`Filed May 24, 2016
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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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`
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`COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
`Petitioner,
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`v.
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`ROBERT BOSCH LLC,
`Patent Owner,
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`
`
`Case IPR2016-00042
`Patent 8,544,136
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`
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING OF
`DECISION DENYING INSTITUTION OF INTER PARTES REVIEW OF
`U.S. PATENT NO. 8,544,136
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`
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`TABLE OF CONTENTS
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`Page
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ...................................................................................... i
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`STATEMENT OF RELIEF SOUGHT ...................................................................... 1
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`REASONS FOR THE RELIEF REQUESTED ......................................................... 1
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`CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 13
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE .................................................................................. 1
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`i
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
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`Page(s)
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`CASES
`Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Robert Bosch, LLC,
`IPR2016-00039, Paper #19 ................................................................................... 4
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`Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Robert Bosch, LLC,
`IPR2016-00040, Paper #16 ................................................................................... 4
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`Costco Wholesale Corp. v. Robert Bosch, LLC,
`IPR2016-00041, Paper #20 ............................................................................... 4, 5
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`Robert Bosch LLC v. Alberee Products, Inc.,
`No. 12-574 (D. Del.) (the “Delaware Action”) ............................................ 11, 12
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`STATUTES AND RULES
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`35 U.S.C. § 103(a) (2006) .................................................................................. 2, 3, 7
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`Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(b)(2) ................................................................ 12
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`Leahy-Smith America Invents Act,
`Pub. L. No. 112–29, 125 Stat. 284 (2011) .......................................................... 11
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`i
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Petitioner”) respectfully requests rehearing
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`of the Board’s decision dated April 25, 2016 (Paper No. 22; the “Decision”), which
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`denied institution of Inter Partes Review of claims 1 and 21 of U.S. Patent No.
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`8,544,136 (the “’136 Patent”; Exhibit 1001).
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`STATEMENT OF RELIEF SOUGHT
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`Petitioner requests that the Board institute Inter Partes review of claims 1
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`and 21 of the ’136 Patent and consolidate this case for trial with IPR2016-00039,
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`IPR2016-00040, and IPR2016-00041 (the “Related Cases”).
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`REASONS FOR THE RELIEF REQUESTED
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`This case involves a patent that is a direct descendant of the patents involved
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`in the Related Cases. The challenged claims here are very similar to the claims at
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`issue in the Related Cases. The prior art combinations asserted here are very simi-
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`lar to the prior art combinations at issue in the Related Cases. The Scheduling Or-
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`ders issued in the Related Cases refer to this IPR2016-00042 as if the three cases
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`(and two other similar cases) were going to be instituted together. And the inter-
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`ests of justice clearly support having this Board, rather than a lay jury in parallel
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`litigation, decide the questions of patentability raised here, especially in view of
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`the close parallel between this case and the Related Cases.
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`In IPR2016-00039, the Board instituted Inter Partes Review with respect to
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`six grounds of unpatentability, including claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 7,228,588 (the
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`1
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`“’588 Patent”; Exhibit 1009 at 1-9) as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
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`(2006) over Merkel (Exhibit 1007) and Prohaska (Exhibit 1003). Claim 1 of the
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`’588 Patent recites a wiper assembly comprising a flat spring support element and
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`a hollow wind deflection strip, as do the challenged claims here.
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`In IPR2016-00040, the Board instituted Inter Partes Review with respect to
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`six grounds of unpatentability, including claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 7,484,264 (the
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`“’264 Patent”; Exhibit 1010 at 1-8) as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
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`(2006) over Merkel (Exhibit 1007) and Prohaska (Exhibit 1003). Claim 1 of the
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`’264 Patent recites a wiper assembly comprising a flat spring support element and
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`a hollow wind deflection strip, as do the challenged claims here.
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`In IPR2016-00041, the Board instituted Inter Partes Review with respect to
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`four grounds of unpatentability, including claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 8,099,823
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`(the “’823 Patent”; Exhibit 1011 at 1-8) as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
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`(2006) over Merkel (Exhibit 1007) and Prohaska (Exhibit 1003). Claim 1 of the
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`’823 Patent recites a wiper assembly comprising a flat spring support element and
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`a hollow wind deflection strip, as do the challenged claims here.
