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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`———————
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`———————
`
`APPLE INC.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`TOGAIL TECHNOLOGIES LTD.,
`Patent Owner.
`———————
`
`IPR2023-00644
`U.S. Patent No. 11,115,165
`
`
`PETITION FOR INTER PARTES REVIEW
`UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 312 AND 37 C.F.R. § 42.104
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

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`
`
`I.
`
`II.
`
`IPR2023-00644 Petition
`
` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1
`
`GROUNDS FOR STANDING ........................................................................ 4
`
`III. RELIEF REQUESTED AND THE REASONS FOR THE
`REQUESTED RELIEF ................................................................................... 4
`
`IV. NOTE ............................................................................................................... 4
`
`V.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE ’165 PATENT ............................................................. 4
`
`VI. PROSECUTION HISTORY ........................................................................... 7
`
`VII. LEVEL OF ORDINARY SKILL IN THE ART ............................................. 9
`
`VIII. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION ..........................................................................10
`
`IX. TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUND – QCL ASSUMPTIONS,
`REFERENCE SIGNALS, ANTENNA PORTS, AND
`DEMODULATION .......................................................................................10
`
`X.
`
`IDENTIFICATION OF HOW THE CLAIMS ARE UNPATENTABLE ....14
`
`A.
`
`B.
`
`C.
`
`Challenged Claims ............................................................................. 14
`
`Statutory Grounds for Challenges ...................................................... 14
`
`Ground 1: Claims 1-3, 5-9, 11, 12 are obvious under 35 U.S.C. §
`103 over Vilaipornsawai in view of Shin and Grant .......................... 15
`
`1.
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`2.
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`3.
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`4.
`
`5.
`
`Summary of Vilaipornsawai .................................................... 15
`
`Summary of Shin ..................................................................... 21
`
`Reasons to Combine Vilaipornsawai and Shin ........................ 22
`
`Summary of Grant .................................................................... 26
`
`Reasons to Combine Vilaipornsawai, Shin, and Grant ............ 28
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`Claim 1 ..................................................................................... 33
`
`Claim 2 ..................................................................................... 53
`
`Claim 3 ..................................................................................... 54
`
`Claim 5 ..................................................................................... 55
`
`6.
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`7.
`
`8.
`
`9.
`
`10. Claim 6 ..................................................................................... 57
`
`11. Claim 7 ..................................................................................... 58
`
`12. Claim 8 ..................................................................................... 60
`
`13. Claim 9 ..................................................................................... 60
`
`14. Claim 11 ................................................................................... 60
`
`15. Claim 12 ................................................................................... 60
`
`D. Ground 2: Claims 4 and 10 are obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103
`over Vilaipornsawai in view of Shin, Grant, and Xue ....................... 61
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`Summary of Xue ...................................................................... 61
`
`Reasons to Combine Grant and Xue ........................................ 62
`
`Claim 4 ..................................................................................... 63
`
`Claim 10 ................................................................................... 66
`
`XI. PTAB DISCRETION SHOULD NOT PRECLUDE INSTITUTION ..........66
`
`A.
`
`The Fintiv Factors Favor Institution Under § 314 ............................. 66
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`No evidence regarding a stay ................................................... 66
`
`Parallel proceeding trial date ................................................... 67
`
`Investment in the parallel proceeding ...................................... 68
`
`Overlapping issues with the parallel proceeding ..................... 68
`
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`Petitioner is a defendant ........................................................... 69
`
`Other circumstances ................................................................. 69
`
`5.
`
`6.
`
`B.
`
`C.
`
`The Fintiv Framework Should Be Overturned................................... 69
`
`The Advanced Bionics Test Favors Institution Under § 325(d) ......... 70
`
`XII. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................70
`
`XIII. MANDATORY NOTICES ...........................................................................71
`
`A.
`
`B.
`
`C.
