Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`
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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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`FACEBOOK, INC., WHATSAPP INC.,
`Petitioners
`
`v.
`
`UNILOC USA, INC., UNILOC LUXEMBOURG, S.A.,
`Patent Owners
`
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`TITLE: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSTANT VOIP MESSAGING
`
`
`PETITION FOR INTER PARTES REVIEW
`OF U.S. PATENT NO. 8,995,433
`(PETITION 1 OF 2 – CLAIMS 1-8)
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`Table of Contents
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`Page
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`I. Mandatory Notices Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(A)(1) ........................................ 1
`A.
`Real Party-In-Interest under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(1) ............................ 1
`B.
`Related Matters under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(2) ..................................... 1
`C.
`Lead and Back-Up Counsel under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(3) .................. 3
`D.
`Service Information .............................................................................. 4
`E.
`Power of Attorney ................................................................................ 4
`Fee Payment - 37 C.F.R. § 42.103 ................................................................. 4
`II.
`III. Requirements for Inter Partes Review under 37 C.F.R. §§ 42.104 and
`42.108 ............................................................................................................. 5
`A. Grounds for Standing under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(a) ............................. 5
`B.
`Identification of Challenge under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(b) and
`Statement of Precise Relief Requested ................................................ 5
`IV. Technology Background Relevant to a Person of Ordinary Skill in the
`Art ................................................................................................................... 6
`The ’433 Patent ............................................................................................... 7
`V.
`VI. Claim Construction Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(B)(3) .................................... 9
`A.
`“instant voice messaging application” ................................................. 9
`B.
`“client platform system” ..................................................................... 13
`VII. Claims 1-8 Are Unpatentable ....................................................................... 15
`A.
`Brief Summary and Date Qualification of the Prior Art .................... 15
`
`Overview of Zydney (Ex. 1003) .............................................. 15
`
`Overview of Clark (Ex. 1008) ................................................. 20
`
`Overview of Appelman (Ex. 1004) .......................................... 24
`B. Ground 1: Claims 1-6 and 8 Are Obvious Over Zydney + Clark ...... 28
`
`Claim 1 (Independent) ............................................................. 28
`(a)
`“A system comprising:” (Preamble, Claim 1) ............... 28
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`-i-
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`Table of Contents
`(continued)
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`Page
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`(b)
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`(ii)
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`“an instant voice messaging application including
`a client platform system for generating an instant
`voice message and a messaging system for
`transmitting the instant voice message over a
`packet-switched network via a network interface;”
`(Claim 1[a]) ................................................................... 28
`(i)
`“an instant voice messaging application
`including…” ........................................................ 28
`“…a client platform system for generating
`an instant voice message” ................................... 30
`(iii) “…and a messaging system for transmitting
`the instant voice message over a packet-
`switched network . . .” ......................................... 34
`(iv) “…via a network interface;” ............................... 37
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`displays a list of one or more potential recipients
`for the instant voice message;” (Claim 1[b]) ................. 39
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`includes a message database storing the instant
`voice message,” (Claim 1[c]) ........................................ 39
`“wherein the instant voice message is represented
`by a database record including a unique identifier;
`and” (Claim 1[d]) ........................................................... 48
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`includes a file manager system performing at least
`one of storing, deleting and retrieving the instant
`voice messages from the message database in
`response to a user request.” (Claim 1[e]) ...................... 50
`Claim 2 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 1,
`wherein the message database includes a plurality of
`instant voice messages received over the packet-switched
`network.” .................................................................................. 55
`
`(c)
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`(d)
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`(e)
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`(f)
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`-ii-
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`Table of Contents
