`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`__________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`___________________
`
`SIRIUS XM RADIO INC.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR
`FÖRDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN
`FORSCHUNG E.V.,
`Patent Owner.
`
`____________________
`
`Case No. _____________
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`__________________________________________________________
`
`PETITION FOR INTER PARTES
`REVIEW OF U.S. PATENT NO. 6,314,289
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`Page
`
`I.
`
`II.
`
`Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
`
`Grounds for Standing ....................................................................................... 2
`
`III.
`
`PAYMENT OF FEES (37 C.F.R. § 42.103) ................................................... 2
`
`IV. Mandatory Notices ........................................................................................... 2
`
`A.
`
`B.
`
`C.
`
`D.
`
`Real Party in Interest ............................................................................. 2
`
`Related Matters ...................................................................................... 2
`
`Lead and Backup Counsel ..................................................................... 3
`
`Service Information ............................................................................... 3
`
`V.
`
`Background ...................................................................................................... 3
`
`A.
`
`Technology Tutorial .............................................................................. 3
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`Fading and Shadowing ................................................................ 5
`
`Time and Space Diversity ........................................................... 5
`
`Forward Error Correction Coding (“FEC”) ................................ 6
`
`B.
`
`The ‘289 Patent ..................................................................................... 7
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`Overview of the ‘289 Patent ....................................................... 7
`
`The Challenged Claims ............................................................... 9
`
`VI. Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art ................................................................ 11
`
`VII. Claim Construction ........................................................................................ 11
`
`1.
`
`“delay means for delaying the second portion of output
`bits transmitted via the second channel” (claims 1 and 5) ........ 11
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`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`5.
`
`“delay means for delaying the portion of bits received via
`one channel to compensate for a delay imposed on the
`portion of bits received via the other channel” (claim 11) ....... 12
`
`“means for transmitting the output bits of the first portion
`via a first channel and the output bits of the second
`portion via a second channel” (claim 2) ................................... 12
`
`“receiving means for receiving the first portion of bits via
`a first channel and the second portion of bits via a second
`channel” (claims 10, 13 ) .......................................................... 13
`
`“depuncturing means for compensating for a puncturing
`operation in a transmitter” (claim 13) ....................................... 14
`
`VIII. Statement of the Precise Relief Requested .................................................... 15
`
`IX. Overview of the Prior Art .............................................................................. 15
`
`A. Overview of the Smallcomb Reference (Ex. 1003) ............................ 15
`
`B.
`
`C.
`
`Overview of the Chen Reference (Ex. 1004) ...................................... 17
`
`Overview of the Campanella Reference (Ex. 1005) ........................... 19
`
`D. Motivation to Combine Chen and Campanella ................................... 22
`
`X. Detailed Explanation of the Grounds for Unpatentability ............................. 24
`
`A.
`
`Chen In View of Campanella Renders Obvious Claims 1-15,
`17-33, and 35 of the ‘289 Patent Under 35 U.S.C. § 103 ................... 24
`
`1.
`
`Claim 1 ...................................................................................... 24
`
`(a)
`
`Element 1[a] .................................................................... 24
`
`(b) Element 1[e] .................................................................... 25
`
`(c)
`
`Element 1[f] .................................................................... 26
`
`(d) Element 1[g] ................................................................... 27
`
`(e)
`
`Element 1[h] ................................................................... 28
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`(f)
`
`Element 1[i]; ................................................................... 30
`
`(g) Element 1[j] .................................................................... 32
`
`(h) Elements 1[k] .................................................................. 33
`
`(i)
`
`(j)
`
`Elements 1[l] and 1[n] .................................................... 37
`
`Element 1[q] ................................................................... 38
`
`2.
`
`Claim 2 ...................................................................................... 38
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 2[a] and 2[e]-2[k] ............................................ 38
`
`(b) Element 2[m] .................................................................. 39
`
`3.
`
`Claim 3 ...................................................................................... 41
`
`(a)
`
`Element 3[o] ................................................................... 41
`
`4.
`
`Claim 4 ...................................................................................... 41
`
`(a)
`
`Element 4[p] ................................................................... 41
`
`5.
`
`Claim 5 ...................................................................................... 43
`
`(a)
`
`Element 5[q] ................................................................... 43
`
`6.
