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`Paper No. 52
`Filed: May 2, 2022
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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
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`QUALCOMM INCORPORATED and
`ZYXEL COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION1,
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`Petitioners,
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`v.
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`UNM RAINFOREST INNOVATIONS,
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`Patent Owner.
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`PTAB Case No. IPR2021-00375
`Patent 8,265,096 B2
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`
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`REPLY IN SUPPORT OF
`PATENT OWNER’S REVISED MOTION TO AMEND
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`1 ZyXEL Communications Corporation was joined as a Petitioner in this proceeding
`based on a petition and motion for joinder filed in IPR2021-00734, which were
`granted.
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`
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`TABLE OF CONTENTS
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`I.
`
`II.
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`A.
`
`B.
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`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
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`PATENT OWNER’S REVISED MOTION SHOULD BE TREATED AS A
`REPLY ............................................................................................................. 2
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`PATENT OWNER’S REVISED MOTION IS A REPLY. ....................... 3
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`PATENT OWNER’S PAPER PROPERLY ADDRESSES WRITTEN
`DESCRIPTION SUPPORT ....................................................................... 4
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`III.
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`PATENT OWNER’S WRITTEN DESCRIPTION SUPPORT IS PROPER. 7
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`IV. THE PROPOSED AMENDED CLAIMS ARE PATENTABLE. .................. 9
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`V.
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`CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................12
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`
`
`ii
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`
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
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`CASES:
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`B.E. Tech., L.L.C. v. Google, Inc., No. 2015-1827,
`2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 20591, (Fed. Cir. Nov. 17, 2017) .................................... 8
`
`
`REGULATIONS:
`
`37 C.F.R. § 42.1 ......................................................................................................... 4
`
`ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS:
`
`
`Greene's Energy Grp., LLC v. Oil States Energy Services, LLC, IPR2014-00216,
`Paper 53 at 26 (PTAB May 1, 2015) .................................................................... 8
`
`
`Intel Corp. v. Alacritech, Inc., IPR2017-01392, Paper 81 at 64–65
`(PTAB Nov. 26, 2018) .......................................................................................... 7
`
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`Lectrosonics, Inc. v. Zaxcom, Inc., IPR2018-01129, Paper 15 at 8
`(PTAB Feb. 25, 2019) .......................................................................................4, 5
`
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`Lippert Components, IPR2018-00777, Paper 28 at 52
`
`(PTAB Sept. 24, 2019) ................................................................................ 5, 6, 8
`
`Orthofix Medical Inc. v. Spine Holdings, LLC, IPR2020-01411, Paper 33 at 3,
`(PTAB Oct. 27, 2021) ............................................................................................ 3
`
`
`Respironics, Inc. v. Zoll Med. Corp., IPR2013-00322, Paper 46 at 24
`(PTAB Sept. 17, 2014) ......................................................................................... 8
`
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`iii
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`I.
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`INTRODUCTION
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`Patent Owner UNM Rainforest Innovations (hereinafter “UNM” or “Patent
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`Owner”) respectfully submits this Reply in Support of its Revised Motion to Amend
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`to request amendment of certain claims of U.S. Patent 8,265,096 B2 (EX1001, “’096
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`Patent”), responding to Petitioners’ Opposition To Patent Owner’s Revised Motion
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`To Amend (Paper 49) (“Opposition”).
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`First, Petitioners argue that Patent Owner’s Revised Motion should be
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`expunged because it does not suggest new amendments in addition to those already
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`submitted in the original Motion to Amend. Second, Petitioners argue that when
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`treated as a reply, Patent Owner’s Revised Motion should not be allowed to address
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`the written description support because it is too late to do so. However, the Board
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`already recognized in the Preliminary Guidance that the claims as a whole find
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`proper support in the written description. Further, Petitioners have already
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`unilaterally administered the appropriate self-help by submitting its “sur-reply” in a
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`full 25 pages—which is the allotment for an opposition to a revised motion, and the
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`approach taken by Patent Owner is expressly contemplated by the Office’s rules.
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`Third, Petitioners’ complaint that Patent Owner relies on string citations without
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`further explanation is unfounded because Patent Owner supplied short precise
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`citations along with descriptive parentheticals explaining the disclosure individually
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`1
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`for each and every claim element. Fourth, for the reasons explained below, the
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`proposed substitute claims are not rendered obvious over the prior art.
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`II.
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`PATENT OWNER’S REVISED MOTION SHOULD BE TREATED
`AS A REPLY
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`In its Opposition, Petitioners asked for extraordinary remedies that would be
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`unjust and highly prejudicial to Patent Owner and the integrity of these proceedings.
