Target Corporation v. HEADWATER RESEARCH LLC

IPR2026-00153

The PTAB held that claims 1‑18 of the ’042 patent are unpatentable, finding them obvious over a combination of Limont, Wright, Xu, and Polson references.

Jurisdiction
US PTAB
Case Number
IPR2026-00153
Judge(s)
Hyun J. Jung, Stephen E. Belisle, Russell E. Cass
Decision Date
25 November 2025

Detailed Summary

In IPR2024-00809, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviewed claims 1‑18 of U.S. Patent No. 9,198,042 B2, which relate to a secure execution environment for device‑assisted services in mobile devices. The Petitioner (a consortium of major wireless carriers) asserted that the claims were obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103, relying on the Limont, Wright, Xu, and Polson prior‑art references. The Board affirmed the Petitioner's position, concluding that the prior art taught or suggested every limitation of the independent claim and its dependents, and that a person of ordinary skill would have been motivated to combine the teachings with a reasonable expectation of success. No rebuttal evidence was presented by the Patent Owner, leading the Board to declare all 18 claims unpatentable.

Practitioner Note

This case demonstrates the evidentiary and procedural standards applied in patent matters before local courts. Understanding the court's reasoning in Target Corporation vs HEADWATER RESEARCH LLC is valuable context for structuring arguments or assessing risk in similar proceedings.

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