throbber
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`___________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`___________________
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`DECLARATION OF EREZ ZADOK, PH.D.
`IN SUPPORT OF PETITION FOR INTER PARTES REVIEW OF
`U.S. PATENT 6,470,399
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Apple 1003
`IPR2016-01843
`U.S. Pat. 6,470,399
`
`

`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
`I.
`II. Qualifications ................................................................................................... 3
`III. My Understanding of Claim Construction ...................................................... 9
`IV. My Understanding of Obviousness ................................................................. 9
`V.
`Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art .................................................................11
`VI. The ’399 Patent ..............................................................................................12
`A. Overview ........................................................................................................12
`B. Claims 1, 11, and 14 ......................................................................................16
`C. Claims 3 and 5 ...............................................................................................16
`VII. Background of the Technologies Disclosed in the ’399 Patent ....................16
`A. Device Emulation ..........................................................................................17
`B. Hard Disk Interface Technologies .................................................................22
`C. Operating Systems and File Systems ............................................................27
`VIII. Claim Construction ........................................................................................31
`IX. Ground 1: The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Renders Claims 1,
`3, 5, 11, and 14 Obvious ................................................................................32
`A. Overview of Ard ............................................................................................32
`B. Overview of Schmidt .....................................................................................34
`C. Overview of Webb .........................................................................................35
`D. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Renders Claims 1, 11, and 14
`Obvious ..........................................................................................................36
`1. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Preamble of
`Independent Claims 1, 11, and 14 .............................................................36
`a) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses an Interface
`Device and a Method “for communication between a host device, … and
`a data transmit/receive device” ...............................................................38
`b) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Host Device
`Limitations of the Preamble ....................................................................40
`c) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Data
`Transmit/Receive Device Limitations of the Preamble ..........................42
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`2. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Architectural
`Elements of the Interface Device ...............................................................44
`a) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Interface
`Devices comprises “a processor” and “a memory” ................................45
`b) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the “first
`connecting device” Limitations ...............................................................47
`c) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Teaches the “second
`connecting device” Limitations Including the Sample-and-Hold Circuit
`and Analog-to-Digital Converter ............................................................49
`3. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Recognition
`Limitations of the Independent Claims .....................................................54
`a) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Command
`Interpreter, and the Inquiry and Response Elements of the Recognition
`Limitations of Claims 1, 11, and 14 ........................................................56
`b) The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Teaches “whereupon the
`host device communicates with the interface device by means of the
`[driver]” ...................................................................................................63
`4. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Discloses the Transfer
`Limitations of the Independent Claims .....................................................66
`E. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Webb Renders Claim 3 Obvious ...73
`X. Ground 2: The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Johnson Renders Claim 5
`Obvious ..........................................................................................................74
`A. Overview of Johnson .....................................................................................74
`B. The Combination of Ard, Schmidt, and Johnson Discloses that “the
`processor is a digital signal processor” as Recited in Claim 5 ....................75
`XI. Adequacy of the German Priority Application ..............................................77
`XII. Conclusion .....................................................................................................79
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`I.
`
`Introduction
`
`I, Dr. Erez Zadok, declare as follows:
`
`1.
`
`
`I have been retained on behalf of Apple Inc. for the above-captioned
`
`inter partes review proceeding. I understand that this proceeding involves U.S.
`
`Patent No. 6,470,399 (“the ’399 patent”)
`
`titled “Flexible Interface for
`
`Communication Between a Host and an Analog I/O Device Connected to the
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`Interface Regardless the Type of the I/O Device” by Michael Tasler, and that the
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`’399 patent is currently assigned to Papst Licensing GmbH & Co. KG.
`
`2.
`
`
`In preparing this declaration, I have reviewed and am familiar with the
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`following references:
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`• U.S. Patent No. 5,915,106 to Ard (“Ard”), titled “Method and System
`
`for Operating a Scanner Which Emulates a Disk Drive,” provided as Ex. 1046 is
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`prior art under at least 35 U.S.C. §§102(e) because it was filed on March 20, 1997,
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`before the March 3, 1998 priority date of the ’399 patent.