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`The petitions in IPR2016-00039, IPR2016-0040, and IPR2016-0041 are
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`each supported by the same Declarations of Dr. Eric H. Maslen (“Maslen Decl.”;
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`Exhibit 1016), and Dr. Gregory W. Davis (“Davis Decl.”; Exhibit 1026) as is the
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`Petition here.
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`In this IPR2016-00042, Petitioner seeks Inter Partes Review with respect to
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`six grounds of unpatentability, including claim 21 of the ’136 Patent as unpatenta-
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`ble under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) (2006) over Merkel (Exhibit 1007) and Lumsden
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`(Exhibit 1025). See also Pet. at 9-11, 15-16, 18-19. Images of prior art at issue
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`here and in the Related Cases are reproduced below:
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`Merkel (Ex. 1007) Figs. 1 and 4
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` Prohaska (Ex. 1003) Fig. 2
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`Lumsden (Ex. 1025) Fig. 1
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`Claims 1 and 21 of the ’136 Patent recite a wiper assembly comprising a flat
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`spring support element and a hollow wind deflection strip (see Pet. at 4), as does
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`claim 1 of the ’588 Patent, claim 1 of the ’264 Patent, and claim 1 of the ’823 Pa-
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`tent. In this case, Petitioner contends, inter alia, that it would have been obvious to
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`provide the flat spring wiper assembly disclosed in Merkel with the hollow wind
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`deflection strip disclosed in Lumsden (Pet. at 27-32, 38-45) for substantially the
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`same reasons that the Board found, in IPR2016-00039, IPR2016-00040, and
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`IPR2016-00041, that it would have been obvious to provide the flat spring wiper
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`assembly disclosed in Merkel with the hollow wind deflection strip disclosed in
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`Prohaska.
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`In IPR2016-00039, the Board found that the combination of Merkel and
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`Prohaska would likely result in a wiper assembly that met the claim description,
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`“an elongated belt-shaped, flexible spring support element (12), on the lower belt
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`surface (22) of which that faces the windshield is located an elastic rubber wiping
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`strip 24 . . . .” ’588 Patent col. 7, lines 25-28 (emphasis added).
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`In IPR2016-00040, the Board also found that the combination of Merkel and
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`Prohaska would likely result in a wiper assembly that met the claim description,
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`“an elongated belt-shaped, flexible resilient support element (12) having a longitu-
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`dinal axis, on the lower belt surface (22) of which that faces the windshield is lo-
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`cated an elastic rubber wiping strip 24 . . . .” ’264 Patent col. 7, lines 11-14 (em-
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`phasis added).
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`In IPR 2016-0041, the Board once again found that the combination of Mer-
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`kel and Prohaska would likely result in a wiper assembly that met the claim de-
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`scription, “an elongated belt-shaped, flexible resilient support element (12) having
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`a longitudinal axis, on a lower belt surface (22) of which that faces the windshield
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`is located an elastic rubber wiping strip (24) . . . .” ’823 Patent col. 7, lines 3-6
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`(emphasis added).
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`In this IPR2016-00042, however, the Board found that the combination of
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`Merkel and Lumsden likely would not result in a wiper assembly that met the
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`claim description, “an elongated belt-shaped, flexible resilient support element (12)
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`having a longitudinal axis, on a lower belt surface (22) of which that faces the
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`windshield is located an elastic rubber strip (24) . . . .” ’136 Patent col. 7, lines 23-
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`26. The Board reached this conclusion on the basis that “Lumsden does not appear
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`to describe the claimed relationship between the lower surface of the support ele-
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`ment and the wiper.” Decision at 7.