`
`Claim 6 ...................................................................................... 43
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 6[a] and 6[e]-6[k] ............................................ 43
`
`(b) Element 6[r] .................................................................... 43
`
`(c)
`
`Element 6[s] .................................................................... 44
`
`7.
`
`Claim 7 ...................................................................................... 44
`
`(a)
`
`Element 7[t] .................................................................... 44
`
`(b) Element 7[u] ................................................................... 45
`
`8.
`
`Claim 8 ...................................................................................... 46
`
`(a)
`
`Element 8[v] ................................................................... 46
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`9.
`
`Claim 9 ...................................................................................... 48
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 9[a] and 9[e]-9[k] ............................................ 48
`
`(b) Element 9[r] .................................................................... 48
`
`(c)
`
`Element 9[w] .................................................................. 49
`
`(d) Element 9[x] ................................................................... 51
`
`10. Claim 10 .................................................................................... 52
`
`(a)
`
`Element 10[c] .................................................................. 52
`
`(b) Elements 10[f]-10[i] ....................................................... 53
`
`(c)
`
`Element 10[k] ................................................................. 54
`
`(d) Element 10[y] ................................................................. 55
`
`(e)
`
`(f)
`
`Element 10[z] .................................................................. 56
`
`Element 10[aa] ................................................................ 57
`
`11. Claim 11 .................................................................................... 59
`
`(a)
`
`Element 11[q] ................................................................. 59
`
`12. Claim 12 .................................................................................... 60
`
`(a)
`
`Element 12 ...................................................................... 60
`
`13. Claim 13 .................................................................................... 61
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 13[c], 13[f]-13[i], 13[k], and 13[y]-
`13[aa] .............................................................................. 61
`
`(a)
`
`Element 13[z] .................................................................. 61
`
`(b) Element 13[cc] ................................................................ 61
`
`14. Claim 14 .................................................................................... 62
`
`(a)
`
`Element 14[dd] ............................................................... 62
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`15. Claim 15 .................................................................................... 63
`
`(a)
`
`Element 15[ee] ................................................................ 63
`
`16. Claim 17 .................................................................................... 65
`
`(a)
`
`Element 17[ff] ................................................................. 65
`
`17. Claim 18 .................................................................................... 65
`
`(a)
`
`Element 18[b] ................................................................. 65
`
`(b) Elements 18[e]-18[k] and 18[l] ...................................... 66
`
`18. Claim 19 .................................................................................... 66
`
`(a)
`
`Element 19[b] ................................................................. 66
`
`(b) Elements 19[e]-19[k] ...................................................... 66
`
`(c)
`
`Element 19[m] ................................................................ 66
`
`19. Claim 20 .................................................................................... 67
`
`(a)
`
`Element 20[o] ................................................................. 67
`
`20. Claim 21 .................................................................................... 67
`
`(a)
`
`Element 21[p] ................................................................. 67
`
`21. Claim 22 .................................................................................... 67
`
`(a)
`
`Element 22[q] ................................................................. 67
`
`22. Claim 23 .................................................................................... 67
`
`(a)
`
`Element 23[b] ................................................................. 67
`
`(b) Elements 23[e]-23[k] ...................................................... 68
`
`(c)
`
`Elements 23[r] and 23[s] ................................................ 68
`
`23. Claim 24 .................................................................................... 68
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 24[t] and 24[u] ................................................ 68
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`24. Claim 25 .................................................................................... 68
`
`(a)
`
`Element 25[v] ................................................................. 68
`
`25. Claim 26 .................................................................................... 69
`
`(a)
`
`Element 26[b] ................................................................. 69
`
`(b) Elements 23[e]-23[k] ...................................................... 69
`
`(c)
`
`Elements 26[w] and 26[x] .............................................. 69
`
`26. Claim 27 .................................................................................... 69
`
`(a)
`
`Element 27[d] ................................................................. 69
`
`(b) Elements 27[f]-27[i], 27[k], and 27[y]-27[aa] ............... 69
`
`27. Claim 28 .................................................................................... 70
`
`(a)
`
`Element 28[q] ................................................................. 70
`
`28. Claim 29 .................................................................................... 70
`
`(a)
`
`Element 29[bb] ............................................................... 70
`
`29. Claim 30 .................................................................................... 70
`
`(a)
`
`Element 30[ff] ................................................................. 70
`
`30. Claim 31 .................................................................................... 71
`
`(a)
`
`Elements 31[d], 31[f]-31[i], 31[k], 31[y]-31[aa],
`and 31[cc] ....................................................................... 71
`
`31. Claim 32 .................................................................................... 71
`
`(a)
`
`Element 32[dd] ............................................................... 71
`
`32. Claim 33 .................................................................................... 71
`
`(a)
`
`Element 33[ee] ................................................................ 71
`
`33. Claim 35 .................................................................................... 72
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`(a)
`
`Element 35[ff] ................................................................. 72
`
`B.