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`• The SCSI Bus and IDE Interface—Protocols, Applications and
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`Programming by Friedhelm Schmidt (“Schmidt”), and published in 1995. I
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`understand that Schmidt is prior art to the ’399 patent and has been provided as Ex.
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`1007. (See Ex. 1024.)
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`• U.S. Patent No. 5,489,772 to Webb et al. (“Webb”), titled “Variable
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`Optical Sampling Rate Dependent on Requested Scan Resolution” (Ex. 1048), is
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`prior art under at least 35 U.S.C. §§ 102(a), 102(b), and 102(e) because it was filed
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`on November 14, 1994, and issued February 6, 1996, more than one year before the
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`March 3, 1998 priority date of the ’399 patent.
`
`• U.S. Patent No. 5,303,064 to Johnson et al. (“Johnson”), titled “Image
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`Scanner with Calibration Mechanism to Obtain Full Dynamic Range and
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`Compensated Linear Output,” provided as Ex. 1047, is prior art under at least 35
`
`U.S.C. §§102(a), 102(b), and 102(e) because it was filed on February 20, 1991, and
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`issued April 12, 1994, more than one year before the March 3, 1998 priority date of
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`the ’399 patent.
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`3.
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`
`4.
`
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`I have also considered all other materials cited herein.
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`The ’399 patent describes an interface device that “simulates, both in
`
`terms of hardware and software, the way in which a conventional input/output
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`device functions, preferably that of a hard disk drive.” (Ex. 1001, ’399 patent, 5:6–
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`9.) I am familiar with the technology described in the ’399 patent as of its March 3,
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`1998 filing date and its claimed March 4, 1997 priority date.
`
`5.
`
`
`I have been asked to provide my independent technical review,
`
`analysis, insights, and opinions regarding the ’399 patent and the references that
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`form the basis for the two grounds of rejection set forth in the Petition for Inter
`
`Partes Review of the ’399 patent.
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`II. Qualifications
`As indicated in my curriculum vitae, attached as Ex. 1004, I am a
`6.
`
`
`Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stony Brook University (part of
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`the State University of New York (“SUNY”) system). I direct the File Systems and
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`Storage Lab (FSL) at Stony Brook’s Computer Science Department. My research
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`interests include file systems and storage systems, operating systems, energy
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`efficiency, performance and benchmarking, information technology and system
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`administration, security, networking, compilers, and software engineering.
`
`7.
`
`
`I studied at a professional high school in Israel, focusing on electrical
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`engineering (“EE”), and graduated in 1982; for my final high-school EE project, I
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`developed a system and custom protocol to exchange data between a Commodore
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`CBM-9000 6502-processsor-based personal computer and a custom-built Intel
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`8080 processor based embedded system. I spent one more year at the high school’s
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`college division, receiving a special Certified Technician’s degree in electrical
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`engineering. I then went on to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces for three years
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`(1983–1986). I received my Bachelor of Science degree in computer science
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`(“CS”) in 1991, my Master’s degree in CS in 1994, and my Ph.D. in CS in 2001—
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`all from Columbia University in New York.
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`8.
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`In 1981, while still in high school studying electrical engineering, I
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`became the lab manager for a newly established computer lab. During that time, I
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`also worked as a support technician for Commodore Computers in Israel. During
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`my army service, I was trained and then supported electronic and computerized
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`subsystems (including HP-IB based measurement equipment and oscilloscopes).
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`After being honorably discharged, I served as an instructor, teaching computer
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`programming to K-12 students for one year.
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`
`
` When I began my undergraduate studies at Columbia University, I 9.