`(continued)
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`Page
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`Claim 3 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 2,
`wherein the instant voice messaging application displays
`at least one of the plurality of instant voice messages
`stored in the message database.” .............................................. 56
`Claim 4 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 1,
`wherein the instant voice messaging application includes
`an audio file creation system creating an audio file for the
`instant voice message based on input received via an
`audio input device.” ................................................................. 57
`Claim 5 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 1,
`wherein the instant voice messaging application includes
`an encryption/decryption system for encrypting the
`instant voice messages to be transmitted over the packet-
`switched network and decrypting the instant voices
`messages received over the packet-switched network.” .......... 58
`Claim 6 (Independent) ............................................................. 60
`(a)
`“A system, comprising:” (Preamble, Claim 6) .............. 60
`(b)
`“an instant voice messaging application including
`a client platform system for generating an instant
`voice message and a messaging system for
`transmitting the instant voice message over a
`packet-switched network via a network interface;”
`(Claim 6[a]) ................................................................... 60
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`displays a list of one or more potential recipients
`for the instant voice message;” (Claim 6[b]) ................. 60
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`includes a file manager system performing at least
`one of storing, deleting and retrieving the instant
`voice messages from a message database in
`response to a user request; and” (Claim 6[c]) ............... 60
`
`(d)
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`(c)
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`-iii-
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`Table of Contents
`(continued)
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`Page
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`
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`(e)
`
`“wherein the instant voice messaging application
`includes a compression/decompression system for
`compressing the instant voice messages to be
`transmitted over the packet-switched network and
`decompressing the instant voice messages received
`over the packet-switched network.” (Claim 6[d]) ......... 61
`Claim 8 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 1,
`wherein the instant voice message application generates
`an audible or visual effect indicating receipt of an instant
`voice message.” ........................................................................ 63
`C. Ground 2: Claim 7 Is Obvious Over Zydney + Clark +
`Appelman ........................................................................................... 64
`
`Claim 7 (Dependent): “The system according to claim 1,
`wherein the instant voice messaging application displays
`an indicia for each of the one or more potential recipients
`indicating whether the potential recipient is currently
`available to receive an instant voice message.” ....................... 64
`VIII. Conclusion .................................................................................................... 70
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`List of Exhibits
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`
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`
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`
`
`Description of Document
`Ex. No
`1001 U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433 to Michael J. Rojas
`1002 Declaration of Tal Lavian, Ph.D.
`1003
`PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US00/21555 to Herbert Zydney et
`al. (filed August 7, 2000, published February 15, 2001 as WO
`01/11824 A2) (“Zydney”) (with line numbers added)
`1004 U.S. Patent No. 6,750,881 to Barry Appelman (filed February 24,
`1997, issued June 15, 2004) (“Appelman”)
`
`1005
`
`Excerpts from Margaret Levine Young, Internet: The Complete
`Reference (2d ed. 2002)
`
`1006
`Excerpts from Harry Newton, Newton’s Telecom Dictionary (2002)
`1007 U.S. Patent No. 6,757,365 B1 to Travis A. Bogard (filed October 16,
`2000, issued June 29, 2004)
`1008 U.S. Patent No. 6,725,228 to David Morley Clark et al. (filed Oct.
`31, 2000, issued April 20, 2004) (“Clark”)
`
`1009
`1010
`
`1011
`
`1012
`
`1013
`
`Excerpts from Microsoft Computer Dictionary (3d ed. 1997)
`
`Excerpts from Raymond Greenlaw et al., Introduction to the Internet
`for Engineers (1999)
`
`Excerpts of Joint Claim Construction and Prehearing Statement filed
`on March 10, 2017 in Case No. 16-cv-00642 (E.D. Tex.), including
`Exhibit A
`
`PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US00/21555 to Herbert Zydney et
`al. (filed August 7, 2000, published February 15, 2001 as WO
`01/11824 A2) (as-published version without added line numbers)
`
`Library and date-stamped copy of excerpts from Raymond Greenlaw
`et al., Introduction to the Internet for Engineers (1999) (Ex. 1010)
`
`
`-v-
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`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`This is a petition for Inter Partes Review of claims 1-8 of U.S. Patent No.
`
`8,995,433 (Ex. 1001) (“’433 patent”).
`
`I. MANDATORY NOTICES UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(A)(1)
`A. Real Party-In-Interest under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(1)
`Facebook, Inc. and WhatsApp Inc. (“Petitioners”) are the real parties-in-
`
`interest to this inter partes review petition.
