`
`
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`___________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`___________________
`
`
`
`ZTE (USA) INC.
`
`
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`FUNDAMENTAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL LLC
`Patent Owner.
`___________________
`
`Case IPR2018-00111
`Patent No. 8,624,550
`___________________
`
`
`PATENT OWNER'S SUR-REPLY
`
`10623207
`
`
`
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`V.
`
`B.
`
`Page
`Introduction ............................................................................................ 1
`I.
`Petitioner Improperly Attempts To Add ZTX As An RPI ..................... 5
`II.
`III. The Board Should Affirm Its Claim Construction And Find
`That Rogers' Disclosure Of 48VDC Does Not Render Claim 1
`Obvious ................................................................................................... 5
`IV. Petitioner's Claim 10 Construction Relies On The Same
`Defective Analysis As For Claim 1 And Should Be Rejected ............... 8
`Petitioner Ignores Rogers' Teachings And Fails To Show That
`Challenged Claims Are Obvious ............................................................ 9
`A.
`The Fernald and Rogers Declarations base their analysis
`on Rogers' disclosures as a whole .............................................. 11
`Rogers' disclosure of a modified USB supply voltage
`does not suggest departure from unrelated aspects of the
`USB Specification ...................................................................... 12
`Rogers does not disclose or suggest disregarding the
`USB current limits (claims 1-2, 9-11 and 18) ............................ 15
`Rogers does not disclose or suggest disregarding the
`USB enumeration process (claims 1, 3, 10, 12) ......................... 20
`Rogers and Shiga do not render obvious claims 4-8 and
`13-17 ........................................................................................... 23
`VI. The Trial Is Unconstitutional ............................................................... 27
`VII. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 27
`
`
`C.
`
`D.
`
`E.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- i -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
` Page(s)
`
`Cases
`Belden Inc. v. Berk-Tek LLC,
`805 F.3d 1064 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ................................................................ 2, 13
`
`Huawei Device Co., Ltd. v. Fundamental Innovation Systems
`International LLC,
`IPR2018-00465, Paper 11 (PTAB, Aug. 20, 2018) .................... 14, 19, 21, 23
`
`Huawei Device Co., Ltd. v. Fundamental Innovation Systems
`International LLC,
`IPR2018-00485, Paper 8 (PTAB, Sept. 4, 2018) ................................... 14, 19
`KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.,
`550 US 398 (2007) ....................................................................................... 14
`Medichem, S.A. v. Rolabo, S.L.,
`353 F.3d 928 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ........................................................................ 9
`Personal Web Techs., LL v. Apple, Inc.,
`848 F.3d 987 (Fed. Cir. 2017) ...................................................................... 13
`
`ZTE (USA) Inc. v. Fundamental Innovation Systems International
`LLC,
`IPR2018-00215, Paper 26 (PTAB, Dec. 11, 2018) ................................ 14, 23
`
`10623207
`
`
`- ii -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`
`
`Ex. 2001
`
`Ex. 2002
`
`Ex. 2003
`Ex. 2004
`Ex. 2005
`
`Ex. 2006
`Ex. 2007
`Ex. 2008
`Ex. 2009
`Ex. 2010
`
`Ex. 2011
`
`Ex. 2012
`
`Ex. 2013
`
`Ex. 2014
`
`Ex. 2015
`
`10623207
`
`
`EXHIBIT LIST
`
`
`Declaration of Kenneth Fernald, Ph.D. in Support of
`Fundamental Innovation Systems International LLC's Patent
`Owner Preliminary Response
`Declaration of Mr. Steven Rogers in Support of Fundamental
`Innovation Systems International LLC's Patent Owner
`Preliminary Response
`Jan Axelson, USB Complete (1999), excerpt
`U.S. Patent No. 5,884,086 ("Amoni")
`Deposition Transcript of John Garney (Nov. 20, 2017) in
`Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l LLC v. Samsung
`Electronics Co. (E.D. Tex.), excerpt
`Jan Axelson, USB Complete (2d ed. 2001), excerpt
`Sheasby PHV Declaration
`Fundamental-Samsung Settlement Agreement (Confidential)
`2018-07-02 Hearing Transcript
`Deposition Transcript of John Garney (Nov. 20, 2017) in
`Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l LLC v. Samsung
`Electronics Co. (E.D. Tex.), full transcript
`Declaration of Kenneth Fernald, Ph.D. in Support of
`Fundamental Innovation Systems International LLC's Patent
`Owner Response
`Declaration of Mr. Steven Rogers in Support of Fundamental
`Innovation Systems International LLC's Patent Owner
`Response
`Deposition Transcript of Mr. James T. Geier in IPR2018-
`00111 (July 30, 2018)
`ZTE (TX) Inc.'s corporate disclosure statement in Fractus,
`S.A. v. ZTE Corp. et al., Civ. No. 2:17-cv-00561-JRG (Sept.
`25, 2017, E.D. Tex.)
`ZTE (USA) and ZTE (TX) Inc.'s corporate disclosure
`statement in Saint Lawrence Communications LLC v. ZTE
`
`- iii -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`Corp. et al., Civ. No. 2:15-cv-00349-JRG (May 26, 2015,
`E.D. Tex.)
`Amended complaint in Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l
`LLC v. ZTE Corp., 2:17-cv-00124-JRG (E.D. Tex.), now
`transferred to N.D. Tex. as 3:17-cv-01827-N.
`Declaration of Chao Shan in Support of ZTE's Motion to
`Dismiss in Fractus, S.A. v. ZTE Corp. et al., Civ. No. 2:17-
`cv-00561-JRG (Sept. 25, 2017, E.D. Tex.)
`LG Electronics Inc. Corporate Structure Tree
`2016-2017 LG Electronics Sustainability Report
`Excerpts from LG Corporation Annual Report (2017)
`(translated from Korean)
`LG Corporation Key Developments Report
`Jan Axelson, USB Complete (2d ed. 2001), additional excerpt
`Deposition Transcript of Daniel Fischer (May 9, 2018) in
`Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l LLC v. Samsung
`Electronics Co. et al. (E.D. Tex.), Fundamental Innovation
`Sys. Int'l LLC v. LG Electronics, Inc. et al. (E.D. Tex.),
`Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l LLC v. Huawei Device Co.,
`Ltd. et al. (E.D. Tex.), Fundamental Innovation Sys. Int'l LLC
`v. ZTE Corp. et al. (N.D. Tex.), excerpt
`LinkedIn public profile of Dan Radut
`LinkedIn public profile of Jonathan Malton
`LinkedIn public profile of Michael Habicher
`Fundamental-LG Settlement Agreement (Confidential)
`2018-11-28 Hearing Transcript
`ZTE (TX), Inc.'s answer to Fundamental's Amended
`Complaint
`ZTE USA, Inc.'s answer to Fundamental's Amended
`Complaint
`ZTE Corporation's answer to Fundamental's Amended
`Complaint
`Zhong Declaration regarding www.ztetx.com
`
`Ex. 2016
`
`Ex. 2017
`
`Ex. 2018
`Ex. 2019
`Ex. 2020
`
`Ex. 2021
`Ex. 2022
`Ex. 2023
`
`Ex. 2024
`Ex. 2025
`Ex. 2026
`Ex. 2027
`Ex. 2028
`Ex. 2029
`
`Ex. 2030
`
`Ex. 2031
`
`Ex. 2032
`
`10623207
`
`
`- iv -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`I.
`
`Introduction
`Petitioner's challenge to the '550 patent fails for multiple reasons.
`
`First, Petitioner has failed to name ZTE (TX), Inc. ("ZTX") as a real
`
`party-in-interest ("RPI"), a fact that it did not dispute. Reply generally.
`
`Second, although the claims expressly recite the "USB specification,"
`
`Petitioner's claim construction disregards relevant teachings in the USB
`
`specification. Petitioner, for example, ignores that the USB specification lists
`
`supply voltage limits and supply current limits as separate and distinct limits.
`
`Ex. 1008-206. Thus, supply voltage is neither a condition associated with nor a
`
`limit related to supplying current in the context of the USB specification.