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`also started working as a student assistant in the various campus-wide computer
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`labs, eventually becoming assistant to the lab manager, who was managing all
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`public computer labs on campus. During that time, I also became more involved
`
`with research within the CS Department at Columbia University, conducting
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`research on operating systems, file and storage systems, and other topics. I also
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`assisted
`
`the CS department’s computer administrators
`
`in managing
`
`the
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`department’s computers, which included storage related duties.
`
`10.
`
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`In 1991, I joined Columbia University’s CS department as a full-time
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`systems administrator, studying towards my MS degree part-time. My MS thesis
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`topic related to file system reliability, fault tolerance, replication, and failover. My
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`main duties as a systems administrator involved installing, configuring, and
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`managing many servers and desktops running several operating systems. My duties
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`also included ensuring reliable, convenient, high-speed data storage management
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`and backups using various backup/restore systems and software. I have studied and
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`mastered an assortment of storage devices (e.g., floppy, hard disk, optical
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`jukeboxes) and protocols (e.g., SCSI, ATA/IDE).
`
`11.
`
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`In 1994, I left my systems administrator position to pursue my
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`doctoral studies at Columbia University. My Ph.D. thesis topic was on versatile file
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`system development, with examples in the fields of security and encryption,
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`efficiency, reliability, and failover. I continued to work part-time as a systems
`
`administrator at the CS department, and eventually I was asked to serve as
`
`manager to the entire information technology (“IT”) staff. From 1991 to 2001, I
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`was a member of the faculty-level Facilities Committee which oversaw all IT
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`operations at the CS department.
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`
`
` From 1990 to 1998, I consulted for SOS Corporation and HydraWEB 12.
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`Technologies, as a systems administrator and programmer, often managing data
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`storage use and backup/restore duties. From 1994 to 2000, I led projects at
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`HydraWEB Technologies, and
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`then became
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`the Director of Software
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`Development—overseeing the development of several products and appliances
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`such as firewalls and load-balancers. Since 2009, I have consulted for Packet
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`General Networks, a startup specializing in secure storage and applications’ data
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`security.
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`13.
`
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`In 2001, I joined the faculty of Stony Brook University, a position I
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`have held since. In 2002, I joined the Operations Committee, which oversees the
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`IT operations of the CS department at Stony Brook University. From 2006 to 2010,
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`I was the Director of IT Operations of the CS department and my day-to-day duties
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`included setting policies regarding computing, hiring and training new staff,
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`assisting any staff with topics of my specialty, defining requirements for new
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`software/hardware, and purchasing. From 2010 to 2015 I served as the Co-Chair to
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`the Operations Committee. As of 2016, I oversee the IT Operations as the Chair of
`
`the Operations Committee.
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`
`
` Since 1995, I have taught courses on operating systems, storage and 14.
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`file systems, advanced systems programming in Unix/C, systems administration,
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`data structures, and more. My courses often use storage, file systems, and security
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`as key teaching principles and practical examples for assignments and projects. I
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`have taught storage hardware concepts and techniques to my students, both to my
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`direct advisees as well as in my graduate Storage Systems course.
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`
`
` My research often investigates computer systems from many angles: 15.
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`security, efficiency, energy use, scalability, reliability, portability, survivability,
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`usability, ease-of-use, versatility, flexibility, and more. My research gives special
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`attention to balancing five often-conflicting aspects of computer systems:
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`performance, reliability, energy use, security, and ease-of-use. Since joining Stony
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`Brook University in 2001, my group in the Filesystems and Storage Lab has
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`developed many file systems and operating system extensions; examples include a
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`highly-secure cryptographic file system, a portable copy-on-write (COW)
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`versioning file system, a tracing file system useful to detect intrusions, a replaying
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`file system useful for forensics, a snapshotting and sandboxing file system, a
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`namespace unification file system (that uses stackable, file-based COW), an anti-
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`virus file system, an integrity-checking file system, a load balancing and
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`replication/mirroring file system, a compiler to convert user-level C code to in-
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`kernel efficient yet safe code, GCC plugins, stackable file system templates, and a
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`Web-based backup system. I continue to maintain and release newer versions of
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`some of these file systems and software to date. Many of the storage and file
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`systems I’ve developed and published use various forms of virtualization: they
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`emulate one type of storage or file system while using another internally.