`
`B. Related Matters under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(2)
`The ’433 patent is the subject of a pending request for inter partes review
`
`(IPR2017-00225) filed by Apple Inc. on November 14, 2016. The Petitioners herein
`
`are not parties to IPR2017-00225 and were not involved in the preparation of that
`
`petition. An institution decision is expected for IPR2017-00225 by June 5, 2017.
`
`Concurrent with the filing of this Petition, the Petitioners are filing a second
`
`petition for inter partes review, to address claims not covered by the present Petition.
`
`More specifically, the present Petition addresses claims 1-8, and the other
`
`concurrently-filed petition addresses claims 9-12, 14-17, 25, and 26. The Petitioners
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`filed their challenges against these claims in two separate petitions to allow each
`
`petition to provide a more complete and thorough treatment of each claim.
`
`The ’433 patent is also the subject of two pending litigations involving the
`
`Petitioners: Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Facebook, Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00728-
`
`JRG (E.D. Tex. Filed July 5, 2016) and Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. WhatsApp, Inc.,
`
`
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`-1-
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`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`Case No. 2:16-cv-00645-JRG (E.D. Tex. Filed June 14, 2016), which have been
`
`consolidated for pretrial purposes with Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Samsung
`
`Electronics America, Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00642-JRG (E.D. Tex.).
`
`The Petitioners are also aware of the following additional pending litigations
`
`involving the ’433 patent: Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Tencent America LLC et al.,
`
`Case No. 2:16-cv-00694-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Apple Inc.,
`
`Case No. 2:16-cv-00638-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Blackberry
`
`Corporation et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00639-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et
`
`al. v. Snap Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00696-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al.
`
`v. AOL Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00722-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v.
`
`BeeTalk Private Ltd., Case No. 2:16-cv-00725-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc.
`
`et al. v. Green Tomato Limited, Case No. 2:16-cv-00731-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc
`
`USA, Inc. et al. v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC., Case No. 2:16-cv-00732-
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`JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Avaya Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00777-
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`JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Telegram Messenger, LLP, Case No.
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`2:16-cv-00892-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. HTC America, Inc.,
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`Case No. 2:16-cv-00989-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Kyocera
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`America, Inc. et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00990-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et
`
`al. v. LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc., Case No. 2:16-cv-00991-JRG (E.D. Tex.);
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`Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Motorola Mobility LLC, Case No. 2:16-cv-00992-JRG
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`
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`-2-
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`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`(E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. ZTE (USA), Inc. et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-
`
`00993-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Huawei Device USA, Inc. et al.,
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`Case No. 2:16-cv-00994-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Google, Inc.,
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`Case No. 2:17-cv-00214-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Google, Inc.,
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`Case No. 2:17-cv-00224-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Google, Inc.,
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`Case No. 2:17-cv-00231-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. KIK
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`Interactive, Inc., Case No. 2:17-cv-00347-JRG (E.D. Tex.); Uniloc USA, Inc. et
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`al. v. Hike Ltd., Case No. 2:17-cv-00349-JRG (E.D. Tex.); and Uniloc USA, Inc.,
`
`et al. v. Tencent America LLC, et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00577-JRG (E.D. Tex.).
`
`Although the Petitioners are not parties to these other litigations, because they
`
`involve allegations of infringement of the ’433 patent, they may be impacted by a
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`decision by the Board in this IPR proceeding.
`
`C. Lead and Back-Up Counsel under 37 C.F.R. § 42.8(b)(3)
`Petitioners provide the following designation of counsel.
