throbber
Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 1 of 22
`
`THE HONORABLE JAMES L. ROBART
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
`AT SEATTLE
`
`SRC LABS, LLC, & SAINT REGIS
`MOHAWK TRIBE,
`Plaintiffs,
`
`v.
`AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC.,
`AMAZON.COM, INC.,
`& VADATA INC.,
`Defendants.
`
`Case No.: 2:18-cv-00317-JLR
`RESPONSIVE CLAIM
`CONSTRUCTION BRIEF OF
`DEFENDANTS AMAZON WEB
`SERVICES, INC., AMAZON.COM,
`INC., AND VADATA, INC.
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
` TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 1
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 2 of 22
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
`I.
`DISPUTED TERMS OF THE ’324 AND ’800 PATENTS -------------------------- 1
`A.
`“systolic” and “systolically” ------------------------------------------------------ 1
`B.
`“pass computed data seamlessly” ------------------------------------------------ 4
`C.
`“instantiating,” “instantiated” and “instantiation” ----------------------------- 6
`DISPUTED TERM OF THE ’311 PATENT ------------------------------------------- 7
`A.
`“a data maintenance block” ------------------------------------------------------- 7
`DISPUTED TERMS OF THE ’867 PATENT ---------------------------------------- 10
`A.
`“a data prefetch unit coupled to the memory, wherein the data
`prefetch unit retrieves only computational data required by the
`algorithm from a second memory of second characteristic memory
`bandwidth and/or memory utilization and places the retrieved
`computational data in the first memory” -------------------------------------- 11
`“a data prefetch unit” ------------------------------------------------------------- 13
`“at least the first memory and data prefetch unit are configured to
`conform to needs of the algorithm” -------------------------------------------- 14
`
`II.
`
`III.
`
`B.
`C.
`
`
`
`
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`i
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
` TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 2
`
`

`

`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 3 of 22
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`Cases:
`
`Page(s):
`
`Chimie v. PPG Indus., Inc.,
`402 F.3d 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2005) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
`
`Cox Commc’ns, Inc. v. Sprint Commc’n Co.,
`838 F.3d 1224 (Fed. Cir. 2016) ------------------------------------------------------------- 15, 16
`
`Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC v. Lee,
`136 S. Ct. 2131 (2016) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
`
`Dow Chem. Co. v. Nova Chems. Corp. (Canada),
`803 F.3d 620 (Fed. Cir. 2015) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
`
`Function Media, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc.,
`708 F.3d 1310 (Fed. Cir. 2013) ---------------------------------------------------------- 1, 11, 12
`
`Gammino v. Sprint Commc’ns Co., L.P.,
`577 F. App’x 982 (Fed. Cir. 2014) --------------------------------------------------------------- 1
`
`Halliburton Energy Servs., Inc. v. M-I LLC,
`514 F.3d 1244 (Fed. Cir. 2008) ------------------------------------------------------------- 13, 15
`
`Hill-Rom Servs., Inc. v. Stryker Corp.,
`755 F.3d 1367 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
`
`Huawei Techs., Co. v. Samsung Elecs. Co.,
`No. 3:16-cv-02787-WHO, 2017 WL 7058419 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 31, 2017),
`modified on other grounds, 2018 WL 1116738 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 1, 2018) ----------------- 14
`
`IGT v. Bally Gaming Int’l, Inc.,
`659 F.3d 1109 (Fed. Cir. 2011) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 14
`
`Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. T-Mobile USA, Inc.,
`902 F.3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2018) ------------------------------------------------------------- 14, 16
`
`Interval Licensing LLC v. AOL, Inc.,
`766 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 16
`
`Med. Instrumentation & Diagnostics Corp. v. Elekta AB,
`344 F.3d 1205 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 11
`
`MySpace, Inc. v. GraphOn Corp.,
`672 F.3d 1250 (Fed. Cir. 2012) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
`
`Nautilus, Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc.,
`572 U.S. 898 (2014) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15, 16
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`ii
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
` TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`
`
`
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 3
`
`

`

`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 4 of 22
`
`O2 Micro Int’l Ltd. v. Beyond Innovation Tech. Co.,
`521 F.3d 1351 (Fed. Cir. 2008) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
`
`Pacing Techs., LLC v. Garmin Int’l, Inc.,
`778 F.3d 1021 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
`
`Power Integrations, Inc. v. Fairchild Semiconductor Int’l, Inc.,
`711 F.3d 1348 (Fed. Cir. 2013) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
`
`Ruckus Wireless, Inc. v. Innovative Wireless Sols., LLC,
`824 F.3d 999 (Fed. Cir. 2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
`
`TecSec, Inc. v. Int’l Bus. Machs. Corp.,
`731 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2013) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
`
`United Access Techs., LLC v. Centurytel Broadband Servs., LLC,
`C.A. No. 11–339–LPS, 2016 WL 6562059 (D. Del. Nov. 4, 2016), appeal
`filed sub nom. United Access Techs., LLC v. AT&T, No. 17-2614 (Fed.