`
`Smallcomb Anticipates Claims 1-6, 8-14, 17-23, 25–32, and 35
`of the ‘289 Patent Under 35 U.S.C. § 102 .......................................... 72
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`5.
`
`6.
`
`7.
`
`8.
`
`9.
`
`10.
`
`11.
`
`12.
`
`13.
`
`14.
`
`15.
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Elements [a]-[d] (independent
`claims) ....................................................................................... 72
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [e] of the ‘289 Patent
`(independent claims) ................................................................. 72
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Elements [f] and [g] (independent
`claims) ....................................................................................... 73
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [h] and [i] (independent
`claims) ....................................................................................... 73
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [j] (claims 1, 2, 6, 9, 18,
`19, 23, and 26) ........................................................................... 74
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [k] (independent claims) ......... 74
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [l] and [n] (claims 1 and
`18) ............................................................................................. 75
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [m] (claims 2 and 19) .............. 76
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [o] (claims 3 and 20) ............... 76
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [p] (claims 4 and 21) ............... 77
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [q] (claims 1, 5, 11, 18,
`22, and 28) ................................................................................. 77
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [r] and [s] (claims 6, 9,
`and 23) ....................................................................................... 78
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [v] (claims 8 and 25) ............... 78
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [w] (claims 9 and 26) .............. 79
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [x] (claims 9 and 26) ............... 80
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`16.
`
`17.
`
`18.
`
`19.
`
`20.
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [y] (claims 10, 13, 27, and
`31) ............................................................................................. 80
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [z] (claims 10, 13, 27, and
`31) ............................................................................................. 80
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Elements [aa] and [bb] (claims 10,
`12, 13, 27, 29, and 31) .............................................................. 81
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Elements [cc] and [dd] (claims 10,
`13, 14, 27, 31, and 32) .............................................................. 82
`
`Smallcomb Discloses Element [ff] (claims 17, 30, and
`35) ............................................................................................. 83
`
`C.
`
`Smallcomb in View of Campanella Renders claims 1–15, 17–
`33, and 35 of the ‘289 Patent Under 35 U.S.C. § 103 ......................... 83
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1 and 18 ......................................................................... 83
`
`Claims 7 and 24 ......................................................................... 84
`
`Claims 15 and 33....................................................................... 84
`
`XI. Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 86
`
`
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`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
` Page(s)
`
`
`
`Cases
`
`Dynamic Drinkware, LLC v. National Graphics, Inc.,
`800 F. 3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ......................................................................... 15
`
`Forschung e.V. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.,
`1:17-cv-00184-JFB-SRF (D. Del.) ............................................................... 2, 104
`
`Statutes
`
`35 U.S.C. § 102 ...................................................................................... 15, 17, 19, 73
`
`35 U.S.C. § 103 ............................................................................................ 15, 24, 84
`
`Other Authorities
`37 C.F.R. § 42 ...................................................................................................passim
`
`
`
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`PETITIONER’S EXHIBIT LIST
`
`EXHIBIT NO.