`
`LEAD COUNSEL
`
`BACK-UP COUNSEL
`
`Heidi L. Keefe (Reg. No. 40,673)
`hkeefe@cooley.com
`FB_Uniloc2_433_PTAB_IPR@cooley.com
`COOLEY LLP
`ATTN: Patent Group
`1299 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
`Suite 700
`Washington, DC 20004
`Tel: (650) 843-5001
`
`
`-3-
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`
`
`Phillip E. Morton (Reg. No. 57,835)
`pmorton@cooley.com
`FB_Uniloc2_433_PTAB_IPR@cooley.com
`COOLEY LLP
`ATTN: Patent Group
`1299 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
`Suite 700
`Washington D.C. 20004
`Tel: (703) 456-8668
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`

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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`
`LEAD COUNSEL
`
`Fax: (650) 849-7400
`
`
`BACK-UP COUNSEL
`
`Fax: (703) 456-8100
`Mark R. Weinstein (Admission pro hac
`vice pending)
`mweinstein@cooley.com
`Tel: (650) 843-5007
`Fax: (650) 849-7400
`
`
`
`D.
`Service Information
`This Petition is being served to the current correspondence address for the
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`’433 patent, Uniloc USA, Inc., Legacy Town Center I, Suite 380, 7160 Dallas
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`Parkway, Plano Texas 75024. The Petitioners consent to electronic service at the
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`addresses provided above for lead and back-up counsel.
`
`E.
`Power of Attorney
`Filed concurrently in accordance with 37 C.F.R. § 42.10(b).
`
`II.
`
`FEE PAYMENT - 37 C.F.R. § 42.103
`This Petition requests review of eight (8) claims. A payment of $23,000 is
`
`submitted herewith, based on a $9,000 request fee (for up to 20 claims), and a post-
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`institution fee of $14,000 (for up to 15 claims). This Petition meets the fee
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`requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(1).
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`-4-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`III. REQUIREMENTS FOR INTER PARTES REVIEW UNDER 37 C.F.R. §§ 42.104
`AND 42.108
`A. Grounds for Standing under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(a)
`The Petitioners certify that the ’433 patent is available for inter partes review
`
`and that the Petitioners are not barred or otherwise estopped from requesting inter
`
`partes review on the grounds identified herein.
`
`B.
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`Identification of Challenge under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(b) and
`Statement of Precise Relief Requested
`The Petitioners respectfully request that the Board initiate inter partes review
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`of claims 1-8 on the following grounds:
`
`Ground
`1
`
`Claims
`1-6, 8
`
`2
`
`7
`
`Basis for Challenge
`Unpatentable over Zydney (Ex. 1003) in view of Clark
`(Ex. 1008) under § 103(a)
`Unpatentable over Zydney (Ex. 1003) in view of Clark
`(Ex. 1008) and Appelman (Ex. 1004), under § 103(a)
`
`Part VII below explains why the challenged claims are unpatentable based
`
`on the grounds identified above. These references were not cited during the original
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`prosecution of the ’433 patent, and were not cited in the separate IPR petition filed
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`by Apple Inc. (IPR2017-00225). Submitted with the Petition is the Declaration of
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`Tal Lavian, Ph.D. (Exhibit 1002) (“Lavian”), a technical expert with decades of
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`relevant technical experience. (Lavian, ¶¶ 1-10, Ex. A.)
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`-5-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`IV. TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUND RELEVANT TO A PERSON OF ORDINARY SKILL
`IN THE ART
`As explained by Dr. Lavian, a person of ordinary skill in the art for purposes
`
`of the ’433 patent would have possessed at least a bachelor’s degree in computer
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`science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering with at least two years of
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`experience in development and programming relating to network communication
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`systems (or equivalent degree or experience). (Lavian, ¶¶ 13-15.)
`
`As discussed in more detail below, the ’433 patent relates generally to instant
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`messaging systems. The term “instant messaging” or “IM” generally refers to a
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`technology that allows two or more people to exchange information with other users,
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`including text, voice data, and/or files. (Id., ¶ 30.)
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`Instant messaging technologies date back to at least the 1960s with the MIT
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`“Interconsole Messages” system, which allowed users to exchange textual messages
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`over a network. (Id., ¶ 32.) Through the 1980s and 1990s, companies such as
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`CompuServe, Commodore, and America Online (AOL), among others, released
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`instant messaging solutions to the public, some of which became immensely
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`popular. (Id., ¶¶ 33-36.) For example, by 2002, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), the
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`instant messaging service offered by AOL, had more than 100 million registered
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`users. (Id., ¶ 37.)