`Cir. Sept. 26, 2017) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
`
`Virnetx, Inc. v. Cisco Sys., Inc.,
`767 F.3d 1308 (Fed. Cir. 2014) --------------------------------------------------------------- 9, 10
`
`Vitronics Corp. v. Conceptronic, Inc.,
`90 F.3d 1576 (Fed. Cir. 1996) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
`
`Williamson v. Citrix Online, LLC,
`792 F.3d 1339 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 14
`
`World Class Tech. Corp. v. Ormco Corp.,
`769 F.3d 1120 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
`
`Statutes:
`
`35 U.S.C.
`§ 112 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- passim
`
`Other Authorities:
`
`USPTO, Manual of Patent Examining Procedure § 2181(I)(A) (9th ed. Jan.
`2018) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
`
`
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`iii
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`
`
`
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 4
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 5 of 22
`
`INTRODUCTION
`The integrity of our patent system is based on the fundamental bargain that a patent is awarded
`only in exchange for contributing to the public a specific new solution to a specific problem. The
`patent must describe this solution with sufficient particularity, and establish the metes and bounds of
`the claimed invention with sufficient precision, so the public has clear notice of what it may or may
`not freely do during the patent’s term. SRC’s positions in this case repudiate this bargain in two
`substantial ways.
`First, SRC attempts to withdraw the notice it gave to the public during prosecution of three of
`its patents. During prosecution, it defined four terms that the parties dispute here. Now, SRC disre-
`gards those definitions and proposes either leaving the terms unconstrued or changing their definition
`by omitting explicit requirements adopted to obtain allowance. Both suggestions violate black-letter
`Federal Circuit law. A plain-and-ordinary-meaning construction is improper when parties have a dis-
`pute over claim scope. O2 Micro Int’l Ltd. v. Beyond Innovation Tech. Co., 521 F.3d 1351, 1361 (Fed.
`Cir. 2008). And when the “specification or prosecution history defines a claim term, then that defini-
`tion shall apply even if it differs from the term’s ordinary meaning.” Gammino v. Sprint Commc’ns
`Co., L.P., 577 F. App’x 982, 987 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (citing CCS Fitness, Inc. v. Brunswick Corp., 288
`F.3d 1359, 1366–67 (Fed. Cir. 2002)). SRC may not define claims “one way in order to obtain their
`allowance and in a different way against accused infringers.” Id.
`Second, SRC asserts a patent in which no technical solution is disclosed in the first place. The
`three disputed terms of the ’867 patent go to the heart of the purported invention: the “data prefetch
`unit.” But neither the claims nor the specification discloses any specific solution for a “data prefetch
`unit.” Instead, the patent claims a “black box” representing any possible means of achieving the
`claimed result. Claims that recite such functional “black boxes” with no corresponding structure are
`invalid as a matter of law. See Function Media, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc., 708 F.3d 1310, 1318–19 (Fed.
`Cir. 2013).
`
`I.
`
`DISPUTED TERMS OF THE ’324 AND ’800 PATENTS
`A.
` “systolic” and “systolically”
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`1
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
` TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 5
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 6 of 22
`
`Amazon Construction
`
`SRC Construction
`
`“rhythmically computing and passing data di-
`rectly between processing elements without a
`program counter or clock that drives the move-
`ment of data and operating in a manner that is
`transport triggered, i.e., by the arrival of a data
`object”
`
`This term has its plain and ordinary meaning and
`need not be construed.
`In the alternative, this term may be construed as:
`“rhythmically computing and passing data in a
`transport triggered manner”
`
`During prosecution, the examiner requested that the patentee “define the term . . . systolic.”