`
`DESCRIPTION
`
`Exhibit-1001 U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289 (the “’289 Patent”) titled, Apparatus
`and Method for Transmitting Information and Apparatus and
`Method for Receiving Information, issued on November 6, 2001
`
`Exhibit-1002 Declaration of David Lyon, Ph.D., in support of Petition for Inter
`Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289, dated February 20,
`2018 (“Lyon”)
`
`Exhibit-1003 U.S. Patent No. 6,247,158 (“Smallcomb”) titled, Digital
`Broadcasting System and Method, issued on June 12, 2001
`
`Exhibit-1004 U.S. Patent No. 6,347,122 (“Chen”) titled, Optimal Complement
`Punctured Convolutional Codes for Use in Digital Audio
`Broadcasting and Other Applications, issued on February 12,
`2002
`
`Exhibit-1005 U.S. Patent No. 6,944,139 (“Campanella”) titled, Digital
`Broadcast System Using Satellite Direct Broadcast and Terrestrial
`Repeater, issued on September 13, 2005
`
`Exhibit-1006 U.S. Patent No. 5,907,582 (“Yi”) titled, System for Turbo-Coded
`Satellite Digital Audio Broadcasting, issued on May 25,1999
`
`Exhibit-1007 S. Kallel, Complementary Punctured Convolutional (CPC) Codes
`and Their Applications, IEEE Transactions on Communications,
`Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 2005-09, June 1995 (“Kallel”)
`
`Exhibit-1008
`
`J. G. Proakis, Digital Communications, McGraw Hill, Inc., 3rd
`Ed., pp. 492-96, 1995 (excerpts).
`
`Exhibit-1009 B.W. Kroeger and D. Cammarata, Robust Modem and Coding
`Techniques for FM Hybrid IBOC DAB, IEEE Transactions on
`Broadcasting, vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 412-20, December 1997
`(“Kroeger”)
`
`Exhibit-1010
`
`IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms,
`Sixth Ed., p. 270, 1996.
`
`- x -
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`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`Exhibit-1011 Prosecution History of U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289 (excerpts).
`
`Exhibit-1012 B. Sklar, Digital Communications – Fundamentals and
`Applications, P T R Prentice Hall, 1988 (excerpts).
`
`
`
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`- xi -
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Sirius XM Radio Inc. (“Sirius XM” or “Petitioner”) hereby requests inter
`
`partes review of claims 1-15, 17-33, and 35 of Eberlein et al. U.S. Patent No.
`
`6,314,289 (the “‘289 Patent”). The ‘289 Patent issued on Nov. 6, 2001, to
`
`Fraunhofer-Gesellschft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
`
`(“Fraunhofer” or “Patent Owner”). This Petition demonstrates by a preponderance
`
`of the evidence that claims 1-15, 17-33, and 35 of the ‘289 Patent are unpatentable.
`
`The ‘289 Patent is generally directed to digital audio broadcasting (“DAB”)
`
`transmitters and receivers widely used in satellite communications. Each
`
`independent claim requires sending or receiving data over two communications
`
`channels in order to obtain time and space diversity, which are well-known
`
`techniques for reducing channel fading. The data sent over each channel is derived
`
`from a bitstream, representing digital, video or audio information.
`
`The bitstream is encoded by a technique known as forward error correction
`
`(“FEC”), which adds redundancy to the bitstream, allowing the receiver to
`
`potentially correct errors in the transmitted data. The encoded bitstream is
`
`partitioned into two portions, and each portion is transmitted over separate
`
`communications channels. Each portion is encoded differently and allows for
`
`recovery of the entire bitstream. At the receiver, the two channels are combined
`
`and decoded to recreate the original bitstream.
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`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`As demonstrated below, these DAB techniques were well known at the time
`
`of the ‘289 Patent based on prior art that was not before the Examiner during
`
`prosecution.
`
`II. GROUNDS FOR STANDING
`Sirius XM certifies, under 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(a), that the ‘289 patent is
`
`available for inter partes review, and Sirius XM is not barred or estopped from
`
`requesting inter partes review of the ‘289 patent on the grounds identified.
`
`III. PAYMENT OF FEES (37 C.F.R. § 42.103)
`Petitioner authorizes the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to charge the
`
`submitted debit card and/or the deposit Account No. 50-0540 for the fee set in 37
`
`C.F.R. § 42.15(a) for this petition and for any additional fees.
`
`IV. MANDATORY NOTICES
`A. Real Party in Interest
`The Real Party in Interest is Sirius XM Radio Inc.
`
`B. Related Matters
`Patent Owner has asserted the ‘289 Patent against Petitioner in Fraunhofer-
`
`Gesellschaft Zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. v. Sirius XM Radio
`
`Inc., 1:17-cv-00184-JFB-SRF (D. Del.) (the “Litigation”). Shortly after the Patent
`
`Owner filed the Litigation, Petitioner filed a motion to dismiss the Complaint on
`
`grounds that Petitioner has had a license to the ‘289 Patent because of a license
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`- 2 -
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`granted to Petitioner by the Patent Owner through an intermediary. Litigation at
`
`D.I. 10-13, 19-21, 29. That motion is currently pending before the District Court.