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`Petitioners concede that Patent Owner’s Motion is a reply and that the Opposition is
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`a sur-reply. Paper 49 at 5. In a parallel filing, Petitioners recognized that there is
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`uncertainty surrounding the interpretation and application of the rules governing the
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`revised motion to amend practice. IPR2021-00377, Paper 47 at 12, fn. 1. Yet,
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`Petitioners ask that Patent Owner’s Motion be disregarded and expunged. Paper 49
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`at 3-4. Not surprisingly, no decisions, including the ones on which Petitioners rely,
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`support such a draconian result. Petitioners then ask that the written description
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`support that Patent Owner provided in direct response to the Board’s Preliminary
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`Guidance be completely disregarded. Id. at 5-8. Again, such drastic relief has not
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`been granted, even in the decisions Petitioners cite. What Petitioners actually seek
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`is to strip Patent Owner of its due process rights by depriving Patent Owner the
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`meaningful opportunity to preserve its claims as required by the AIA and the
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`Office’s implementing rules. Petitioners’ extreme positions must therefore be
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`rejected.
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`2
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`A. PATENT OWNER’S REVISED MOTION IS A REPLY.
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`As Petitioners candidly (and accurately) stated, “P.O.’s RMTA … can only
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`be considered a reply.” Paper 49 at 5. Although the amendments requested in Patent
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`Owner’s Motion are identical to those requested in Patent Owner’s original Motion
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`to Amend (Paper 37), Patent Owner submitted its revised Motion to address certain
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`shortcomings identified by the Board in its Preliminary Guidance. Patent Owner
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`styled its filing a Revised Motion to Amend out of an abundance of caution because,
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`as Petitioners recognized in a parallel filing, the rules regarding the form of a filing
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`after issuance of the Board’s preliminary guidance are uncertain. IPR2021-00377,
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`Paper 47 at 12, fn. 1. Petitioners’ argument for the most extreme remedy—
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`expungement of the paper—is improper and unnecessary form-over-substance under
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`the circumstances. The very decision on which Petitioners rely demonstrates as
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`much. See Orthofix Medical Inc. v. Spine Holdings, LLC, IPR2020-01411, Paper 33
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`at 3 (PTAB Oct. 27, 2021). The Board there treated the revised motion to amend as
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`a reply and, to offset any perceived unfairness, increased the page limit for
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`Petitioner’s sur-reply. Id. (“Under the circumstances, we deem Paper 30 as Patent
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`Owner’s reply to opposition to motion to amend. To afford Petitioner a fair
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`opportunity, we increase the page limit for the sur-reply to reply to opposition to
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`motion to amend from 12 pages to 25 pages.”). Here, Petitioners have already taken
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`advantage of the enlarged 25 page limit in their Opposition.
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`3
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`Petitioners therefore feign prejudice if Patent Owner’s Motion is accepted.
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`Paper 49 at 3. But, Petitioners were clearly able to fully respond to Patent Owner’s
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`Motion in the allotted time. And, as noted above, Petitioners have submitted an
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`Opposition using the same page limit (25) as Patent Owner’ Motion. Thus, the only
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`threat of prejudice under these circumstances is to Patent Owner.
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`Petitioners’ position that it is improper for Patent Owner to restate the same
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`amendment from its original Motion to Amend (see Paper 49 at 2-3) is expressly
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`belied by the Office rules that it cites but studiously misrepresents. Those rules
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`provide that a “revised MTA may also include substitute claims, arguments or
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`evidence previously presented in the original MTA.” 84 F.3d Reg. 9495, 9498 (Mar.
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`15, 2019). Moreover, Petitioners’ positions are not in accord with construing rules
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`in a manner that will secure a just and speedy result. 37 C.F.R. § 42.1. For example,
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`Patent Owner could have addressed Petitioners’ complaint that it “filed an improper
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`revised MTA” (Paper 49 at 3) by simply adding a superficial and inconsequential
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`amendment to create the illusion of proper form. This would serve no meaningful
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`purpose. Patent Owner therefore did what is intended: it filed a reply that
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`specifically and fully addresses the issues raised in the Preliminary Guidance.
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`B. PATENT OWNER’S PAPER PROPERLY ADDRESSES WRITTEN
`DESCRIPTION SUPPORT
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`Petitioners point to Lectrosonics to argue that, as a reply, Patent Owner’s
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`Motion should not be allowed to address the written description support because it
`4
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`is too late to do so in the first instance on reply. Paper 49 at 4-5 (citing Lectrosonics,
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`Inc. v. Zaxcom, Inc., IPR2018-01129, Paper 15 at 8 (PTAB Feb. 25, 2019)).