`
`Real Party-in-Interest ......................................................................... 71
`
`Related Matters ................................................................................... 71
`
`Lead and Back-up Counsel and Service Information ........................ 71
`
`CERTIFICATE OF WORD COUNT ......................................................................73
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ................................................................................74
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`iii
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`
`
`Exhibit
`Ex.1001
`
`Ex.1002
`
`Ex.1003
`Ex.1004
`
`Ex.1005
`
`Ex.1006
`Ex.1007
`
`Ex.1008
`
`Ex.1009
`Ex.1010
`
`Ex.1011
`
`Ex.1012
`Ex.1013
`
`Ex.1014
`
`Ex.1015
`Ex.1016
`
`Ex.1017
`
`Ex.1018
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`PETITIONER’S EXHIBIT LIST
`
`Description
`U.S. Patent No. 11,115,165
`
`Prosecution History of U.S. Patent No. 11,115,165
`
`Declaration of Dr. Zhi Ding under 37 C.F.R. § 1.68
`Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Zhi Ding
`
`WIPO publication WO 2018/141246 to U. Vilaipornsawai et al.
`(“Vilaipornsawai”)
`
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0068308 to C. Shin et al. (“Shin”)
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2020/0280409 to S. Grant et al. (“Grant”)
`
`U.S. Patent No. 9,596,061
`
`U.S. Patent No. 9,788,310
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2015/0349855
`
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0074880
`
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2020/0260418 to Y. Xue et al. (“Xue”)
`WIPO publication WO 2020/118686
`
`U.S. Patent No. 8,897,253
`
`U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2020/0015200
`U.S. Patent No. 8,964,632
`
`WDTX case 622-cv-00326, Plaintiff’s Preliminary Infringement
`Contentions (cover document), served Oct. 3, 2022
`
`WDTX case 622-cv-00326, Dkt. 33, Scheduling Order, filed Oct.
`24, 2022
`
`iv
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`Ex.1019
`
`Ex.1020
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`WDTX case 622-cv-00326, Dkt. 53, Defendant Apple Sealed
`Reply in Support of Its Motion to Transfer Venue, filed February 9,
`2023
`U.S. District Courts – Case Statistics, obtained at
`https://www.uscourts.gov/statistics-reports/analysis-reports/federal-
`court-management-statistics, per Director Vidal, Memorandum,
`“Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant
`Proceedings with Parallel District Court Litigation” at n.4, dated
`June 21, 2022
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
`LISTING OF ACRONYMS
`
`Acronym
`BS
`
`Description
`Base station
`
`CE
`
`CoMP
`CSI-RS
`
`DCI
`
`DL
`DMRS
`
`MAC
`
`NC-JT
`NR
`
`PDCCH
`PDSCH
`
`QCL
`
`RRC
`
`RS
`SSB
`
`TCI
`
`TRP
`TRS
`
`Control Element
`
`Coordinated Multi-Point
`Channel State Information-Reference Signal
`
`Downlink Control Information
`
`Downlink
`Demodulation Reference Signal
`
`Medium Access Control
`
`Non-Coherent Joint Transmission
`New Radio
`
`Physical Downlink Control Channel
`Physical Downlink Shared Channel
`
`“Quasi co-location” or “quasi co-located,” depending on the
`context. “Quasi co-located” is also sometimes abbreviated as
`“QCLed.”
`
`Radio Resource Control
`
`Reference Signal
`Synchronization Signal Block
`
`Transmission Configuration Indicator
`
`Transmitter/Receiver Point
`Tracking Reference Signal
`
`vi
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`UE
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`User Equipment
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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`I.
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`INTRODUCTION
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
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`U.S. Patent No. 11,115,165 (the “’165 patent,” Ex.1001) is directed to a
`
`cellular wireless architecture that uses multiple fixed stations, known as
`
`Transmitter/Receiver Points (TRPs), to provide network connectivity to mobile
`
`stations in geographic regions. When a mobile station is within range of multiple
`
`TRPs, transmissions from those TRPs to the mobile station can be coordinated to
`
`increase data rate or enhance coverage.