`(Dkt. 113-12, 11/13/06 Response to Office Action at 12 (ECF p. 97).) The patentee provided a defi-
`nition1 that includes all of the requirements reflected in Amazon’s proposed construction: (1) rhyth-
`mically computing and passing data through the system; (2) the absence of a program counter or clock
`driving the movement of data; and (3) operating in a manner that is transport triggered, i.e. triggered
`by the arrival of a data object. (See id. at ECF pp. 97-99; see also id., 12/16/2005 Response to Office
`Action at 12 (ECF p. 22) (explaining that the term “systolic” “refers to the rhythmic transfer of data
`through the pipeline” structure of “processing elements”).) SRC does not identify any portion of Am-
`azon’s construction that conflicts with or goes beyond the definition SRC provided to the Patent Office
`to obtain its patent. Nor does SRC identify any portion of Amazon’s construction that conflicts with
`the term’s ordinary meaning. To the contrary, SRC told the Patent Office that the definition it provided
`was the ordinary meaning. (Dkt. 114, SRC Br. at 5.) Amazon’s proposed construction is correct.
`SRC cannot walk away from the explicit definition it provided to the Patent Office.
`SRC’s citation to a paper by H.T. Kung does not change this conclusion. The paper was pub-
`lished 20 years before the patent. (SRC Br. at 4 (citing “Kung” at 37).) The paper is not cited in the
`patents. Nor is it cited in the definition of the term SRC provided to the Patent Office; a different
`paper by David J. Evans, ignored by SRC here, is cited there instead. A request that the Court exalt
`stale extrinsic evidence over the intrinsic record is suspect on its face. See Ruckus Wireless, Inc. v.
`
`1 Contrary to SRC’s assertion, the “exacting” standard for finding that the patentee acted as its own
`lexicographer is irrelevant. That standard applies when a party relies on an inventor’s definition to
`“depart from the plain and ordinary meaning of claim terms.” Hill-Rom Servs., Inc. v. Stryker Corp.,
`755 F.3d 1367, 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2014). Here, the patentee did not seek to depart from the plain and
`ordinary meaning of systolic; to the contrary, as SRC admits, the patentee provided a definition of the
`plain and ordinary meaning of the term. (SRC Br. at 5.)
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`2
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 6
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 7 of 22
`
`Innovative Wireless Sols., LLC, 824 F.3d 999, 1003 (Fed. Cir. 2016) (“Legal error arises when a court
`relies on extrinsic evidence that contradicts the intrinsic record.”). And a closer examination of Kung
`also shows that it is irrelevant to the construction of this term. It does not address the exchange of
`data between processing elements of a reconfigurable processor. It does not relate to reconfigurable
`processors at all. Instead, Kung describes how data is moved from memory to a conventional (not
`reconfigurable) processor and back into memory. (Dkt. 114-5, Kung at 37.) Indeed, SRC’s construc-
`tion does not even track the passage it quotes from Kung:
`
`Kung Definition
`
`SRC Alternative Construction
`
`“In a systolic system, data flows from the com-
`puter memory in a rhythmic fashion passing
`through many processing elements before it re-
`turns to memory, much as blood circulates to
`and from the heart.”
`
`“rhythmically computing and passing data in a
`transport triggered manner”
`
`SRC’s construction instead cherry-picks a handful of words from the definition of the term it provided
`to the Patent Office while ignoring its other express requirements.
`SRC’s construction ignores that the claimed systolic processing is performed “without a pro-
`gram counter or clock that drives the movement of data.” SRC itself told the Patent Office that this
`was a requirement of a systolic system. SRC argues that “Defendants limitation that systolic means
`‘without a program counter or clock’ is contrary to . . . the reality that all computers, even reconfigu-
`rable computers have a clock.” (SRC Br. at 6.) But Amazon’s construction does not just state “without
`a program counter or clock”; it specifies that the computing and passing of data must occur “without
`a program counter or clock that drives the movement of data.” It does not require a computer system
`without a clock.2 It repeats verbatim the requirement from the term’s definition in the prosecution
`history.
`SRC’s construction also ignores that it told the Patent Office that “transport triggered” means
`
`2 SRC argues, without evidence, that all “reconfigurable computers[] have a clock.” (SRC Br. at
`6.) But the claimed “systolic” processing of the patent is performed in a “reconfigurable processor.”
`(See ’324 patent at claim 1.) Reconfigurable processors can operate with or without a clock. (See
`Dkt. 113-12 at ECF pp. 97-99.)
