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` UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
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`APPLE INC.,
`Petitioner,
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`v.
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`ERICSSON AB,
`Patent Owner.
`____________________
`
`Case IPR2022-00618
`Patent No. 9,313,178
`____________________
`
`
`
`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
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`Google Exhibit 1027
`Google v. Ericsson
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`Case IPR2022-00618
`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`
`Introduction
`
`1(cid:3)
`I.(cid:3)
`Background of the ’618 Patent and the challenged claims ............................. 2(cid:3)
`II.(cid:3)
`III.(cid:3) Person of ordinary skill in the art .................................................................... 5(cid:3)
`IV.(cid:3) Claim construction ........................................................................................... 5(cid:3)
`V.(cid:3)
`The Petition fails to meet limitations 1.4/16.5 and 1.5/16.6 together. ............ 6(cid:3)
`of Fig. 3 and the related teachings ................................................................... 8(cid:3)
`B.(cid:3)
`and 1.5 together .............................................................................................17(cid:3)
`VI.(cid:3) Conclusion .....................................................................................................24(cid:3)
`
`Limitation 1.4 corresponds to step 308 of Fig. 3 of the ’178 Patent and
`A.
`the associated teachings, and limitation 1.5 corresponds to steps 316 and 318
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`The Petition does not demonstrate that Peterka meets limitations 1.4
`
`1. .......... The Petition’s theory regarding limitation 1.4 cannot meet the
`claims as a whole .................................................................................17
`2. .......... The Petition’s theory regarding limitation 1.5 cannot meet the
`claims as a whole .................................................................................21
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
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`EXHIBIT LIST
`
`
`Description
`Declaration of Kayvan B. Noroozi in Support of Motion for
`Admission Pro Hac Vice
`
`
`
`Exhibit No.
`2001
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`I.
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`
`Case IPR2022-00618
`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`
`Introduction
`The Petition fails to demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of success as to any
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`challenged claim.
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`Independent claims 1 and 16 of the ’178 Patent require, among other things,
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`that the client device “detect” that a current encryption key that is being used to
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`decrypt content will need to be replaced with a new key for reasons other than the
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`natural time-based expiration of the current key, and that the client device then
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`“request” a new key from the server before the current key must be replaced.
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`Section V.A, infra.
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`The Petition relies entirely on Peterka to meet those aspects of the
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`challenged claims. As the Petition’s own citations and Peterka’s related teachings
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`demonstrate, however, Peterka discloses an entirely different approach. As a
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`threshold matter, no embodiment in Peterka discloses the client device “detecting”
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`that it will need to change the current key in the future for reasons other than the
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`time-based expiration of the current key. Moreover, in the embodiments where
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`Peterka discloses that the server instructs the client to change keys, Peterka’s
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`server provides the new key to the client with the instruction related to the new
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`key. The client thus does not “detect” any key rotation boundary prior to the
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`natural time-based expiration of the current key and then “request” a new key, as
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`the challenged claims require. By contrast, in the only embodiments in which
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`Peterka’s client does request a new key from the server, the request is always based
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`on a time-based expiration for the current key, and is never based on the client
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`“detecting” any reason to change the current key for reasons other than the key’s
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`natural expiration time. Those embodiments thus likewise cannot meet the
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`challenged claims.
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`Accordingly, the Petition fails to disclose any theory that meets the
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`challenged claims, and institution should therefore be denied.
`
`II. Background of the ’618 Patent and the challenged claims
`United States Patent 9,313,178 (“the ’178 Patent”), titled “Method and
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`System for Secure Over-The-Top Live Video Delivery,” is directed to a method
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`“for managing key rotation (use of series of keys) and secure key distribution in
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`over-the-top content delivery.” Ex. 1001 at 1, Abstract. The ’178 Patent has 20
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`claims. The only independent claims are claim 1, which is directed to a method for
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`handling secure distribution of content, and claim 16, which is directed to a
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`computerized device operable as a client for handling secure distribution of
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`content.
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`
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`The ’178 Patent teaches that “[a]s content delivery models move away from
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`streaming distribution over private networks to Web-based delivery of files over
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`the public Internet, referred to as over-the-top (OTT) delivery, traditional content
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`protection paradigms must be modified to support new delivery protocols, e.g.,
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`HTTP Live Streaming. For live streaming content with long or indefinite durations,
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`use of a single encryption key for the entire duration increases the probability that
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`the key may be compromised.” Ex. 1001 at 1:15-26. The ’178 Patent teaches that
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`“[t]here are many protocols and methods for generating segmented content . . .
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`each segment is independently playable, and therefore needs to be independently
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`encrypted and decryptable. Segments are typically of a fixed duration and, in the
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`case of video content, begin with a key-frame and contain no inter-segment
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`references. Segmentation is performed on each of the different encoding generated
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`by the transcoder, by parsing the resultant encoding and determining segment
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`boundaries.” Ex. 1001, 2:46-58. “Segments are encrypted on segment boundaries
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`using the current content encryption key and current initialization vector (IV). . . .
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`The generation of new strongly random values for use as content encryption keys
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`and the rotation of content encryption keys provides protection from content
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`encryption keys being compromised in long lived streams.” Id., 2:62-3:5.
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`Exemplary claim 1 correspondingly recites:
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`Element Claim 1
`
`[1.P]
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`A method for handling secure distribution of content comprising:
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`initiating a media playback request and receiving a playback request
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`[1.1]
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`response;
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`[1.2]
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`parsing content information from the playback request response, the
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`content information including content encryption keys, content
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`encryption key identifiers, and content encryption key expiration
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`times;
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`[1.3]
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`[1.4]
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`retrieving content and manifest files from a content delivery server;
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`detecting content encryption key rotation boundaries between periods
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`of use of different content encryption keys in decrypting retrieved
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`content;
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`[1.5]
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`issuing requests to a license server ahead of a key rotation boundary
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`to retrieve a second content encryption key to be used after a content
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`encryption key rotation boundary is reached; and
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`[1.6]
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`applying the second key for content decryption after the key rotation
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`boundary is reached.
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`
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`The Petition challenges claims 1-20. The Petition’s Grounds are summarized
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`below.
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`Ground References
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`Basis Challenged
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`Claims
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`Peterka, Bocharov
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`§ 103
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`1-4, 6-7, 12-13, 16-20
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`Peterka, Bocharov,
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`§ 103
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`7-9, 14-15, 19
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`Peterka308, Chen
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`Peterka, Bocharov, Balraj
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`§ 103
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`5
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`Peterka, Bocharov, Kelly
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`Peterka, Bocharov, Kelly,
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`§ 103
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`§ 103
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`10
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`11
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`Eisen
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`1A
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`1B
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`1C
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`1D
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`1E
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`III. Person of ordinary skill in the art
`For purposes of this Preliminary Response, Patent Owner does not dispute
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`the Petition’s proposed level of skill for a person of skill in the art (“POSA”),
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`because the level of skill in the art is not necessary for addressing any disputes
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`between the parties.
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`IV. Claim construction
`The Board does not construe claim terms that are not in dispute. Shenzhen
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`Liown Electronics Co. v. Disney Enterprises, Inc., IPR2015-01656, Paper 7 at 10
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`(Feb. 8, 2016) (citing Vivid Techs., Inc. v. Am. Sci. & Eng’g, Inc., 200 F.3d 795,
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`803 (Fed. Cir. 1999)). The Petition does not raise a dispute as to any claim
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`construction issues. Pet. at 6 (“the Board does not need to construe any terms to
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`resolve the arguments presented herein”). Patent Owner does not believe the Board
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`need resolve any claim construction issues at this stage. Nonetheless, to the extent
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`the Board believes Patent Owner’s arguments herein raise claim construction
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`issues, Patent Owner provides the evidentiary bases and arguments in support of its
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`positions below.
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`V. The Petition fails to meet limitations 1.4/16.5 and 1.5/16.6 together.
`Under the Board’s regulations, “the petition must set forth,” “must identify,”
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`and “must specify where each element of the claim is found in the prior art patents
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`or printed publications relied upon.” 37 C.F.R. § 42.104 (b)(4) (emphasis added).
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`The Board may not reach a conclusion of unpatentability where the Petition
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`fails to provide evidence that the prior art meets every element of a challenged
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`claim. See, e.g., Wireless Protocol Innovations, Inc. v. TCT Mobile, Inc., 771 F.
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`App’x. 1012, 1016-18 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (reversing because there was “no
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`reasonable support” for the conclusion that the prior art met the “only after”
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`limitation of the claim); Nidec Motor Corp. v. Zhonghan Broad Ocean Motor Co.,
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`851 F.3d 1270, 1273-74 (Fed. Cir. 2017) (reversing because the challenged claim
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`required the recited signal to be “in the rotating frame of reference,” whereas the
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`evidence did not show that the prior art taught a signal in a rotating frame of
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`reference); IBM v. Iancu, 759 F. App’x. 1002 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (reversing because
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`there was “no substantial evidence . . . that Mellmer teaches” the “single-sign-on
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`limitation” of the claims); Innovative Memory Sys., Inc. v. Micron Tech., Inc., 781
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`F. App’x 1013, 1017-18 (Fed. Cir. 2019) (vacating where the record failed to show
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`that the prior art actually met every limitation).
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`Thus, when a Petition side-steps an element of the challenged claims, or
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`otherwise fails to “specify where each element of the claim is found in the prior art
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`. . . relied upon,” institution must be denied.
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`The Petition’s Ground 1A relies on U.S. Pub. 2002/0172368 (“Peterka”) in
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`view of U.S. Pub. 2010/0235528 (“Bocharov”). As shown below, Ground 1A fails
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`to establish that this combination teaches or suggests limitation 1.4 and 1.5
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`together, i.e., “detecting content encryption key rotation boundaries between
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`periods of use of different content encryption keys in decrypting retrieved content”
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`and “issuing requests to a license server ahead of a key rotation boundary to
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`retrieve a second content encryption key to be used after a content encryption key
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`rotation boundary is reached.”1
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`1 The Petition treats limitations 16.5 and 16.6 identically with limitations 1.4 and
`1.5. Pet. at 44. Accordingly, the arguments herein as to limitations 1.4 and 1.5
`apply equally to limitations 16.5 and 16.6 and claim 16 as a whole.
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`A.
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`Limitation 1.4 corresponds to step 308 of Fig. 3 of the ’178 Patent
`and the associated teachings, and limitation 1.5 corresponds to
`steps 316 and 318 of Fig. 3 and the related teachings
`According to the ’178 Patent, a client must obtain content encryption keys
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`from the license server before it can decrypt and render encrypted content. Id.,
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`6:41-44. The license server stores the content encryption keys, content encryption
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`key identifiers, content encryption key lifespans (or expirations), and the locations
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`of the encrypted content. Id., 6:54-57.
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`Crucially, the ’178 Patent teaches that the workflow manager may issue a
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`new unsolicited content encryption key. Id. at 7:3-4. The new unsolicited content
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`encryption key may be pushed under three different scenarios. “In one
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`embodiment, the WFM 102 pushes the new content encryption key to the packager
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`104 when the current content encryption key is nearing the end of its lifespan.” Id.
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`at 7:4-7. In a second embodiment, “the new content encryption key is pushed
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`ahead of the current content key expiration, and the packager 104 waits until the
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`current content encryption key has expired before applying the new content
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`encryption key.” Id. at 7:7-11. However, in a third embodiment, “the new content
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`encryption key is pushed ahead of the current content encryption key with explicit
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`instructions to apply the key as soon as possible, in which case the packager 104
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`does not wait until the current content encryption key has expired before applying
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`the new content encryption key.” Id. at 7:11-16 (emphasis added).
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`The ’178 Patent further explains that the WFM 102 may, for instance,
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`“push[ ] the new content encryption key to the packager 104 when the current
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`content encryption key is deemed to be no longer secure (e.g., if the content
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`encryption key has been compromised).” Id. at 7:17-20.
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`Consistent with the above teachings, Fig. 3 of the Patent (shown below)
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`depicts a flow chart describing a process for detecting the rotation of content
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`encryption keys and retrieving updated content encryption keys.
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`
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`At step 308, “the client 110 checks to see if a key change is signaled, i.e., a
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`key change was requested outside of any fixed duration lifespan.” Id. at 10:39-43
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`(emphasis added). “If a content encryption change request is detected, the client
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`notes the need to expire the current content encryption key and the content
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`encryption key identifier of the new key to be used. The client 110 then proceeds
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`to step 310.” Id. at 10:65-11:2 (emphasis added).
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`“In step 310, the client 110 checks the expiration of current content key to
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`see if a new key should be applied. There are two cases—normal period-based
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`expiration and an explicit key change notification received in step 308 that
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`applies to the current segment being decrypted. If the current content encryption
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`key has not yet expired, processing proceeds to step 314. If the current content
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`encryption key needs to be expired, processing proceeds to step 312 where the key
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`is ‘rotated’, i.e., the current content encryption key is expired and a new one is put
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`into use.” Id., 11:3-12 (emphasis added).
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`The client 110 “first checks whether the content encryption key
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`corresponding to a key change notification in step 308 has already been retrieved
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`by prefetching. . . .” Id. at 11:12-15. “If the new content encryption key has not
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`been retrieved yet (e.g., due to early expiration of the current content encryption
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`key for security reasons, or content encryption key retrieval failures in step 318),
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`the client 110 must issue a new content encryption key request to the license server
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`106 to retrieve the new content encryption key, then replace the current content
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`encryption key with the newly retrieved content encryption key.” Id., 11:18-25.
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`Claim 1 limitation 1.4, and claim 16 limitation 16.5, are directed precisely at
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`Fig. 3 step 308 of the ’178 Patent. Limitation 1.4 requires “detecting content
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`encryption key rotation boundaries between periods of use of different content
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`encryption keys in decrypting retrieved content.” The terms “detecting” and
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`“between periods of use of different content encryption keys” refer to the scenario
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`in which the client receives a notification instructing it to rotate a key before the
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`normal period-based expiration (i.e., “between periods of use”) associated with that
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`key. In other words, limitation 1.4 is directed to the scenario in which the client
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`detects an instruction to change keys (i.e., detects a key rotation boundary) before
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`the time-based expiration of the current key (i.e., “between periods of use of
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`different content encryption keys”).
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`The language of limitation 1.4 is thus closely aligned with the specification’s
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`description of step 308. For instance, the specification teaches: “If a content
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`encryption key change request is detected, the client notes the need to expire the
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`current content encryption key and the content encryption key identifier of the new
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`key to be used.” Id. at 10:65-11:2. The specification likewise teaches: “Once the
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`new segment is retrieved, processing proceeds to step 308 where the client 110
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`checks to see if a key change is signaled, i.e., a key change was requested outside
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`of any fixed duration lifespan.” Id. at 10:39-42. As noted, the ’178 Specification
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`teaches that for key rotation boundaries, “[t]here are two cases—normal period-
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`based expiration, and an explicit key change notification received in step 308 that
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`applies to the current segment being decrypted.” Id., 11:3-7 (emphasis added).
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`Limitation 1.4 is directed to the latter scenario, i.e., detecting an explicit key
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`change notification that applies to the current segment being decrypted, and that
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`creates a key rotation boundary between normal periods of use, i.e., before normal
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`period-based expiration.
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`Dependent claims 12-15 further demonstrate that limitation 1.4 is directed to
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`step 308 of Fig. 3 and the associated teachings. Claims 12-15 are the only
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`dependent claims that recite narrower embodiments of the “detecting” step of
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`limitation 1.4. Those claims further define specific embodiments related to how the
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`notification for a pre-period-based expiration key change is received so that the
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`client can detect the notification. Like limitation 1.4, these dependent claims
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`likewise closely track various embodiments taught with respect to step 308 of Fig.
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`3. For instance, claim 13 recites “wherein content encryption key rotation
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`boundaries are detected based on notifications in an unencrypted header portion of
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`the encrypted content files,” which claims the specification’s teaching that “the
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`packager 104 notifies the client 110 of the key change by prepending a header to
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`the encrypted content which contains a flag that describes the expiration of the
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`previous content encryption key and the content encryption key identifier of the
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`new content encryption key to be applied.” Id. at 10:43-48. Claim 14 recites
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`“wherein content encryption key rotation boundaries are detected based on
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`notifications present in the content manifest file, the content manifest file being
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`selected from an m3u8 file, an IIS Smooth Streaming manifest file, a DASH MPD
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`file and a proprietary manifest file.” That claim aligns directly with the
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`specification’s teachings regarding an embodiment of step 308 of Fig. 3, in which
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`“the packager 104 notifies the client 110 of the key change by updating a manifest
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`file that describes the encrypted content with a flag that describes the expiration of
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`the previous content encryption key and the content encryption key identifier of the
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`new content encryption key to be applied. In one embodiment, the manifest may be
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`an m3u8 file. In another embodiment, the manifest may be a Smooth Streaming
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`manifest file. In another embodiment, the manifest may be a DASH MPD file.” Id.
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`at 10:52-60. To the same effect, Claim 15 recites that “content encryption key
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`rotation boundaries are detected based on a notification embedded in the file name
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`of the encrypted content file.” Once again, that dependent claim—which is directed
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`to the “detecting” step recited in limitation 1.4—aligns directly with the
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`specification’s teachings regarding step 308 of Fig. 3. The specification thus
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`teaches: “In another embodiment, the packager 104 notifies the client 110 of the
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`key change in the file name of the encrypted content by appending a flag that
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`describes the expiration of the previous content encryption key and the content
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`encryption key identifier of the new content encryption key to be applied.” Id. at
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`10:60-65 (emphasis added).
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`Accordingly, limitation 1.4 requires the client to detect an instruction from
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`the server to change a current key before the normal period-based expiration of the
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`current key while decrypting content, i.e., “detecting content encryption key
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`rotation boundaries between periods of use of different content encryption keys in
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`decrypting retrieved content.”
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`Limitation 1.5 then requires “issuing requests to a license server ahead of a
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`key rotation boundary to retrieve a second content encryption key to be used after a
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`content encryption key rotation boundary is reached.” As demonstrated above, the
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`’178 Patent teaches that a “key rotation boundary” can be reached in “two cases—
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`normal period-based expiration, and an explicit key change notification received
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`in step 308 that applies to the current segment being decrypted.” Id., 11:3-7
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`(emphasis added).
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`Thus, limitation 1.5 requires that the client have the ability to address both
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`key rotation boundary scenarios, i.e., that the client request a new key from the
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`server before the rotation boundary of the current key either (1) because the
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`current key is naturally set to expire or (2) because the client detected an
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`instruction to change the current key ahead of its normal expiration, as stated in
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`limitation 1.4 and taught in step 308 of Fig. 3. Crucially, limitation 1.5 requires
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`that it is the client that requests a new key from the server, even where the client
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`detects a key rotation boundary instruction that requires a key rotation ahead of the
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`natural expiration of the current key, as recited in limitation 1.4. See limitation 1.5
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`(requiring client to “issu[e] requests to a license server” for a second key “ahead of
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`a key rotation boundary” for the current key).
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`Limitation 1.5 thus captures steps 316 and 318 of Fig. 3. As the specification
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`explains: “In step 316, the client 110 checks to see if the current content encryption
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`key is going to expire in the near future or if a content encryption key change
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`request for a future segment was detected in step 308.” Id. at 11:38-41 (emphasis
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`added). “If the current content encryption key is within a fixed threshold of
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`expiring or a content encryption key change request was detected in step 308,
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`processing proceeds to step 318 where the client 110 requests a new content
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`encryption key from the license server 106.” Id. at 11:48-53 (emphasis added).
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`B.
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`The Petition does not demonstrate that Peterka meets limitations
`1.4 and 1.5 together2
`1.
`The Petition’s theory regarding limitation 1.4 cannot meet
`the claims as a whole
`With respect to limitation 1.4, the Petition’s first paragraph cites to Peterka
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`at paragraphs 116-121 for the teachings that “when a new content key is
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`implemented, the implementation will be signaled to the clients so that the clients
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`can begin utilizing the new content key with which they have been provided,” Ex.
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`1004 ¶ 116 (emphasis added), and that “a client can check the predetermined bit in
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`a packet and determine the proper content key to use.” Id. ¶ 117; see Pet. at 34.
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`Neither teaching, however, meets limitation 1.4, and certainly does not meet
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`limitations 1.4 and 1.5 together.
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`First, neither of the Petition’s quoted passages nor any portions of Peterka’s
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`paragraphs 116-121 teaches a client detecting a key rotation boundary ahead of the
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`natural expiration of the current key. Peterka’s paragraph 116 simply teaches that
`
`the server signals to the client that it may begin using a new key that has already
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`been provided to it. Ex. 1004 ¶ 116 (“when a new content key is implemented, the
`
`implementation will be signaled to the clients so that the clients can begin utilizing
`
`
`2 The Petition solely relies on Peterka as teaching or suggesting limitations 1.4 and
`1.5. Pet. at 34-36.
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`the new content key with which they have been provided.”). That approach neither
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`requires nor entails any detection of a key rotation boundary ahead of a key’s
`
`natural time-based rotation boundary. And paragraph 116 does not teach that the
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`client detects a key rotation boundary ahead of the normal expiration period that
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`was already set for the current key, as limitation 1.4 requires.
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`Peterka’s paragraph 117 similarly teaches that “a predetermined bit can be
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`used to indicate if an old or current content key should be used as opposed to a new
`
`content key which has recently been distributed to the client. Thus, a client can
`
`check the predetermined bit in a packet and determine the proper content key to
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`use.” Ex. 1004 ¶ 117. As that passage plainly states, paragraph 117 teaches an
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`embodiment in which a client can be instructed to use one of three keys: an old
`
`key, a current key, or a new key. The client receives that instruction in a
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`“predetermined bit in a packet,” and follows that instruction to use the appropriate
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`key. Under the embodiment of paragraph 117, there is no consideration of the
`
`natural time-based expiration period for encryption keys. That is demonstrated by
`
`the fact that the client can be instructed to use an “old” key, or to continue using a
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`“current” key. By contrast, limitation 1.4 requires the client to “detect” a key
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`change instruction or other non-time-based key rotation boundary to rotate keys
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`prior to the natural time-based expiration of the current key. See Section V.A,
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`supra. Peterka’s paragraph 117 discloses no such instruction being received by the
`
`client, nor any such detection by the client.
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`Second, the embodiments of Peterka’s paragraphs 116-121 certainly cannot
`
`meet limitations 1.4 and 1.5 together. As explained above, limitation 1.5 requires
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`that the client request a new key even when it detects a key change notification or
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`other non-time-based key rotation boundary ahead of the normal expiration period
`
`for the current key. Section V.A, supra. By contrast, Peterka’s paragraph 116
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`teaches the opposite, i.e., the server sending the new key to the client without any
`
`client request. Ex. 1004 ¶ 116 (“when a new content key is implemented, the
`
`implementation will be signaled to the clients so that the clients can begin utilizing
`
`the new content key with which they have been provided.”) (emphasis added).
`
`Paragraph 117 likewise discloses that at the time the client receives the
`
`“predetermined bit” informing it which key to use, “a new key [ ] has recently
`
`been distributed to the client.” Ex. 1004 ¶ 117 (emphasis added). In the
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`embodiments of paragraphs 116-121, the client thus already has the new key, and
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`does not issue any request for a new key, as limitation 1.5 of the ’178 Patent
`
`requires. Accordingly, Peterka’s paragraphs 116, 117, and 118-121 cannot meet
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`limitations 1.4 and 1.5 together, as the Petition’s theory must.
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`The Petition’s second paragraph regarding limitation 1.4 is likewise
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`inapposite. See Pet. 34-35. There, the Petition relies on Peterka’s paragraphs 105,
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`106, 114, and its Fig. 8. Id. As the Petition itself admits, those passages relate to an
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`embodiment in which the client keeps track of “known key expiry times that allow
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`the client to request new keys ahead of the expiration or key rotation boundary.”
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`Pet. at 35 (emphasis added). Peterka’s paragraph 105 likewise teaches that in this
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`particular embodiment, which it calls the “pull model,” “each client keeps track of
`
`the keys and their expiration times and actively requests new keys before the
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`current keys expire so as to avoid service interruptions.” Ex. 1004 ¶ 105. The other
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`passages the Petition cites—Peterka’s paragraph 106, 114, and Fig. 8—all teach
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`the same thing.
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`But Peterka’s “pull model,” and the associated teachings the Petition relies
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`upon, cannot meet limitation 1.4. As the Petition itself states, Peterka’s “pull
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`model” changes keys entirely and exclusively based on “known key expiry times.”
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`Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 105-106. There is no key change notification received by the client
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`ahead of the natural key expiry time of a current key, nor any other non-time-based
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`key rotation boundary, and there is thus no such non-time-based key rotation
`
`boundary for the client to “detect,” as required in limitation 1.4. To the contrary,
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`Peterka teaches that in its “pull model,” the client makes all key change
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`determinations, entirely based on the expiration time of the current key. Ex. 1004 ¶
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`105 (“Under the pull model, each client keeps track of the keys and their expiration
`
`times and actively requests new keys before current keys expire so as to avoid
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`service interruptions. Alternatively, the push model migrates responsibility to the
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`server which keeps track of active clients and distributes new keys to them before
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`the current keys expire.”); id. ¶ 106 (explain that under the pull model, “the server
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`need not monitor the status of the client’s keys; rather, the responsibility of
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`determining when a new key is required can be passed to the client.”) (emphasis
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`added).
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`Accordingly, none of the passages the Petition relies upon from Peterka
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`meet limitation 1.4, much less disclose an embodiment that can meet limitations
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`1.4 and 1.5 together, and thus the challenged claims as a whole. The Petition fails
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`on that basis alone.
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`2.
`
`The Petition’s theory regarding limitation 1.5 cannot meet
`the claims as a whole
`The Petition’s theory regarding limitation 1.5 is similarly self-defeating. The
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`Petition relies entirely on Peterka’s “pull model” to meet limitation 1.5, arguing
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`that Peterka discloses limitation 1.5 because it teaches that, under the pull model,
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`the client requests a new key from the server ahead of the expiration time of the
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`current key. Pet. at 35.
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` Case IPR2022-00618
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`PATENT OWNER’S PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`But as shown above, the pull model cannot meet limitations 1.4 and 1.5
`
`together because, by its very design, the pull model does not entail key change
`
`notifications to the client ahead of the known expiry time of the current key, nor
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`any other non-time-based key rotation boundaries, and the pull model thus cannot
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`meet the “detecting” requirements of limitation 1.4. Section V.B.1, supra.
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`Accordingly, the Petition’s reliance on Peterka’s pull model cannot demonstrate
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`unpatentability of the challenged claims.
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`Nor can the Petition be read to meet limitations 1.4 and 1.5 based on a
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`combination of the push and pull models together. As a threshold matter, the
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`Petition never presents such a theory, and never proposes to modify the push and
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`pull model aspects of Peterka’s own teachings to meet the challenged claims.
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`Moreover, Peterka itself teaches a “combination” push-pull model, which
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`also cannot meet the challenged claims. Ex. 1004 ¶¶ 113-117. Specifically, Peterka
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`states: “The push key model and pull key model can be combined in a combin

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