`
`More specifically, the ’165 patent is directed to a mobile station (“UE”)
`
`receiving an indicator (“TCI”) in one control channel (“PDCCH”) for determining
`
`multiple data channels (“PDSCHs”), such as in an environment in which multiple
`
`TRPs coordinate transmissions to the mobile station.1 Based on the indicator value,
`
`the mobile station identifies various signals it needs to be able to demodulate
`
`information received on the data channels.
`
`The techniques of the ’165 patent were not new. For example,
`
`Vilaipornsawai (Ex.1005) discloses a “single PDCCH [control channel] message
`
`corresponding to multiple PDSCHs [data channel messages] from multiple
`
`TRPs/beams/panels.” Ex.1005, [0114]. The PDCCH message includes downlink
`
`
`1 See Listing of Acronyms above for a reference description of all acronyms
`
`herein.
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`control information (DCI). Vilaipornsawai’ s transmission of a (1) single PDCCH
`
`(having control information for multiple PDSCHs) followed by (2) joint
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`transmission of PDSCHs from a “cooperating set of TRPs” is illustrated below in
`
`Figures 1 and 16 (the color coding is coordinated).
`
`(2) PDSCHs
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`(1) PDCCH (having DCI)
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`Ex.1005, Figure 1; Ex.1003, ¶60
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`
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`2
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`Ex.1005, Figure 16; Ex.1003, ¶60
`
`
`
`As discussed herein, Shin and Grant merely provide details regarding
`
`Vilaipornsawai’s DCI and control messaging.
`
`The claims of the ’165 patent use a number of acronyms (such as PDCCH,
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`PDSCH, QCL, DMRS), but the same acronyms are used in the prior art in the
`
`same way, as explained herein. These acronyms were understood by persons of
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`ordinary skill working in 4G and 5G cellular systems.
`
`Accordingly, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §§ 311, 314(a), and 37 C.F.R. § 42.100,
`
`Apple Inc. (“Petitioner”) respectfully requests that the Board review and cancel as
`
`unpatentable under (pre-AIA) 35 U.S.C. §103(a) claims 1-12 (hereinafter, the
`
`“Challenged Claims”) of the ’165 patent.
`
`II. GROUNDS FOR STANDING
`
`Petitioner certifies that the ’165 patent is eligible for IPR and that Petitioner
`
`is not barred or estopped from requesting IPR challenging the patent claims. 37
`
`C.F.R. § 42.104(a).
`
`III. RELIEF REQUESTED AND THE REASONS FOR THE
`REQUESTED RELIEF
`
`Petitioner asks that the Board institute a trial for inter partes review and
`
`cancel the Challenged Claims in view of the analysis below.
`
`IV. NOTE
`Petitioner cites to exhibits’ original page numbers. Emphasis in quoted
`
`material has been added. Claim terms are presented in italics. Color appearing in
`
`figures has been added, unless otherwise specified.
`
`V.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE ’165 PATENT
`
` The ’165 patent generally relates to “wireless communications, and more
`
`particularly, to methods and apparatuses for multiple Transmit/Receive Point
`
`(TRP) operations.” Ex.1001, 1:18-20. According to the ’165 patent, there was a
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`purported “need in the art for an improved communication mechanism for multiple
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`TRP operations.” Id., 1:40-41.
`
`FIG. 1 presents a multi-TRP system, having multiple TRPs 106 and 108 and
`
`a base station (BS) 104. The TRPs may provide “small cells” or “pico-cells,” and a
`
`UE “may connect to the BS 104 through the TRPs 106 and 108.” Id., 5:8-13.
`
`TRP
`Joint data
`transmissions
`
`TRP
`Ex.1001, Figure 1; Ex.1003, ¶30
`
`
`
`The TRPs 106 and 108 “may be jointly used in the data transmissions to the UE.”
`
`Ex.1001, 5:14-18.