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`Petitioner respectfully submits that the Board has misapprehended Petition-
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`er’s stated grounds of unpatentability. Petitioner does not rely on Lumsden to
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`teach a support element, but rather relies on Lumsden, just as in the Related Cases
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`it relied on Prohaska, to teach a spoiler that is readily adaptable to support ele-
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`ments found in prior art flat spring wiper assemblies such as the spring rails 30, 32
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`disclosed in Merkel as shown above. It is when the spoiler of Lumsden is com-
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`bined with a prior art flat spring wiper assembly that there results “an elongated
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`belt-shaped, flexible resilient support element (12) having a longitudinal axis, on a
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`lower belt surface (22) of which that faces the windshield is located an elastic rub-
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`ber strip (24) . . . .” ’136 Patent col. 7, lines 23-26.
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`Thus, the Petition states that “Claim 1 describes a wiper assembly in which a
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`prior art hollow spoiler (Lumsden) is mounted on a prior art wiper blade (Hoyler)
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`in conventional fashion. . . .” Pet. at 22. The Petition further states that “[b]y the
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`priority date of the ’136 Patent, it was known that flexible spring support elements
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`cause wiper strips to evenly distribute force over a windshield, see, e.g., Appel [Ex.
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`1005], 1:23-28; Merkel [Ex. 1007], 1:15-18, and spoilers maintain wiper blade
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`contact pressure at high speeds, see, e.g., Lumsden, 3:3-6 . . . .” Pet. at 38. In both
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`of these statements, the Petition relies on Lumsden as teaching a spoiler, not a sup-
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`port element.
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`The Petition further states that “knowledge of even pressure distribution as-
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`sociated with spring support elements” would have motivated a person having or-
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`dinary skill in the art “to clip the spoiler of Lumsden on any wiper blade with a
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`flat-style support element, such as that disclosed in Hoyler” (Pet. at 39; emphasis
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`added), and “[c]ombining the hollow spoiler of Lumsden with the spring support
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`element of Hoyler yields predictable results: a wiper blade that counters liftoff ten-
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`dency, distributes force evenly over the windshield, weighs less than a wiper blade
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`with a solid spoiler, and is less stiff than a solid spoiler and thus has less tendency
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`to prevent the spring support element from remaining in contact with the wind-
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`shield. Davis Decl. ¶ 55.” Pet. at 39-40.
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`In the Related Cases, the Board utilized similar reasoning to find that provid-
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`ing Merkel (Exhibit 1007) with the spoiler of Prohaska (Exhibit 1003) would result
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`in wiper assembly whose support elements would have a lower belt surface “on”
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`which was located a rubber wiper strip. The Petition here urges exactly the same
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`type of combination and rationale, differing only in that Petitioner here relies on
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`Lumsden for the spoiler element, whereas in the Related Cases Petitioner relies on
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`Prohaska for the spoiler element.
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`The Board appears to have misapprehended Petitioner’s position as being to
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`replace the support elements 60, 62 of Merkel with the reinforcing elements 8, 10
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`of Lumsden. See Decision at 8 (“Petitioner’s rationale to clip or substitute
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`Lumsden’s spoiler on Hoyler, Kotlarski ’383, or Merkel’s beam wiper remains in-
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`congruous with Petitioner’s reliance of Lumsden to teach a support element.”)
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`(emphasis added). But Petitioner does not rely on Lumsden to teach a “support el-
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`ement.” Rather, as the Board correctly stated elsewhere in its decision, “Petition-
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`er’s asserted combinations and rationales involve adding the spoiler of Lumsden to
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`one or more prior art references . . . .” Decision at 7-8 (emphasis in original).
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`Throughout the Petition and in the supporting declarations, Petitioner con-
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`tends that challenged claims 1 and 21 of the ’136 Patent are unpatentable under 35
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`U.S.C. § 103(a) (2006) because they describe the simple combination of the
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`Lumsden spoiler and a prior art flat spring wiper blade assembly, the flat springs
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`comprising the “support element” of the combination. See, e.g., Pet. at 22 (“Claim
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`1 describes a wiper assembly in which a prior art hollow spoiler (Lumsden) is
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`mounted in a prior art wiper blade (Hoyler) in conventional fashion . . . .”); id. at
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`27-28 (“Claim 1 also describes a wiper assembly in which a prior art hollow spoil-
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`er (Lumsden) is mounted on a prior art wiper blade (Merkel) in conventional fash-
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`ion . . .”). The Petition’s entire discussion of why it would have been obvious to
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`make these combinations (Pet. at 38-45; Pet. at 55-56) is similarly focused on
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`combining the hollow spoiler of Lumsden with a prior art flat spring wiper assem-
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`bly such as the one disclosed in Merkel. Pet. at 38-41; Pet. at 55-56.
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`Petitioner acknowledges that the claim charts in the Petition (e.g., Pet. at 23)
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`could have been clearer in describing what results when “a prior art hollow spoiler
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`(Lumsden) is mounted on a prior art wiper blade.” Pet. at 22. Petitioner’s claim
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`charts state that Lumsden discloses “a lower belt surface of reinforcing elements 8,
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`10 beneath which is located a rubber wiper blade 4 sitting against the windshield.”
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`E.g., Pet. at 23 (emphasis added). That is an accurate description of Lumsden: the
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`elements 8, 10 depicted on page 3, above, are indeed reinforcing elements.
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`But a reinforcing element is not necessarily a support element in the sense of
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`the ’136 Patent. The specification of the ’136 Patent specifically distinguishes be-
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`tween a flat spring “support element,” on the one hand, and “the expensive stirrup
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`design with two flexible rails located in the wiper strip, as is practiced in conven-
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`tional wiper blades.” ’136 Patent col. 1, lines 39-41 (Exhibit 1001) (emphasis add-
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`ed); Pet. at 4. The “two flexible rails” referred to here are “reinforcing elements”
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`in the sense of the Lumsden patent (see, e.g., Maslen Decl. p. 43 [Exhibit 1016]),
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`but are not “support elements” in the sense of the ’136 Patent.
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`Petitioner’s claim charts do not refer to the Lumsden structure 8, 10 as “sup-
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`port” elements, because the Petition relies on Hoyler (Exhibit 1006, Grounds 1 and
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`4), see Pet. at 22-27, 45-48, Merkel (Exhibit 1007, Grounds 2 and 5), see Pet. at
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`27-32, 48-52, and Kotlarski ’383 (Exhibit 1004, Grounds 3 and 6), see Pet. at 32-
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`38, 52-55, as teaching the claimed support elements. Petitioner’s discussion of the
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`state of the prior art as of the filing date of the ’136 Patent similarly states that
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`“Merkel describes a wiper blade assembly as comprising a wiper strip (14), a sup-
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`port element (12) . . . ,” while mentioning Lumsden’s “reinforcement elements (8,
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`10)” in passing, noting only that they are “conveniently made of steel.” Pet. at 15,
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`18.
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`The Board correctly states that “Petitioner’s asserted combinations and ra-
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`tionales involve adding the spoiler of Lumsden to one or more prior art refer-
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`ences.” Decision at 7-8 (emphasis in original). That is indeed Petitioner’s position
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`here, as it is in the Related Cases. And precisely for that reason, the merits of the
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`Petition are not undermined by the Board’s observation, “Lumsden does not appear
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`to describe the claimed relationship between the lower surface of the support ele-
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`ment and the wiper.” Decision at 6; cf. Pet. at 13 (“Hoyler discloses a wiper blade
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`assembly comprising two longitudinal springs positioned in lateral slots of a wiper
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`strip.”); Pet. at 40 (“Kotlarski ‘383 and Merkel each disclose a wiper blade having
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`an elongated spring-elastic support element, a rubber-elastic wiper strip located on
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`the underside of the support element.”).
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`The Board stated that “Petitioner merely makes an unsupported attorney ar-
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`gument” in support of its proposed combinations of the Lumsden hollow spoiler
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`with prior art flat spring wiper assemblies (Decision at 8), but that is incorrect: the
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`Declaration of Dr. Davis (Exhibit 1026) fully supports the rationale of proposed
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`combinations and the position that they render obvious, and unpatentable, at least
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`some subject matter that challenged claims 1 and 21 of the ’136 Patent describe.
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`See Pet. at 39 (citing Davis Decl. ¶ 55 as showing the obviousness of replacing
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`Merkel’s solid spoiler with Lumsden’s hollow spoiler as stated at Pet. 39-39); Pet.
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`at 44 (citing Davis Decl. ¶ 74 as showing the obviousness of modifying the claws
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`of Lumsden to grip the upper and lower surfaces of the support elements disclosed
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`in Merkel and Kotlarski ’383). There is no substantial difference between the obvi-
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`ousness positions asserted in this case and those relied upon in the Related Cases.
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`Substantially the same evidence and arguments are made in all of the cases, and the
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`conclusion here should be the same as in the Related Cases.
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`Institutional and policy reasons also strongly support rehearing in this case.
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`A major purpose of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, Pub. L. No. 112–29,
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`125 Stat. 284 (2011), was to improve the adjudication of patentability questions by
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`having expert administrative bodies, rather than lay juries, decide whether claims
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`in issued patents satisfied statutory conditions for patentability. Cf. Virtualagility
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`Inc. v. Salesforce.com, Inc., 759 F.3d 1307 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (reversing denial of
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`stay pending outcome of PTAB proceeding). The ’136 Patent is being asserted
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`against petitioner in Robert Bosch LLC v. Alberee Products, Inc., No. 12-574 (D.
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`Del.) (the “Delaware Action”). Although Petitioner is confident of prevailing in
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`the Delaware Action, the ability to present an invalidity defense to a jury is not a
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`substitute for having this expert Board consider the patentability questions that the
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`Petition raises.
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`There is also an important consideration of judicial economy that should be
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`taken into account. As noted above, the challenged claims at issue here are very
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`similar to the challenged claims as to which the Board has instituted Inter Partes
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`Review in the Related Cases. The prior art and unpatentability rationales here are
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`also very similar to the prior art and unpatentability rationales in the Related Cases.
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`Petitioner and the Patent Owner are going to be briefing and arguing the Related
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`Cases, involving substantially similar claimed subject matter, references, and ar-
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`guments, no matter what happens in this case. But if rehearing is not granted, Peti-
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`tioner and the Patent owner will be substantially duplicating the work that the Re-
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`lated Cases require by litigating the validity of claims 1 and 21 of the ’136 Patent
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`in the context of the Delaware Action.1
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`1 On March 17, 2016, the District Court hearing the Delaware Action stayed pro-
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`ceedings pending determination of a motion by Petitioner to dismiss the Second
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`Amended Complaint in that action as a discovery sanction under Federal Rule of
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`Civil Procedure 37(b)(2). The Patent Owner has vowed to appeal any discovery
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`sanction that the Delaware district court may impose, and there is no imminent
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`prospect of the Delaware Action being finally terminated on grounds that will ren-
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`der moot the questions of patentability sought to be raised in this case.
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`CONCLUSION
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`For the reasons set forth above, the Board should grant rehearing, institute
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`Inter Partes review of claims 1 and 21 of the ’136 Patent, and consolidate this case
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`for trial with IPR 2016-00039, IPR2016-00040, and IPR2016-00041.
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`Dated: May 24, 2016
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`/James R. Klaiber/
`James R. Klaiber
`Registration No. 41,902
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`
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`HUGHES HUBBARD & REED LLP
`One Battery Park Plaza, 17th Floor
`New York, New York 10004
`Telephone: (212) 837-6125
`james.klaiber@hugheshubbard.com
`Attorney for Petitioner
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`PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR REHEARING
`IPR2016-00042
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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`I hereby certify that on this 24th day of May, 2016, copies of the foregoing
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`Request For Rehearing of Decision Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review of
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`U.S. Patent No. 8,544,136 have been served in their entirety by email on the attor-
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`neys of record for Patent Owner:
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` Patrick R. Colsher (patrick.colsher@shearman.com)
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` Mark A. Hannemann (mark.hannemann@shearman.com)
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` Enrique W. Iturralde (enrique.iturralde@shearman.com)
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`/James R. Klaiber/
`James R. Klaiber
`Registration No. 41,902
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`1
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`Dated: May 24, 2016
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`70163594_9