`Trials@uspto.gov
`571-272-7822
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` Entered: November 12, 2014
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
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`TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
`TSMC NORTH AMERICA CORP., FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR
`LIMITED, and FUJITSU SEMICONDUCTOR AMERICA, INC.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`ZOND, LLC,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2014-01479
`Patent 6,896,773 B2
`____________
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`
`
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`Before KEVIN F. TURNER, JONI Y. CHANG, SUSAN L.C. MITCHELL,
`and JENNIFER M. MEYER, Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`
`TURNER, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`DECISION
`Institution of Inter Partes Review
`37 C.F.R. § 42.108
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`IPR2014-01479
`Patent 6,896,773 B2
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`I. INTRODUCTION
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`Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., TSMC North
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`America Corp., Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited, and Fujitsu Semiconductor
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`America (collectively, “Petitioner”) filed a Petition requesting an inter
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`partes review of claims 1–20 and 34–39 of U.S. Patent No. 6,896,773 B2
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`(Ex. 1001, “the ’773 Patent”). Paper 3 (“Pet.”). Zond, LLC (“Zond”), filed
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`a Preliminary Response. Paper 10 (“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 Petitioner would prevail in challenging
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`claims 1–20 and 34–39 as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). Pursuant
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`to 35 U.S.C. § 314, we hereby authorize an inter partes review to be
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`instituted as to claims 1–20 and 34–39 of the ’773 Patent.
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`A. Related District Court Proceedings
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`Petitioner indicates that the ’773 Patent was asserted in TSMC Tech.,
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`Inc. v. Zond LLC, No. 1:14-cv-00721 (D. Del.) and Zond, LLC v. Fujitsu
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`2
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`IPR2014-01479
`Patent 6,896,773 B2
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`Semiconductor Ltd., No. 1-14-cv-12438 (D. Mass.). Pet. 1. Petitioner also
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`identifies other proceedings in which Zond asserted the ’773 Patent. Id.
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`B. Related Inter Partes Reviews
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`The following Petition for inter partes review also challenges the
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`same claims, based on the same grounds of unpatentability as those in the
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`instant proceeding: The Gillette Co. v Zond, LLC, Case IPR2014-00580.
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`In IPR2014-00580, we instituted inter partes review of claims 1–20
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`and 34–39 of the ’773 Patent, based on the following grounds of
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`unpatentability:
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`Claim(s)
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`Basis
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`References
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`1, 6, and 8–201
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin and Fortov
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`5
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Kawamata
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`3, 4, and 34–39
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Lantsman
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`7
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`2
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, and Fortov
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`§ 103(a)
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`Mozgrin, Mozgrin Thesis, Fortov,
`and Raizer
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`See IPR2014-00580, Paper 11, “’580 Dec.”
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`Petitioner filed a Motion for Joinder, seeking to join with IPR2014-
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`00580. Paper 5. In a separate decision, we grant Petitioner’s Motion for
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`1 We note that the Decision on Institution for IPR2014-00580 includes
`claims 36–39 under this instituted ground (’580 Dec. 46), but we previously
`had acknowledged that Gillette had made no showing against those claims in
`its Petition. Id. at 8, n.3. We clarify that claims 36–39 are not included in
`this instituted ground.
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`3
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`IPR2014-01479
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`Joinder, joining the instant proceeding with IPR2014-00580, and terminating
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`the instant proceeding.
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`C. Prior Art Relied Upon
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`Petitioner relies upon the following prior art references:
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`Wang
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`Fu
`Lantsman
`Kawamata
`Chiang
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`US 6,413,382 B1 July 2, 2002
`US 6,306,265 B1 Oct. 23, 2001
`US 6,190,512 B1 Feb. 20, 2001
`US 5,958,155
`Sept. 28, 1999
`US 6,398,929 B1 June 4, 2002
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`(Ex. 1003)
`(Ex. 1007)
`(Ex. 1008)
`(Ex. 1009)
`(Ex. 1011)
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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 400–409 (1995) (Ex. 1002) (hereinafter “Mozgrin”).
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`D.V. Mozgrin, High-Current Low-Pressure Quasi-Stationary
`Discharge in a Magnetic Field: Experimental Research, Thesis at
`Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (1994) (Ex. 1015) (hereinafter
`“Mozgrin Thesis”).2
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`Interaction of Low-Temperature Plasma With Condensed Matter,
`Gas, and Electromagnetic Field in (III) ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LOW-
`TEMPERATURE PLASMA, (V.E. Fortov ed., 2000) (Ex. 1004)
`(hereinafter “Fortov”).3
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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 (Jan. 1983) (Ex. 1006) (hereinafter “Kudryavtsev”).
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`2 The Mozgrin Thesis is a Russian-language reference (Ex. 1016). The
`citations to the Mozgrin Thesis are to the certified English-language
`translation submitted by Petitioner (Ex. 1015).
`3 Fortov is a Russian-language reference (Ex. 1010). The citations to Fortov
`are to the certified English-language translation submitted by Petitioner
`(Ex. 1004).
