Intellectual Ventures I, LLC v. Lenovo Grp. Ltd.
Intellectual Ventures I, LLC v. Lenovo Grp. Ltd.
Opinion of the Court
INTRODUCTION
Intellectual Ventures ("IV") accuses several technology companies
*203IV asserts claims 2, 8, 11, 25, and 31 against Defendants. Independent claim 1 states:
1. A shared-memory multi-processor system comprising:
a switch fabric configured to switch packets containing data;
a plurality of channels configured to transfer the packets;
a plurality of switch interfaces configured to exchange the packets with the switch fabric, exchange the packets over the channels, and perform error correction of the data in the packets exchanged over the channels;
a plurality of microprocessor interfaces configured to exchange the data with a plurality of microprocessors, exchange the packets with the switch interfaces over the channels, and perform error correction of the data in the packets exchanged over the channels; and
a memory interface configured to exchange the data with a memory device, exchange the packets with the switch interfaces over the channels, and perform error correction of the data in the packets exchanged over the channels.
Dependent claim 2 states:
2. The shared-memory multi-processor system of claim 1 wherein the interfaces are configured to add error correction codes to the packets being transferred over the channels to check the error correction codes in the packets being received over the channels and to transfer a retry request if one of the packets being received has an error.
'442 patent, claims 1 and 2 (emphasis added). The disputed terms are underlined. The parties dispute the claim construction of three terms: "packet," "error correction," and "error correction code." The Court held a non-evidentiary Markman hearing on November 16, 2018.
BACKGROUND
A. The '442 patent
The '442 patent relates to a type of computer architecture known as a symmetric multiprocessor system or "shared-memory multi-processor system" ("SMP"). '442 patent at col. 1, ll. 17-18, 65-66. In a conventional SMP, two or more processors are connected to a shared memory device via one shared "bus" - or communication channel. See
The '442 patent solves this problem by using a "switched fabric (switch matrix) for data transfers that provides multiple concurrent buses that enable greatly increased bandwidth between processors and shared memory."
Figure 3 of the '442 patent, reproduced below, shows the basic components of the claimed system using a Flow Control Unit (FCU 220). The system includes multiple processors (CPU 120), shared memory devices (SDRAM 1300-1303), and a switch fabric composed of multiple vertical and horizontal buses (320 and 340) and switches (380). Each component has a corresponding "interface." In the '442 patent's system, processors (120) and memory devices *204(1300-1303) exchange data with, and communicate through, processor interfaces (DCIU 210) and memory interfaces (MCU 230). See '442 patent at col. 2, ll. 60-67.
A "channel" is "a general-purpose, high-speed, point-to-point, full-duplex, bi-directional interconnect bus." 'Id. at col. 6, ll. 40-43. A "packet" is sent between Channel Interface Block (CIB) transceivers via a channel.
B. Prior Litigation on the '442 Patent ("HCC Litigation")
In July 2015, IV sued EMC customer HCC Insurance Holdings in the Eastern District of Texas, asserting the '442 patent along with three other patents. See Docket No. 179-1, Compl., Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. , No. 6:15-cv-660 (E.D. Tex.). IV submitted an opening claim construction brief, arguing that all disputed terms should be given their "plain and ordinary meaning." See Docket No. 195-7 ("HCC Litigation Opening Brief") at 13-23. The magistrate judge held a Markman hearing and produced a report and recommendation construing disputed terms, including "packet," "error correction," and "error correction code." The magistrate judge construed "packet" to mean "a basic unit of transport over a channel that includes data, control information, and error correction code"; "error correction" to mean "reconstruction of erroneous data"; and "error correction code" to mean a "code that can be used to correct erroneous data." Docket No. 195-4 ("HCC Litigation R & R") at 8-14. The case settled.
*205C. PTAB IPR Review of the '442 Patent
On May 27, 2016, EMC petitioned the PTAB for inter partes review ("IPR") of the '442 patent, challenging the claims that had previously been asserted by IV against EMC's customer in the HCC Litigation (claims 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 12, 24, 25, 28, 32, 33, and 34). See Docket No. 137-7 ("IPR Petition"). EMC based its petition, in part, on
During the IPR proceedings, IV asserted that the term "packet" should be construed to mean "a formatted transmission unit including at least data and control information." See Docket No. 179-4 ("FWD") at 13. EMC asserted that the term should be construed to mean "a basic unit of transport over a channel" as defined in the '442 patent. See
DISCUSSION
A. Legal Standard
Claim construction is an issue of law for the court. Markman v. Westview Instruments,
B. Agreed Constructions
The parties have agreed that a "switch fabric" means "a data switching circuitry having a matrix or similar arrangement of interconnections" and they have agreed that a "channel" is "a general-purpose, high-speed, point-to-point, full-duplex, bi-directional interconnect bus." Docket No. 195 at 6 n.1; Docket No. 196 at 9. The Court adopts these proposed constructions.
C. "packet" (claims 2, 8, 11, 25, 31)
IV's Proposed Construction Def.'s Proposed Construction a formatted transmission unit a basic unit of transport over including at least data and a channel control information
*206Defendants argue "packet" should be construed to mean "a basic unit of transport over a channel." To support their proposed construction, they rely on the section of the specification titled "Channel Overview and Terminology," which states: "A 'packet' is the basic unit of transport of the Channel." '442 patent, col. 6, ll. 53 (the "packet sentence"). In their view, the inventor was his own lexicographer and "[w]hen a patentee explicitly defines a claim term in the patent specification, the patentee's definition controls." Martek Biosciences Corp. v. Nutrinova, Inc.,
"To act as [his] own lexicographer, a patentee must 'clearly set forth a definition of the disputed claim term,' and 'clearly express an intent to define the term.' " GE Lighting Sols., LLC v. AgiLight, Inc.,
The PTAB agreed with this approach during its own analysis of the '442 patent. In the FWD, the PTAB concluded,
the "packet sentence" of the '442 patent provides an express definition for the term "packet" because the form and the substance of the sentence, the context in which the sentence appears, and the related disclosures all indicate that the patentee intended to define the term in the '442 patent, and defined it "clearly, deliberately, and precisely" in the "packet sentence."
FWD at 17-18 (quoting Sinorgchem,
Additionally, the packet sentence is followed by a single, "preferred embodiment":
In a preferred embodiment, conceptually a packet is a single 80-bit frame (information unit) exchanged between CIBs, the frame including: 64 bits of data exchanged core-to-core; 2 bits of control information exchanged core-to-core; 6 bits of control information exchanged CIB-to-CIB; and 8 bits of ECC exchanged CIB-to-CIB.
'442 patent, col. 6, ll. 54-60. In the preferred embodiment a "packet" is a "frame" or "information unit" which includes data, control information, and ECC bits. In its proposed construction, IV argues that a packet must include at least data and control information. But this construction would selectively include parts of a single preferred embodiment (data and control information) and not another component (ECC bits). As the Federal Circuit has repeatedly explained,
[P]articular embodiments appearing in the written description will not be used to limit claim language that has broader effect. And, even where a patent describes only a single embodiment, claims will not be read restrictively unless the patentee has demonstrated a clear intention to limit the claim scope using words or expressions of manifest exclusion or restriction.
Innova/Pure Water,
IV argues that this Court should not construe "packet" as the PTAB did because the PTAB uses a "broadest reasonable construction" standard. See Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC v. Lee, --- U.S. ----,
IV's proposed construction of "a formatted transmission unit including at least data and control information" is premised on IV's assertion that the '442 patent should be understood in the context of a "computerized packet switching network." Docket No. 196 at 10. Relying on technical dictionary definitions and its own expert, IV argues that a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time would know that in "packet switching" networks, packets must at least include data and control information for the system to function. See id. at 13. IV cites to a Technopedia definition which describes "packet switching" as,
[A] digital network transmission process in which data is broken down into suitably-sized pieces or blocks for fast and efficient transfer via different network devices. When a computer attempts to send a file to another computer, the file is broken down into packets so that it can be sent across the network in the most efficient way. These packets are then routed by network devices to the destination.
Docket No. 196-6 at 2. However, extrinsic evidence cannot be used to "contradict claim meaning that is unambiguous in light of the intrinsic evidence." Phillips,
D. "error correction" (claim 1)
IV's Proposed Construction Def.'s Proposed Construction correcting errors in data reconstruction of erroneous data
Defendants argue that "error correction" means the "reconstruction of erroneous data," or must include at least "the reconstruction" of erroneous data. Docket No. 214 ("Markman Transcript") at 58:19 - 59:2. IV argues that "error correction" must not exclude the possibility of correcting errors using a retry request as described in claims 2 and 25 of the patent.
Claim 1 recites a system wherein the switch interfaces, microprocessor interfaces, and memory interfaces are configured to "perform error correction of the *208data in the packets exchanged over the channels." '442 patent, claim 1. Claim 2 recites a system wherein the interfaces are configured to add error correction codes to packets, check error correction codes in packets, and "transfer a retry request if one of the packets being received has an error." '442 patent, claim 2.
A bit of background information about bits may be helpful to understand this dispute. See Teva Pharm. USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc., --- U.S. ----,
Defendants argue that the ordinary meaning of "performing error correction of the data in the packets," means correcting erroneous data in a packet via the reconstruction of errors - for example, changing an erroneous 1 back to a 0. Defendants point out that their definition is consistent with IV's own position in the HCC Litigation that "the plain and ordinary meaning of a "error correction" is "reconstruction of erroneous data." See HCC Litigation Opening Brief at 9.
However, IV argues that if "error correction" only included reconstruction and not retry, then the definition would exclude a type of "error correction" via retry recited in dependent claims 2 and 25. Claims 2 and 25 recite a technique of "error correction" using a retry protocol. See, e.g., '442 patent, claim 25 at col. 38, ll. 39-47 ("The method of claim 24 wherein performing error correction of the data in the packets exchanged over the channels comprises: adding error correction codes to the packets being transferred over the channels; checking the error correction codes in the packets being received over the channels; and transferring a retry request if one of the packets being received has an error.").
Because the patent does not define the term "error correction," to resolve this dispute the Court turns first to the specification, which is the "single best guide to the meaning of a disputed term," Phillips,
The doctrine of claim differentiation also helps resolve this dispute. Under the doctrine of claim differentiation, "dependent claims are presumed to be of narrower scope than the independent claims from which they depend." AK Steel Corp. v. Sollac and Ugine,
IV argues that reading "error correction" to exclude the possibility of a retry request would unnecessarily limit the term and read out a preferred method of error correction. See SanDisk Corp. v. Memorex Prod., Inc.,
Defendants' construction does not exclude a retry protocol. During the Markman hearing, counsel for Defendants pointed out that their construction would not foreclose a system that is capable of a retry request as long as that system is also capable of reconstructing erroneous data. See Markman Transcript at 57:18-24 ("And I want to be clear on our position, your Honor. We're not saying that you can't have a retry request. We're just saying that you have to at least have ... technology *210that will perform error correction by reconstructing data. So under our construction ... you could have both."). In sum, the Court adopts the construction of "error correction" to mean "correcting errors in data by at least reconstructing erroneous data."
E. "error correction code" (claims 2, 25)
IV's Proposed Construction Def.'s Proposed Construction a code that can be used to a code that can be used to identify the presence of correct erroneous data erroneous data in a packet
Patent claims 2 and 25 refer to interfaces adding "error correction codes" to the packets exchanged over the channels and checking those codes. See '442 patent, claim 2, 25. The parties dispute whether ECCs are used in the claimed system only to detect the presence of errors in a data packet, or whether the codes can also be used by the various interfaces to actually correct errors in the data.
Judicial estoppel applies to IV's argument concerning the proper construction of "error correction code." The doctrine of judicial estoppel is intended to preserve the "integrity of judicial proceedings by protecting against litigants who play fast and loose with the courts." U.S. Philips Corp. v. Sears Roebuck & Co.,
Whether a court should apply judicial estoppel in a patent case depends on the law of the regional circuit. Minn. Min. & Mfg. Co. v. Chemque, Inc.,
In the HCC Litigation, defendant HCC proposed that an "error correction code" be construed as "a code that can be used to reconstruct data received with certain numbers of bit errors without requiring a retransmission of the data." HCC Litigation R & R at 9. IV argued in its opening claim construction brief that the code should not be limited to a specific number of bit errors or without requiring retransmission. See HCC Litigation Opening Brief at 13. Rather, IV asserted that no construction was necessary and the plain and ordinary meaning should govern because "[a] person of ordinary skill in the art would know from the intrinsic record that the patentee used and applied the ordinary customary meaning of 'error correction code' - a code that can be used to correct erroneous data."
IV's current position is inconsistent with its position in the HCC Litigation. IV is estopped now from saying that error correction codes in the '442 patent should only be able to detect, and not correct, erroneous data when it successfully advocated in Texas district court that the code plainly can be used to correct erroneous data. The magistrate judge adopted the portion of the proposed construction at issue here, and IV is judicially estopped from asserting otherwise in this litigation.
Even if IV was not judicially estopped, the proper construction of "error correction code" is "a code that can be used to correct erroneous data." First, the plain language of the claims specifically recite an "error correction code," not an "error detection code." See '442 patent, claims 2 and 25. While the specification refers to "error detection bits" or an "error detection code," the language in the claims are not limited to a code for detection. See
IV points out that throughout the '442 patent, interfaces appear to use error correction codes to detect errors in data and trigger a retry protocol. See
ORDER
For the reasons stated above, the Court construes the disputed terms as follows:
• "packet" is "a basic unit of transport over a channel";
• "error correction" is "correcting errors in data by at least reconstructing erroneous data"; and
• "error correction code" is "a code that can be used to correct erroneous data."
Lenovo Group Ltd., Lenovo (United States) Inc., LenovoEMC Products USA, LLC, EMC Corp., and NetApp, Inc.
The '442 patent's claims refer to the use of "ECC." Both parties agree that ECC means "error correction code."
The magistrate judge ultimately adopted IV's position holding that error correction means "reconstruction of erroneous data" but rejected HCC's position that error correction had to be performed with "error correction codes." HCC Litigation R & R at 8.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- INTELLECTUAL VENTURES I, LLC Intellectual Ventures II, LLC v. LENOVO GROUP LTD., Lenovo (United States) Inc., LenovoEMC Products USA, LLC, and EMC Corp., Intellectual Ventures I, LLC Intellectual Ventures II, LLC v. NetApp, Inc.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published