`
`The ’165 patent uses the terms “QCL assumptions” and “DMRS port
`
`groups,” with little by way of background explanation, thus assuming that a
`
`POSITA is familiar with these concepts. See, e.g., Ex.1001, 5:22-25. Briefly, there
`
`are various reference signals defined for the purpose of channel estimation,
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`including a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a “DMRS port” generally
`
`refers to an antenna port used for DMRS transmission (and also for PDSCH
`
`transmission). Ex.1003, ¶¶40-41. And Quasi Co-Location (QCL) assumptions are
`
`used to simplify and enhance channel estimation. Ex.1003, ¶47. In addition, the
`
`term “PDCCH,” as used in the context of the ’165 patent as well as the prior art
`
`herein, is a well-known acronym of “Physical Downlink Control Channel.”
`
`Ex.1003, ¶31. Similarly, the term “PDSCH” is a well-known acronym of “Physical
`
`Downlink Shared Channel.” Id. A POSITA’s understanding of DMRS port groups,
`
`QCL assumptions, reference signals, and other items is presented in more detail in
`
`Section IX (Technology Background).
`
`
`
`The ’165 patent describes control messages sent to a UE in a PDCCH to
`
`facilitate data communication with a UE using multiple PDSCHs from different
`
`TRPs. A control message may include Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI)
`
`state data that is associated with multiple DMRS port groups. Ex.1003, ¶32.
`
`For example, “FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating multiple PDSCHs
`
`determined from a single PDCCH.” Ex.1001, 6:4-5. “As shown in FIG. 3, the UE
`
`may receive DCI that contains a TCI state data … from the PDCCH 302.” Id., 6:6-
`
`8. “For example, each TCI state may contain parameters for configuring the QCL
`
`relationship between the DL/UL RS(s) [Reference Signal(s)] and the DM-RS
`
`port(s) of a corresponding PDSCH.” Id., 6:11-14. “In the example implementation,
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`the UE may derive multiple PDSCHs based on the DMRS port groups associated
`
`with the TCI state data in the DCI, because each DMRS port group may
`
`correspond to one PDSCH.” Ex.1001, 6:23-26. “As shown in FIG. 3, the PDSCH
`
`#1 304 and PDSCH #2 306 may be associated with TRPs 308 and 310,
`
`respectively.” Id., 6:34-36; Ex.1003, ¶33.
`
`Ex.1001, Figure 3
`
`
`
`VI. PROSECUTION HISTORY
`
`The application that led to the ’165 patent was filed on November 4, 2019. A
`
`non-final rejection issued on April 2, 2021, in which claims 1 and 9 were rejected
`
`based on a combination of references including U.S. Patent Pub. No.
`
`2020/0015200 to Vilaipornsawai et al. (which is unrelated to Vilaipornsawai used
`
`herein (Ex.1005)). Ex.1002, 182-184. Claims 3-6 were indicated as having
`
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`allowable subject matter. Ex.1002, 187.
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
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`In response, Applicant amended claim 1 to “incorporate the allowable
`
`subject matter in dependent claim 3” as follows. Ex.1002, 171, 176.
`
`
`
`The Notice of Allowance, received on June 16, 2021, includes an
`
`Examiner’s amendment, agreed to by the Applicant, in which claim 1 was
`
`amended to also include the subject matter of original claim 6 as follows (and
`
`independent claim 9 was similarly amended). Ex.1002, 151-152.
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`The ’165 subsequently issued on September 7, 2021. Ex.1003, ¶¶34-37.
`
`None of the references used herein as part of any ground was considered
`
`during prosecution of the ’165 patent.
`
`VII. LEVEL OF ORDINARY SKILL IN THE ART
`
`A person of ordinary skill in the art (“POSITA”) in the field of the ’165
`
`patent, as of the earliest possible priority date of November 2, 2018, would have
`
`been someone knowledgeable and familiar with the cellular telecommunications
`
`arts that are pertinent to the ’165 patent. That person would have had a master’s
`
`degree from an accredited program in electrical engineering, computer
`
`engineering, computer science, or a related field, and three years of relevant
`
`experience in mobile communications or wireless networks; or a Ph.D. degree in
`
`one of the disciplines listed above and one year of relevant experience. More
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`technical education, but less experience could have also met this standard.