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`Petitioners further cite Lippert to support the argument that Patent Owner’s more
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`detailed identification of written description support for the original (as opposed to
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`amended) claim elements is improper. Paper 49 at 5 (citing Lippert Components,
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`IPR2018-00777, Paper 28 (PTAB Sept. 24, 2019)). This matter is distinguished
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`from Lippert in two important and dispositive ways. First, unlike Lippert, the Board
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`here already recognized in the Preliminary Guidance that the portions identified by
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`Patent Owner meet the written description requirement: “(i) column 5, lines 17–18
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`and lines 35–36, column 7, lines 23–24, column 7, line 61 to column 8, line 6, and
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`column 9, lines 18–20 in the ’096 Patent disclosure and (ii) corresponding portions
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`of the Specification, as filed, of the ’855 Application, . . . along with adjacent
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`disclosures at paragraphs 35–37 and Figures 6A, 6B, 7 of the ’855 Application
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`appear to provide adequate written description support for proposed substitute
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`claims 44–47, 49, and 50 as a whole.” Paper 42 at 7 (emphasis added). Patent
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`Owner merely addressed this part of the Preliminary Guidance.
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`Further, Lippert is inapposite because it found the written description
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`requirement lacking because of undue string citations.
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`Exhibits 2012 and 2013 are deficient on the merits. As other Board
`panels have found, mere string citations to an original application’s
`disclosure without explanation are insufficient to meet a patent owner’s
`burden of production. . . . With the meager showing in Exhibits 2012
`5
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`and 2013, it is unclear whether the citations for a given claim limitation
`are to be understood as a combination of disclosures that, taken
`together, disclose the corresponding limitation, or whether Patent
`Owner contends each citation within a string is sufficient to disclose the
`corresponding limitation. It is not the Board’s responsibility to search
`through the string citations to find sufficient written description support
`for each limitation, and we decline to do so.
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`Lippert Components, IPR2018-00777, Paper 28 at 52. The patent owner in Lippert
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`did indeed present string cites with no explanation as to what each cite was supposed
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`to show. See IPR2018-00777, Exhibits 2012-2013. Unlike Lippert, Patent Owner
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`identified—separately for each element—pinpoint citations along with parenthetical
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`explanations to explain in detail how each claim element is disclosed. Compare id.
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`with Motion at 5-20. Due to Patent Owner’s element-specific pinpoint citations with
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`parenthetical explanations, the Board will not have to “search through the string
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`citations to find sufficient written description support for each limitation” as it
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`declined to do in Lippert.
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`Finally, Petitioners argue that “if P.O.’s RMTA is deemed to be a reply, then
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`this paper would be a sur-reply, which would prevent Petitioners from presenting
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`new evidence to explain why P.O.’s alleged written description support is deficient.”
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`Paper 49 at 6. Petitioners willfully ignore the fact that they did in fact address the
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`written description support proffered by Patent Owner. Id. at 7-10. Indeed,
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`Petitioners expanded their “sur-reply” from 12 to 25 pages to take full advantage of
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`the opportunity to do so.
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`6
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`
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`III. PATENT OWNER’S WRITTEN DESCRIPTION SUPPORT IS
`PROPER.
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`Petitioners argue that “P.O.’s alleged showing of written description support
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`consists exclusively of string citations, with no further explanation as to the cited
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`materials supports the claims.” Paper 49 at 7. This is demonstrably false. Each of
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`Patent Owner’s citations indicates specifically which claim element it pertains to,
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`and includes a parenthetical explanation of its relevance, as demonstrated by the
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`below example:
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`
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`Motion at 6; see also Motion at 5-20 for the remaining claim elements. Every last
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`one of the allegedly supporting decisions cited by Petitioners is inapposite, as they
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`all relate to “string citations without explanation.” See, e.g., Intel Corp. v.
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`Alacritech, Inc., IPR2017-01392, Paper 81 at 64–65 (PTAB Nov. 26, 2018) (“mere
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`
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`7
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`
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`string citations without explanation . . .”); B.E. Tech., L.L.C. v. Google, Inc., No.
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`2015-1827, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 20591, *21-22 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 17, 2017)
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`(discussing “string citations without explanation”); Greene's Energy Grp., LLC v.
