Judge Profile

Kristina M. Kalan

36 IP cases indexed. Covers patent matters.

Cases Presided Over

36 cases indexed | Page 1 of 2

patent instituted · Dec 4, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00816

ClearCorrect Operating challenged Align Technology's dental treatment planning patent (11,369,456 B2) before the PTAB. The Board found a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on Ground 1, based on obviousness over Chishti-511, Chishti-876, and Sachdeva.

patent denied · Dec 4, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00815

ClearCorrect Operating lost its IPR challenge against Align Technology's '879 patent in a PTAB decision focused on obviousness. The Board rejected the petitioner’s argument that combining prior art references would render the claims obvious, upholding the validity of the challenged technology in orthodontics.

patent terminated or settled · Nov 2, 2025

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00422

The IPR against BirchTech’s patent was terminated for MidAmerican Energy Company after a settlement, while the proceeding remains open for Berkshire Hathaway Energy and PacificCorp.

patent terminated or settled · Nov 2, 2025

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00422

The PTAB granted a joint motion to terminate the IPR as to WEC Energy Group after the parties settled their dispute over Patent 10,668,430. The termination does not affect the remaining petitioners, and the proceeding continues against them.

patent terminated or settled · Nov 2, 2025

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00422

Berkshire Hathaway Energy and its affiliates settled an IPR against BirchTech, leading the Board to terminate the proceeding for two petitioners while keeping the case open for the remaining parties. The settlement agreement was treated as business‑confidential information.

patent instituted · Nov 2, 2025

Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00422

The PTAB institution decision found a reasonable likelihood of prevailing for the Petitioners regarding claims covering flue gas pollutant removal. The Board addressed both anticipation and obviousness grounds, concluding that the combination of prior art references was sufficiently motivated to render the asserted claims unpatentable.

patent terminated or settled · Aug 4, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00718

The PTAB terminated the IPRs against MidAmerican Energy Company after a settlement with BirchTech, leaving the case open only against PacifiCorp.

patent terminated or settled · Aug 4, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00717

Utility companies and BirchTech settled multiple IPRs covering power‑grid patents. The Board treated the settlement agreements as confidential and terminated the IPRs as to the settling petitioners, leaving the remaining petitioners in the proceeding.

patent denied · Aug 4, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00718

The PTAB denied institution of an IPR for a mercury removal patent (10926218) after the Director remanded the case due to multiple concurrent petitions. The denial was based on following the Director's instruction to prioritize one petition over another.

patent instituted · Aug 4, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00717

PacifiCorp successfully challenged 26 claims of Birchtech Corp.'s patent (10926218) related to flue gas desulfurization, leading the PTAB to find a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one claim. The Board concluded that combining prior art references was an obvious application of known techniques in mercury removal technology.

patent all challenged claims upheld · Apr 14, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00821

The PTAB affirmed Align Technology’s patent on a dual‑shell dental sheet composition, finding none of the challenged claims unpatentable after a detailed obviousness analysis involving Hinz, Durasoft data sheets, and Sun.

patent instituted · Apr 14, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00821

ClearCorrect Operating successfully convinced the PTAB to institute review on all claims, arguing that Align Technology's dental aligner patents are obvious under 35 U.S.C. §102 and §103. The Board accepted the petitioner's arguments regarding material substitutions (Tritan for polycarbonate) and combining prior art references into a multilayer device.

patent instituted · Apr 14, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00820

The PTAB granted institution of IPR for ClearCorrect against Align Technology regarding a dental aligner patent (11,648,090). The Board found sufficient evidence that the challenged claims would be obvious over prior art references.

patent instituted · Apr 14, 2025

ClearCorrect Operating, LLC et al. v.Align Technology, Inc.

· IPR2025-00818

The PTAB decided to institute the IPR proceedings against Align Technology's patent (10973613) after Petitioner ClearCorrect demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing. The Board found that combining prior art references like Tadros, Kalili, and Texin 990R was motivated by POSITA with reasonable expectation of success.

patent terminated or settled · Apr 3, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00425

Energy utilities settled their PTAB disputes with BirchTech, prompting the Board to terminate the IPRs for the settling parties and keep the settlement agreements confidential. Remaining petitioners stay in the proceeding.

patent instituted · Apr 3, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00425

The Board instituted the IPR petition against Patent No. 10589225, finding a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on multiple grounds. The institution decision addressed complex issues regarding real party in interest and written description support for genus claims related to flue gas treatment.

patent instituted · Apr 3, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00424

The PTAB granted institution for an IPR challenging claims related to mercury removal from flue gas using activated carbon sorbents. The Board found the Petitioner met a reasonable likelihood of prevailing standard, despite disputes over prior art reduction to practice.

patent terminated or settled · Mar 24, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00687

MidAmerican Energy settled its IPR against BirchTech’s ’370 patent, prompting the Board to terminate the case for MidAmerican while the proceeding remains active against PacifiCorp.

patent terminated or settled · Mar 24, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00688

Utility consortiums including PacifiCorp settled IPRs covering several power‑grid patents, resulting in the termination of the proceeding for two petitioners while the Board kept the case open for the remaining parties. The settlement agreement was designated business‑confidential.

patent denied · Mar 24, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00688

The PTAB denied institution of an IPR petition challenging a mercury removal patent (10933370) because the petitioner had filed a second, ranked petition on the same claims. The Board followed the Director's instruction to select only one petition.

patent instituted · Mar 24, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00688

The PTAB decided to institute the IPR petition against Birchtech Corp.'s '370 patent, finding that PacifiCorp et al. met the standard for reasonable likelihood of prevailing on all asserted grounds. The Board also addressed and rejected arguments from Patent Owner regarding written description and enablement issues concerning bromide compounds.

patent instituted · Mar 24, 2025

PacifiCorp et al. v.MES, Inc.

· IPR2025-00687

The PTAB instituted IPR on PacifiCorp's claims against Birchtech Corp. regarding flue gas desulfurization technology, overcoming a time-bar defense raised by the Patent Owner. The Board found Petitioner met the reasonable likelihood standard for institution across multiple grounds of anticipation and obviousness.

patent denied · Mar 1, 2025

Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. v.Ningde Amperex Technology Ltd.

· IPR2025-00405

The PTAB denied Zhuhai CosMX Battery’s petition for inter partes review of Ningde Amperex’s lithium‑battery electrolyte patent, finding no reasonable likelihood of success on any claim.

patent denied · Jan 28, 2025

Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. v.Ningde Amperex Technology Ltd.

· IPR2025-00431

The PTAB denied Zhuhai CosMX Battery’s petition to review Ningde Amperex’s 10,833,363 battery electrolyte patent, finding no reasonable likelihood of success.

patent denied · Jan 4, 2025

Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. v.Ningde Amperex Technology Ltd.

· IPR2025-00722

The PTAB denied Zhuhai CosMX Battery’s petition to invalidate Ningde Amperex’s 2020 electrolyte patent, finding no reasonable likelihood of success. The Board held that the prior art did not adequately disclose all claim elements, especially the propyl propionate ratio.

patent all challenged claims unpatentable · Dec 23, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Molecular Rebar Design, LLC

· IPR2025-00358

Samsung successfully challenged all 16 claims of Molecular Rebar Design’s ’282 patent covering carbon‑nanotube binders for batteries. The Board found the claims obvious over prior art and adopted a construction that “discrete” does not require non‑attachment.

patent all challenged claims upheld · Dec 6, 2024

LG Energy Solution, Ltd. v.Molecular Rebar Design, LLC

· IPR2024-01013

The PTAB affirmed all claims of LG Energy Solution’s lithium‑ion battery patent after finding the challenger’s obviousness arguments unsupported. The Board emphasized that Ohata’s masterbatch embeds carbon nanotubes, preventing the required ionic attachment, and rejected the petitioner’s speculation about resin removal.

patent Final Written Decision · Sep 18, 2024

R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company et al. v.Healthier Choices Management Corp.

· IPR2024-01458

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding all four challenged claims of U.S. Patent No. 9538788 unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103. The Petitioner successfully demonstrated obviousness by combining various prior art references to show that the claimed vaporizing device was predictable in light of existing technology.

patent Final Written Decision · Aug 8, 2024

Hanwha Solutions Corporation v.Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd.

· IPR2024-01203

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding that claims 1-11 are unpatentable over combinations of prior art references (Froitzheim, Gan, Sheats). Claim 12 was not shown to be unpatentable. The Board found the Petitioner met its burden regarding reasonable expectation of success for several claims.

patent Final Written Decision · Aug 8, 2024

Hanwha Solutions Corporation v.Maxeon Solar Pte. Ltd.

· IPR2024-01199

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision finding all 20 challenged claims unpatentable based on obviousness (103). The Petitioner successfully demonstrated that various combinations of prior art—including Froitzheim, Gan, Smith, and Li—would render the Maxeon patent obvious to a person skilled in the art.

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