`
`Ex.1003, ¶¶19-21.
`
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`VIII. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION
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`IPR2023-00644 Petition
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` Inter Partes Review of U.S. 11,115,165
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`In an inter partes review, claims “shall be construed using the same claim
`
`construction standard that would be used to construe the claim in a civil action
`
`under 35 U.S.C. 282(b), including construing the claim in accordance with the
`
`ordinary and customary meaning of such claim as understood by one of ordinary
`
`skill in the art and the prosecution history pertaining to the patent.” 37 C.F.R. §
`
`42.100(b). The Board only construes the claims to the extent necessary to resolve
`
`the underlying controversy. Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhongshan Broad Ocean Motor
`
`Co., 868 F.3d 1013, 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2017). Petitioner submits that for the purposes
`
`of this proceeding, the terms of the challenged claims should be given their plain
`
`and ordinary meaning, and no terms require specific construction.2 Ex.1003, ¶50.
`
`IX. TECHNOLOGY BACKGROUND – QCL ASSUMPTIONS,
`REFERENCE SIGNALS, ANTENNA PORTS, AND DEMODULATION
`
`The ’165 patent introduces the term “Quasi Co-Location (QCL)
`
`assumptions” in the Detailed Description with little additional context, assuming
`
`that a POSITA is familiar with the term. See, e.g., Ex.1001, 5:24-35 (“In
`
`action 204, the UE may obtain multiple QCL assumptions for receiving the
`
`
`2 Petitioner does not concede that any term in the challenged claims meets the
`
`statutory requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112, or that the challenged claims recite
`
`patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
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`PDSCHs based on the DMRS port groups associated with the TCI state data.”).
`
`Ex.1003, ¶38.
`
`A POSITA would have been familiar with the concept of QCL assumptions
`
`in the context of well-known Long-Term Evolution (LTE or 4G) and 5G wireless
`
`systems. The concept of Quasi Co-Location (QCL) assumptions was introduced in
`
`LTE to simplify and enhance channel estimation used for demodulation. Thus,
`
`before discussing QCL assumptions further, demodulation and channel estimation
`
`are discussed. Ex.1003, ¶39.
`
`Fundamentally, “[d]emodulation of sent data requires estimation of the radio
`
`channel, which is done by using transmitted reference symbols (RS), i.e., symbols
`
`known a priori by the receiver.” Ex.1010, [0007]. There are various reference
`
`signals defined for the purpose of channel estimation, including a demodulation
`
`reference signal (DMRS) and a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-
`
`RS). Id. A DMRS is “UE-specific,” or specifically intended for a certain UE, and a
`
`CSI-RS is “cell-specific,” or intended for all UEs sharing a cell. (citing Ex.1010,
`
`[0007]). CSI-RS and DMRS signals were well-known signals that were a pre-
`
`existing part of wireless cellular systems, such as LTE systems. Ex.1003, ¶40.
`
`A “DMRS port” generally refers to an antenna port used for DMRS
`
`transmission (and also for PDSCH transmission). For example, the prior art refers
`
`to an “antenna port mapping” for DMRS reference signals, and illustrates the
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`mapping in the figure below, where each square is a time-frequency resource
`
`element. Ex.1003, ¶41 (citing Ex.1008).
`
`
`
`Ex.1008, Figure 4B
`
`An “antenna port” was a well-known concept, and it was known that
`
`reference signals may be mapped to antenna ports. Ex.1003, ¶¶42-43 (citing
`
`Ex.1008). For example, an antenna port may represent a logical antenna and may
`
`map to one or more physical antennas. Ex.1008, 5:53-59. In 4G and 5G cellular
`
`systems, transmitters and receivers could be equipped with multiple antennas to
`
`increase reliability and/or throughput. Ex.1003, ¶42 (citing Ex.1010). Moreover, a
`
`“transmission/reception point,” or TRP, is also a term of art used in LTE and 5G,
`
`referring to a set of antenna ports covering a geographic area. Ex.1003, ¶45 (citing
`
`Exs.1010 and 1011).
