Judge Profile

Karl D. Easthom

71 IP cases indexed. Covers patent matters.

Cases Presided Over

71 cases indexed | Page 2 of 3

patent denied · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00808

The PTAB denied Apple Inc.'s request to institute a parallel Inter Partes Review against Resonant Systems, Inc., finding that the existing IPR proceeding was sufficient despite arguments regarding priority date disputes.

patent instituted · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00806

Apple Inc. successfully navigated the institution phase of an IPR against Resonant Systems' patent 9941830, leading to a decision that found reasonable likelihood of prevailing on multiple grounds. The Board adopted key claim constructions and accepted Petitioner's arguments regarding obviousness over combinations of prior art references.

patent instituted · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00698

Apple Inc.'s IPR petition against Resonant Systems, Inc. was instituted by the PTAB after demonstrating a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on multiple grounds of obviousness (103). The Board issued key claim constructions, defining 'driving component' as means-plus-function while confirming 'control component' is structurally defined.

patent Final Written Decision · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00807

The Board issued a Final Written Decision finding claims 2 and 3 unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). The decision hinged on the combination of various prior art references to demonstrate obviousness in vibration module technology.

patent final · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00806

The PTAB found that several claims of the '830 patent were unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 (obviousness), while others survived. The Board adopted a narrow construction for the 'control component,' requiring an algorithmic structure capable of timing/flipping signals, but not necessarily specific hardware like an H-bridge switch. Claims related to complex vibration modes were found to be taught by prior art.

patent final · Dec 4, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00698

The Board issued a Final Written Decision finding all five claims unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a). The Petitioner successfully demonstrated that the claimed invention was obvious over various combinations of prior art references, including Izumi and Cosper.

patent instituted · Nov 9, 2024

Google LLC v.DH International Ltd.

· IPR2024-01322

Google LLC successfully petitioned the PTAB to challenge DH International Ltd.'s patentability, leading the Board to institute IPR proceedings on all 20 claims. The Board adopted a broad construction of 'activation cue' favorable to Google and found that the Petitioner met the standard for institution based on obviousness grounds over prior art references Mooney and Lee.

patent denied · Nov 9, 2024

Google LLC v.DH International Ltd.

· IPR2024-01321

Google LLC's IPR challenge against DH International Ltd.'s payment card patent was denied by the PTAB. The Board found that Google failed to establish a reasonable likelihood of prevailing, specifically regarding the obviousness claims over Ong and Hoff.

patent Final Written Decision · Nov 9, 2024

Google LLC v.DH International Ltd.

· IPR2024-01322

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding that all 20 claims of the '294 patent were unpatentable over prior art references Mooney and Lee. The Board successfully construed key terms like 'activation cue' functionally, agreeing that a quality Bluetooth signal satisfies this requirement.

patent instituted · Aug 28, 2024

QUALCOMM INCORPORATED et al. v.COBBLESTONE WIRELESS, LLC,

· IPR2024-01336

Qualcomm successfully secured institution for its IPR against Cobblestone Wireless, despite the petition being substantively identical to a previously instituted Samsung proceeding. This decision emphasizes that lack of 'road-mapping' alone is insufficient grounds for discretionary denial when the claims are highly relevant.

patent Final Written Decision · Aug 28, 2024

QUALCOMM INCORPORATED et al. v.COBBLESTONE WIRELESS, LLC,

· IPR2024-01336

The PTAB found several claims unpatentable based on obviousness (35 U.S.C. § 103) using various prior art combinations in the field of multi-carrier communication systems. The Board adopted a broad construction of 'information' as 'data,' which was critical to its findings against the Patent Owner.

patent instituted · Jul 23, 2024

Reed Semiconductor Corporation v.Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-01158

The PTAB institution decision found a reasonable likelihood of prevailing for the Petitioner in challenging claims related to step-down regulators. The challenge centered on anticipation and obviousness over prior art, specifically regarding pseudo constant on time (PCOT) control circuits.

patent Final Written Decision · Jul 23, 2024

Reed Semiconductor Corporation v.Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-01158

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding multiple independent and dependent claims unpatentable. The grounds were anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102) and obviousness (35 U.S.C. § 103), based on the prior art reference Tateishi.

patent all challenged claims unpatentable · Jun 28, 2024

Aylo Freesites Ltd et al. v.WellcomeMat, LLC

· IPR2024-01101

The PTAB held that claims 13–15 and 17–20 of U.S. Patent 8,307,286 are unpatentable after finding the petitioner’s prior‑art references anticipate or render the claims obvious. The decision resolves the consolidated IPRs and denies the patent owner’s motions.

patent instituted · Jun 28, 2024

Aylo Freesites Ltd et al. v.WellcomeMat, LLC

· IPR2024-01101

Aylo Freesites successfully obtained institution of an IPR against WellcomeMat’s 8,307,286 patent covering video cue‑point editing for real‑estate marketing, with the Board finding a reasonable likelihood of unpatentability and rejecting discretionary‑denial arguments.

patent terminated or settled · Jun 28, 2024

Google LLC v.Kove IO, Inc.

· IPR2024-01020

Google and Kove IO settled their IPR dispute over U.S. Patent 7,814,170 before the Board could institute a trial. The parties filed a joint motion to terminate, which the PTAB granted, dismissing the petitions.

patent terminated or settled · Jun 28, 2024

Google LLC v.Kove IO, Inc.

· IPR2024-01017

Google and Kove IO settled their IPR dispute over U.S. Patent 7,103,640 before the Board instituted a trial. The joint termination motion was granted, dismissing the petitions and keeping the settlement agreement confidential.

patent terminated or settled · Jun 27, 2024

Hoymiles USA, Inc. et al. v.CyboEnergy, Inc.

· IPR2024-01106

Hoymiles USA and CyboEnergy settled their IPR dispute over U.S. Patent 8,786,133 B2. The Board granted a joint motion to terminate the proceeding and treated the settlement agreement as confidential.

patent terminated or settled · Jun 14, 2024

Roku, Inc. v.VideoLabs, Inc.

· IPR2024-01025

Roku and VideoLabs settled their dispute over U.S. Patent 8,291,236, leading the PTAB to terminate three inter partes review proceedings. The Board cited public‑policy reasons favoring settlement and treated the agreement as confidential business information.

patent instituted · Jun 14, 2024

Roku, Inc. v.VideoLabs, Inc.

· IPR2024-01025

Roku successfully petitioned for the institution of IPR against VideoLabs regarding claims related to Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management. The Board found that Petitioner's evidence sufficiently supported unpatentability under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103, advancing the dispute into the review phase.

patent denied · Jun 3, 2024

Databricks, Inc. v.R2 Solutions LLC

· IPR2024-00659

Databricks, Inc. failed to overcome obviousness challenges against R2 Solutions LLC's patent (8190610) regarding MapReduce data grouping. The PTAB denied institution because Petitioner relied on speculative hindsight rather than demonstrating a clear motivation from prior art references like Pike and Chowdhuri.

patent instituted · May 30, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00983

Apple Inc.'s IPR challenge against Resonant Systems, Inc. was instituted after the Board found a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one claim. The grounds for institution were multiple obviousness rejections (103) over various prior art combinations in electromechanical devices. This decision moves the dispute into trial phase proceedings.

patent final · May 30, 2024

Apple Inc. v.Resonant Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00983

The PTAB found the claims unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103, specifically regarding vibration-generating devices. The Board concluded that a Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art (POSITA) would have been motivated to combine prior art references like Alexander and Cosper to achieve the claimed results.

patent all challenged claims upheld · May 17, 2024

Duration Media v.Rich Media Club LLC

· IPR2024-00937

The PTAB affirmed all ten claims of the ’329 ad‑viewability patent, finding Duration Media failed to prove obviousness over Krassner, Badros, and Harkins. Claim constructions on “render,” “replacement advertisement,” and the “in‑response‑to” step were adopted.

patent denied · May 17, 2024

Reed Semiconductor Corporation v.Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

· IPR2024-00871

The PTAB denied institution for Reed Semiconductor Corporation's IPR against Monolithic Power Systems, Inc., finding Petitioner failed to adequately map claims onto prior art references. The denial was based on insufficient explanation regarding specific functional limitations in the voltage converter technology.

patent instituted · Mar 29, 2024

Aylo Freesites Ltd et al. v.WellcomeMat, LLC

· IPR2024-00710

The PTAB granted institution of an IPR against WellcomeMat’s 8,307,286 patent covering video cue‑point processing for online real‑estate videos. Petitioner Aylo Freesites showed a reasonable likelihood of success on at least one claim, and the Board rejected discretionary denial arguments.

patent instituted · Mar 29, 2024

Aylo Freesites Ltd et al. v.WellcomeMat, LLC

· IPR2024-00710

The PTAB instituted an IPR challenge against WellcomeMat, LLC's patent (8307286) concerning online video/real estate marketing. The Board found that the Petitioner met the reasonable likelihood standard despite prior district court litigation.

patent Final Written Decision · Mar 29, 2024

Aylo Freesites Ltd et al. v.WellcomeMat, LLC

· IPR2024-00710

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding multiple claims unpatentable based on anticipation and obviousness grounds. Specifically, Claims 13-15 and 17-20 were found unpatentable over prior art references Fegan and Vasilevsky/Logan. The Board also denied the Petitioner's motion to exclude exhibits.

patent terminated or settled · Mar 19, 2024

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company et al. v.Cobblestone Wireless LLC

· IPR2024-00707

HPE and Cisco settled their IPR with Cobblestone Wireless over U.S. Patent 7,924,802, leading the PTAB to terminate the proceeding and keep the settlement confidential.

patent instituted · Mar 19, 2024

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company et al. v.Cobblestone Wireless LLC

· IPR2024-00707

The PTAB institution decision upheld the Petitioner's challenge of nine claims based on obviousness in wireless communication technology. The Board accepted that prior art disclosures, including IEEE standards and Shearer, support the claimed dual-frequency transmission structure.

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