`
`Third, Petitioner does not dispute that under the Board's claim
`
`construction, Rogers' supply of 48VDC does not satisfy claim 1's limitation
`
`"supply current without regard to at least one associated condition specified in
`
`
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 1 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`a USB specification." Reply 5-6. The same conclusion applies to claim 10
`
`under what Patent Owner respectfully submits is the correct claim construction.
`
`Fourth, contrary to Petitioner's assertion, Rogers does not "specifically
`
`criticize[] the USB current limits" or "suggest[] examples that would depart
`
`from those limits." Reply 6. Instead, Rogers is concerned with the USB's
`
`"limited capacity to provide power to a connected device." Ex. 1005, 10:67-
`
`11:2. Rogers solves this problem by increasing the supply voltage, and not the
`
`independent supply current. Id., 11:16-19. Indeed, Rogers expressly states that
`
`its supply "voltage is high so that the current required is as low as possible, for
`
`a given power level." Id., 10:29-33.
`
`Petitioner also does not explain how Rogers' teaching of exceeding the
`
`USB's supply voltage limit would have motivated a POSA to also exceed the
`
`supply current limit. Reply 10-12. Instead, it merely asserts "it would have
`
`been obvious to [a POSA] that they could supply current without regard to the
`
`USB current limits." Reply 10 (emphasis in original). That is legally
`
`insufficient as "obviousness concerns whether a skilled artisan not only could
`
`have made but would have been motivated to make the . . . modifications of
`
`prior art to arrive at the claimed invention." Belden Inc. v. Berk-Tek LLC, 805
`
`F.3d 1064, 1073 (Fed. Cir. 2015) (emphasis in original).
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 2 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`Petitioner has also provided no rebuttal evidence to Rogers' and
`
`Fernald's testimony on why a POSA would not have modified Rogers for
`
`higher supply current in light of Rogers' stated objectives. E.g., Ex. 2012, ¶9
`
`(Rogers' system was limited to the 500mA limit because "most USB cables
`
`used to connect the base unit with the accessories had wire gauges designed to
`
`carry a current of about 500 mA" and not higher amounts); Ex. 2011, ¶85
`
`(Rogers desires to keep current "as low as possible").
`
`Fifth, Petitioner offers no reason why Rogers' teaching of exceeding the
`
`USB supply voltage limit (a power requirement) would have motivated a
`
`POSA to deviate from the USB communication protocol so that the power
`
`requirement is communicated "without USB enumeration." Reply 13. In
`
`contrast, the Fernald and Rogers Declarations both testified, unrebutted, that a
`
`POSA would understand that Rogers used standard USB communication
`
`protocol, including the USB enumeration, because Rogers expressly states that
`
`it chose USB for communication to accommodate "future expansion."
`
`Ex. 2012, ¶¶20-22, 28; Ex. 2011, ¶¶46, 90-91, 99-101; Ex. 1005, 10:59-62.
`
`Petitioner also does not explain how Rogers' base unit could or would
`
`have communicated with and accessed the accessories' functions if it
`
`eliminated the USB enumeration process that the parties agree is required for a
`
`USB host to access a USB device's function.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 3 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`Sixth, with respect to Ground 2, Petitioner provides no rebuttal to
`
`evidence showing that there was no reasonable expectation of success of
`
`utilizing Shiga's SE1 signal in Rogers' system. POR at 57-62; Reply 14-17;
`
`Institution Decision ("ID") 19-22. Instead, Petitioner merely reasserts its
`
`conclusory belief that, because Rogers increased its USB supply voltage,
`
`Rogers employed a non-USB query-and-response scheme. Reply 15-17.
`
`Petitioner does not explain how Rogers, as modified by Petitioner, could
`
`differentiate an SE1 signal indicating a 48V-capable device from an SE1 signal
`
`generated in error. As Dr. Fernald explains, if the SE1 signal generated in
`
`error were treated as a signal for a 48V-capable device, the mistake would
`
`result in "system errors that are very difficult to isolate and correct" (Ex 1008-
`
`0344), safety hazards and damaged device due to too high an operating voltage.