`
`Returning to QCL assumptions, QCL assumptions are used to simplify and
`
`enhance channel estimation. For example, different antenna ports may be said to be
`
`quasi co-located with respect to certain channel properties if they share these same
`
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`properties. Also, the network may recognize that certain repeating/recurring cell-
`
`specific reference signals, such as CSI-RS, are QCL with certain UE-specific
`
`reference signals, such as DMRS, that are transmitted less often. Ex.1003, ¶47
`
`(citing Ex.1010).
`
`Different reference signals also may be said to be quasi co-located with
`
`respect to certain channel properties if they share the same properties, such as the
`
`same frequency shift, Doppler spread, received timing, and/or delay spread.
`
`Ex.1003, ¶48 (citing Ex.1009). An important and known advantage of QCL
`
`assumptions among antenna ports is “the possibility of extracting channel
`
`properties from certain ports which allow accurate estimation and applying them to
`
`other QCLed ports that do not allow equally good estimation.” Ex.1010, [0013]-
`
`[0014]; Ex.1003, ¶47. And, “[s]ince estimation of long term channel properties
`
`from DMRS is challenging,” an advantage of QCL assumptions between DMRS
`
`signals and other reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS) is allowing “estimating selected
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`long term channel properties from a signaled CSI-RS resource and applying them
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`to DMRS, to aid DMRS estimation.” Ex.1010, [0014]; Ex.1003, ¶47.
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`In summary, antenna ports may be recognized by the network as being quasi
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`co-located (QCL/QCLed), such that the ports form a group, and different reference
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`signals may also be recognized by the network as being quasi co-located.
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`Examples of “QCL assumptions” are assumptions that a UE could use regarding
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`antenna ports, reference signals, and/or associated channel estimation parameters
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`to perform channel estimation more efficiently and accurately, e.g., by applying an
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`estimation from one antenna port to another and/or applying an estimation from
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`one reference signal to another. And channel estimates are subsequently used to
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`receive data, such as in a PDSCH. Ex.1003, ¶49.
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`X.
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`IDENTIFICATION OF HOW THE CLAIMS ARE UNPATENTABLE
`
`A. Challenged Claims
`
`Petitioner challenges all claims of the ’165 patent (i.e., claims 1-12), which
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`of course includes all claims asserted in the plaintiff’s infringement contentions in
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`the co-pending litigation.
`
`B.
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`Statutory Grounds for Challenges
`
`Grounds
`#1
`
`#2
`
`Claim(s)
`1-3, 5-9, 11,
`12
`4, 10
`
`Basis
`35 U.S.C. § 103 obvious over Vilaipornsawai in
`view of Shin and Grant
`35 U.S.C. § 103 obvious over Vilaipornsawai in
`view of Shin, Grant, and Xue
`
`
`
`The earliest possible priority date of the ’165 patent is November 2, 2018,
`
`which is the filing date of the provisional application on which the ’165 patent
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`relies. All prior art used herein is prior art as of November 2, 2018.
`
`Vilaipornsawai is a WIPO publication with publication date of August 9,
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`2018, so Vilaipornsawai is prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1). Shin is a U.S.
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`patent publication that was effectively filed no later than August 24, 2018 (the
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`filing date of the non-provisional application), so Shin is prior art under 35 U.S.C.
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`§ 102(a)(2). Grant is a U.S. national stage application of a PCT application filed on
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`September 10, 2018, so Grant is prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2). Xue is a
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`U.S. national stage application of a PCT application filed on August 8, 2017, so
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`Grant is prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2).
`
`Petitioner’s analysis also cites additional prior art to demonstrate the
`
`background knowledge of a POSITA and to provide contemporaneous context to
`
`support Petitioner’s assertions regarding what a POSITA would have understood
`
`from the prior art. See Yeda Research v. Mylan Pharm. Inc., 906 F.3d 1031, 1041-
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`1042 (Fed. Cir. 2018) (affirming the use of “supporting evidence relied upon to
`
`support the challenge”); 37 C.F.R. § 42.104(b); see also K/S HIMPP v. Hear-Wear
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`Techs., LLC, 751 F.3d 1362, 1365-66 (Fed. Cir. 2014); Arendi S.A.R.L. v. Apple
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`Inc., 832 F.3d 1355, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2016).
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`C. Ground 1: Claims 1-3, 5-9, 11, 12 are obvious under 35 U.S.C. §
`103 over Vilaipornsawai in view of Shin and Grant
`
`1.
`
`Summary of Vilaipornsawai
`
`Vilaipornsawai recognizes that many wireless networks include “data
`
`channels” and “control channels.” Ex.1005, [0050]. For example, LTE networks
`
`include “data channels such as Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) …
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`and control channels such as PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel).”
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`Ex.1005, [0050]; Ex.1003, ¶54.
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`Figure 1 illustrates a “communication system 100” that “includes a core
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`network 102 and an access network 106.” Ex.1005, [0054]. Furthermore, “the
`
`network elements 108a-c may be configured to serve UE 104 in accordance with
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`one or more CoMP [Coordinated Multi-Point] transmission schemes, such as
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`Dynamic Point Selection (DPS) or Non-Coherent Joint Transmission. In these
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`network coordination schemes, the same or different downlink PDSCH data
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`stream(s) can be transmitted to a UE from multiple TRPs.” Id., [0061]; Ex.1003,
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`¶55.
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`Ex.1005, Figure 1
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`
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`Vilaipornsawai provides “mechanisms to support one or more PDCCH(s) for
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`network coordination schemes such as those being contemplated for NR [New
`
`Radio/5G] to support the delivery of the same or different PDSCH data stream(s)
`
`to a UE from multiple TRPs.” Ex.1005, [0052]; see also [0005]. Vilaipornsawai
`
`addresses a scenario in which a UE receives different PDSCHs from multiple
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`transmission-reception points (TRPs):
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`For the NC-JT [Non-Coherent Joint Transmission] scenario in
`which multiple PDSCHs, e.g. multiple TBs are transmitted from
`multiple TRPs, either single or multiple PDDCH [sic]3 messages are
`required to convey the DCI for the multiple PDSCHs from the multiple
`TRPs.
`Ex.1005, [0067]; see also [0068], [0114], [0116], [0159], [0166], [0170, [0188]
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`(Example Embodiments 1 and 2); Ex.1003, ¶¶56-57.
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`In a section about Downlink Control Information (DCI) content,
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`Vilaipornsawai discloses “a single PDCCH message” that has one or more
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`“resource assignment fields” for scheduling “multiple PDSCHs.” Ex.1005, [0116].
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`Vilaipornsawai also discloses that the DCI of a PDCCH carries “DMRS
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`information” for UEs to use to perform channel estimation and receive multiple
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`PDSCH(s). Ex.1005, [0113]-[0114] (“[T]he content of the DCI carried in
`
`PDCCH messages may include, in addition to the LTE DCI content for different
`
`DCI formats, additional content such as one or more of DMRS information for
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`PDSCH(s).”); Ex.1003, ¶¶58-59.
`
`Thus, Vilaipornsawai describes a system in which different TRPs
`
`(transmission-reception points) transmit different PDSCHs to a UE in a joint
`
`
`3 “PDDCH” is a typo and should instead be “PDCCH.”
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`transmission (JT) scenario, and a single TRP transmits downlink control
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`information (DCI) information in a PDCCH for scheduling the multiple PDSCHs,
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`with the DCI also including “DMRS information” for the transmissions.
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`Vilaipornsawai’s transmission of a (1) PDCCH (having DCI including scheduling
`
`information for multiple PDSCHs and also DMRS information) followed by (2)
`
`joint transmission of PDSCHs from different TRPs is illustrated below in Figures 1
`
`and 16. Ex.1003, ¶60.
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`(2) PDSCHs
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`(1) PDCCH (having DCI)
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`Ex.1005, Figure 1; Ex.1003, ¶60
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`Ex.1005, Figure 16; Ex.1003, ¶60
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`
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`2.
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`Summary of Shin
`
`Shin is directed to cellular wireless communications, such as LTE and
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`5G/NR systems. Ex.1006, [0008] (“An aspect of the disclosure provides a DMRS
`
`port grouping and signaling method in a 5G wireless communication system
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`supporting non-coherent joint transmission (NC-JT).”). The communication system
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`may support joint transmission from multiple TRPs to a single UE. Id., [0008],
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`[0200], Figure 11 (illustrating transmission from multiple transmission points to a
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`UE). Furthermore, the “radio resources are allocated for transmitting different
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`signals,” including “DMRS … PDSCH [and] control channels [such as] PDCCH.”
`
`Id., [0050]-[0052]; Ex.1003, ¶61.
`
`Shin provides examples of DMRS information, such as DMRS port groups,
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`that would have been beneficial to include in the DCI of a PDCCH in systems such
`
`as Vilaipornsawai. Shin provides detailed examples of “DMRS information”
`
`communicated to a UE in NR (New Radio)/5G systems. Ex.1006, [0062] (“In the
`
`NR system, the DMRS information may include information as follows …
`
`DMRS port grouping information.”); [0200] (“The DMRS port grouping may be
`
`performed for NC-JT [Non-Coherent Joint Transmission].”); Ex.1003, ¶62.
`
`3.
`
`Reasons to Combine Vilaipornsawai and Shin
`
`As a threshold matter, Vilaipornsawai and Shin are analogous art to the ’165
`
`patent, as all three documents are directed to cellular wireless communications,
`
`such as LTE and 5G/NR systems. Ex.1001, 3:37-48 (describing a “radio
`
`communication network architecture,” such as a “Long Term Evolution (LTE)”
`
`system or a “5G New Radio (NR)” system); Ex.1005, [0003] (“Coordinated
`
`MultiPoint (CoMP) or Joint Transmission (JT) CoMP” has been considered for
`
`“5G”/“NR” “wireless networks”); Ex.1006, [0008] (“An aspect of the disclosure
`
`
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`provides a DMRS port grouping and signaling method in a 5G wireless
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`communication system supporting non-coherent joint transmission (NC-JT).”);
`
`Ex.1003, ¶63.
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`In addition, all three documents relate to methods and apparatuses relating to
`
`cellular communication involving multiple TRPs. See, e.g., Ex.1001, 1:18-20 and
`
`Figure 1; Ex.1005, [0005] (“Aspects of this disclosure provide mechanisms to
`
`support one or more PDCCH (s) for network coordination schemes such as those
`
`being contemplated for NR to support the delivery of the same or different PDSCH
`
`data stream(s) to a UE from multiple TRPs.”); Ex.1006, [0200] (“The DMRS port
`
`grouping may be performed for various purposes. The DMRS port grouping may
`
`be performed for NC-JT.”); Ex.1003, ¶64.
`
`It would have been obvious for a POSITA to combine Vilaipornsawai and
`
`Shin to provide the obvious, beneficial, and predictable result of including Shin’s
`
`DMRS port grouping information in Vilaipornsawai’s “DMRS information” in
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`Vilaipornsawai’s multi-TRP system, in which each TRP can beneficially have
`
`multiple antennas. Ex.1003, ¶65 (citing Ex.1005, [0164]).
`
`Vilaipornsawai does not specify the details of its “DMRS information,”
`
`beyond that “the same or different DMRSs” can be used by the network and this
`
`“DMRS information” is specified in the DCI. Ex.1005, [0114]. A POSITA
`
`implementing Vilaipornsawai’s system for joint transmission from multiple TRPs,
`