throbber
Paper No. 1
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`
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`
`
`
`
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`
`
`
`
`
`MICROSOFT CORPORATION and HP INC.
`Petitioners,
`
`v.
`
`SYNKLOUD TECHNOLOGIES, LLC,
`Patent Owner.
`
`Patent No. 7,870,225
`Issued: January 11, 2011
`Filed: February 5, 2010
`
`Inventor: Han-gyoo Kim
`
`DISK SYSTEM ADAPTED TO BE DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO
`NETWORK
`
`________________________
`Inter Partes Review No. IPR2021-00174
`________________________
`PETITION
`REGARDING U.S. PATENT NO. 7,870,225
`________________________
`
`Title:
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`Paper No. 1
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`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 6
`
`COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS FOR INTER PARTES
`
`I.
`
`II.
`
`REVIEW .......................................................................................................... 6
`
`A.
`
`B.
`
`Certification the 225 Patent May Be Contested by Petitioners ............. 6
`
`Fee for Inter Partes Review (§ 42.15 (a)) .............................................. 7
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`C. Mandatory Notices (§ 42.8(b)) .............................................................. 7
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`D. No Basis Exists for Discretionary Denial Under Sections 314(a) and
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`325(d) .................................................................................................... 8
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`III. CHALLENGED CLAIMS .............................................................................. 8
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`IV. THE 225 PATENT .......................................................................................... 9
`
`A.
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`B.
`
`C.
`
`D.
`
`Effective Filing Date ............................................................................. 9
`
`Level of Ordinary Skill ......................................................................... 9
`
`Overview of 225 Patent ......................................................................... 9
`
`Claim Construction.............................................................................. 10
`
`1.
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`2.
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`3.
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`4.
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`“network-attached device (NAD)” ........................................... 10
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`“general-purpose network traffic” ............................................ 11
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`“data link frames” ..................................................................... 12
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`“virtual host bus adapter” .......................................................... 12
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`5.
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`“device accessing thread,” “device searching thread,” and
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`“network connection setting thread” ......................................... 14
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`6.
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`“[controlling the NAD] in a way indistinguishable from the way
`
`as a physical host bus adapter device controls device” ............ 16
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`7.
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`“a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host
`
`bus adapter in software controlling the NAD through the
`
`network” .................................................................................... 17
`
`V.
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`THE PRINCIPAL PRIOR ART .................................................................... 18
`
`A.
`
`Jewett (EX1005) .................................................................................. 18
`
`1.
`
`2.
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`Prior Art Status .......................................................................... 18
`
`Overview of Jewett ................................................................... 22
`
`VI. REASONS FOR REQUESTED RELIEF ..................................................... 25
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`A. Ground 1 – Claims 1 and 5-12: Anticipation by Jewett ..................... 25
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`5.
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`6.
`
`Claim 1 ...................................................................................... 25
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`Claim 5 ...................................................................................... 40
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`Claim 6 ...................................................................................... 40
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`Claim 7 ...................................................................................... 44
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`Claim 8 ...................................................................................... 45
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`Claim 9 ...................................................................................... 45
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`7.
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`8.
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`9.
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`Claim 10 .................................................................................... 46
`
`Claim 11 .................................................................................... 47
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`Claim 12 .................................................................................... 52
`
`B.
`
`Ground 2 – Claims 1 and 5-12: Obvious Over Jewett ....................... 53
`
`1.
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`2.
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`3.
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`4.
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`5.
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`6.
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`7.
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`Claim 1 ...................................................................................... 53
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`Claim 6 ...................................................................................... 54
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`Claim 8 ...................................................................................... 55
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`Claim 9 ...................................................................................... 56
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`Claim 10 .................................................................................... 57
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`Claim 11 .................................................................................... 57
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`Claim 12 .................................................................................... 58
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`C.
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`Ground 3 – Claims 1 and 5-12: Obvious Over Jewett and Smith ...... 58
`
`1.
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`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`Claim 1 ...................................................................................... 59
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`Claim 10 .................................................................................... 60
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`Claim 11 .................................................................................... 64
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`Claim 12 .................................................................................... 68
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`D. Ground 4 – Claims 1 and 8: Obvious Over Jewett and Wang ........... 71
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`1.
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`2.
`
`Claim 1 ...................................................................................... 71
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`Claim 8 ...................................................................................... 75
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`3
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`E.
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`Ground 5 – Claims 6-12: Obvious Over Jewett and Tackett ............. 76
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`1.
`
`Claims 6-12 ............................................................................... 76
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`VII. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 80
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
` Page(s)
`
`Cases
`Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc.,
`IPR2020-00019, Paper 11 (March 20, 2020) ....................................................... 3
`Becton, Dickinson & Co. v. B. Braun Melsungen AG,
`IPR2017-01586, Paper 8 (Dec. 15, 2017) ............................................................ 3
`Dynamic Drinkware, LLC v. National Graphics, Inc.,
`800 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2015) .......................................................................... 14
`KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex, Inc.,
`550 U.S. 398 (2007) ............................................................................................ 12
`Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Microspherix LLC,
`814 Fed. Appx. 575 (Fed. Cir. 2020) .................................................................. 14
`Microsoft Corp. v. Synkloud Technologies, LLC,
`1-20-cv-00007 (D. Del.) ....................................................................................... 2
`Synkloud Technologies, LLC v. HP Inc.,
`1-19-cv-01360 (D. Del.) ....................................................................................... 2
`Statutes
`35 U.S.C. § 102 (a) and (b) ...................................................................................... 71
`35 U.S.C. §§ 102(a), (b), and (e) ............................................................................. 53
`35 U.S.C. § 102(e) ............................................................................................. 17, 66
`35 U.S.C. § 325(d) ..................................................................................................... 3
`Other Authorities
`37 C.F.R. § 42.104 (a) ................................................................................................ 1
`37 C.F.R. § 42.15(a) ............................................................................................... 1, 2
`5
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225 (“the 225 Patent”) claims a system for a host
`
`computer to receive from and issue commands to a network-attached device.
`
`Jewett is a U.S. Patent with a provisional filed before the priority date of the 225
`
`Patent and describes exactly such a system. In particular, Jewett discloses a host
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`computer with an operating system, which can be, for example, Linux, that can
`
`access any number of network-attached block level storage servers to write I/O
`
`commands to and read I/O commands from. As demonstrated below, Jewett, either
`
`alone or in combination with other references, renders claims 1 and 5-12 of the 225
`
`Patent unpatentable.
`
`II. COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS FOR INTER PARTES
`REVIEW
`A. Certification the 225 Patent May Be Contested by Petitioners
`
`Petitioners certify that the Patent for which review is sought is available for
`
`inter partes review and Petitioners are not barred or estopped from requesting inter
`
`partes review of the 225 Patent (EX1001) on the grounds identified in this Petition.
`
`Petitioners also certify this petition for inter partes review is not being filed more
`
`than one year from the date of service of a complaint on Petitioners alleging
`
`infringement of a patent. Petitioners also certify that they have not filed a civil
`
`action challenging the validity of a claim of the 225 Patent.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`B.
`
`Fee for Inter Partes Review (§ 42.15 (a))
`
`The Director is authorized to charge the fee specified by 37 CFR § 42.15 (a)
`
`to Deposit Account No. 50-1597.
`
`C. Mandatory Notices (§ 42.8(b))
`
`The real parties-in-interest of this petition are Microsoft Corporation
`
`(“Microsoft”), located at One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052, and HP
`
`Inc. (“HP”), located at 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
`
`Lead counsel and backup lead counsel are as follows:
`
`Lead Counsel
`Joseph A. Micallef
`Reg. No. 39,772
`jmicallef@sidley.com
`(202) 736-8492
`
`Backup Lead Counsel
`Scott M. Border
`Reg. No. 77,744
`sborder@sidley.com
`(202) 736-8818
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`Service on Petitioners may be made by email (iprnotices@sidley.com), mail
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`or hand delivery to: Sidley Austin LLP, 1501 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
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`20005. The fax number for lead and backup counsel is (202) 736-8711.
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`The 225 Patent is or has been the subject to, or relates to, the following
`
`proceedings:
`
`• Microsoft Corp. v. Synkloud Technologies, LLC, 1-20-cv-00007 (D.
`Del.)
`
`• Synkloud Technologies, LLC v. HP Inc., 1-19-cv-01360 (D. Del.)
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`D. No Basis Exists for Discretionary Denial Under Sections 314(a)
`and 325(d)
`Factors considered under § 314(a) related to parallel district litigations also
`
`weigh against denying institution. For example, each of factors (1)-(4) and (6) of
`
`Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., IPR2020-00019, Paper 11 (March 20, 2020) are either
`
`neutral or weigh against denial—in the related district court litigation, no trial has
`
`been scheduled, and note that no scheduling order has been entered as of this
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`filing.
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`Finally, Petitioners’ challenges do not advance “the same or substantially the
`
`same prior art or arguments previously … presented to the Office.” See 35 U.S.C.
`
`§ 325(d); Becton, Dickinson & Co. v. B. Braun Melsungen AG, IPR2017-01586,
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`Paper 8 (Dec. 15, 2017). The Examiner had neither the primary reference relied on
`
`here (Jewett), nor any similar reference, and also did not have the analysis of Dr.
`
`Houh.
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`III. CHALLENGED CLAIMS
`Claims 1-12 of the 225 Patent are unpatentable as follows:
`
`Ground Claim(s) Challenged
`1
`1, 5-12
`
`35 U.S.C. § Reference(s)/Basis
`102
`Jewett
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`2
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`1, 5-12
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`103
`
`Jewett
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`1, 5-12
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`1, 8
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`6-12
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`3
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`4
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`5
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`
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`103
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`103
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`103
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`Jewett, Smith
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`Jewett, Wang
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`Jewett, Tackett
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`IV. THE 225 PATENT
`Effective Filing Date
`A.
`Petitioners assume a priority date of October 13, 2000. EX1001, Face.
`
`Level of Ordinary Skill
`B.
`A person of ordinary skill in the art in the field of the 225 Patent in the 2000
`
`time frame (“a Skilled Artisan”) would have been someone with a bachelor’s
`
`degree in electrical, computer engineering, computer science, or related field with
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`two years of experience in a relevant technical field, such as remote storage
`
`systems or distributed systems. As evidenced by the prior art cited below, such a
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`person would have been knowledgeable about device drivers, techniques for
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`remotely accessing and manipulating computer files, and communications over
`
`computer networks such as a local area network or a wide area network.
`
`EX1003,¶47.
`
`C. Overview of 225 Patent
`The 225 Patent discloses a “network-attached disk (NAD) system … that
`
`includes an NAD device for receiving a disk access command from a host through
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`a network.” EX1001, Abstract. The system “features two main components: one
`
`is the NAD device driver 105 at the host and the other is the NAD device 108
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`attached to the network.” EX1001, 3:56-58. The “[n]etwork-attached disk (NAD)
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`device driver 105 of the present invention [] controls an NAD device 108
`
`connected through a network adapter device driver 106 and a network 107 such as
`
`Ethernet. The NAD device 108 of the present invention contains one or more disks
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`109.” EX1001, 3:44-49. “Each disk appears to the host as if it is a local disk to
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`connected [sic] to the system bus of the host so that each disk can be dynamically
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`installed or removed. The present invention achieves this by creating a virtual host
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`bus adapter in purely software means that recognizes an NAD device as if it is
`
`connected to the system bus although there is no physical host bus adapter
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`connected the NAD.” EX1001, 3:66-4:5.
`
`D. Claim Construction
`Claims in an inter partes review proceeding are construed according to their
`
`ordinary and customary meaning in light of the specification and file history of the
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`patent in which those claims appear.
`
`“network-attached device (NAD)”
`1.
`The phrase “network-attached device (NAD)” should be construed to mean a
`
`device attached to a network. EX1003,¶¶73-74.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`The 225 Patent sets forth several objects of the “present invention” and
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`states that “[t]he foregoing and other objects are accomplished by providing a
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`network-attached disk (NAD) system that includes an NAD device for receiving a
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`disk access command from a host through a network …” EX1001, 2:3-24. It
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`further states that the “NAD device includes a disk for storing data, a disk
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`controller for controlling the disk, and a network adapter for receiving a disk
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`access command from the host through a network port,” EX1001, 2:28-31; 3:47-4,
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`and discloses that the “NAD device is to be used like a local disk.” EX1001, 7:4-6.
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`“general-purpose network traffic”
`2.
`The phrase “general-purpose network traffic” should be construed to mean
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`storage or other application data carried by a communications link or network.
`
`EX1003,¶75.
`
`The 225 Patent states that the network connecting the NAD device and the
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`NAD device driver “is an existing general-purpose network for carrying storage
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`traffic as well as other application traffic. This so called ‘front-end’ network for
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`carrying general-purpose network traffic is distinguished from a ‘back-end’
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`network dedicated to storage such as used in the conventional Storage Area
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`Network (SAN) scheme.” EX1001, 3:49-55.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`A Skilled Artisan would understand that “traffic” is “[t]he load carried by a
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`communications link or channel.” EX1013, 474; EX1003,¶¶76-77.
`
`“data link frames”
`3.
`The phrase “data link frames” should be construed to mean “units of data
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`transmitted over a link.” EX1003,¶79.
`
`The 225 Patent notes that “[t]he Open Systems Interface (OSI) model
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`defines 7 layers of protocols: a physical layer for electrical interface definitions, a
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`data link layer for communication using data frames … The present invention uses
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`a data link layer protocol to contain storage commands into [sic] data link frames.”
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`EX1001, 4:9-18. A Skilled Artisan would understand that, in the OSI model, data
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`is communicated in the data link layer via units of data called “frames.” EX1013,
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`207; EX1035, 6:23-35. The 225 Patent also states that “data link frames
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`containing storage commands are exchanged between the host and the NAD
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`device.” EX1001, 11:24-26. The “frames can be sent through a network,
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`and…received through the network.” EX1001, 22:39-47; EX1003,¶80.
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`“virtual host bus adapter”
`4.
`The phrase “virtual host bus adapter” should be construed to mean a
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`software adapter that causes the host to recognize a NAD device as if it were
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`connected to the host through a physical adapter. EX1003,¶81.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`Claim 1 recites a “virtual host bus adapter” that “control[s] the NAD in a
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`way indistinguishable from the way as a physical host bus adapter device controls
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`device so that the host recognizes the NAD as if it is a local device connected
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`directly to the system bus of the host.” EX1001, 23:22-26. Thus, a Skilled Artisan
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`would understand this claim language to mean that the “virtual host bus adapter”
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`controls the NAD in the same way that a physical host bus adapter would control
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`the NAD through “recogniz[ing] the NAD as if it is a local device connected
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`directly to the system bus of the host.” EX1001, 11:16-21, 23:22-26; EX1003,¶82.
`
`The 225 Patent discloses that “the present invention creates a virtual host
`
`bus adapter in purely software means by modifying a driver at the host so
`
`that the host recognizes the NAD device as if it is connected to the system bus
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`through a physical host adapter although there is no physical host adapter
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`connected to the bus.” EX1001, 11:16-21. Upon startup, “NAD devices are
`
`identified during initial hardware scan and their corresponding drivers acting as
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`a virtual host bus adapter must be generated. EX1001, 7:40-43.1 Thus, the
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`“virtual host bus adapter” is a modification to the host’s software that allows for
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`virtual recognition of the NAD as though it were local to the host. EX1003,¶83.
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`
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`1 Emphasis added in the petition unless indicated otherwise.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`A Skilled Artisan would understand that a “bus” is a “set of hardware lines
`
`(conductors) used for data transfer among the components of a computer system.
`
`A bus is essentially a shared highway that connects different parts of the
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`system…and enables them to transfer information.” EX1013, 68. The 225 Patent
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`supports this understanding by disclosing that “[t]he NAD bus driver 614
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`implements a virtual host bus adapter, through which disk I/O operations are to be
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`done and from a set of NAD devices.” EX1001, 11:57-59. Thus, the commands
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`are sent over a network bus and the “virtual host bus adapter” is a modification to
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`the host’s software through which I/O operations are sent to and received from
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`NAD devices over that network bus. EX1003,¶84.
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`5.
`
`“device accessing thread,” “device searching thread,” and
`“network connection setting thread”
`The phrases “device accessing thread,” “device searching thread,” and
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`“network connection setting thread” should be construed as follows:
`
`• A “device accessing thread” is a “single execution of a program for
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`accessing a device, in which the program is capable of handling multiple
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`users.
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`• A "device searching thread” is a “single execution of a program for
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`searching for devices, in which the program is capable of handling multiple
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`users.”
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`• A “network connection setting thread” is a “single execution of a program
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`for setting up a network connection with a device, in which the program is
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`capable of handling multiple users.” EX1003,¶86
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`According to the 225 Patent, “[a] thread refers to a single use of a program
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`that can handle multiple users.” EX1001, 6:57-58. This correlates to what a
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`Skilled Artisan would understand a “thread” to be. EX1013, 467. The 225 Patent
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`depicts a “situation where the request function 229, instead of directly issuing a
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`command, activates a device accessing thread 230 so that the device accessing
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`thread 230 can issue a command based on the information in the request queue,”
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`EX1001, 6:53-57. “[I]f the block is not in the buffer, data must be read from the
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`NAD device.” EX1001, 8:30-31. To accomplish this, “[t]he user thread puts the
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`request on the request queue, actives an NAD accessing thread 335…responsible
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`for NAD device control through a request function, and the user thread blocks
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`itself.” EX1001, 8:31-34. Thus, the “device accessing thread” is a thread that is
`
`used to access the device. This is confirmed by the claim language which states “a
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`device accessing thread for accessing the NAD device.” EX1001, 23:39-40;
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`EX1003,¶87.
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`The 225 Patent discloses that “drivers [at the host] may be generated
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`automatically by using a device searching thread that periodically identifies NAD
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`devices attached to the network…” EX1001, 7:44-46. Thus, a “device searching
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`thread” is a thread that is used to search for devices. This is confirmed by the
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`claim language which states “a device searching thread for searching for a device
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`attached to the network.” EX1001, 23:40-42; EX1003,¶88.
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`The 225 Patent gives examples of “network connections between an NAD
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`device driver and the corresponding NAD device using a connection setting
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`thread.” EX1001, 8:1-8. Thus, a Skilled Artisan would understand that the
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`“network connection setting thread” is a thread for setting up a network connection
`
`with a device. This is consistent with the claim language which states “a network
`
`connection setting thread for making a connection between the device driver and
`
`the NAD device.” EX1001, 23:43-45; EX1003,¶89.
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`6.
`
`“[controlling the NAD] in a way indistinguishable from the
`way as a physical host bus adapter device controls device”
`The phrase “controlling the NAD” needs no interpretation. EX1003,¶90.
`
`However, the phrase “in a way indistinguishable from the way as a physical host
`
`bus adapter controls device” is insufficiently definite and lacking in written
`
`description support. In particular, the phrase “indistinguishable from the way as”
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`seems, at best, improper grammar, but also uncertain and likely unsupported as to
`
`the word “indistinguishable.” EX1003,¶91.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`However, Patent Owner may argue that the larger phrase “in a way
`
`indistinguishable from the way as a physical host bus adapter controls device”
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`should be interpreted to mean something like “by responding to the same
`
`commands that a physical host bus adapter would respond to in order to control a
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`local device.” E.g., EX1001, 11:1-5, 3:66-4:5; EX1003,¶92. We apply this
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`interpretation below.
`
`7.
`
`“a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual
`host bus adapter in software controlling the NAD through
`the network”
`The phrase “a device driver, running at the host, for creating a virtual host
`
`bus adapter in software controlling the NAD through the network” should be
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`construed to mean a device driver in a host computer, configured to create a
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`software adapter that causes the host to recognize a NAD device as if it were
`
`connected to the host through a physical adapter for issuing disk operations to the
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`NAD through the network. EX1003,¶96.
`
`Dr. Houh explains that the ordinary meaning of a “virtual host bus adapter”
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`is a software adapter that causes the host to recognize a NAD device as if it were
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`connected to the host through a physical adapter. EX1003, ¶¶97,81. The claim
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`language here, moreover, requires that it be the host’s device driver that creates the
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`virtual host bus adapter. EX1001, 23:16-18; EX1003,¶98.
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`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
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`The 225 Patent also states that “the present invention creates a virtual host
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`bus adapter in purely software means by modifying a driver at the host…”
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`EX1001, 11:16-17. Thus, the “virtual host bus adapter” is actually a modification
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`to the host’s device driver, created “in purely software means.” EX1003,¶99.
`
`The 225 Patent states that “[t]he NAD bus driver 614 implements a virtual
`
`host bus adapter, through which disk I/O operations are to be done and from a set
`
`of NAD devices,” EX1001, 11:57-59, and gives an example of control through its
`
`disclosure that “an NAD device may [be] treated as a local disk per se by a
`
`Windows 2000™ host so that all disk operations exercised by the host control a
`
`local disk, including formatting and partitioning, can be done to the NAD device.”
`
`See EX1001, 11:1-5. Therefore, the concept of “controlling the NAD through the
`
`network” would be understood by a Skilled Artisan to mean issuing disk operations
`
`to the NAD through the network. EX1003,¶100.
`
`V. THE PRINCIPAL PRIOR ART
`Jewett (EX1005)
`A.
`1.
`Prior Art Status
`U.S. Patent No. 7,392,291 to Jewett stems from application No. 09/927,894,
`
`filed August 10, 2001. EX1005, Face. The 894 Application claims priority to
`
`provisional application no. 60/224,664, filed on August 11, 2000. Id.
`
`EX1003,¶101
`
`
`
`
`
`18
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`Jewett is entitled to the priority date of its provisional application (i.e.,
`
`August 11, 2000) because the provisional application provides support for at least
`
`one of Jewett’s claims (e.g., claim 33) and all disclosures from Jewett relied on in
`
`this petition are supported in that provisional application. Dynamic Drinkware,
`
`LLC v. National Graphics, Inc., 800 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2015); Merck Sharp &
`
`Dohme Corp. v. Microspherix LLC, 814 Fed. Appx. 575, 579 (Fed. Cir. 2020).
`
`Jewett Provisional
`
`An important aspect of the architecture is that concurrent input/output
`(I/O) requests from the same host computer are handled over separate
`logical network connections or sockets (preferably TCP/IP sockets).
`For example, a given host can establish two sockets with a given block
`server (storage server), and use one socket to perform one I/O request
`while using the other socket to perform another I/O request. …
`(EX1030, 1:28-2:5)
`
`A host computer 102 may establish multiple logical connections
`(sockets) to a given block server 104, and/or establish sockets to
`multiple different block servers (as discussed below). An important
`benefit of this feature is that it allows multiple I/O requests from the
`same host to be processed concurrently (each over a separate socket)
`in a non-blocking manner if one socket fails, the I/O requests being
`performed over other sockets are not affected. … (EX1030, 5:27-6:2)
`
`The architecture presents the storage resources to the host computers
`102 as a logically contiguous array of bytes which are only accessible
`19
`
`Jewett,
`Claim 33
`A method
`of executing
`an
`input/output
`(I/O)
`request
`received
`from a user-
`level
`process
`running on
`a host
`computer,
`comprising:
`on the host
`computer,
`dividing the
`I/O request
`into
`multiple
`constituent
`I/O
`operations;
`and
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`in blocks (e.g., of 512 bytes). The logical data structures of the
`implementation support byte level access, but disk drives typically
`export blocks which are of a predetermined size, in bytes. Thus, to
`access a given block, a block address (sector number) and a count of
`the number of blocks (sectors) is provided. … On write operations, the
`I/O write data is packaged into a block structure with a uniform and
`predetermined size, on the host side. When a socket is opened up to
`the storage side, the block is sent to the storage location and given an
`address. … EX1030, 6:24-7:3
`A host computer 102 may establish multiple logical connections
`(sockets) to a given block server 104, and/or establish sockets to
`multiple different block servers (as discussed below). An important
`benefit of this feature is that it allows multiple I/O requests from the
`same host to be processed concurrently (each over a separate socket)
`in a non-blocking manner if one socket fails, the I/O requests being
`performed over other sockets are not affected. … (EX1030, 5:27-6:2)
`
`For example, a given host can establish two sockets with a given block
`server (storage server), and use one socket to perform one I/O request
`while using the other socket to perform another I/O request. As a
`result, the failure or postponement of one I/O request does not block or
`interfere with other I/O requests. (EX1030, 2:1-5)
`
`
`20
`
`performing
`the multiple
`constituent
`I/O
`operations
`in parallel
`over
`multiple,
`respective
`logical
`network
`connections
`between the
`host
`computer
`and a target
`storage
`server such
`that I/O data
`is
`transferred
`between the
`host
`computer
`and the
`storage
`server over
`each of the
`logical
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`network
`connections.
`
`(EX1030, Fig. 4)
`
`Jewett Disclosures Cited Herein
`
`(EX1005)
`
`Abstract
`
`1:21-44
`
`1:48-2:38
`
`2:43-49
`
`
`
`Corresponding Provisional Citation
`(EX1030)
`
`1-3
`
`1
`
`1-3
`
`2, 5, 8 11, 14, 15, 17
`
`1:39-49, 5:35-40, 9:1-9:13, 9:27-35,
`
`5, 8, 11, 14, 15, 17
`
`3:49-4:20
`
`4
`
`21
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`4:21-36
`
`4:37-49
`
`4:50-5:4
`
`5:5-14
`
`5:15-23
`
`5:24-34
`
`5:43-8:20
`
`Fig. 1
`
`Fig. 2
`
`Fig. 3
`
`Fig. 4
`
`Fig. 5
`
`Fig. 6
`
`
`
`4
`
`4-5
`
`5
`
`5
`
`5
`
`5
`
`5-9, 14, 15, 17
`
`Fig. 1
`
`Fig. 2
`
`Fig. 3
`
`Fig. 4
`
`Fig. 5
`
`Fig. 6
`
`EX1003,¶¶102-105.
`
`Jewett is therefore prior art to the 225 Patent pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §102(e).
`
`2. Overview of Jewett
`Jewett describes a “network-based storage system [that] comprises one or
`
`more block-level storage servers that connect to, and provide disk storage for, one
`
`22
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`or more host computers (‘hosts’) over logical network connections (preferably
`
`TCP/IP sockets).” EX1005, Abstract.
`
`Jewett depicts the hardware components of a typical system as “includ[ing] a
`
`host computer 102 (‘host’) and a block-level IP storage server 104 (‘block server’)
`
`interconnected by a network 100 via respective network interface cards 106…” in
`
`Figure 1 (below). EX1005, 3:63-4:2. “[T]he network 100 may be any type or
`
`combination of networks that support TCP/IP sockets…” EX1005, 4:21-25.
`
`
`
`EX1005, Fig. 1.
`
`Jewett details “host side 102 of the software architecture includes an
`
`operating system (O/S) 202 such as Unix, Windows NT, or Linux; a host-side
`
`device driver 204 (‘host driver’) which communicates with the operating system
`
`202; and a reader/writer (RW) component 200a…which communicates with the
`23
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 7,870,225
`
`host driver 204.” EX1005, 4:38-43. Further “[t]he storage side 104 of the
`
`software architecture includes a reader/writer (RW) component 200b and a
`
`storage-side device driver 206 (‘server driver’) that are executed by the CPU
`
`board’s processor 108 (FIG.1). The server driver 206 initiates disk operations in
`
`response to I/O requests received from the server-side RW component 200b.”
`
`EX1005, 4:43-49.
`
`
`
`EX1005, Fig. 2.

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