`
`16.
`
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`I have published over 110 refereed publications (in ACM, IEEE,
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`USENIX, and more). To date, my publications had been cited more than 4,700
`
`times (as per Google Scholar). My papers cover a wide range of related
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`technologies such
`
`file systems, storage systems, security, performance
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`benchmarking and optimization, energy efficiency, and more. I also published a
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`book entitled “Linux NFS and Automounter Administration” (Sybex, 2001),
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`covering systems administration topics related to network storage.
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`
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` Some of my research has led to public software releases that have 17.
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`been used world-wide. I have publicly maintained the Amd Berkeley Automounter
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`in a package called “am-utils” since 1992; this software helps administrators
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`manage the multitude of file system mounts on dozens of different Unix systems.
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`Since 1997, I have maintained and released several stackable file system software
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`projects for Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris, in a package called FiST. One of my
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`stackable file system encryption projects, called Cryptfs, became the basis for
`
`IBM’s public release of eCryptfs, now part of Linux. Another encryption file
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`system called Ncryptfs was licensed by Packet General Networks, for whom I have
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`provided consulting services since 2009. Another popular file system released in
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`2003, called Unionfs, offers namespace unification, transparent shadow copying
`
`(a.k.a., copy-on-write or COW), file system snapshotting, and the ability to save
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`disk space by sharing a read-only copy of data among several computers, among
`
`other features.
`
`
`
` My research has been supported by many federal and state grants, 18.
`
`including an NSF CAREER award, two IBM Faculty awards, two NetApp Faculty
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`awards, a Western Digital award, EMC awards, and several equipment gifts. I was
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`the winner of the 2004 Computer Science Department bi-annual Graduate
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`Teaching Award, the winner of the 2006 Computer Science Department bi-annual
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`Research Excellence Award, and a recipient of the 2008 SUNY Chancellor’s
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`Excellence in Teaching award (an award that can be given only once a lifetime).
`
`19.
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`I am a named inventor on three patents, two titled “Systems and
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`Methods for Detection of New Malicious Executables” (U.S. Patent No. 7,979,907,
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`issued July 12, 2011; and U.S. Patent No. 7,487,544, issued February 3, 2009); and
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`one titled “Multi-Tier Caching,” (U.S. Patent 9,355,109, issued May 31, 2016).
`
`20.
`
`
`I have been disclosed as a testifying expert in six cases in the past four
`
`years. I have been deposed four times and testified in trial twice.
`
`
`
` A complete copy of my curriculum vitae, which includes a list of my 21.
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`publications, and contains further details on my education, experience,
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`publications, patents, and other qualifications to render an expert opinion, is
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`attached as Ex. 1004.
`
`
`
` The compensation I receive through my consulting company, Zadoks 22.
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`Consulting, LLC, is $450 per hour for my time, plus out-of-pocket expenses. This
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`compensation is not dependent in any way on the contents of this declaration, the
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`substance of any testimony I may provide, or the outcome of this proceeding.
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`III. My Understanding of Claim Construction
`I understand that during an inter partes review, claims of an unexpired
`23.
`
`
`patent are to be given their broadest reasonable construction in light of the
`
`specification as would be read by a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
`
`IV. My Understanding of Obviousness
`I understand that a patent claim is invalid if the claimed invention
`24.
`
`
`would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the field at the time the
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`application was filed. This means that even if all of the requirements of the claim
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`cannot be found in a single prior art reference that would anticipate the claim, the
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`claim can still be invalid.
`
`
`
` As part of this inquiry, I have been asked to consider the level of 25.
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`ordinary skill in the field that someone would have had at the time the claimed
`
`invention was made. In deciding the level of ordinary skill, I considered the
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`following:
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`• the levels of education and experience of persons working in the field;
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`• the types of problems encountered in the field; and
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`• the sophistication of the technology.
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`
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` To obtain a patent, a claimed invention must have, as of the priority 26.
`
`date, been nonobvious in view of the prior art in the field. I understand that an
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`invention is obvious when the differences between the subject matter sought to be
`
`patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have
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`been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill
`
`in the art.
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`27.
`
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`I understand that to prove that prior art, or a combination of prior art,
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`renders a patent obvious, it is necessary to: (1) identify the particular references
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`that singly, or in combination, make the patent obvious; (2) specifically identify
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`which elements of the patent claim appear in each of the asserted references; and
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`(3) explain how the prior art references could have been combined in order to
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`create the inventions claimed in the asserted claim.
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`28.
`
`
`I understand that certain objective indicia can be important evidence
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`regarding whether a patent is obvious or nonobvious. Such indicia include: (1)
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`commercial success of products covered by the patent claims; (2) a long-felt need
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`for the invention; (3) failed attempts by others to make the invention; (4) copying
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`of the invention by others in the field; (5) unexpected results achieved by the
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`invention as compared to the closest prior art; (6) praise of the invention by the
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`infringer or others in the field; (7) the taking of licenses under the patent by others;
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`(8) expressions of surprise by experts and those skilled in the art at the making of
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`the invention; and (9) the patentee proceeded contrary to the accepted wisdom of
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`the prior art.
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`V. Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art
`I understand that the person of ordinary skill in the art is viewed at the
`29.
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`time of invention. For the purpose of this proceeding, I have been informed to
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`evaluate the level of ordinary skill in the art as of March 4, 1997. Based on the
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`disclosure of the ’399 patent, one of ordinary skill in the art would be a person of
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`ordinary skill in the field, at the relevant time, would have had at least a four-year
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`undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, computer science, computer
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`engineering, or related field of study, or equivalent experience, and at least two
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`years’ experience in studying or developing computer interfaces or peripherals and
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`storage related software. In my opinion, a person of ordinary skill would also be
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`familiar with operating systems (e.g., MS-DOS, Windows, Unix), their associated
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`file systems (e.g., FAT, UFS, FFS), device drivers for computer components and
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`peripherals (e.g., mass storage device drivers), and communication interfaces (e.g.,
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`SCSI, USB, PCMCIA). This description is approximate, and a higher level of
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`education or skill might make up for less experience, and vice-versa.
`
`
`
` Based on my experience I have an understanding of the capabilities of 30.
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`a person of ordinary skill in the relevant field. Furthermore, I possessed those
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`capabilities myself at least as of the time the patent was filed.
`
`VI. The ’399 Patent
`A. Overview
` The ’399 patent discloses “[a]n interface device [that] provides fast 31.
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`data communication between a host device with input/output interfaces and a data
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`transmit/receive device.” (’399 patent, Abstract.) Figure 1, reproduced below,
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`illustrates the basic block diagram of the interface device.
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`
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` The interface device 10 includes “[a] first connecting device 12… 32.
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`attached to a host device (not shown) via a host line 11.” (’399 patent, 5:48–50.)
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`The ’399 patent states that “[t]he first connecting device is attached to a digital
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`signal processor 13 and to a memory means 14,” which in turn are “attached to a
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`second connecting device.” (’399 patent, 5:50–56.) In some embodiments, the
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`second connecting device is “attached by means of an output line 16 to a data
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`transmit/receive device… from which data is to be read, i.e. acquired, and
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`transferred to the host device.” (’399 patent, 5:56–60.) The “Field of Invention”
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`section summarizes in the above disclosures by describing that “the present
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`invention relates to the transfer of data and in particular to interface devices for
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`communication between a computer or host device and a data transmit/receive
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`device from which data is to be acquired.” (’399 patent, 1:10–13.)
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`
`
` The ’399 patent discloses embodiments to make “the interface device 33.
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`appear[] to the host device as a hard disk.” (’399 patent, 6:58–59.) The ’399 patent
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`recites that “[w]hen the host device… is booted…, usual BIOS routines or multi-
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`purpose interface programs issue an instruction, known by those skilled in the art
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`as the INQUIRY instruction, to the input/output interfaces in the host device.”
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`(’399 patent, 6:3–10.) The interface device receives the signal and responds with a
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`signal that “indicates to the host device that, for example, a hard disk drive is
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`attached at the interface to which the INQUIRY instruction was sent.” (’399
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`patent, 6:14–16.) This response is handled by a “first command interpreter.” (’399
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`patent, 6:52–53.) The host can, in addition, “can send an instruction, known by
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`those skilled in the art as ‘Test Unit Ready’, to the interface device to require more
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`precise details.” (’399 patent, 6:16–19.) Both the INQUIRY and Test Unit Ready
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`commands were well known as part of the small computer system interface (SCSI)
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`which was widely popular at the time of invention. (Schmidt, p. 165 (describing
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`conventional read and write commands for hard disk drives); see also ’399 patent,
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`4:40–44.) Aside from the use of these conventional commands, the ’399 patent
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`does not provide any other description for making “the interface device appear[] to
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`the host device as a hard disk.” (’399 patent, 6:58–59.)
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` During operation, the interface device “simulates a hard disk with a 34.
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`root directory whose entries are ‘virtual’ files which can be created for the most
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`varied functions.” (’399 patent, 6:1–3.) When a user “wishes to read data from the
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`data transmit/receive device via the line 16, the host device sends a command, for
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`example ‘read file xy’, to the interface device.” (’399 patent, 6:55–58.) The second
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`command interpreter then “begins to transfer data from the data transmit/receive
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`device via the second connecting device to the first connecting device and via the
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`line 11 to the host device.” (’399 patent, 6:64–67.) This operation emulates a
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`“‘real-time input’ file [that] appears as a file whose length corresponds to the
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`anticipated volume of data” contained in a configuration file. (’399 patent, 7:5–7;
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`see also 7:1–5.)
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`
`
` The ’399 patent does not provide any further written description of the 35.
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`structure of the first and second command interpreters, which are mentioned in
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`only a single paragraph of the written description. (See ’399 patent, 6:48–67.) In
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`the “preferred embodiment,” the first and second command interpreters are simply
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`software modules that respond to an inquiry and a read command, respectively.
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`(’399 patent, 6:48–52.) For example, the ’399 patent states that “the digital signal
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`processor 13, which… may be any other kind of microprocessor, comprises a first
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`and a second command interpreter.” (’399 patent, 6:48–52.) The first command
`
`interpreter receives and responds to an inquiry from the host device as to the
`
`device type of the interface device. (See ’399 patent, 12:64 to 13:8.) The second
`
`
`
`
`- 15 -
`
`

`
`command interpreter “interprets the read command of the host processor as a data
`
`transfer command.” (’399 patent, 6:59–67.) Interpreting and responding to such
`
`commands was mandatory for any SCSI device, as would have been known by a
`
`person of ordinary skill in the art and as discussed further below. (See, e.g., SCSI
`
`Specification, p. 7 (“The model [for the device type] establishes the framework for
`
`interpreting the commands for the device type.”).)
`
`B. Claims 1, 11, and 14
` The independent claims at issue in this proceeding are claims 1, 11, 36.
`
`
`and 14. Claims 1 and 11 are directed to “[a]n interface device” and are nearly
`
`identical in scope. Claim 14 recites “[a] method of communication between a host
`
`device… and a data transmit/receive device” and largely overlaps with the
`
`functionality provided by the interface devices recited in claims 1 and 11.
`
`Accordingly, I analyze claims 1, 11, and 14 together. I will point out where the
`
`claims overlap and where they differ.
`
`C. Claims 3 and 5
` Claims 3 and 5 depend from independent claim 1. Claim 3 specifies 37.