`
`Petitioner knows of no other matters that may affect or be affected by this case.
`
`C. Lead and Backup Counsel
`
`Lead Counsel
`Jonathan S. Caplan
`jcaplan@kramerlevin.com
`Reg. No. 38,094
`
`Backup Counsel
`Mark A. Baghdassarian
`mbaghdassarian@kramerlevin.com
`Pro Hac Vice to be requested
`Jeffrey H. Price
`jprice@kramerlevin.com
`Reg. No. 69,141
`Shannon Hedvat
`shedvat@kramerlevin.com
`Reg. No. 68,417
`Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
`1177 Avenue of the Americas
`New York, NY 10036
`Tel: 212.715.9100 Fax: 212.715.8000
`
`Service Information
`
`D.
`Sirius XM consents to electronic service at the email addresses listed above.
`
`V. BACKGROUND
`
`A. Technology Tutorial
`
`The purpose of a communications system is to transport information (e.g.
`
`audio or video) from one location (e.g. a transmitter) to another (e.g. a receiver)
`
`over a path, or channel. Sklar, 2. The following diagram illustrates various signal-
`
`processing steps in transferring a bitstream from a source to a destination:
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`At the transmitter, the information to be sent is represented by a series of bits (1’s
`
`and 0’s). Sklar, 3. These bits are mapped onto a sequence of symbols, which are
`
`used to modify a carrier wave so that a signal may be electromagnetically
`
`transmitted over particular radio frequencies to the receiver. Sklar, 118. Upon
`
`receipt of the transmitted signal, the receiver processes the signal to retrieve the
`
`transmitted information. Sklar, 4-5.
`
`Often times the signal becomes corrupted during transmission because of
`
`sources of corruption such as fading, shadowing, and signal interference. Lyon,
`
`¶25. Thus, it is typical for communications systems to employ different techniques
`
`to address these sources of corruption so that the receiver can successfully retrieve
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`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`the information bits that were originally sent by the transmitter. Sklar, 573; Lyon,
`
`¶25.
`
`1.
`
`Fading and Shadowing
`
`Fading occurs when a wireless communications signal loses strength in one
`
`or more parts of its frequency spectrum. This typically occurs due to multipath
`
`signals which are created when in addition to the direct line-of-sight path the
`
`transmitted signal bounces off objects, such as buildings or mountains. These so-
`
`called multipath signals are received and added together at the receiver and often
`
`destructively interfere with one another. Sklar, 573. The power of the received
`
`signal after such fading can be very small, resulting in difficulty for the receiver to
`
`reliably detect the transmitted bits. Sklar, 573. Shadowing occurs when some
`
`large obstacle blocks the signal from getting to the receiver such as when a car
`
`receives an audio broadcast from a satellite and then goes into a tunnel resulting in
`
`satellite signal loss. Yi, 1:19-28. Communication broadcast systems seek to
`
`maintain the continuity of the broadcast even in the presence of fading and
`
`shadowing. Yi, 1:31-40.
`
`2.
`
`Time and Space Diversity
`
`Space diversity refers to a system where the same information is transmitted
`
`over more than one physical channel. The ‘289 Patent describes channels in the
`
`context of RF signals that travel from a transmitter to a receiver. ‘289 Patent, 2:37-
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`38. One way to create spatially diverse channels is to use multiple transmitters
`
`spaced apart from each other. Each channel experiences different, independent
`
`fading from the others. See Yi, 1:41-49 (describing DAB systems that “mitigate
`
`the problems of multipath fading and foliage attenuation by employing two
`
`geosynchronous satellites”).
`
`Transmitting signals using time diversity also reduces or eliminates the
`
`chance of bit error that fading and shadowing cause and is especially effective
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`when the receiver is mobile. Time diversity is similar to space diversity except
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`with time diversity, the communication system sends a signal over the first
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`physical channel and then, after some delay, transmits a related signal over the
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`same channel or a second channel. See Campanella, 6:40-43; Lyon, ¶¶39-46.
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`3.