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`4
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`Patent 6,896,773 B2
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`D. Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability
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`Petitioner asserts the following grounds of unpatentability:
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`Claim(s)
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`Basis
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`References
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`1, 6, and 8–204
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin and Fortov
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`5
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Kawamata
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`1, 6, and 8–20
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`§ 103(a) Wang and Fortov
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`5
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`§ 103(a) Wang, Fortov, and Kawamata
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`3, 4, and 34–39
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Lantsman
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`3, 4, and 34–39
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`§ 103(a) Wang, Fortov, and Lantsman
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`7
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`7
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`2
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`2
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, and Fortov
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`§ 103(a)
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`§ 103(a)
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`Wang, Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, and
`Fortov
`Mozgrin, Mozgrin Thesis, Fortov,
`and Raizer
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`§ 103(a) Wang, Fortov, Fu, and Raizer
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`II. ANALYSIS
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`A. Claim Construction
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`The parties make the same claim construction arguments The Gillette
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`Company (“Gillette”) and Zond made in IPR2014-00580. Compare Pet. 4–
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`4 We note under this Ground, Petitioner includes claims 36–39 which
`depend from independent claim 34, in the headings. Pet. 13. As in
`IPR2014-00580, these claims are not argued in the ground, nor is
`independent claim 34 addressed under this ground. Accordingly, we
`determine this was an inadvertent typographical error and do not address
`these claims in the discussion of this ground.
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`5, with ’580 Pet. 4–5; compare Prelim. Resp. 19–20, with ’580 Prelim. Resp.
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`19–20.
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`We construed several claim terms identified by Gillette and Zond in
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`IPR2014-00580. See ’580 Dec. 11–12. For the purposes of the instant
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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 Mozgrin and Fortov, Together or in Combination
`with Kawamata, Lantsman, Kudryavtsev, Mozgrin Thesis, or Raizer
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`In its Petition, Petitioner asserts the same grounds of unpatentability
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`based on the combinations of Mozgrin and Fortov with Kawamata,
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`Lantsman, Kudryavtsev, Mozgrin Thesis, and Raizer, as the grounds on
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`which a trial was instituted in IPR2014-00580. See Pet. 13–27, 41–45, 51–
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`55, 56–58; ’580 Dec. 46. Petitioner’s arguments are substantively identical
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`to the arguments made by Gillette in IPR2014-00580. Compare Pet. 13–27,
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`41–45, 51–55, 56–58, with ’580 Pet. 13–27, 41–45, 51–55, 56–58.
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`Petitioner also proffers the same Declaration of Mr. DeVito that Gillette
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`submitted in support of its Petition. Compare Ex. 1005, with IPR2014-
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`00580, Ex. 1005. Zond’s arguments in the Preliminary Response are
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`essentially identical to those arguments that it made in IPR2014-00580.
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`Compare Prelim. Resp. 20–57, with IPR2014-00580, Paper 10 (“’580
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`Prelim. Resp.”), 20–57.
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`We incorporate our previous analysis regarding the asserted grounds
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`of unpatentability over the combinations of Mozgrin and Fortov with
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`Kawamata, Lantsman, Kudryavtsev, Mozgrin Thesis, and Raizer (’580 Dec.
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`8–44), and determine that Petitioner has demonstrated a reasonable
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`likelihood of prevailing on those grounds of unpatentability.
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`C. Other Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability
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`Gillette also asserts that claims 1–20 and 34–39 are unpatentable on
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`other grounds. The Board’s rules for inter partes review proceedings,
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`including those pertaining to institution, are “construed to secure the just,
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`speedy, and inexpensive resolution of every proceeding.” 37 C.F.R.
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`§ 42.1(b); see also 35 U.S.C. § 316(b) (regulations for inter partes review
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`proceedings take into account “the efficient administration of the Office”
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`and “the ability of the Office to timely complete [instituted]
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`proceedings”). Therefore, we exercise our discretion and do not institute a
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`review based on these other asserted grounds for reasons of administrative
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`necessity to ensure timely completion of the instituted proceeding. See 37
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`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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`Petitioner would prevail in challenging claims 1–20 and 34–39 of the ’773
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`Patent as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). At this stage in the
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`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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`Claim(s)
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`Basis
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`References
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`1, 6, and 8–20
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin and Fortov
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`5
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Kawamata
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`3, 4, and 34–39
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Fortov, and Lantsman
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`7
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`2
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`§ 103(a) Mozgrin, Kudryavtsev, and Fortov
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`§ 103(a)
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`Mozgrin, Mozgrin Thesis, Fortov,
`and Raizer
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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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`Patent 6,896,773 B2
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`For PETITIONER:
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`David M. O’Dell
`David L. McCombs
`Haynes and Boone, LLP
`David.odell.ipr@haynesboone.com
`david.mccombs.ipr@haynesboone.com
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`
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`PATENT OWNER:
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`Gregory Gonsalves
`The Gonsalves Law firm
`gonsalves@gonsalveslawfirm.com
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`Bruce Barker
`Chao Hadidi Stark & Barker LLP
`bbarker@chsblaw.com
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