`
`
`that the memory in claim 1 is a buffer for data transferred between the
`
`transmit/receive device and the host, and claim 5 specifies that the processor is a
`
`digital signal processor.
`
`VII. Background of the Technologies Disclosed in the ’399 Patent
` The ’399 patent adds minor details to a known approach (hard disk or 38.
`
`- 16 -
`
`
`
`
`

`
`mass storage device emulation) to interfacing between a host computer and a data
`
`transmit/receive device. In this section, I provide a background discussion of
`
`aspects of the claimed system, including the purported novelty of the ’399 patent
`
`over the prior art.
`
`A. Device Emulation
` The ’399 patent recites that “[t]he interface device according to the 39.
`
`
`present invention… simulates, both in terms of hardware and software, the way in
`
`which a conventional input/output device functions, preferably that of a hard disk
`
`drive.” (’399 patent, 4:16–20 (emphasis added).)
`
`
`
` The concept of “simulation” as it is described in the ’399 patent—40.
`
`where one device simulates another device—was also known in the art as
`
`“emulation” at least at the time of the earliest possible priority date of the ’399
`
`patent. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,727,512 to Birkner et al., filed on Dec. 6,
`
`1984, illustrates that it was known in the art to utilize a “universal interface device”
`
`to emulate magnetic tape drives in the context of connecting “a computer system
`
`having an industry standard magnetic tape drive interface and peripheral image
`
`acquisition processing system.” (Ex. 1009, Birkner, 1:7–12; 1:27–31.) This
`
`interface device provides “compatibility between magnetic tape drives and the
`
`peripheral image acquisition processing system,” (Birkner, 1:7–12), by receiving
`
`“magnetic tape data and controls signals” at the interface bus of the interface bus,
`
`
`
`
`- 17 -
`
`

`
`and “convert[ing] them into digital data and control signals.” (Birkner, 41–44.)
`
`These converted “digital data and control signals are sent to a data bus [] where
`
`they are available for general access” by another computer system, such as a
`
`peripheral image acquisition processing system. (Birkner, 2:44–51.) Thus, the
`
`interface device allows a host computer, such as the peripheral image acquisition
`
`processing system, to use “existing industry standard interfaces” to access data
`
`stored on magnetic tape drives. (Birkner, 1:27–31.)
`
`
`
` However, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that 41.
`
`emulation was not merely limited to interface devices for magnetic tape drives. For
`
`example, as early as 1983, interface devices such as storage controller emulators
`
`were known in the art for providing “transparent resource sharing” to mass storage
`
`devices such as floppy disk drives. (See Ex. 1010, Maclean, 1:6–11; 3:17–26.) U.S.
`
`Patent No. 4,792,896 to Maclean (“Maclean”), filed on Nov. 29, 1983, for
`
`example, is titled “Storage Controller Emulator Providing Transparent Resource
`
`Sharing in a Computer System.” (See Maclean, Face.) In this patent, storage
`
`controller emulators operate by simulating “the characteristics and responses of a
`
`mass storage device…by processing commands sent by the microprocessor.”
`
`(Maclean, 3:45–49.) One of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that the
`
`practice of emulation solved an important problem in the context of sharing
`
`network resources to a host computer from different devices, such as storage
`
`
`
`
`- 18 -
`
`

`
`devices, that are provided by different manufacturers. (See, Maclean, 1:14–20.)
`
`Different manufacturers may “replac[e] the existing device drivers with their own”
`
`“in order to install their hardware into the computers.” (Maclean, 2:25–30.) Device
`
`drivers translate the protocols of the device so that it may be understood by the
`
`host computer. (See Maclean, 1:57–66.)
`
`
`
` As one of ordinary skill would have recognized, at least as early as 42.
`
`1983, that this approach—where different devices require different device drivers
`
`in order to communicate with the host computer—can cause compatibility
`
`problems. For example, changes to the operating system of the host computer, such
`
`as updates or new releases, may cause the operating system to be incompatible
`
`with the e

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