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`Forward Error Correction Coding (“FEC”)
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`FEC is found in almost all high performance, digital communication systems
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`and assures more reliable communication when signals are lost or corrupted in
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`transmission. FEC adds redundancy (i.e. extra bits) into the transmitted bitstream.
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`Those redundant bits are specially generated from the information represented by
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`the original set of bits. Sklar, 260-263. So, even if some symbols are lost or
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`distorted and result in incorrect estimates of individual bits (e.g., due to fading or
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`shadowing), an FEC decoder can make use of the entire received bit stream to help
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`recover all the bits that were originally sent. Sklar, 8; Lyon,¶¶31-38.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`B.
`
`The ‘289 Patent
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`1.
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`Overview of the ‘289 Patent
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`The ‘289 Patent relates to broadcasting digital bitstreams over wireless
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`channels that are subject to fading. ‘289 Patent, Abstract; 1:7-10. The
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`Acknowledged Prior Art (APA) includes digital audio broadcasting (DAB)
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`systems which had been standardized and whose specifications had been published
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`by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (“ETSI”). See ‘289
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`Patent, 2:15-4:33.
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`A major obstacle for successful operation of such DAB systems is the
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`blockage of the wireless signal due to intervening buildings, bridges, or tunnels,
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`especially where the receiver may be installed in a vehicle. ‘289 Patent, 1:13-26.
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`Like the APA, the ‘289 Patent employs two channels, including delay elements
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`placed on different sides of the two radio links, to combat fading of the signal that
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`might last up to several seconds. See, e.g., Figure 7; 2:15-32.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`
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`In APA systems, the coded bitstreams from the duplicator 67 were identical.
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`‘289 Patent, 3:10-16. The ‘289 Patent claims to improve upon the APA systems
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`by replacing these two identically coded bitstreams with differently encoded
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`bitstreams. See, e.g., FIG. 2, Abstract and 7:46-54.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`In particular, an FEC coder encodes a source bitstream (first number of input
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`bits) so that the resulting coded bitstream (second number of output bits) has at
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`least twice as many bits as the source. ‘289 Patent, 7:36-40. A partitioner then
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`selects a first portion of encoded bits to send over a first channel and a differently
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`encoded second portion over a second channel. ‘289 Patent, 7:54-59. The portions
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`are encoded such that a decoder can successfully retrieve the information from a
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`single portion. ‘289 Patent, 7:36-40. Further, the ‘289 Patent discloses combining
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`the two received portions rather than selecting between them. ‘289 Patent, 8:21-24.
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`As shown below, each alleged improvements over the APA system,
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`including the transmission of differently encoded bitstreams over spatially and
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`temporally diverse channels, the partitioning of an encoded data stream, and the
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`combination of signals received from two different channels were known before
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`the ‘289 Patent. See ‘289 Patent, 6:34-52 (discussing alleged advantages over
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`prior art).
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`2.
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`The Challenged Claims
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`Petitioner challenges claims 1-15, 17-34, and 35 of the ‘289 Patent, of which
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`claims 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 18, 19, 23, 26, 27, and 31 are independent. Each
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`independent claim represents a permutation of a limited number of features, many
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`of which the patent admits are in the prior art. See, e.g., ‘289 Patent, 10:20-11:49.
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`
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`The table below represents a mapping of the claim features to each independent
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`claim:1
`
`
`
`
`1 A full claim listing pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.24 is provided at the end of this
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`Petition for reference. An ‘x’ in the table means that the limitation is recited in the
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`independent claim, a ‘p’ means that the limitation is recited in the preamble of the
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`independent claim, and a number means that the limitation is recited in the
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`respective dependent claim.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289
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`VI. PERSON OF ORDINARY SKILL IN THE ART
`Petitioner submits that the applicable Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art
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`(“POSA”) would have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering
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`and three or more years of industry experience relating to design, installation
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`and/or operation of digital, wireless communication networks operating over
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`spatially and temporally diverse satellite and terrestrial channels and utilizing
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`various channel coding and decoding techniques, including convolutional encoding
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`and soft and hard error decoding. Lyon, ¶61.
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`VII. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION
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`Typically, “[a] claim in an unexpired patent that will not expire before a
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`final written decision is issued shall be given its broadest reasonable construction
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`in light of the specification of the patent in which it appears.” 37 C.F.R.
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`§ 42.100(b). The ‘289 Patent includes a number of means-plus-function
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`limitation