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`Oil States Energy Services, LLC, IPR2014-00216, Paper 53 at 26 (PTAB May 1,
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`2015) (“A string citation does not explain . . .”); Respironics, Inc. v. Zoll Med. Corp.,
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`IPR2013-00322, Paper 46 at 24 (PTAB Sept. 17, 2014) (“Zoll's string citations
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`[without explanation] amount to little more than an invitation … to peruse the cited
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`evidence and piece together a coherent argument for them”); Lippert, IPR2018-
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`00777, Paper 28 (concerning “string citations to an original application’s disclosure
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`without explanation . . .”). Unlike every one of these cases, Patent Owner provided
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`parenthetical explanations to every last one of its pinpoint citations, and has further
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`indicated which specific claim element each is relevant to. These claim-element
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`specific pinpoint citations with explanatory parentheticals minimizes the burden on
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`the Board to verify that the written description properly supports the claim elements.
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`Finally, Petitioners argue that Patent Owner does not show support for the
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`original claim elements to the provisional ’798 Application. Paper 49 at 9. This is
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`irrelevant. Patent Owner’s proposed amendment is contingent upon a finding of
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`unpatentability of original claim 1. Written description support in the ’798
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`Application for original claim 1 is provided in detail in Patent Owner’s Response
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`(Paper 38) and sur-reply (Paper 43). If the Board finds this showing sufficient, then
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`8
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`Claim 1 will not be found unpatentable (because the primary prior art reference
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`(Talukdar) does not predate the ’798 Application), and the Revised Motion to
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`Amend will be rendered moot.
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`IV. THE PROPOSED AMENDED CLAIMS ARE PATENTABLE.
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`To start, Petitioners’ Opposition, for the most part, merely repeats verbatim
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`the arguments in its original Opposition (Paper 41) which the Board already rejected
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`in its Preliminary Guidance. (Paper 42). However, notably absent is Petitioners’
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`original argument blatantly mischaracterizing the record by implying that the
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`proposed amended limitation is ‘naturally present’ in the original claims which were
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`“invalid over the combination of Talukdar and Li, as described in Ground of the
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`Petition. Notably, the Board granted institution on Ground 1.” Paper 41 at 1.
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`Petitioners intentionally omitted that the Board’s institution decision found only
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`Claim 1 (the basis for proposed amended claim 44) likely to be obvious. As to Claim
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`8, the Board found that “we are not persuaded that Petitioner establishes sufficiently,
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`for the purpose of institution, that Talukdar and Nystrom renders obvious the subject
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`matter of claim 8” on the basis of the claim element “wherein the second
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`communication system has pilot symbols that are denser than those in the first
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`communication system.” Paper 14 at 47. This, of course, is the exact proposed
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`amended limitation added in Amended Claim 44. Tellingly, Petitioners removed
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`this erroneous argument from their revised Opposition.
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`9
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`The additional claim element “wherein the second communication system has
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`pilot symbols that are denser than those in the first communication system” is not
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`taught by Talukdar, Li, or Nystrom. Petitioners rely solely on Li to teach this
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`limitation, arguing first that if the disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
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`No. 60/929,798 (“the ’798 Application”) teaches denser pilot symbols (as argued by
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`Patent Owner), then so does Li. Paper 41 at 6. This is wrong for several reasons.
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`First, Li does not rely on the same disclosure as the ’798 Application – naturally, the
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`conclusions drawn by a POSITA would differ from two different disclosures.
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`Second, Li addresses pilot symbols only in reference to its Fig. 7, which illustrates
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`an embodiment of its invention and identifies the pilot symbols:
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`first communications system
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`second communications system
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`
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`EX1016 at Fig. 7. Li’s figure 7 illustrates the effect of Li’s teaching of halving the
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`symbol period. Notably, the number of Pilot symbols before and after remains the
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`same – there are seven pilot symbols during the same time-period both before and
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`after Li’s modification.
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` Further, as the Board already noted, “the first
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`communication system (top graph in Li’s Figure 7) has two pilot symbols in a period
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`10
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`
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`T, and the second communication system (bottom graph in Li’s Figure 7) also has
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`two pilot symbols in period T.” Paper 42 at 13. Petitioners’ and their expert’s
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`supposition that Li teaches more pilot symbols in the same time-period is explicitly
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`contradicted by Fig. 7.
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`Petitioners respond only by first admitting that “P.O. is correct that both
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`frames of Figure 7, which relates to splitting symbols across both frequency and
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`time, show the same number of total symbols and the same number of pilot
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`symbols.” Paper 49 at 16 (emphasis added). Regardless, Petitioners argue that “this
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`is simply because the two frames of figure 7 show different numbers of subcarriers.”