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`The ’433 patent also acknowledges that instant messaging solutions were
`
`known in the art. The Background section of the patent explains that known instant
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`-6-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`messaging (“IM”) systems generally included client devices, IM software installed
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`on those client devices, and IM servers. (’433, 2:35-39.) IM systems communicated
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`over a packet-switched network, such as the Internet. (Id., 1:38-39, 2:35-39.) The
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`IM server maintained a list of users that were currently “online” and able to receive
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`messages and presented this list to the users via the instant messaging software. (Id.,
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`2:39-42; Lavian, ¶ 40.) A user could select one or more recipients and send them a
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`message. (’433, 2:43-45; Lavian, ¶¶ 30, 41, 42.) The IM server would transmit the
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`message to the recipients and the message would be displayed to the recipients by
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`the IM software. (’433, 2:45-47.)
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`Instant messaging services typically required that the user have software (an
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`IM client) that provides a user interface allowing a user to send messages to one or
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`more recipients. The messages would typically be communicated to a server which
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`would either deliver the message to the recipients, or store them at the server if the
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`recipient was not currently available. (Lavian, ¶¶ 30, 41, 42.) IM clients typically
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`varied in terms of what types of information they could transmit, how they indicate
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`availability of other users, whether and how they secure the communications, and
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`other details. (Id., ¶ 31.)
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`V. THE ’433 PATENT
`The ’433 patent purports to describe a system and method for delivering
`
`instant voice messages over a packet-switched network. (’433, Abstract.) The
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`-7-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`disclosed system includes a client such as a VoIP telephone or PC computer
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`“enabled for IP telephony” that is connected to a server and instant voice message
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`(“IVM”) recipients through a network(s). (Id., 1:44-51, 2:61-3:5, 7:8-26.)
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`In one embodiment, when a user chooses to send an IVM, the IVM client
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`displays a “list of one or more IVM recipients.” (Id., 8:2-5.) This recipient list is
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`provided and stored by an IVM server. (Id.) Once recipients are selected, the user
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`records a message, such as by using a microphone to record a digitized audio file.
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`(Id., 8:11-15.) The patent states that one or more files may be attached to the instant
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`voice message, such as by using a conventional “drag-and-drop” technique. (Id.,
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`12:28-43, 13:35-40.)
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`Once the voice message is generated, the client transmits the voice message
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`to the server for delivery to one or more recipients. (Id., 8:22-30.) After receiving
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`the IVM, the server transmits the voice message to the one or more recipients. (Id.,
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`8:30-33.) If the recipient is “available” (currently connected to the IVM server), it
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`will receive the instant voice message. (Id., 8:36-38.) If a recipient is unavailable
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`(offline), the server temporarily saves the voice message and transmits it once the
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`recipient becomes available. (Id., 8:38-43.) The recipient is notified of the new
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`voice message and can play the audio file. (Id., 8:33-36.) If the message has
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`attachments, the recipient can also access the attached files. (Id., 13:5-12.)
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`-8-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`This Petition addresses claims 1-8. Claims 1 and 6 are independent claims.
`
`Claims 2-5, 7 and 8 depend (directly or indirectly) from claim 1.
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`VI. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(B)(3)
`The constructions below provide the broadest reasonable interpretation in
`
`light of the specification to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
`
`A.
`“instant voice messaging application”
`The broadest reasonable interpretation of an “instant voice messaging
`
`application” in the context of the claims of the ’433 patent is “hardware and/or
`
`software used for instant voice messaging.” (Lavian, ¶¶ 48-56.)1
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`The written description of the ’433 patent does not use the word “application”
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`in any way relevant to the alleged invention. In fact, all instances of the word
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`“application” in the written description involve irrelevant (for purposes of this
`
`Petition) cross-references to related patent applications. (’433, 1:4-14.)
`
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`1 The Petitioners do not contend that “instant voice messaging application,” under
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`its broadest reasonable construction, is a “means-plus-function” claim limitation
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`subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 6 (pre-AIA). The Petitioners reserve their right to argue
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`that this term is indefinite under the narrower claim construction standards
`
`applicable in litigation.
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`-9-
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
`
`Nevertheless, the term “application” to a person of ordinary skill in the art
`
`typically refers to computer software for performing a particular function. (Lavian,
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`¶ 52 (citing Ex. 1009, Microsoft Computer Dictionary (3d ed. 1997), at p.27
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`(defining “application” as “[a] program designed to assist in the performance of a
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`specific task, such as word processing, accounting, or inventory management.”).)
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`The written description of the ’433 patent, however, indicates that the term “instant
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`voice messaging application” should not be limited to just software under its
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`broadest reasonable construction.
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`The written description does not identify any particular software program
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`capable of performing all of the functions associated with the “instant voice
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`messaging application” recited in the claims. (Lavian, ¶ 53.) To the contrary, it
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`describes these functions as being performed by an instant voice messaging client,
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`IVM client 208, which is a “general-purpose programmable computer.” (’433,
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`12:13-15.) The IVM client 208 contains various boxes labeled with functions
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`including client platform 302, which contains boxes labeled client engine 304,
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`document handler 306, file manager 308, audio file creation 312, signal processing
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`314, encryption/decryption 316, and compression/decompression 316. (Id., 12:19-
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`23.) The IVM client 208 also contains a box labeled messaging system 320. (Id.,
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`12:8-13.) Figure 3, an excerpt of which is reproduced below, shows these various
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`boxes inside IVM client 208.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`(Id., Fig. 3.)
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`The Petitioners note that independent claims 1, 6, and 9 recite that the “instant
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`voice message application” includes a “client platform system” and a “messaging
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`system.” But Figure 3 above shows both client platform 302 and messaging system
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`320 sitting within IVM client 208, which is a general-purpose computer, and the
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`written description does not identify a specific software program that contains those
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`two components. Accordingly, the term “instant voice messaging application” under
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
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`its broadest reasonable construction should not be limited to a software program, but
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`should be interpreted more broadly to encompass a combination of multiple different
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`software programs and/or hardware components. (Lavian, ¶ 54.)
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`This conclusion is buttressed by the fact that independent claims 1 and 6,
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`which recite that the claimed instant voice messaging application “displays a list of
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`one or more potential recipients for the instant voice message.” The written
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`description indicates that displaying is carried out by a hardware device – display
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`device 216 connected to IVM client 208. (’433, Fig. 2; 8:2-3 (“The IVM
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`client 208 displays a list of one or more IVM recipients on its display 216…”).)2
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`The written description does not state that any of the boxes inside IVM client 208,
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`or any software, provides the claimed display capability. (Lavian, ¶ 55.)
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`Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have understood that,
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`under its broadest reasonable construction, “instant voice messaging application” is
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`not limited to software and could include hardware such as a general purpose
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`computer and display device 216. (Lavian, ¶ 56.) Accordingly, a person of ordinary
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`skill in the art would have understood that the broadest reasonable interpretation of
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`2 All emphasis in quoted text in this Petition has been added, unless otherwise
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`noted.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`“instant voice messaging application” in the context of the claims of the ’433
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`patent is “hardware and/or software used for instant voice messaging.”
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`B.
`“client platform system”
`One of the components of the claimed “instant voice messaging application”
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`is a “client platform system.” In particular, claim 1 states that the “instant voice
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`messaging application” includes “a client platform system for generating an instant
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`voice message.” As shown below, the broadest reasonable construction of “client
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`platform system” is “hardware and/or software on a client for generating an
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`instant voice message.”3
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`The written description does not use the term “client platform system” but
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`does describe a “client platform 302” whose purpose is “generating an instant voice
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`message” (’433, 12:9-10). The written description further states that the client
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`platform 302 “comprises a client engine 304, which controls other components” such
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`as the document handler, file manager, and encryption/decryption. (Id., 12:19-23.)
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`3 The Petitioners do not contend that “client platform system,” under its broadest
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`reasonable construction, is a “means-plus-function” claim limitation subject to 35
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`U.S.C. § 112, ¶ 6 (pre-AIA). The Petitioners reserve their right to argue that this
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`term is indefinite under the narrower claim construction standards applicable in
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`litigation.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`The written description does not identify what “client engine 304” actually is, e.g.,
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`whether it is hardware and/or software. The written description instead provides a
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`functional description of client engine 304 as performing at least two functions: (1)
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`communicating with the server and (2) performing operations required to generate
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`an instant voice message. (Id., 12:26-27, 13:17-30.) Figure 3 similarly shows client
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`engine 304 as a nondescript box within client platform 302. (Id., Fig. 3.)
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`Nevertheless, as explained above, the claimed “instant voice messaging
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`application” is composed of hardware and/or software under its broadest reasonable
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`construction. Because the claimed “client platform system” is part of the “instant
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`messaging application” in the challenged claims, the “client platform system” under
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`its broadest reasonable construction should similarly be defined as hardware and/or
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`software. Accordingly, the term “client platform system” should be defined under
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`its broadest reasonable construction as “hardware and/or software on a client for
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`generating an instant voice message.”
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`In the co-pending litigation involving the Petitioners, the Patent Owner has
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`proposed to construe “a client platform system” to mean “the system of the client
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`engine which controls other components used to generate an instant voice message.”
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`(Ex. 1011, Ex. A, pp.16-17 (Term 24).) This definition has various flaws and is
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`inconsistent with the broadest reasonable interpretation. (Lavian, ¶ 61.) To begin
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`with, this definition incorrectly reverses the relationship between the “client engine”
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`and the “client platform” by reciting that the “client platform system” is a part of the
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`“client engine.” But the written description makes clear that the opposite is true –
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`client engine 304 is part of the client platform 302, not the other way around. (’433,
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`Fig. 3, 12:19-20 (“The client platform 302 comprises a client engine 304, which
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`controls other components…”).) Second, the claims themselves do not recite a
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`“client engine,” and the recitation of a “client engine” does not appear to add
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`anything meaningful to the Patent Owner’s proposed construction. (Lavian, ¶ 61.)
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`Nevertheless, as explained in the analysis below, the prior art discloses the claimed
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`“client platform system” even under the Patent Owner’s proposed construction.
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`VII. CLAIMS 1-8 ARE UNPATENTABLE
`Claims 1-8 are unpatentable based on the following two grounds:
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`Ground Claims
`1
`1-6, 8
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`2
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`7
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`Basis for Challenge
`Unpatentable over Zydney (Ex. 1003) in view of Clark (Ex.
`1008) under § 103(a)
`Unpatentable over Zydney (Ex. 1003) in view of Clark (Ex.
`1008) and Appelman (Ex. 1004), under § 103(a)
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`This Petition will first provide an overview of each reference.
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`A. Brief Summary and Date Qualification of the Prior Art
` Overview of Zydney (Ex. 1003)
`Zydney is a published PCT application that describes a system for voice
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`communication that enables a user to send instant voice messages, which Zydney
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`calls “voice containers.” (Zydney, Ex, 1003, 2:2-3.) The system transmits the voice
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of
`U.S. Patent No. 8,995,433
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`containers “instantaneously or stored for later delivery,” depending on whether or
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`not the recipient is currently online. (Id., 1:19-22, 15:8-21.) Zydney qualifies as
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`prior art vis-à-vis the ’433 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) (pre-AIA) because
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`Zydney was published on February 15, 2001, more than one year before the earliest
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`patent application filing date for the ’433 patent.
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`The Petitioners also note that the Zydney reference contains page numbers but
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`does not contain line numbers. Accordingly, for convenience of the Board and ease
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`of reference, Exhibit 1003 to this Petition contains a copy of Zydney in which line
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`numbers have been added to the left of each page (beginning on page 1), to facilitate
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`precise citation to the passages of the reference cited in this Petition. Any citations
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`to line numbers of Zydney in t