`
`Ex. 2011, ¶¶110-117. Because Petitioner has not shown that a POSA would
`
`have had a reasonable expectation of success, its obviousness theory fails.
`
`Ultimately, Petitioner's failure to carry its burden is unsurprising: Other
`
`accused infringers—Samsung, LGE, and Huawei—all abandoned Rogers in
`
`their final validity reports in the district court. For reasons stated in the record,
`
`the Board should rule in Patent Owner's favor.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 4 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`II.
`
`Petitioner Improperly Attempts To Add ZTX As An RPI
`Patent Owner has presented evidence that ZTX is an omitted RPI. POR
`
`17-19; Paper 50 at 8-9. Petitioner presents no contrary evidence. Reply;
`
`Papers 48, 51. Instead, it attempts to retroactively add ZTX as an RPI. Paper
`
`48. This is improper.
`
`III. The Board Should Affirm Its Claim Construction And Find That
`Rogers' Disclosure Of 48VDC Does Not Render Claim 1 Obvious
`The parties agree that "associated" in claim 1 refers back to "supply[ing]
`
`current." Reply 3. Petitioner argues without support that "[a]ll other things
`
`being equal, Ohm's law would have told those of skill in the art that limiting
`
`the supply voltage necessarily would also limit the current." Id. Petitioner
`
`does not explain whether, in the context of the '550 patent and the USB, "all
`
`others things [are] equal." Reply 3-4; POR 14-16. Dr. Fernald explains,
`
`however, "[i]n the USB specification, current and voltage are independent
`
`variables and the voltage level does not influence the limits set in the
`
`specification for current, and current levels do not influence the limits set in the
`
`specification for voltage." Ex. 2011, ¶49. Specifically, the USB specification
`
`lists independent limits for "Supply Voltage" and "Supply Current," and
`
`specifies that "a USB device communicates power need in units of current."
`
`Ex. 1008-0206, -0294; Reply 3; Ex. 2011, ¶¶49, 51, 55.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 5 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`As a result, in the USB specification, current and voltage limits are
`
`distinct, separate and independent of each other. For example, when the supply
`
`voltage is 4.4V, the current is still limited to the USB current limit of 500mA
`
`even if the USB power source can supply up to 2.5W of power which translates
`
`to 568mA at 4.4V. Ex. 2011, ¶49.
`
`Petitioner does not dispute the above, but argues that the USB
`
`specification's requirement that power be communicated in units of current is
`
`extrinsic evidence and is irrelevant. Reply 3. This ignores the context of the
`
`claims which concern "supply current on the VBUS line without regard to at
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 6 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`least an associated condition specified in a USB specification." Petitioner
`
`itself acknowledges that the '550 patent describes power and current limits by
`
`referencing the USB specification. Pet. 15 ("the '550 patent states that 'the
`
`USB specifies a process for transferring energy across the USB called
`
`enumeration and limits the electrical current that flow across the USB.'"); id.
`
`("For example, the '550 patent describes enumeration as a 'host-initiated
`
`process' needed 'to be compliant with the current USB specification in drawing
`
`power from the USB interface.'"). Hence, a POSA would review the USB
`
`specification to understand which conditions are associated with supplying
`
`current.
`
`Further, the doctrine of claim differentiation does not support Petitioner's
`
`claim construction. Reply 4. This is because conditions associated with
`
`supplying current in the USB specification encompass more than "a current
`
`limit" recited in claim 2. Ex. 2011, ¶48; POR 12. These non-current-limit
`
`conditions include factors such as "the direction of the flow of current" or time
`
`limits for triggering the suspend state, all of which are recited in the USB
`
`specification. Id. Because of this, claim 1 is broader than claim 2, albeit still
`
`limited to conditions "associated" with current supply. Hence, the doctrine of
`
`claim differentiation does not compel a reading that interprets "supply voltage"
`
`as a condition associated with supplying current over the VBUS line.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 7 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`The Board should thus affirm its construction that "the 'associated
`
`condition' limitation of claim 1 [is] a condition associated with the supply of
`
`current of the VBUS line, and not a condition associated with, for example,
`
`voltage." ID 8. Under this correct construction, Rogers' use of 48VDC supply
`
`voltage does not render obvious claim 1 as the disregarded condition is not one
`
`"associated" with supplying current. Id., 13-14; Reply 5-6.