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`3
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 7
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 8 of 22
`
`to be triggered “by the arrival of a data object.” (SRC Br. at 4-6.) SRC offers no explanation for
`omitting this requirement from its proposed construction, and there is none. The patentee’s definition
`from the prosecution history is binding. TecSec, Inc. v. Int’l Bus. Machs. Corp., 731 F.3d 1336, 1345
`(Fed. Cir. 2013).
`
`B.
`
` “pass computed data seamlessly”
`
`Amazon Construction
`
`SRC Construction
`
`“to communicate computed data directly”
`
`“communicating the computed data over the re-
`configurable routing resources”
`
`Amazon’s proposed construction comports with the patentee’s own description of the inven-
`tion. During prosecution, the patentee stated:
`[I]n the Applicant’s invention Systolic implementation will connect
`computational loops such that data from one compute loop will be
`passed as input data to a concurrently executing compute loop. In
`the Applicant’s invention data computed by computation units or
`groups of functional units flows seamlessly and concurrently with
`data being computed by other groups of functional units.
`
`(Dkt. 113-12 at ECF p. 99 (emphasis added).) Thus, according to the patentee’s own description, the
`invention requires both that: (1) computational loops are connected; and (2) that data passes from one
`computational loop to a neighboring one seamlessly and concurrently. (SRC Br. at 5.) The specifica-
`tion confirms that groups of functional units implementing different loops achieve this “seamless”
`transfer by directly passing data from one loop to another connected loop:
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`4
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 8
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 9 of 22
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`(See ’324 patent at Fig. 7D.) In Figure 7D of the patents, above, computational loop 712 computes
`data and passes the computed data directly to neighboring computational loop 714. Amazon’s con-
`struction is therefore consistent with the relevant intrinsic evidence.
`SRC’s construction, on the other hand, seeks to read “seamlessly” out of the claims. It equates
`“seamless” with communications of data “over the reconfigurable routing resources.” But all data in
`a reconfigurable processor is communicated over reconfigurable routing resources. SRC’s construc-
`tion attempts to change the meaning of the claim to be directed to general communication of data in a
`reconfigurable processor, rather than to a particular seamless communication of that data. (’324 patent
`at 5:31-53.)
`And while SRC argues that “seamlessly” means “protocol independent,” its construction does
`not include that concept. (SRC Br. at 6-7.) Nor is SRC’s argument correct. It relies solely on the
`patentee’s statements during prosecution that were directed not to the term “seamlessly,” but to the
`term “protocol independent.” (Id. citing ’324 patent prosecution history at MS_SRC-SRMT_0473086
`-87.) And those statements were not persuasive, because the patentee removed that term from the
`claims. Indeed, the patentee removed a requirement that functional units interconnect “independent
`of external and internal communication protocols,” and replaced it with a requirement that they inter-
`connect “based on reconfigurable routing resources within the at least one reconfigurable processor as
`established at instantiation.” (Id.) The seamlessly limitation was added to a different claim clause
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`5
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 9
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 10 of 22
`
`during prosecution. Accordingly, any purported protocol independent communication between func-
`tional units is irrelevant to the construction of the “pass computed data seamlessly” term.
`
`C.
`
`“instantiating,” “instantiated” and “instantiation”
`
`Amazon Construction
`
`SRC Construction
`
`“creating or configuring to perform a defined
`calculation, each creation or configuration for
`each calculation is unique”
`
`This term has its plain and ordinary meaning and
`need not be construed. In the alternative, this
`term may be construed as:
`“configuring/configured”
`
`SRC agrees that the Court should construe a term where a patentee has “‘clearly set forth a
`definition of the disputed claim term’ and ‘clearly express[ed] an intent to define the term.’” (SRC
`Br. at 8 (quoting Pacing Techs., LLC v. Garmin Int’l, Inc., 778 F.3d 1021, 1024 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).)
`That is the case here. During prosecution, in response to a request from the examiner, the patentee
`defined instantiation as requiring creation or configuration to perform a “defined calculation,” where
`each creation or configuration “for each calculation is unique.” (Dkt. 113-12 at ECF p. 98.) Amazon’s
`construction tracks this definition; SRC’s seeks to abandon it. Its reasons for doing so all fail.
`SRC relies on the opinion of a Microsoft expert in another case to argue that the term needs no
`construction. But the opinion SRC cites concerns a different patent. (Dkt. 114-27, Houh Decl. at
`¶¶ 199-200.) With respect to this patent, that expert confirmed that Amazon’s construction is correct.
`(Id. at ¶¶ 224-227.) SRC’s reliance on yet another Microsoft expert in IPR proceedings on the ’324
`patent, to which Amazon is not a party, is no more persuasive. (SRC Br. at 9.) At the time, IPR
`proceedings were based on a different claim construction standard than that which the parties and the
`Court must apply here. See Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC v. Lee, 136 S. Ct. 2131, 2144 (2016) (approving
`Patent Office’s “broadest reasonable construction” standard for claim construction). And no after-the-
`fact expert testimony can change the unequivocal definition of the term that the patentee provided to
`the public during prosecution of the ’324 patent. See Vitronics Corp. v. Conceptronic, Inc., 90 F.3d
`1576, 1584 (Fed. Cir. 1996) (expert testimony that contradicts the specification and file history should
`be given no weight).
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`6
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 10
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 11 of 22
`
`SRC’s citation to a portion of the specification that uses but does not define the term “instan-
`tiate” cannot change that definition either. (See SRC Br. at 9 (quoting ’324 patent at 2:51-54).) The
`specification merely states that “[r]econfigurable processors instantiate only the functional units
`needed to solve a particular application.” (Id. (quoting ’324 patent at 2:1-5).) It does not explain what
`it means to instantiate a functional unit. Indeed, the specification provides so little information that
`the examiner required the patentee to define the term during prosecution. (’324 patent at 2:1-5, 2:51-
`58, 6:9-12; Dkt. 113-12 at ECF p. 87.) In response, the patentee provided the definition that is the
`basis of Amazon’s proposed construction. (Dkt. 113-12 at ECF pp. 97-98.)
`
`II.
`
`DISPUTED TERM OF THE ’311 PATENT
`A.
`“a data maintenance block”
`
`Amazon Construction
`
`SRC Construction
`
`“a device separate from the memory controller
`that drives self-refresh command inputs and
`stores DRAM memory data when the reconfig-
`urable logic device is reconfigured”
`
`This term has its plain and ordinary meaning and
`need not be construed.
`
`
`The term “data maintenance block” is not a term of art and does not have any plain and ordinary
`meaning. It must be construed as defined in the specification. The Summary of the Invention requires
`that the data maintenance block of “the present invention” (1) be separate from the memory controller,
`(2) store DRAM memory data when the reconfigurable logic device is reconfigured, and (3) drive self-
`refresh command inputs. (’311 patent at 2:13-16, 2:39-42, 2:4-9.) Amazon’s construction correctly
`captures these three requirements.
`In the invention, “the data maintenance block does not contain the memory controller.” (Id. at
`2:13-16.) This separation is critical because if the data maintenance block were not separate from the
`memory controller, its stored data would be destroyed when the memory controller is omitted during
`the reprogramming of the reconfigurable processor. (Hutchings Report ¶ 35; see also at 3:21-25; 6:4-
`8, 2:7-12.) The very purpose of the data maintenance block is to preserve data that would otherwise
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`7
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 11
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 12 of 22
`
`be destroyed during the reprogramming. The separation not only allows the FPGA to be repro-
`grammed with a design that does not require a memory (DRAM) controller, but it also means that “all
`the device resources previously reserved for creating a memory controller are now free to be used for
`different functions” in the new design. (’311 patent at 2:64-3:4.)
`In the invention, the data maintenance block must store DRAM memory data when the recon-
`figurable logic device is reconfigured. As the Summary of the Invention explains, to access the
`DRAM memory after reconfiguration, the DRAM controller must re-calibrate by writing known data
`to specific memory locations; this process corrupts the data already stored at those locations. (Id. at
`2:25-28 (“DRAM controller must now re-establish write/read timing windows and will corrupt spe-
`cific address contents with guaranteed write and read data required during the calibration/leveling
`process”); Hutchings Report ¶¶ 23-25.) Accordingly, because data will be corrupted during recalibra-
`tion, merely using the self-refresh capability of the DRAM, as described in the remaining claim ele-
`ments, will not work to preserve the integrity of the data in the DRAM. (’311 patent at 2:29-31 (“Con-
`sequently, using the self-refresh capability of DRAM alone is not adequate for maintaining data integ-
`rity during reconfiguration.”) The Summary of the Invention describes that the “data maintenance
`block” solves this problem by storing that data during reconfiguration and calibration.
`Before the FPGA is reconfigured, the memory controller within the FPGA retrieves data from
`specific addresses of the DRAM memory used during calibration and transmits the data to the data
`maintenance block. (’311 patent at 2:39-42.) The data maintenance block stores this data while the
`FPGA
`is reconfigured and while
`the DRAM controller recalibrates with
`the DRAM
`memory. (Id.) After the reconfiguration and calibration, the memory controller retrieves the data from
`the data maintenance block and writes it back to the specific addresses of DRAM to replace the data
`corrupted during calibration. (Id. at 2:56-61.) If the data maintenance block does not store this data
`from DRAM during reconfiguration and recalibration, the claimed invention is inoperable, i.e., “not
`adequate for maintaining data integrity during reconfiguration.” (Id., at 2:30-31.) Accordingly, the
`Summary of the Invention concludes, “the overall computer system benefits from the present invention
`because data previously stored in DRAM has now been preserved and is available for use by the next
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`8
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 12
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 13 of 22
`
`application that needs it.” (Id. at 3:5-8 (emphasis added).)
`And there is no dispute that the data maintenance block must drive self-refresh command in-
`puts, as the Summary of the Invention again expressly requires this. (Id. at 2:4-9 (“In accordance with
`the system and method of the present invention . . . the data maintenance block drives self-refresh
`command inputs.”) (emphasis added).)
`Amazon’s construction reflects the three requirements of the data maintenance block spelled
`out as the “present invention” in the Summary of the Invention, and is therefore correct. (See Amazon
`Br. at 12-16.); Virnetx, Inc. v. Cisco Sys., Inc., 767 F.3d 1308, 1318 (Fed. Cir. 2014). SRC’s arguments
`to the contrary should not control the Court’s decision for at least three reasons.
`First, SRC admits that the patent describes the data maintenance block as “logically (or func-
`tionally)” separate from the memory controller. (SRC Br. at 11-12 (citing ’311 patent at 2:13-16).) It
`argues, however, that Amazon’s construction is incorrect because it requires that the data maintenance
`block also be physically separate from the memory controller. (SRC Br. at 11.) But Amazon’s con-
`struction places no requirement on the physical location of the data maintenance block. It captures
`only the requirement that the data maintenance block must be separate from the memory controller to
`perform the functions described above. (’311 patent at 2:13-16, 2:56-3:4.)
`Second, SRC argues that Amazon’s construction limits the claims to a specific embodiment.
`(SRC Br. at 12.) This too is incorrect: Amazon draws its construction from the Summary of the
`Invention, which describes the present invention—the invention as a whole—and not any specific em-
`bodiment. The Summary of the Invention further makes clear that the requirements set forth in Ama-
`zon’s construction are necessary for the data maintenance block to work as intended. (’311 patent at
`2:29-31 (“using the self-refresh capability of DRAM alone is not adequate for maintaining data integ-
`rity during reconfiguration”); ’311 patent at 2:39-42 (the memory controller retrieves data from
`DRAM before reconfiguration and transmits it “to a block of storage space residing within the data
`maintenance block”); id. at 2:56-61 (after reconfiguration, the memory controller “retrieves stored
`DRAM data from the data maintenance block . . . and writes it back to the DRAM”).) Because “[a]n
`
`AMAZON’S RESPONSIVE
`CLAIM CONSTRUCTION BRIEF
`CASE NO. 2:18-CV-00317-JLR
`
`
`
`9
`
`FENWICK & WEST LLP
`1191 SECOND AVENUE, 10TH FLOOR
`SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
`TELEPHONE 206.389.4510
`FACSIMILE 206.389.4511
`
`1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
`
`10
`11
`12
`13
`14
`15
`16
`17
`18
`19
`20
`21
`22
`23
`24
`25
`26
`27
`28
`
`Patent Owner Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
`Ex. 2016, p. 13
`
`

`

`
`
`Case 2:18-cv-00317-JLR Document 120 Filed 11/20/18 Page 14 of 22
`
`inventor is entitled to claim in a patent what he has invented, but no more,” the claimed data mainte-
`nance block must meet the requirements set forth in the Summary of the Invention—the patent pro-
`vides no other solution. MySpace, Inc. v. GraphOn Corp., 672 F.3d 1250, 1256 (Fed. Cir. 2012);
`Pacing Techs., 778 F.3d at 1025; Virnetx, 767 F.3d at 1318.
`Finally, SRC’s claim-dif

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket