throbber
Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 1 of 15
`
`
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
`WACO DIVISION
`
`
`VOIP-PAL.COM, INC.
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`META PLATFORMS, INC., and
`WHATSAPP, INC.
`
`Defendants.
`
`
`VOIP-PAL.COM, INC.
`
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`
`
`v.
`
`
`GOOGLE LLC,
`
`
`Defendant.
`
`
`
`VOIP-PAL.COM, INC.
`Plaintiff,
`
`
`
`
`CIVIL ACTION NO. 6:20-cv-267-ADA
`
`
`
`CIVIL ACTION NO. 6:20-cv-269-ADA
`
`
`
`CIVIL ACTION NO. 6:20-cv-272-ADA
`
`v.
`AMAZON.COM, INC.;
`AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC; and
`AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC.,
`Defendants.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`DECLARATION OF WILLIAM HENRY MANGIONE-SMITH
`
`I, William Henry Mangione-Smith, declare as follows under penalty of perjury according to the
`
`laws of the United States:
`
`I.
`
`Introduction
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 2 of 15
`
`
`
`1.
`
`I have personal knowledge of the facts contained in this declaration and, if called as a
`
`witness, I could and would competently testify to those facts. I am being compensated at my normal
`
`consulting rate, which is $650 per hour. My compensation does not depend on and in no way affects
`
`the substance of my statements in this Declaration.
`
`II.
`
`Qualifications
`
`2.
`
`My technical background covers most aspects of computer system design, including
`
`low level circuitry, computer architecture, computer networking, graphics, application software, client-
`
`server application, Web technology, and system software (e.g., operating systems and compilers). I am
`
`a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing
`
`Machinery, which are the two most significant professional organizations in the computer field. I have
`
`been employed as a design engineer, research engineer, professor and technical expert. Over my
`
`professional career I have been an active inventor with at least 121 issued U.S. patents, 206 published
`
`and pending U.S. patent applications and many unpublished U.S. patent applications.
`
`3.
`
`From 1984 until 1991 I attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I
`
`was awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Engineering, Master of Science and Engineering,
`
`and Doctor of Philosophy. My doctoral research focused on high-performance computing systems
`
`including computer architecture, applications and operating system software, and compiler technology.
`
`One of my responsibilities during my graduate studies included teaching senior undergraduate students
`
`who were about to enter the profession.
`
`4.
`
`After graduating from the University of Michigan I was employed by Motorola in
`
`Schaumburg, Illinois. While at Motorola, I was part of a team designing and manufacturing the first
`
`commercial battery-powered product capable of communicating Internet email over a wireless (i.e.,
`
`radio frequency) link and one of the first personal digital assistants. I also served as the lead architect
`
`on the second-generation of this device. Part of my responsibilities at Motorola involved the
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 3 of 15
`
`
`specification, design, and testing of system control Application-Specific Integrated Circuits
`
`(“ASICs”). I conducted the initial research and advanced design that resulted in the Motorola M*Core
`
`embedded microprocessor. M*Core was designed to provide the high performance of desktop
`
`microprocessors with the low power of contemporaneous embedded processors. The M*Core
`
`received widespread use in several communications products including various telephone handsets,
`
`advanced pagers, and embedded infrastructure. While at Motorola I was also the sole inventor on one
`
`U.S. patent.
`
`5.
`
`From 1995 until 2005 I was employed by the University of California at Los Angeles
`
`(“UCLA”) as a professor of Electrical Engineering. I was the director of the laboratory for Compiler
`
`and Architecture Research in Embedded Systems (“CARES”) and served as the field chair for
`
`Embedded Computing Systems. The CARES research team focused on research, engineering and
`
`design challenges in the context of battery-powered and multi-media mobile computing devices. One
`
`of the key developments of my lab was the Mediabench software tool, which is widely used to design
`
`and evaluate multi-media embedded devices. Key elements of Mediabench include software that is
`
`essential for modern digital telephony. My primary responsibility, in addition to classroom teaching,
`
`involved directing the research and training of graduate students. I was a tenured member of the
`
`faculty and had responsibilities for teaching as well as scholarly research. While at UCLA I was a
`
`named inventor on three U.S. patent applications. My colleagues at UCLA were some of the leading
`
`scientists and engineers in the world with a long list of innovations from computer network security
`
`devices to the nicotine patch. The graduate student researchers in my laboratory came from a diverse
`
`set of backgrounds, all with undergraduate degrees in computer engineering, electrical engineering or
`
`computer science. Many of them had multiple years of experience working as professional engineers
`
`in areas such as software development, computer system design and ASIC circuit design.
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 4 of 15
`
`
`
`6.
`
`From 2005 until 2009, I was employed at Intellectual Ventures in Bellevue,
`
`Washington. My responsibilities at Intellectual Ventures included business development, technology
`
`assessment, market forecasting, university outreach, collaborative inventing, intellectual property
`
`licensing support, and intellectual property asset pricing. My colleagues and co-inventors at
`
`Intellectual Ventures included the former lead intellectual property strategist at Intel, Intel’s lead IP
`
`council, Microsoft’s chief software architect, the founder of Microsoft research, the designer of the
`
`Mach operating system, the architect of the U.S. Defense Department’s Strategic Defense Initiative,
`
`the founder of Thinking Machines (a seminal parallel-processing computer system), and Bill Gates. I
`
`had responsibility for hiring and managing over 15 staff members including multiple Ph.Ds. with
`
`degrees in engineering and science along with decades of experience in product design and
`
`engineering.
`
`7.
`
`A brief summary of some of my qualifications for the facts and understandings stated in
`
`this declaration are as follows: I have more than 27 years of experience as a computer architect,
`
`computer system designer, educator, and as an executive in the PC and electronics business. I am also
`
`a member of a number of professional associations, such as the ACM, IEEE and have been intimately
`
`involved in professional research through the International Symposium on Microarchitecture (Program
`
`Chair for 26th and General Chair for 36th), IEEE Transactions on Computers (Associate Editor),
`
`ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems (Associate Editor), and IEEE Computer
`
`(Associate Editor). I also have been on the program committees for many computer conferences,
`
`including a Network Processors Workshop. For further details regarding my employment and
`
`academic history, please refer to my curriculum vitae (Ex. A).
`
`III. Task
`
`8.
`
`I have been asked to provide testimony regarding the understanding of a person of
`
`ordinary skill in the art (“POSITA”) at the time of invention regarding the technology disclosed and
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 5 of 15
`
`
`claimed in VoIP-Pal’s patents in general, and in particular, in U.S. Patent No. 10,218,606 patent (“the
`
`’606 patent”). This is not the first time I have provided testimony for VoIP-Pal. For example, I
`
`provided expert declarations and deposition testimony in inter partes reviews (IPR2016-01198 and
`
`IPR2016-01201) relating to two of VoIP-Pal’s patents, namely, U.S. Patent No. 8,542,815 (“the ’815
`
`Patent”) and U.S. Patent No. 9,179,005 (“the ’005 Patent”), of which the ’606 patent is a continuation.
`
`I have also previously submitted a declaration regarding the ’606 patent, which I incorporate by
`
`reference. See Case No. 5:20-cv-2397-LHK, Dkt. No. 52-1; Case No. 5:20-cv-2460-LHK, Dkt. No.
`
`62-1; Case No. 5:20-cv-2995-LHK, Dkt. No. 63-1. While I am not a lawyer and have no formal legal
`
`training, I am a prolific inventor with many issued Patents, I have worked at the intersection of patents
`
`and computer technology for at least 15 years, and I have provided expert testimony in many patent
`
`cases. In making the statements contained in this declaration, I have relied on my education in
`
`computer engineering, 30+ years of professional experience, and at least the documents identified
`
`below.
`
` U.S. Patent No. 8,542,815 (“the ’815 Patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,179,005 (“the ’005 Patent”) and its file history;
`
` Documents filed in IPR2016-01198 and IPR2016-01201 (inter partes reviews relating to the
`
`parent ’815 and ’005 Patents), including inventor declarations, prior art, telecommunications
`
`dictionaries and reference works.
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,826,002 (“the ’002 patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,948,549 (“the ’549 patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,813,330 (“the ’330 patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,537,762 (“the ’762 patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 9,935,872 (“the ’872 patent”) and its file history;
`
` U.S. Patent No. 10,218,606 (“the ’606 patent”) and its file history;
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 6 of 15
`
`
`IV.
`
`LEGAL PRINCIPLES
`
`9.
`
`This declaration comprises my true and honest statement of the facts, based upon my
`
`review of the patents-in-suit and their file histories, my educational background, my knowledge of
`
`prior communications methods, and my experience and knowledge as a professional and person of
`
`ordinary skill in the art for at least the last 25 years. I am prepared to provide verbal testimony and
`
`supplementary written declarations should those be of service to the Court.
`
`10.
`
`I am informed that the claims of a patent define the invention to which the patentee is
`
`entitled the right to exclude use by others. I am informed that the Court examines the intrinsic
`
`evidence for a patent to define the patented invention’s scope. I am informed that the intrinsic
`
`evidence includes the claims, the rest of the specification and the prosecution history.
`
`11.
`
`I am informed that the Court begins by gives claim terms their ordinary and customary
`
`meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. I am informed
`
`that claim language guides the Court’s construction of claim terms. I am informed that other claims,
`
`asserted and un-asserted, can provide additional instruction because terms are normally used
`
`consistently throughout the patent. I am informed that differences among claims, such as additional
`
`limitations in dependent claims, can provide further guidance.
`
`12.
`
`I am informed that claims must be read in view of the specification, of which they are a
`
`part. I am informed that in the specification, a patentee may define their own terms, give a claim term
`
`a different meaning than it would otherwise possess, or disclaim or disavow some claim scope. I am
`
`informed that, although the Court generally presumes terms possess their ordinary meaning, this
`
`presumption can be overcome by statements of clear disclaimer, and this presumption does not arise
`
`when the patentee acts as their own lexicographer.
`
`13.
`
`I am informed that the specification may also resolve ambiguous claim terms where the
`
`ordinary and accustomed meaning of the words used in the claims lack sufficient clarity to permit the
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 7 of 15
`
`
`scope of the claim to be ascertained from the words alone. I am informed that, although the
`
`specification may aid the court in interpreting the meaning of disputed language in the claims,
`
`particular embodiments and examples appearing in the specification should not typically be read into
`
`the claims.
`
`14.
`
`I am informed that the prosecution history is another tool to supply the proper context
`
`for claim construction because a patentee may define a term during prosecution of the patent. I am
`
`informed that claims may be limited by what the patentee told the PTO, if the prosecution history
`
`shows that the patentee clearly and unambiguously disclaimed or disavowed the proposed
`
`interpretation during prosecution to obtain claim allowance.
`
`15.
`
`I am informed that the Court may rely on extrinsic evidence to shed useful light on the
`
`relevant art. I am informed that technical dictionaries and treatises may help the Court understand the
`
`underlying technology and the way one skilled in the art might use claim terms. I am informed that
`
`expert testimony may aid the Court in determining the meaning of a term in the pertinent field.
`
`16.
`
`I understand that a patent may be found invalid by failing to satisfy one or more of the
`
`requirements of 35 U.S.C. §112, which provides the requirements for definiteness, written description,
`
`and enablement.
`
`17.
`
`I understand that a patent’s specification must conclude with one or more claims
`
`particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that the applicant regards as the
`
`invention. This requirement is referred to as the definiteness requirement. Definiteness is measured
`
`from the viewpoint of a person skilled in [the] art at the time the patent was filed. Additionally, claims
`
`are to be read in light of the patent’s specification and prosecution history. Thus, the definiteness
`
`requirement requires that a patent’s claims, viewed in light of the specification and prosecution
`
`history, inform those skilled in the art about the scope of the invention with reasonable certainty. This
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 8 of 15
`
`
`requirement mandates clarity, while recognizing that absolute precision is unattainable. I understand
`
`that Plaintiffs bear the burden of proving indefiniteness by clear and convincing evidence.
`
`18.
`
`In my opinion, a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) of the ’606 patent, as of
`
`the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/856,212, filed on November 2, 2006, and of
`
`Application No. 12/513,147, filed as PCT Application No. PCT/CA2007/001956 on November 1,
`
`2007, would find the scope of the claim terms to be sufficiently clear in light of the general knowledge
`
`of the art as further informed by the intrinsic evidence, including the patent specification as a whole.
`
`19. Based on my education and experience, I am familiar with the level of knowledge that a
`
`POSITA would have possessed during the relevant period of time. By the priority date of the ’606
`
`patent, I was a person who had more than ordinary skill in the art.
`
`20.
`
`I consider myself an expert in the relevant field of technology of the ’606 patent. In
`
`forming my opinions for this Declaration, I have used the perspective of a POSITA defined as follows:
`
`one of ordinary skill in the art as of the priority date would be someone with an undergraduate degree
`
`in either Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related
`
`discipline. Furthermore, I believe that such a person would also have 2 years of experience in system-
`
`level software development. In my opinion a greater degree of professional experience could serve to
`
`replace some degree of formal education. I also believe that some greater degree of formal education
`
`could serve to replace some degree of professional work experience.
`
`V.
`
`A.
`
`DISPUTED CLAIM TERMS
`
`“network element[s]”
`
`21. The term “network element[s]” appears in claims 1, 4, 8, 14, 19-21, 23, 24, 27, 32 of
`
`the ’606 patent. For example, the phrase “first and second network elements” appears in claim 1, 8,
`
`19, 24 and 32 of the ’606 patent, and some claims also recite at least one of the terms “first network
`
`element” and “second network element.”
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 9 of 15
`
`
`
`22.
`
`In my opinion, the bounds of these claim terms are readily understandable to a
`
`POSITA. In the ’606 patent, a “network element” is simply an “element” of the network, that is, a
`
`component or device that is part of a communication network. See, e.g., Figure 1 generally. Network
`
`elements are generally associated with at least one network address. See, e.g., column 14, lines 1-6 and
`
`elsewhere. Thus, the term “network element” as recited in the claims would be understood by a
`
`POSITA as a network device or component that is associated with a particular network address. The
`
`specification discloses various examples of network elements throughout, including in Figure 1.
`
`Several examples of network elements in a preferred embodiment are listed at column 14, lines 3-4
`
`(“call controller”, “media relay,” “telephones”) although the list is non-exhaustive (id.: “any others”).
`
`Different network elements may perform different functions, for example, an embodiment of a routing
`
`controller network element is disclosed that can perform routing, billing, and rating. See col. 11, line
`
`25-27 and Figure 7.
`
`23. Regarding the terms “first” or “second,” when applied to “network element,” a
`
`POSITA would understand these terms as simply labels assigned to network elements, providing an
`
`antecedent basis for referring to the specific elements in the claim. The use of “first” and “second”
`
`(and other adjectives) is a well-known claim drafting convention. Claim 1 of the ’606 patent, in its
`
`preamble, uses the labels of “first” and “second” multiple times to refer to various things: i.e., “a first
`
`participant device associated with a first participant and a second participant device associated with a
`
`second participant, the first and second participant devices being associated with first and second
`
`network elements of the communication system, respectively.” Here, a POSITA would simply
`
`understand that “first” and “second” are being used as labels (not to denote the quality of a recited
`
`item). Thus, a POSITA would conclude that a “first participant device” is associated with a “first
`
`network element”, and that a “second participant device” is associated with a “second network
`
`element”. The question of whether the first and second devices are associated with the same network
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 10 of 15
`
`
`element or with different network elements is clear in claim 1—the claim as drafted allows for both
`
`alternatives. Indeed, the claim expressly recites a processing step which figures this out: “processing
`
`the new second participant identifier, using the at least one processor, to determine whether the second
`
`network element is the same as the first network element”. Although this claim language is already
`
`sufficiently clear, if the POSITA looked to the specification, they would find helpful examples of a
`
`comparable process, for example, determining whether a node associated with the caller is (or is not)
`
`the same as the node associated with the callee. See col. 3, lines 9-29; col. 21, lines 11-15; col. 25,
`
`lines 61-67; Fig. 8A. The initiating party and the called party may both be associated with a network
`
`node, but the system must determine whether it is the same node or a different node to route the call.
`
`In one example, a Vancouver user may call a Calgary user who is associated with the same node as the
`
`Vancouver user (i.e., the Vancouver node) (see col. 25, line 61 to col. 28, line 44). In another
`
`example, the Vancouver user (associated with the Vancouver node) may call a London user who is
`
`associated with a different node (i.e., the London node) (see col. 21, line 10 to col. 23, line 49). In the
`
`first example, the second user’s node is the same as the first user’s node. In the second example, the
`
`second user’s node is different than the first user’s node. Whether from the claim, or from reviewing
`
`the illustrative examples in the specification, the scope of “network element,” “first network element”
`
`and “second network element” would not be unclear or indefinite to a POSITA. Considering the
`
`specification, a POSITA would have no difficulty understanding the claims that recite “network
`
`element,” including the recited steps of determining whether or not the network elements associated
`
`with the caller and callee are the same, although a POSITA would appreciate that the claims are not
`
`limited to the implementations that are disclosed in the preferred embodiments, which are merely
`
`examples (col. 37 lines 24-28).
`
`24.
`
`In one preferred embodiment, a Vancouver subscriber and a Calgary Subscriber may
`
`both be associated with a Vancouver node having an domain name address of “sp.yvr.digifonica.com”
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 11 of 15
`
`
`or the equivalent IP address (see, e.g., Figures 16-17; compare Figures 10 and 11 (“Domain”)),
`
`whereas a London callee could be associated with a London node at “sp.lhr.digifonica.com” (or the
`
`equivalent IP address). See Figure 12. In embodiments where each subscribers have a username that
`
`has a prefix which identifies their node, one way of determining if both parties are associated with the
`
`same node or network element is to compare the prefix of a caller identifier and a callee identifier (col.
`
`3 lines 9-17; col. 21 lines 11-20). It is possible to look up prefixes in a table to identify a node or
`
`network element for handing the call (col. 21 lines 35-38). One could alternatively determine the
`
`addresses that the caller and callee use to access communication services and compare those addresses
`
`directly, for example, in the form of a fully qualified domain name or an IP address (col. 13 lines 55-
`
`67). Other ways of determining whether a callee and callee are associated with the same network
`
`element would be apparent to a person of skill in the art. Comparing two things to determine whether
`
`they are the same or different is a common step in computer-implemented systems and would be
`
`within the ordinary skill of a POSITA. It is not necessary (nor even possible) to exhaustively list all
`
`the different ways of implementing a comparing step for the patent claims to be understood by a
`
`POSITA.
`
`25. Defendants assert it would be necessary for a POSITA to know in advance whether a
`
`“network element” is a single device or multiple devices or whether it is a logical component to
`
`understand the claim. It is not necessary to answer any of these implementation questions to
`
`understand the bounds of the claims with reasonable certainty. There are countless implementation
`
`decisions that a network engineer must answer—e.g., “Will this network device use electrical
`
`transmission or optical transmission?”—but such implementation details need not be spelled out for a
`
`claim term to be clear. The mere fact that the term “network element” is broad does not, for that reason
`
`alone, make the term unclear. Even if the term “network element” is broad enough to cover multiple
`
`devices that work together to implement a network function, that does not make the term indefinite.
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 12 of 15
`
`
`The ’606 patent discloses nodes 11 and 21 that are composed of multiple elements but this fact does
`
`not create any lack of clarity. Furthermore, the Defendants have not explained why a “network
`
`element” that encompasses a “logical component” is indefinite. I assume that what is meant by a
`
`“logical component” is a software-implemented network component, but if so, there is no explanation
`
`for why a software-implemented network component is indefinite. A POSITA would know that
`
`network elements can be implemented in hardware or in software. The specification indicates that one
`
`example of a “network element” is a routing controller, which can have a dedicated computer
`
`hardware (Figure 7, col. 11 lines 25-27). The specification also indicates that the routing controller
`
`could be implemented, in some embodiments, as a “module” on a shared computer system. Column
`
`13 lines 48-54. Whether the functions of a routing controller are performed solely by hardware or by a
`
`“module” is an implementation choice that would be understood by a POSITA. A POSITA would
`
`also understand how a module (or logical component) would be embodied in a physical device given
`
`that software-implemented inventions are implemented by computer processors executing computer
`
`code. Considering the specification, and also the common knowledge of a skilled artisan, a POSITA
`
`would know there are multiple ways of implementing a network device.
`
`26.
`
`It is not necessary to resort to extrinsic evidence at all, given the specification’s own
`
`usage of the term “network element.” However, even the extrinsic evidence confirms that the term
`
`“network element” is commonly used in the art as a broad reference to items of network equipment,
`
`consistent with the specification. See, e.g., Valdar, Andy, Understanding Telecommunications
`
`Networks, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, London, UK, 2006, at pages 294-296
`
`(referencing various items of network equipment as “elements”):
`
`“The first level [of network management] is that of the management of individual
`pieces of network equipment or ‘elements’, e.g. cables, multiplexors, line systems,
`cross-connects, exchanges, signalling systems and intelligent network data bases.
`
`See also, id., pages 294 (“various network elements (i.e., equipment)”) and 296 (Figure 11.11).
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 13 of 15
`
`
`
`27. As discussed in ¶22, the ’606 specification refers to network elements in a conventional
`
`way. Yet the Defendants state that the ’606 patent “never even uses the term ‘network element’” and
`
`the Defendants’ expert states that the specification “does not mention the term ‘network element’ at
`
`all.” See Opening Brief at 5; Declaration at ¶36. Both statements are highly misleading. As I have
`
`discussed above, the patent specification discloses that its communication network is comprised of
`
`various “elements”. If an “element” is part of a network, then it is a “network element”. By way of
`
`comparison, the above-quoted statement in the Valdar textbook (as in the ‘606 patent) refers to an
`
`“element” of a network, but given the context of discussing a network, it would be a mistake to be so
`
`woodenly literal as to claim (as Defendants do) that the term “network element” is not used.
`
`28.
`
`I have given previous testimony illustrating functionality potentially covered by these
`
`claims in a declaration filed in Case No. 5:18-cv-07020-LHK, e.g., in ¶¶ 27-28, and 30, thus further
`
`demonstrating that the scope of the claim would be clear to a POSITA considering the specification.
`
`B.
`
`“Private Network”
`
`29. The term “private network” appears in claim 8 of the ’606 patent.
`
`30.
`
`In my opinion, a POSITA would understand from the patent specification that the term
`
`“private network” has a special meaning. “Private network” does not necessarily mean that all
`
`elements of every part of a communication’s path utilize equipment that is owned or controlled by one
`
`entity. Rather, a POSITA would recognize that the ’606 patent utilizes the term “private network”
`
`differently. For example, the ’606 patent discloses that a call to a destination on the private network
`
`may have a communication path that includes the Internet. See col. 13, lines 32-35 and 55-67; col. 14
`
`lines 40-42, col. 15, lines 33-47, col. 27 lines 47-52; 13 in Fig. 1. As such, the “private network” is
`
`private in the sense that establishment of a call and the transmission of data on the private network is
`
`privately controlled by an entity (e.g., by a “system operator”, such as VoIP-Pal’s predecessor-in-title
`
`“Digifonica,” which designed and built the system described in the patent), but this does not require
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 14 of 15
`
`
`that each machine along the communication path must be controlled by the system operator. For
`
`example, intervening devices on the Internet need not be controlled by the system operator.
`
`31. Defendants allege that “nothing in the specification links the idea of a ‘private network’
`
`to ‘control’ over components of [the private] network.” See Defendants’ Opening Brief at p.14. This
`
`statement is inaccurate. The specification discloses various examples of control of the communication
`
`system’s internal network (i.e., “private network”) including that the system performs authentication
`
`of subscribers’ devices (i.e., preventing unauthorized users from using its services) and maintains
`
`various databases (e.g., databases of profiles, bundle records, etc.) that facilitate configuration and
`
`control of various network elements that effect communications. See, e.g., col. 15 lines 1-8; col. 17
`
`lines 16-32; col. 21 lines 1-2 and 25-34; col. 23 lines 4-22 and 38-49; col. 28 lines 40-59; and col. 31
`
`lines 41-61; Figures 8A-D, 9-14, 34, and 42-50. The specification further discloses that a “system
`
`operator” (or “an operator of the communication services”) manages the registration of subscribers and
`
`configures the communication services offered to each subscriber, for example, by configuring which
`
`“nodes” (11, 21) provide the services and what routes are used to establish calls, causing the network
`
`components of the private network along a communication path between two subscribers to work
`
`together to implement the system operator’s control of the network. See, e.g., col. 14 lines 50-65; col.
`
`19 line 36 to col. 20 line 11; col. 8, line 59; Figs. 34, 42-46, and 59-60. In effect, the system operator
`
`exercises control over a communication established in the private network from its origin at a calling
`
`subscriber to its receipt at a called subscriber based on this set of network configurations. While
`
`Defendants throw up their hands and say that VoIP-Pal’s proposed construction is “unworkable”, their
`
`own position fails to draw any inferences from the specification’s extensive disclosure of the control
`
`of the “private network” that is exercised by the “system operator.” In my view, a POSITA who
`
`reviewed the above-mentioned disclosures in the specification, would have no difficulty in
`
`understanding the type of control required to provide communication services in a “private network.”
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00272-ADA Document 69-4 Filed 04/08/22 Page 15 of 15
`
`I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statements are true and correct, and that I
`
`have executed this declaration on April 8, 2022.
`
`William Henry Mangione-Smith
`
`

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


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

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

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

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

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

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

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

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

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

Your account does not support viewing this document.

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

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

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

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

Become a Member

One Moment Please

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

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

Your document is on its way!

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

Sealed Document

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

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


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket