
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`the patent in which they appear. 37 C.F.R. § 42.100(b); Office Patent Trial
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`Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48,756, 48,766 (Aug. 14, 2012). Under that
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`construction, claim terms are given their ordinary and customary meaning, as
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`would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in the context of the entire
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`disclosure. See In re Translogic Tech., Inc., 504 F.3d 1249, 1257 (Fed. Cir. 2007).
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`Further, it is well-settled that limitations from a particular embodiment appearing
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`in the written description are not to be read into the claim if the plain and ordinary
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`meaning of the claim language is broader than the embodiment. See Phillips v.
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`AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1323 (Fed. Cir. 2005).
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`Petitioner identified four claim terms for construction: “bandwidth,” “core-
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`band,” “primary preamble,” and “peak-to-average ratio.” The parties’ proposed
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`constructions are as follows:
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`’431 Patent
`Claim Term
`bandwidth
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`Patent Owner’s
`Proposed Construction
`“a width of a frequency
`band”
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`Petitioner’s
`Proposed Construction
`“a frequency range that
`a component, circuit, or
`system passes or uses”
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`10
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`’431 Patent
`Claim Term
`core-band
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`primary preamble
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`peak-to-average ratio
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`Patent Owner’s
`Proposed Construction
`“a frequency segment,
`substantially centered at
`the operating center
`frequency, that is not
`greater than the smallest
`operating channel
`bandwidth among all the
`possible spectral bands that
`a receiver is designed to
`operate with”
`“a signal containing
`bandwidth information
`transmitted by the base
`station near the beginning
`of each frame and
`occupying only the core
`band”
`No dispute.
`
`Petitioner’s
`Proposed Construction
`“a frequency segment
`that is not greater than
`the smallest operating
`channel bandwidth
`among all the possible
`spectral bands that a
`receiver is designed to
`operate with”
`
`“a signal transmitted
`near the beginning of a
`transmission, such as a
`frame or time slot, and
`occupying only the core
`band”
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`“peak-to-average power
`ratio”
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`For the reasons set forth below, the Board should reject Petitioner’s
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`improper constructions for the terms “bandwidth,” “core-band,” and “primary
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`preamble” and adopt Patent Owner’s proposed constructions. Patent Owner does
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`not dispute Petitioner’s proposed construction of “peak-to-average ratio.”
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`“bandwidth”
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`A.
`Patent Owner submits that the claim term “bandwidth” should be construed
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`in accordance with its ordinary meaning as “a width of a frequency band.”
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`The term “bandwidth” is well-understood in the field of wireless
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`
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`communications to mean “the width of a frequency band.” Merriam-Webster’s
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`Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. at 89 (2001) (defining “bandwidth” generally to
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`mean “a range within a band of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies”). Indeed,
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`the ‘431 patent describes the bandwidth in terms of frequency. E.g., Exhibit 1001,
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`Tables 1, 2, and 3 describing bandwidth using “MHz”.
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`Petitioner agrees that the term “bandwidth” refers to frequency, but offers no
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`factual justification for limiting the term “bandwidth” to “a frequency range that a
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`component, circuit, or system passes or uses.” There is no support for such
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`extraneous limitations. Indeed, Petitioner’s citation to Figure 6 of the ‘431 patent
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`and the excerpts at 4:36-37 and 4:41-42 provide additional support for Patent
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`Owner’s proposed plain meaning construction.
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` The Board should reject
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`Petitioner’s attempt to improperly import limitations into the claims. See Kara
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`Tech. Inc. v. Stamps.com Inc., 582 F.3d 1341, 1348 (Fed. Cir. 2009); see
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`also SuperGuide Corp. v. DirecTV Enterprises, Inc., 358 F.3d 870, 875 (Fed. Cir.
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`2004). Patent Owner’s plain meaning construction of “bandwidth” (“the width of a
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`frequency band”) should be adopted.
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`“core-band”
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`B.
`Patent Owner proposes that the claim term “core-band” be construed as “a
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`frequency segment, substantially centered at the operating center frequency, that is
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`not greater than the smallest operating channel bandwidth among all the possible
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`spectral bands that the receiver is designed to operate with.”
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`The specification of the ’431 patent expressly defines “core-band” as
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`follows:
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`A core-band, substantially centered at
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`the operating center
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`frequency, is defined as a frequency segment that is not greater than
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`the smallest operating channel bandwidth among all the possible
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`spectral bands that the receiver is designed to operate with.
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`Exhibit 1001, 4:67-5:4. Figure 6 is illustrative, depicting a system that is intended
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`to work at 5, 6, 8, and 10 MHz with a 4 MHz core-band. Id., 5:5-7. The 4MHz
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`core-band, which is smaller than the smallest possible operating channel bandwidth
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`(5MHz), is centered in the possible discrete operating channel bandwidths: 5, 6, 8,
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`and 10 MHz. Id. at Fig. 6.
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`Petitioner’s proposed construction -- “a frequency segment that is not greater
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`than the smallest operating channel bandwidth among all the possible spectral
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`bands that a receiver is designed to operate with” – would, contrary to the
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`definition set forth in the specification, omit the limitation that the core-band be
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`“substantially centered at the operating center frequency.” Petition at 17. The
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`Board should reject Petitioner’s construction in light of the express definition of
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`core-band set forth in the specification. Instead, Patent Owner’s construction
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`should be adopted.
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`“primary preamble”
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`C.
`Patent Owner submits that the term “primary preamble” should be construed
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`as “a signal containing bandwidth information transmitted by the base station near
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`the beginning of each frame and occupying only the core-band.”
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`The parties agree that the word “preamble” alone denotes transmission near
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`the beginning of a transmission, such as a frame or slot. Petition at 17. The parties
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`further agree that the term “primary preamble” is not known as a term of art in the
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`field. Id. Since “primary preamble” has no established meaning to those of
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`ordinary skill in the art, its meaning must be found in the patent. Irdeto Access,
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`Inc. v. Echostar Satellite Corp., 383 F.3d 1295, 1300 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
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`The ‘431 patent explains that “an essential, or primary preamble (EP), is
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`designed to only occupy the CB, as depicted in FIG. 8. The EP alone is sufficient
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`for the basic radio operation.” Id., 5:19-22 (emphasis added). The specification
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`further explains that
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`the system provides
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`the bandwidth
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`information via downlink
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`signaling, such as using a broadcasting channel or a preamble. When
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`entering into a VB [variable bandwidth] network, the mobile stations
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`will scan the spectral bands of different center frequencies in which
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`the receiver is designed to operate and decode the bandwidth
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`information contained in the broadcasting channel or preamble.
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`
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`Exhibit 1001, 6:26-32 (emphasis added). In other words, in order to enable basic
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`radio operations by a mobile station in a variable bandwidth (VB) network, the
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`primary preamble must contain the necessary “bandwidth information.” Upon
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`entering the variable bandwidth network, the mobile station initially operates at the
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`“primary state” of basic operations enabled by the primary preamble, and then
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`transitions to a “normal full-bandwidth operation for additional data and radio
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`control channels.” Id., 5:15-18. Thus, the term “primary preamble” should be
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`interpreted to include “bandwidth information” because such information is
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`necessary to enable basic radio operation by a mobile station in a variable
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`bandwidth network, as claimed.
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`Petitioner contends that “primary preamble” should be construed as “a signal
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`transmitted near the beginning of a transmission, and occupying only the core
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`band.” Petition at 18. But Petitioner’s proposed construction is too broad. The
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`specification defines “primary preamble” in the context of providing information
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`“sufficient for the basic radio operation” within a variable bandwidth environment.
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`Exhibit 1001, 4:64-66; 5:21-22. Adopting Petitioner’s construction would
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`effectively strip the term “primary preamble” of all meaning by omitting any
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`reference to bandwidth information, notwithstanding that every claim of the ‘431
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`patent is directed to a variable bandwidth (VB) environment. Id., challenged
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`
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`independent claim 1 (“In a variable bandwidth wireless communication system,”
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`“[a] process comprising: utilizing by the base station a number of subcarriers to
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`construct a variable bandwidth wireless channel”); challenged independent claim 8
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`(“circuitry configured to transmit control and data channels using a variable
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`band”); challenged independent claim 18 (“A variable bandwidth communication
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`method compri