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`Id. “If,” Petitioners speculate, “Frame 710 were expanded to show 12 subcarriers
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`(the same number of subcarriers as Frame 700), there would be 14 pilot symbols in
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`96 total symbols, resulting in more pilot symbols per unit time.” Id. However, this
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`speculation is not disclosed in Li. The fact that Petitioners note that “nothing in the
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`teachings of Li is limited to halving the number of subcarriers between the two
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`communication systems” (id.) does not remedy this shortcoming. What is disclosed
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`in Li’s Fig. 7 is two frames that have the same number of pilot symbols. Notably,
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`Petitioners did not submit expert testimony from Dr. Roy, nor any portion of Li,
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`indicating that a POSITA would have interpreted Li’s Fig. 7 in that manner. In
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`summary, there is simply no support to credit Petitioners’ attorney argument that
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`Fig. 7 should be interpreted to show more pilot symbols than it actually does.
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`11
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`Petitioners additionally argue that Li’s teaching (illustrated in Fig. 5)
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`regarding shortening the symbol period implies that there will be more pilot symbols
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`in a given time period. This is also explicitly contradicted by Li’s Fig. 7 which
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`illustrates that—despite the shortened symbol period—the total number of pilot
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`symbols (seven pilot symbols), as well as the number of pilot symbols during a time
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`period T (two pilot symbols)—remains the same. The Board is correct in its finding
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`that “Li does not disclose that the shortened period symbols are pilot symbols” and
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`that “Li does not mention pilot symbols at all with respect to Figure 5.” Finally, Li
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`does not disclose any example “showing that the second communication system
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`would have twice the number of pilot symbols per unit time.” Paper 41 at 12. To
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`the contrary, Li’s Fig. 5 does not reference pilot symbols at all, and Li’s figure 7,
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`which is the only reference to pilot symbols, flatly contradicts Petitioners’ statement.
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`The remainder of Petitioners’ argument is the same as that the Board has already
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`considered and rejected in the Preliminary Guidance.
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`V. CONCLUSION
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`For the reasons set forth herein, Patent Owner asserts that the proposed
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`amended claims meet all statutory requirements and respectfully requests that the
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`Board allow proposed amended claim 44 and dependent amended claims 45-47, 49,
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`and 50 in the event the corresponding original claims are found unpatentable.
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`12
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`Dated: May 2, 2022
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`
`
`/s/ Jay P. Kesan
`Jay P. Kesan, Reg. No. 37,488
`DIMUROGINSBERG, PC
`DGKEYIP GROUP
`1750 Tyson’s Blvd. Suite 1500
`Tysons Corner, VA 22102
`jkesan@dimuro.com
`Telephone: (703) 289-5118
`
`Alfonso Chan, Reg. No. 45,964
`SHORE CHAN LLP
`901 Main Street, Suite 3300
`Dallas, TX 75202
`achan@shorechan.com
`Telephone: (214) 593-9110
`
`Attorneys for Patent Owner
`UNM RAINFOREST INNOVATIONS
`
`
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`13
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`UPDATED LIST OF EXHIBITS
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`Exhibit No.
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`Descriptions
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`2001
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`2002
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`2003
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`2004
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`2005
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`2006
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`2007
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`2008
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`2009
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`2010
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`2011
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`2012
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`2013
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`2014
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`2015
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`2016
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`2017
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`
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`Declaration of Dr. Branimir Vojcic
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`’096 Provisional
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`2018 Economic Impact Report
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`’096 claim chart
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`Dell litigation scheduling order
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`Dell litigation amended scheduling order
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`Dell litigation notice of withdrawn claims
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`Asus litigation notice of withdrawn claims
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`Apple litigation joint motion to dismiss with prejudice
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`Apple litigation order of dismissal
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`Asus ROG Phone 3 Home Page
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`Asus litigation Qualcomm subpoena
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`Supplemental Declaration of Dr. Branimir Vojcic
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`Excerpts from 12-06-21 rough draft depo transcript of Sumit Roy,
`Ph.D.
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`04/11/22 Declaration of Branimir Vojcic, D.SC., In Support of
`UNM Rainforest Innovations’ Revised Motion to Amend
`Declaration of Henning Schmidt in Support of Motion for
`Admission Pro Hac Vice
`Declaration of Cecil E. Key in Support of Motion for Admission
`Pro Hac Vice
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`14
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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`Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §§ 42.6(e)(4) and 42.25(b), the undersigned certifies
`that on May 2, 2022, a complete copy of the Reply in Support of Patent Owner’s
`Revised Motion to Amend was filed electronically through the Patent Trial and
`Appeal Board’s PTABE2E System and provided, via electronic service, to the
`Petitioners by serving the correspondence address of record.
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`Dated: May 2, 2022
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`/s/ Jay P. Kesan
`Jay P. Kesan
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`15
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