`
`IV. Petitioner's Claim 10 Construction Relies On The Same Defective
`Analysis As For Claim 1 And Should Be Rejected
`Claim 10 recites "supply current on the VBUS line without regard to at
`
`least one USB specification imposed limit." Petitioner argues that claim 10
`
`encompasses a supply voltage limit, relying on the same rationale as for
`
`claim 1. Reply 3-4. For the same reason as stated above and in the POR, the
`
`Board should reject Petitioner's construction and adopt Patent Owner's. POR
`
`16-17; Ex. 2011, ¶¶54-56.
`
`Specifically, because claim 10 recites "without regard to at least one
`
`USB specification imposed limit," a POSA would examine the USB
`
`specification to understand which limits regard supplying current. Dr. Fernald
`
`explains that a POSA would not understand supply voltage as a limit
`
`"regard[ing]" "supply[ing] current" in the USB because the USB specification
`
`lists the supply voltage limits and the supply current limits independently and
`
`because, in the USB specification, power is communicated as units of current.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 8 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`Ex. 2011, ¶¶49, 55; POR 17. Petitioner does not dispute these facts. Reply 5-
`
`6.
`
`Claim differentiation also does not support Petitioner's construction: In
`
`the USB specification, limits related to current supply include not only current
`
`limits, but also, for example, time limits for transitions between various states
`
`that trigger different current limits. Ex. 2011, ¶56. Like claim 1, Roger's use
`
`of 48VDC does not disclose this claim 10 limitation under the correct claim
`
`construction, and Petitioner therefore cannot prevail under this theory.
`
`Medichem, S.A. v. Rolabo, S.L., 353 F.3d 928, 933 (Fed. Cir. 2003)
`
`(obviousness involves "a two-step inquir[y]," the first step of which "is a
`
`proper construction of the claims").
`
`V.
`
`Petitioner Ignores Rogers' Teachings And Fails To Show That
`Challenged Claims Are Obvious
`Petitioner asserts that Patent Owner attempts to "chang[e] the teachings
`
`of the Rogers patent." Reply 1. To the contrary, Patent Owner's Responses are
`
`based on Rogers' specific disclosures and a POSA's understanding of these
`
`disclosures as explained by the Fernald and Rogers Declarations. Petitioner,
`
`on the other hand, fails to consider Rogers' disclosures as a whole, arguing
`
`repeatedly that, because Rogers taught modifying the USB specification's
`
`supply voltage, a POSA would have felt unrestrained by the USB specification
`
`to also change the current supply limit and ignore the USB communication
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 9 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`protocols. Reply 1. But in making this argument, the Petitioner simply ignores
`
`the evidence presented by Patent Owner that a POSA would not have been
`
`motivated to modify Rogers:
`
`(1) to supply current in excess of the current limits using the "standard"
`
`USB connectors specified in Rogers, in light of Rogers' express desire to use a
`
`high voltage so as to keep current "as low as possible" (POR 30-31, 32-33);
`
`(2) to disregard USB communication protocols and forego the necessary
`
`enumeration process when Rogers specifically selected USB to allow its base
`
`unit "to communicate with the accessories" and "to facilitate future expansion
`
`selection" of the accessories (Ex. 1005, 10:59-62) (POR 36-38, 42); or
`
`(3) to disregard USB communication protocols and respond to a USB
`
`query with the forbidden SE1 signal when the overwhelming weight of
`
`evidence establishes that POSAs believed this would:
`
`• lead to damaged devices, and errors that are hard to isolate and
`
`correct (POR 44-45, 58-60);
`
`• lead to interference with normal communication (POR 44, 51-52, 57-
`
`58, 60-62); and
`
`• provide no advantage over the tested and known USB-compliant
`
`query-and-response procedures (POR 43, 53-56).
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 10 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`A. The Fernald and Rogers Declarations base their analysis on
`Rogers' disclosures as a whole
`Petitioner asserts that "Patent Owner seeks to improperly limit the
`
`teaching of the Rogers patent to a specific commercial embodiment that Mr.
`
`Rogers described in his declaration—but not in his patent." Reply 6; see also
`
`Reply 8-10. Petitioner is mistaken: Both the Fernald and Rogers Declarations
`
`explained, as experts are expected to do, how a POSA would have understood
`
`the Rogers' disclosures, but did not expand or modify the Rogers' disclosures.
`
`For example, Petitioner complains that the Rogers' inventor testified that "to
`
`ensure maximum compatibility with accessories and associated cables, the
`
`power supply system in the Rogers system was limited to the 500 mA of
`
`supply current." Reply 7. The context makes clear that the Rogers inventor
`
`was explaining how a POSA would have understood the effects on current
`
`limits given Rogers' stated objective of choosing the USB interface "for future
`
`expansion" of accessories and why changes to voltage would not affect this
`
`interoperability goal. Ex. 2012, ¶¶9-10, 15 & n.4; see also Ex. 2011, ¶46 (Dr.
`
`Fernald explaining that "to facilitate Rogers' objective of 'future expansion' of
`
`accessories and therefore interoperability with unknown USB devices, a POSA
`
`would have had a reason to follow . . . the USB specification's current limits,"
`
`e.g., because of the typical wires used and their current-carrying limit).
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 11 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`Petitioner next complains that Patent Owner "assume[s] that the Rogers
`
`patent's operator console is a USB-compliant bus-powered hub." Reply 7. The
`
`Fernald and Rogers Declarations both explain that a POSA would understand
`
`that because Rogers' "design is only described as deviating from the USB
`
`specification by having a 'dual-voltage' feature, the . . . operator console would
`
`comply with the USB specification" (except for supply voltage). Ex. 2012,
`
`¶16; Ex. 2011, ¶¶46, 80; POR 31. Further, because Rogers' operator console
`
`has both upstream facing and downstream facing ports and because it derives
`
`all its power from the USB connection, a POSA would understand it to be a
`
`bus-powered hub. POR 31; Ex. 2011, ¶¶80, 83 & n.7; Ex. 2012, ¶16;
`
`Ex. 1005, 11:4-7 (describing USB current limits applicable to bus-powered
`
`hubs), Figs. 8, 11-12. Petitioner provides no contrary evidence to show that
`
`these conclusions are wrong.
`
`B. Rogers' disclosure of a modified USB supply voltage does not
`suggest departure from unrelated aspects of the USB
`Specification
`Petitioner argues that Rogers' disclosure of a "modified USB interface"
`
`entitles it to imagine unrestrained modifications to the USB specification, even
`
`if the modifications are never expressly stated and would have conflicted with
`
`Rogers' stated objectives of interoperability. Reply 6-8, 13. As Dr. Fernald
`
`explained at his deposition, Rogers describes the "modified" USB interface
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 12 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`only in terms of modifying the voltage. Ex. 1015, 69:6-15. Petitioner provides
`
`no competent evidence that modifying one aspect of the USB specification in
`
`Rogers—supply voltage—would have motivated a POSA to modify other
`
`aspects of the USB specification, such as the current limits and the
`
`communication protocol.
`
`Indeed, Petitioner premises its obviousness theories on what a POSA
`
`allegedly could do. E.g., Reply 10 ("it would have been obvious to [a POSA]
`
`that they could supply current without regard[] to the USB current limits")
`
`(emphasis in original), Reply 14 ("These teachings would have at least
`
`suggested to [a POSA] that current could be supplied on VBUS . . . without
`
`enumeration") (emphasis added). But "obviousness concerns whether a skilled
`
`artisan not only could have made but would have been motivated to make the
`
`. . . modifications of prior art to arrive at the claimed invention." Belden, 805
`
`F.3d at 1073; see also Personal Web Techs., LL v. Apple, Inc., 848 F.3d 987,
`
`993-994 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (obviousness cannot be shown by merely asserting
`
`that the modification "would have allowed for" the patented feature, which is
`
`another way of stating that the references "could be combined").
`
`This is also not a case where Petitioner's new "obvious-to-try" theory
`
`applies. Reply 10, 14. "Obvious to try" requires a showing that "there [was] a
`
`design need[,] market pressure to solve a problem" or some other reason to
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 13 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`make that try and that "there [were] a finite number of identified, predictable
`
`solutions." KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 US 398, 421 (2007). Petitioner
`
`has not made the requisite showing as it fails to identify (1) what were the
`
`reasons to make the specific try, (2) why only a limited number of solutions
`
`existed, and (3) why the solutions were predictable with a reasonable
`
`expectation of success. The Board has previously rejected similar obvious-to-
`
`try arguments. See Sections V.C-V.E for discussions of Huawei-485, Huawei-
`
`465, and ZTE-215 decisions.
`
`Further, Patent Owner's experts explain why, in light of Rogers'
`
`objectives and the constraints at the time, a POSA would not have made the
`
`modifications. Ex. 2012, ¶¶9, 15 & n.4, 20; Ex. 2011, ¶¶46, 84-85, 100-101,
`
`109-126. For example, the Rogers inventor explained that a POSA would not
`
`have increased the current limits due to the properties of 4-wire USB cables
`
`used and Rogers' stated desire to interoperate with different accessories and to
`
`keep current "as low as possible." Ex. 2012, ¶¶9, 15 & n.4; Ex. 2011, ¶46;
`
`POR 30.1 As another example, far from being limited to a finite number of
`
`
`1 Moreover, because USB enumeration limits current request to 500mA
`
`but places no limits on voltages, (Ex. 1008-0294), increasing the current limit
`
`could also affect the communication protocol.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 14 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`solutions, Rogers' query-and-response "can encompass numerous permutations
`
`of different data messages," including using different enumeration parameters.
`
`POR 53 & n.13; Ex. 2012, ¶¶25-26; Ex. 2011, ¶¶92-94. Dr. Fernald also
`
`testified about other ways to provision Rogers' high-power functions within the
`
`USB limits. Ex. 1015, 17:10-20. As yet another example, Dr. Fernald
`
`explained that there would be no reasonable expectation of success to use SE1
`
`for Rogers' query-and-response, leading to interruption of USB
`
`communication, damage to low-voltage devices, and errors that are difficult to
`
`correct. Ex. 2011, ¶¶109-126; POR 58-63. Petitioner does not rebut any of the
`
`above-mentioned evidence. Similarly, Dr. Fernald testified that enumeration is
`
`central to communication between Rogers' base unit and accessories.
`
`Ex. 2011, ¶46. Petitioner does not dispute this testimony or explain how,
`
`without USB enumeration, Rogers' base unit and accessories could
`
`communicate with each other via USB. In other words, Petitioner fails to
`
`demonstrate a reason to try the proposed modification.
`
`C. Rogers does not disclose or suggest disregarding the USB
`current limits (claims 1-2, 9-11 and 18)
`Petitioner asserts that Rogers "specifically criticized the USB current
`
`limits and suggested examples that would depart from those limits." Reply 6;
`
`see also Reply 10-12. Petitioner is wrong.
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 15 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`First, Rogers was concerned with USB's "limited capacity to provide
`
`power to a connected device." Ex. 1005, 10:67-11:2. Rogers does not criticize
`
`USB current limits. In fact, to increase the USB power capacity, Rogers
`
`proposed increasing supply voltage with a "dual-voltage accessory power
`
`system [that] allows the LAN telephone to alternatively supply power at 48
`
`VDC, instead of 5VDC, thus increasing the power consumption by a factor of
`
`10." Ex. 1005, 11:16-19. The Rogers and Fernald Declarations both explain
`
`that a POSA would understand this disclosure as disclosing increasing power
`
`by increasing supply voltage only. Ex. 2011, ¶¶62-63; Ex. 2012, ¶10; POR 24.
`
`Petitioner does not rebut this testimony with any evidence.
`
`Second, Rogers never discloses or suggests examples that depart from
`
`USB current limits. Petitioner's argument to the contrary assumes that the
`
`power demand at 5VDC and 48VDC would be the same such that at 5VDC,
`
`the base unit must supply more than 500mA of current to meet the power
`
`requirements. Reply 11-12. But Rogers discloses that the 5VDC-mode is the
`
`"low-power" mode and that an accessory's high-power functions are only
`
`enabled when 48VDC is present. Ex. 1005, 12:12-14, 12:38-40 ("If 48 VDC is
`
`present, then the accessory microprocessor 124 can enable functions that
`
`require higher power); POR 25-26; Ex. 2012, ¶17; Ex. 2011, ¶75. That is, a
`
`POSA would understand that at 5VDC, "the accessory operates in low-power
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 16 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`modes that do not require and do not draw much electrical energy." Ex. 2012,
`
`¶17. Petitioner provides no contrary evidence. Hence, even if Rogers "does
`
`not limit [its] accessory to operating in the 48V mode,"2 Rogers does not
`
`suggest supplying current in excess of 500mA at 5VDC (or 48V) because the
`
`5VDC-mode is the low-power mode which does not need all the extra power
`
`and current. Ex. 2012, ¶17; Ex. 2011, ¶75.
`
`The cited testimony by Dr. Fernald is not to the contrary: Dr. Fernald
`
`never testified that Rogers' accessories had the same power requirements in the
`
`5VDC and 48VDC modes. Ex. 1015, 27:15-20, 28:4-11, 60:16-61:6. Instead,
`
`Dr. Fernald explains that if the current demand by the device exceeds 500mA,
`
`"[t]he accessory simply wouldn't get the current it needed, and it would have to
`
`downgrade its function" and "that's how USB spec works." Id., 99:24-100:9.
`
`Although this testimony was given in the context of the 48VDC mode, the
`
`same applies to the 5VDC mode in which "functions that require higher power"
`
`are not enabled. Ex. 2011, ¶83; Ex. 1005 at 12:38-40 ("If 48 VDC is present,
`
`then the accessory microprocessor 124 can enable functions that require higher
`
`power."), 11:44-45 (5VDC is "default power setting"), 12:4-7 (reverting to
`
`
`2 Reply 12; see also Reply 11 (alleging that "Patent Owner . . . assumes
`
`the operator console works only in 48V mode").
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 17 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`5VDC when 48VDC accessory is removed). Petitioner provides no evidence
`
`that a POSA would have understood otherwise.
`
`Petitioner also argues that Rogers' disclosure of daisy-chained
`
`accessories suggested exceeding the USB current limits. Reply 12. To that
`
`end, it selectively cites certain parts of Dr. Fernald's testimony, but ignores
`
`other parts that explained how Rogers' system would actually operate.
`
`Ex. 1015, 98:24-100:13 (host would not allocate more than 500mA to the
`
`accessory; instead accessory would have to "downgrade its functions" to work
`
`within the limits); Ex. 2011, ¶¶79-83; POR 31-32.
`
`Petitioner criticizes Patent Owner for assuming that a POSA "necessarily
`
`would have hewed closely to the current limits . . . provided in the USB
`
`specification." Reply 7. But it presents no competent evidence that it would
`
`have been obvious for a POSA to try deviating from the USB current limits
`
`using a set-up like Rogers'. Indeed, the Board's findings in related proceedings
`
`apply equally here:
`
`Rogers discloses increasing voltage, and not current, and indicates
`a desire to keep current as low as possible for a particular power
`level. [Rogers], 10:29–33 ("The voltage is high so that the current
`required is as low as possible, for a given power level."), 11:15–18
`(disclosing a "dual-voltage accessory power system" that may
`"supply power at 48 VDC, instead of 5 VDC"), 11:51–55
`(drawing 48 VDC from station input power 86, as shown in Figure
`
`10623207
`
`
`- 18 -
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00111
`US 8,624,550
`
`
`6 of Rogers). Amoni discloses increasing both voltage and
`current, but does so using an "auxiliary (or non-standard)" USB
`cab