PRINTING INDUSTRIES OF AMERICAv.CTP INNOVATIONS, LLCDownload PDFPatent Trial and Appeal BoardDec 30, 201309364935 (P.T.A.B. Dec. 30, 2013) Copy Citation Trials@uspto.gov Paper 15 Tel: 571-272-7822 Entered: December 30, 2013 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE _______________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD _______________ PRINTING INDUSTRIES OF AMERICA Petitioner v. CTP INNOVATIONS, LLC Patent Owner _______________ Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 _______________ Before HOWARD B. BLANKENSHIP, BENJAMIN D. M. WOOD, and BRIAN J. MCNAMARA, Administrative Patent Judges. WOOD, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION Denying Petition to Institute Inter Partes Review 37 C.F.R. § 42.108 Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 2 I. INTRODUCTION A. Background Printing Industries of America (“PIA” or “Petitioner”) filed a petition (Papers 4 and 5, “Pet.”) 1 requesting an inter partes review of claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent No. 6,738,155 (Ex. 1201, “the ’155 patent”). CTP Innovations, LLC (“CTP” or “Patent Owner”) filed a Preliminary Response (Paper 11, “Prelim. Resp.”). We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 314. The standard for instituting an inter partes review is set forth in 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), which provides as follows: THRESHOLD – The Director may not authorize an inter partes review to be instituted unless the Director determines that the information presented in the petition filed under section 311 and any response filed under section 313 shows that there is a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least 1 of the claims challenged in the petition. Upon consideration of the Petition and the Preliminary Response, and the exhibits attached thereto, we determine that the Petitioner has not shown a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail with respect to at least one of the claims of the ’155 patent. Accordingly, we do not authorize an inter partes review to be instituted as to any of claims 1-20 of the ’155 patent. B. Related Proceedings PIA discloses that the ’155 patent is involved in 35 co-pending infringement actions listed in Appendix B of the Petition. Pet., App. B. PIA has also petitioned 1 The Petition cover sheet and tables of contents, authorities and exhibits were filed separately from the body of the Petition, and have been collectively designated Paper 4. The Petition itself has been designated Paper 5. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 3 for inter partes review of another patent at issue in the co-pending litigation, U.S. Patent No. 6,611,349. See IPR2013-00474, Papers 3, 4 (July 29, 2013). C. The Claimed Subject Matter The ’155 patent relates to “a system and method of providing publishing and printing services via a communication network.” Ex. 1201, 1:9-10. According to the ’155 patent, key steps for producing printed materials using a plate process include: (1) preparing copy elements for reproduction (the “design” stage); (2) prepress production; (3) platemaking; (4) printing; and (5) binding, finishing and distribution. Id. at 1:12-15. In the first stage, an end user – e.g., a publisher, direct marketer, advertising agency, or corporate communication department – uses a desktop publishing program such as “QuarkXpress” to design “pages” from image and data files. Id. at 1:16-25. In the prepress production stage, the user-created pages (also called “copy”) are “transformed into a medium that is reproducible for printing.” Id. at 1:26-28. This transformation typically involves typesetting, image capture and color correction, file conversion, “RIPping, proofing, imposition, filmsetting, and platesetting.” Id. at 1:29-32. “RIPping” is based on the acronym “RIP,” which stands for raster image processor. Id. at 7:57-59. A RIP is a hardware or software component that “rasterizes” an image file – i.e., converts it to a “bitmap” or raster image. Id. “RIPping” is therefore synonymous with rasterizing. A bitmap “is a digitized collection of binary pixel information that gives an output device, such [as a printer, proofer or platesetter,] the ability to image the file to paper, film or plate.” Id. at 7:59-62. “Proofing” involves creating a sample of the finished product that is sent to the end user for approval. Id. at 1:32-35. “Imposition” involves arranging multiple pages into a single flat that can be used to create a printing Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 4 plate. Id. at 1:38-40. According to the ’155 patent, imposition “is particularly important in the creation of booklets or catalogs, where pages are positioned using register marks to assist in the stripping, collating, and folding of the printed product.” Id. at 1:41-44. A printer makes a plate based on the imposed flat, and uses the plate on a printing press to reproduce the product; the product is then bound, finished, and distributed in its final form. Id. at 1:45-51. The ’155 patent describes and claims a publishing and printing system in which “system components are installed at an end user facility, a printing company facility, and a central service facility,” each connected to the others via a communication network. Id. at 2:31-36, 51-56. Figure 1, reproduced below, depicts an embodiment of the claimed invention: Figure 1 depicts end user facility 300, printing company facility 400, and central service facility 105 connected together via either private network 160 or public network 190. Id. at Fig. 1. In this embodiment, end user facility 300 Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 5 comprises a router, desktop computer for page-building operations, and a color proofer and black and white printer for high-resolution proofing. Id. at 7:38-40; Figs. 1, 2, 5. Printing company facility 400 comprises a router, a server, a desktop computer, a laser printer, a color plotter, and a platesetter, and performs production management, digital plate-making, desktop imposition, and press services. Id. at 8:31-33, 9:38-43, Figs. 1, 4. Central service facility 105 comprises a server, “hierarchical storage management” (“HSM”) system 120, “digital content management” (“DCM”) system 130, and local area network (“LAN”) 150. Id. at 5:40-50, Fig 1. An end user can store files in HSM system 120 at central service facility 105 to reduce storage needs at the end user facility. Id. at 7:19-23, 38-40. D. Exemplary Claims Claims 1, 10, and 16 are independent. Claim 1 recites a printing and publishing system comprising an end user facility, a central service facility, and a printing company facility. Ex. 1201, 21:7-33. Claims 10 and 16 are drawn to methods of generating a plate-ready file configured for the creation of a printing plate. Id. at 22:4-14, 31-45. Claims 2-9 depend, directly or indirectly, from claim 1. Id. at 21:34-22:3. Claims 11-15 depend from claim 10, and claims 17-20 depend from claim 16. Id. at 22:15-30, 46-61. Claims 1, 10, and 16 are reproduced below: 1. A printing and publishing system providing prepress, content management, infrastructure, and workflow services to system subscribers in real time using a communication network, the printing and publishing system comprising: an end user facility coupled to a communication network, the end user facility providing page building operations, the page building operations including the design and construction of pages from images, text, and data available via said communication network and the generation of a portable document format (PDF) file; Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 6 a printing company facility coupled to said communication network, the printing company facility providing imposition operations and generating a plate-ready file from said PDF file, the imposition operations including the setting of pages on a particular plate as well as positioning and orientation of pages on said plate; and a central service facility coupled to said communication network, the central service facility providing storage, file processing, remote access, and content management operations; the content management operations including the capture, organization, archival, retrieval, and reuse of electronic files containing any one of text, graphics, photos, artwork, full pages, audio, video, and completed projects; content management operations further including the organization and cataloging of file content for browsing, searching, and retrieving of files and data. 10. A method of providing printing and publishing services to a remote client in real time using a communication network, the method comprising: storing files on a computer server, the files containing information relating to images, text, art, and data; providing said files to a remote client for the designing of a page layout; generating a portable document format (PDF) file from the designed page layout; generating a plate-ready file from said PDF file; and providing said plate-ready file to a remote printer. 16. A method of providing printing and publishing services to a remote client performing any one of page layout designing and plate press printing where said printing and publishing services are provided in real time using a wide area communication network, the method comprising: storing high resolution files on a computer server; Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 7 generating low resolution files corresponding to said high resolution files; providing said low resolution files to a remote client for the designing of a page layout; generating a portable document format (PDF) file from the page layout designed by said remote client; providing said PDF file to said remote client; and providing a plate-ready file to a remote printer. E. Prior Art Relied Upon PIA relies upon the following prior-art references: Lucivero US 7,242,487 July 10, 2007 Ex. 1205 Benson EP App. 0878303 Nov. 18, 1998 Ex. 1206 Sands US 5,634,091 May 27, 1997 Ex. 1207 Holub US 6,043,909 Feb. 26, 1996 Ex. 1210 Dorfman EP App. 0920667 June 9, 1999 Ex. 1211 Benson ’818 U.S. 6,046,818 June 3, 1997 Ex. 1212 MATTIAS ANDERSSON ET AL., PDF PRINTING AND PUBLISHING, THE NEXT REVOLUTION AFTER GUTENBERG (Micro Publishing Press 1997) (Ex. 1204) (“Andersson”); Robert R. Buckley, A Framework for Digital Data Workflow in a Graphic Arts System, TAGA PROCEEDINGS 1997 (Ex. 1208) (“Buckley”); Stephen N. Zilles, Using PDF for Digital Data Exchange, TAGA PROCEEDINGS 1997 (Ex. 1209) (“Zilles”). ALDUS CORP., OPI OPEN PREPRESS INTERFACE SPECIFICATION 1.3 (1993) (Ex. 1213) (“Aldus”); RICHARD M. ADAMS II ET AL., COMPUTER TO PLATE AUTOMATING THE PRINTING INDUSTRY (Graphic Arts Technical Foundation 1996) (Ex. 1214) (“Adams II”). Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 8 F. Asserted Grounds of Unpatentability PIA contends that the challenged claims are unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and/or 103 based on the following specific grounds (Pet. 18-60): Reference[s] Basis Claims Challenged Andersson § 102 1 Lucivero, Andersson, Benson, and Sands § 103 1, 2, 4-6, 9 Lucivero, Sands, and Buckley § 103 1 Lucivero, Andersson, Benson, Sands, and Holub § 103 3, 7, 8 Zilles § 102 10 Lucivero and Andersson § 103 10 Benson ’818 and Buckley § 103 10 Lucivero, Andersson, Sands, and Zilles § 103 16, 19, 20 Zilles and Dorfman; or Lucivero, Andersson and Dorfman; or Benson ’818, Buckley, and Dorfman § 103 11 Lucivero, Andersson, and Zilles; or Benson ’818, Buckley, and Zilles § 103 12 Zilles and Benson; or Lucivero, Andersson, and Benson; or Benson ’818, Buckley and Benson § 103 13 Zilles and Anderson; or Lucivero And Andersson; or Benson ’818, Buckley, and Andersson § 103 14 Zilles and Dorfman; or Lucivero, Andersson, and Dorfman; or Benson ’818, Buckley, and Dorfman § 103 15 Lucivero, Andersson, Sands, Zilles, Dorfman, and Adams II § 103 17 Lucivero, Andersson, Sands, Zilles, and Aldus § 103 18 Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 9 II. ANALYSIS A. Claim Construction As a step in our analysis for determining whether to institute a trial, we determine the meaning of the claims. Consistent with the statute and the legislative history of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, Pub. L. No. 112-29, 125 Stat. 284 (2011) (“AIA”), the Board will interpret claims using the broadest reasonable construction. 37 C.F.R. § 100(b). We presume that claim terms retain their ordinary and customary meaning as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1313 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc). That presumption may be rebutted if the patent specification defines the term with reasonable clarity, deliberateness, and precision. In re Paulson, 30 F.3d 1475, 1480 (Fed. Cir. 1994); see also In re Bigio, 381 F.3d 1320, 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (“Absent claim language carrying a narrow meaning, the PTO should only limit the claim based on the specification or prosecution history when those sources expressly disclaim the broader definition.”). If the specification does not expressly or implicitly define a claim term, it is appropriate to consult a general dictionary definition of the word for guidance in determining the ordinary and customary meaning of the claim term as viewed by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Comaper Corp. v. Antec, Inc., 596 F.3d 1343, 1348 (Fed. Cir. 2010). PIA proposes specific constructions for six claim terms, which are summarized below: Claim Term Proposed Interpretation Claim(s) end-user facility facility that provides page building operations allowing the design and construction of pages from images, text, 1-9 Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 10 Claim Term Proposed Interpretation Claim(s) and data available via a communication network. Pet. 6. central service facility providing storage, file processing, remote access, and content management operations. Pet. 7. 1-9 printing company facility providing printing operations for producing a printing plate from said plate-ready file. Pet. 7. 1-9 communication network both a private network 160 (ATM network) and a public network 190 (the Internet) of subscribers and non-subscribers to a printing and publishing system connected to central service facility 105. Pet. 6. 2-5, 12, 13, 16- 20 communication routing device routers and switches . . . included at central service facility 105, end user facility 300, and printing company facility 400. Pet. 7. 2-5 plate-ready file a file containing pages designed from images, texts, and data converted to a digital file for producing a printing plate. Pet. 7-8. 1-14 CTP does not dispute PIA’s proposed interpretations. See generally Prelim. Resp. We therefore adopt them for purposes of this decision, with the following additional discussion. 1. “end user facility,” “central service facility,” and “printing company facility” (claim 1) PIA provides broad, functional definitions for the end-user, central-service, and printing-company facilities. Such broad, functional definitions leave open the possibility that the same “facility,” as that term would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, could serve as more than one of the claimed facilities as long as it performs the functions corresponding to the Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 11 claimed facilities. We determine, however, that such an interpretation would be unreasonably broad. As the Federal Circuit has held, “[w]here a claim lists elements separately, the ‘clear implication of the claim language’ is that those elements are ‘distinct component[s]’ of the patented invention.” Becton, Dickenson and Co. v. Tyco Healthcare Group, LP, 616 F.3d 1249, 1254 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (internal citations and quotations omitted); cf. Regents of Univ. of Minn. v. AGA Med. Corp., 717 F.3d 929, 935 (Fed. Cir. 2013) (holding that phrase “first and second occluding disks” means physically separate occluding disks). Thus, the patentee’s use of separate claim terms “clear[ly] impli[es]” that the claimed facilities must be distinct from each other in some manner as would have been understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. Further, we find nothing in the Specification that is inconsistent with this conclusion. On the contrary, the three facilities are consistently discussed and depicted separately, with each facility connected to the same communication network to facilitate the transfer of data between them, and with each facility performing different functions. See, e.g., Ex. 1201, 2:54-64, 4:26-33, Figs. 1-5. 2. “storing files . . . providing said files” (claim 10) Claim 10 is drawn to a method of providing printing and publishing services to a remote client comprising the steps of, e.g., “storing files on a computer server, the files containing information relating to images, text, art, and data; [and] providing said files to a remote client for the designing of a page layout.” Ex. 1201, 22:7-10. The reference to “said files” in the second clause indicates that the files stored “on a computer server” are the same files that are provided “to a remote client for the designing of a page layout.” See Fuji Photo Film Co. v. Int’l Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 12 Trade Comm’n, 386 F.3d 1095, 1099 (Fed. Cir. 2004) (holding that “said means” refers to only those structures expressly denominated as “means” in the claim). 3. “providing said low resolution files to a remote client for the design of a page layout; generating a portable document format (PDF) file from the page layout designed by said remote client; providing said PDF file to said remote client” (claim 16) Claim 16 requires the steps of providing low resolution files to a remote client for the designing of a page layout, generating a PDF file from the page layout designed by said remote client, and providing said PDF file to said remote client. Ex. 1201, 22:37-43. This language requires that the same PDF file that is generated from the page layout designed by the remote client be sent “to” the remote client. 2 See Fuji Photo, supra. B. Claim 1 – § 102 – Andersson PIA contends that Anderson, Ex. 1204, anticipates claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Pet. 25. 1. Andersson Andersson, titled “PDF Printing and Publishing,” describes Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF). According to Andersson, a PDF document is a self-contained file format that contains multiple objects, i.e., bitmap images, text, font information, and line art. Ex. 1204, 22-24. Andersson teaches how to create, 2 According to claim 16’s preamble, the claimed printing and publishing services are provided to a remote client “performing any one of page layout designing and plate press printing.” Ex. 1201, 22:31-31-33 (emphasis added). The preamble thus suggests that the remote client to whom the services are provided need not perform page layout designing. The body of the claim, however, requires that the remote client perform page layout services, because (1) low resolution files are provided to the client to do so, and (2) a PDF file is generated from the page layout designed by the remote client. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 13 view, and edit PDF files, and how to use them to create and simplify digital prepress workflows as compared with “traditional” prepress workflows. Id. at 66-67. Andersson also discusses digital environments, in particular, computer networks and servers, suitable for implementing these workflows. Id. at 51. 2. Discussion “Anticipation requires the presence in a single prior art reference disclosure of each and every element of the claimed invention, arranged as in the claim.” Lindemann Maschinenfabrik GMBH v. Am. Hoist & Derrick Co., 730 F.2d 1452, 1458 (Fed. Cir. 1984). Based on the record before us, we are not persuaded that Andersson discloses each and every element of claim 1. We first consider the limitation that requires a “printer company facility” that provides, inter alia, “imposition services.” PIA relies on ten non-consecutive pages in Andersson, which is over 182 pages in length, for the disclosure of this limitation. Pet. 25 (claim chart) (citing Ex. 1204, 25-29, 31, 35, 43, 63, 77). However, PIA does not explain how these teachings disclose a printing company facility that provides imposition services. Moreover, although two of the cited pages in Andersson – 35 and 43 – discuss imposition in general terms, we are unable to find any teaching in the cited pages suggesting that imposition services are to be provided specifically by a printing company facility; nor has PIA pointed us to any such teaching. We next consider the limitation requiring a “central service facility” that performs certain content management operations, including “the capture, organization, archiv[ing], retrieval, and reuse of electronic files containing any one of text, graphics, photos, artwork, full pages, audio, video, and completed projects.” Ex. 1201, 21:27-30. PIA relies on nine non-consecutive pages in Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 14 Andersson for the disclosure of the central service facility, and seven additional pages for the disclosure of the claimed content management operations. Pet. 23 (citing Ex. 1204, 51, 65); Pet. 25 (claim chart) (citing Ex. 1204, 29, 49, 52, 65, 76, 158, 178, 181 for the-central-service-facility disclosure, and 30, 43, 61, 62, 161, 176, 178, 181, and 182 for the content-management-operations disclosure). PIA asserts that Andersson discloses a server that stores files and software, links to various devices, and operates to shift the processing burden from individual workstations for more efficient printing and job handling. Pet. 23. However, PIA does not explain how this disclosure relates to the claimed central service facility that performs content management operations. Even if the portions of Andersson on which PIA relies could be deemed to disclose all of claim 1’s limitations, 3 PIA would remain unable to show that Andersson anticipates claim 1 because PIA does not show, or even allege, that Andersson discloses the limitations arranged as part of the same “printing and publishing system” required by claim 1. See Net MoneyIN, Inc. v. Verisign, Inc., 545 F.3d 1359, 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (holding that “unless a reference discloses within the four corners of the document not only all of the limitations claimed but also all of the limitations arranged or combined in the same way as recited in the claim, it cannot be said to prove prior invention of the thing claimed and, thus, cannot anticipate under 35 U.S.C. § 102”). For example, the twenty-four pages on which PIA relies to disclose the printing-company-facility and central-service- 3 For the purposes of this decision we do not, and need not, take any position as to whether Andersson discloses the remaining limitations of claim 1. Nor do we take any position as to whether the other references on which PIA relies to argue claim 1’s unpatentability, individually or combined, disclose limitations that are not expressly discussed. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 15 facility limitations span six chapters of Andersson and appear to address a variety of topics, such as the advantages of using the PDF file format rather than PostScript in digital workflows (e.g., Ex. 1204, 25-29, 161); the use of a local area network (LAN) to share resources (id. at 49); the various types of servers that may be used on a LAN (id. at 51-52, 61-62); and the future of the digital printing market (id. at 178, 181-82). PIA has not explained how these various topics combine to disclose a single printing and publishing system as recited in claim 1. Indeed, it is difficult to see how the disparate teachings of Andersson on which PIA relies relate to a single embodiment; Andersson appears to us to be a teaching reference that discusses numerous topics from which PIA cherry-picks to construct is anticipation case. Accordingly, we are not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on this ground of unpatentability. C. Claim 1 – § 103 – Lucivero, Andersson, Benson, and Sands PIA alleges that Claim 1 is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 over the combination of Lucivero, Andersson, Benson, and Sands. Pet. 26-31. 1. Lucivero Lucivero discloses a system for creating, storing, and processing raster data files. Ex. 1205, Abs, 6:26-28. The system allows an end user to control the workflow of bitmap image files to a plurality of user-selectable output devices. Id. at 7:60-63, 8:30-35. Lucivero’s system comprises at least one terminal device on which an end user can create PostScript 4 image files, at least one RIP for converting PostScript files into raster data, and a print drive for receiving the 4 “Postscript TM ” or “PostScript TM ” refers to a page-description-language file format from Adobe Systems, Inc. Ex. 1205, 2:53-55. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 16 bitmap file from the RIP and directing it to at least one output device, such as an imagesetter, platestetter, or large-format proofer. Id. at 5:61-67, 6:5-9, Fig. 2. Lucivero’s system also contains a remote graphical user interface that allows a front end user to control print jobs over a “standard network environment.” Id. at 5:41-60. The end user can select an off-line output device (also referred to as a “print engine”), execute a “print” command, view the status of jobs, and “manipulate and control the timing and priorities of the output.” Id. at 5:11-17, 50-54. 2. Benson Benson relates to a “[d]istributed imaging and control architecture for digital printing presses and platesetters.” Ex. 1206, cover page. The architecture comprises a job-control computer for selecting print jobs, and a separate image- control computer or computers for operating the various imaging devices. 5 Id. 3. Sands Sands discloses a digital page imaging (DPI) system that automates the imposition process. A customer creates a digital document for printing, converts the document to a “page description language” format file (e.g., PostScript TM or PDF), and sends it via a communication network to the printer. Ex. 1207, 3:21-27. At the printer, the system assigns each page of the customer product into its exact position and orientation in a film flat. Id. at 3:64-67. The flat is then output to a film image setter for creating a printing plate. Id. at 3:10-14. 5 The only portions of Benson in the record are its cover page and a related search report. See Ex. 1206. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 17 4. Discussion In its claim chart for this ground of unpatentability, PIA indicates that portions of Lucivero, Andersson, Benson, and Sands correspond to specific limitations in claim 1. Pet. 31. While PIA summarizes and provides broad citations to the above references (Pet. 30), PIA does not explain how the cited portions correspond to the limitations for which they are cited; nor is such correspondence self-evident. Indeed, in several cases, there is no apparent connection between PIA’s citations and the allegedly corresponding limitation. For example, for the limitation requiring the central service facility to perform content management operations, PIA cites the following portions of Lucivero: 4:31-45; 7:58-67; 8:1-21; and 8:41-54. The first citation discusses the use of imagesetters with RIPs and Multiplexors (“MUX”), and explains that jobs using large-format imagesetters can bottleneck at the RIP stage. Ex. 1205, 4:31-45. The second and third citations discuss a prepress system that Lucivero identifies as prior art. Id. at 7:5-8:21. The final citation discusses Lucivero’s preferred embodiment, and various output devices that can be connected to it. Id. at 8:41-54. None of these excerpts addresses the claimed central-service facility. Likewise, PIA’s citations allegedly disclosing the content-management limitation fall short. Claim 1 requires that content management operations include “the capture, organization, archiv[ing], retrieval, and reuse of electronic files,” and the “organization and cataloging of file content for browsing, searching, and retrieving of files and data.” Ex. 1201, 21:26-33. But the portions of Lucivero cited as corresponding to this limitation discuss, instead: (1) a “Pilot GUI” (graphical user interface) that can be used to control print jobs (Ex. 1205, 21:53-63); (2) the “front end” component of the prior art prepress system Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 18 mentioned above (id. at 7:58-63); and (3) specific output devices suitable for use with the preferred embodiment (id. at 8:43-49). Again, we discern no evident connection between these discussions and the content-management-operations limitation. We are not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on this ground of unpatentability. D. Claim 1 – § 103 – Lucivero, Sands, and Buckley PIA contends that claim 1 is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 over Lucivero, Sands, and Buckley. 6 As with the previous ground, PIA provides a brief summary of the references, cites portions of the references that allegedly correspond to the limitations of claim 1, but does not explain how those portions correspond to their respective limitations. See Pet. 32-33. Moreover, based on our review, it appears that the references do not teach some of the limitations of claim 1, either individually or in combination. PIA relies on the same portions of Lucivero for teaching the central-service-facility and content-management limitations (Pet. 34), which, as discussed above, do not appear to do so. PIA also relies on Buckley to teach these limitations, contending that (1) pages 342 and 343 correspond to the central-service-facility limitation, and (2) pages 339 and 340 6 Buckley discusses “A Framework for Digital Data Workflow in a Graphic Arts System.” Ex. 1208, 337. In particular, Buckley describes systems that accommodate multiple desktop publishing applications and multiple output devices by using a page description language (“PDL”) “usually PostScript TM ,” because it “is the common intermediate format that a variety of different applications can use to connect and communicate with a variety of different devices.” Id. at 338-339. Buckley also discusses the evolution of digital prepress systems in which various operations, such as imposition, can occur before, during, or after the RIP. Id. at 340-343. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 19 correspond to the content-management limitation. Pet. 34 (claim chart). 7 Such correspondence is not evident to us, however. Regarding the first citation, pages 342-43 discuss various prepress operations, such as trapping, imposition, OPI, and RIPping, but do not discuss these operations as performed at a central service facility (as opposed to, e.g., a printing company facility). Regarding the second citation, pages 339 and 340 discuss systems that can accommodate multiple design applications and output devices using PDL. PIA does not explain how this disclosure corresponds to the specific content-management operations required by claim 1. Accordingly, we are not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on this ground of unpatentability. E. Claim 10 – § 102 – Zilles PIA contends that Zilles 8 renders claim 10 unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 102. However, we are not persuaded that Zilles discloses “storing files on a computer server, the files containing information relating to images text, art, and data; [and] providing said files to a remote client for the designing of a page layout.” As discussed above, this limitation requires that the same files that are stored on a computer server are the files provided to a remote client for the designing of a page layout. PIA cites pages 311-313 of Zilles as disclosing this limitation. Pet. 36 (claim chart). 7 It is unclear whether PIA, by citing to two references to disclose the same limitation, contends that each reference fully discloses the limitation, or whether PIA relies instead on some combination of the two references to disclose the limitation. 8 Zilles discusses, in general, using PDF for exchanging digital prepress data. Ex. 1209, 308. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 20 The portion of Zilles on which PIA relies explains why PDF files are superior to PostScript TM files for carrying prepress information. Id. at 312-13. This portion also explains how PDF files can be used for “OPI image replacement.” Id. at 313. Using this process, “[v]ery high-resolution images can be stored separately from the PDF file itself, allowing small files to be maintained and routed with the large images replaced at print time.” Id. Typically a graphic designer who is creating a document will obtain needed images and send them to the printer for scanning and storage as high resolution image files. Id. The printer returns “EPS” files with low-resolution, “for placement only” images to the designer. Id. at 313-14. The designer creates the document using the low- resolution images, converts the document to a PDF file, and transmits the document in PDF format to the printer. Id. at 314. At the printer, the high- resolution images replace the low-resolution images in the document prior to printing. Id. Thus, as we understand Zilles’ process, the high-resolution images are stored on the server but are not sent to a remote client; instead, low-resolution image files are sent for designing a page layout. Conversely, PIA has not provided evidence, or alleged, that the low-resolution images that are sent to the designer are stored on a server. Accordingly, PIA has not shown that Zilles teaches this storing/providing step. We are, therefore, not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on this ground of unpatentability. F. Claim 10 – § 103 – Lucivero and Anderson PIA contends that Claim 10 is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 over Lucivero and Andersson. Pet. 36-40. We are not persuaded that these references, individually or combined, disclose or fairly suggest the storing/providing step. PIA alleges that certain excerpts of Lucivero disclose this limitation. Pet. 40 Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 21 (citing Lucivero, 8:29-40, 7:60-63). These excerpts describe a digital prepress system comprising one or more front-ends 40 and one or more servers 42 “for storing image and other data files.” Ex. 1204, 7:60-63, 8:29-40. While this system stores image and other data files on a server, there is no teaching that files stored on server 42 are sent to a remote client for the designing of a page layout. Accordingly, PIA has not shown that the combination of Lucivero and Andersson teaches the storing/providing step. G. Claim 10 – § 103 – Benson and Buckley We again focus on the storing/providing step of claim 10. PIA relies on Benson ’818 as disclosing this step. Pet. 41 (citing Benson ’818, 5:4-9, 6:54-7:3). The first cited excerpt discusses an imagesetter with “data transfer paths and busses . . . for storing and transferring data.” Ex. 1212, 5:4-9. The second excerpt discusses the operation of an “assembler” and the use of a computer-generated job ticket to describe user-selected requirements for a print job. Id. at 6:54-7:3. PIA does not explain how these excerpts are relevant to the storing/providing step, nor is their relevance apparent to us. Accordingly, PIA has not shown that the combination of Benson and Buckley discloses this step. H. Claim 16 – § 103 – Lucivero, Andersson, Sands, and Zilles PIA contends that claim 16 is unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over Lucivero, Andersson, Sands, and Zilles. Pet. 42-47. As discussed above in section II.A, claim 16 requires generating a PDF file from a page layout designed by a remote client, and providing said PDF file to said remote client. PIA relies on excerpts of Sands for this disclosure. Pet. 46-47 (claim chart) (citing Sands, 5:16-22, 56-64, 7:36-8:7). PIA does not explain how these excerpts disclose these steps, nor is it apparent to us how they would do so. The first Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 22 provision discusses spooling an imposed film flat file to a laser proofer, but does not state that the laser proofer is with the remote client, or that the imposed film flat file is a PDF file. On the contrary, Sands indicates that it is a PostScript TM file. Ex. 1207, 5:53-55. Likewise, the second excerpt of Sands on which PIA relies describes “imposition module 114” creating a “page description language” file that is used to create offset plates for printing. Ex. 1207, 7:63-8:7. PIA, however, does not show or allege that this file is sent to the remote client that designed the page layout. Moreover, a page-description-language file is not necessarily a PDF file; it could be a PostScript TM file. See, e.g., Ex. 1207, 3; Ex. 1205, 2:53-54. I. The Remaining Grounds PIA’s remaining grounds of unpatentability address claims that depend, either directly or indirectly, from one of claims 1, 10, and 16. Pet. 47-60. Because we are not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on any of its asserted grounds of unpatentability of claims 1, 10, and 16, we are also not persuaded that PIA is reasonably likely to prevail on any of its asserted grounds of unpatentability for the dependent claims. III. CONCLUSION We decline to institute an inter partes review of any of the challenged claims. IV. ORDER For the reasons given, it is ORDERED that the Petition is denied as to all of the challenged claims of the ’155 patent. Case IPR2013-00489 Patent 6,738,155 23 PETITIONER: John M. Adams, Esq. Lawrence G. Zurawsky, Esq. Price & Adams, P.C. 4135 Brownsville Road, P.O. Box 98127 Pittsburgh, PA 15227 PATENT OWNER: W. Edward Ramage, Esq. Samuel F. Miller, Esq. Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C. Baker Donelson Center 211 Commerce St., Ste 800 Nashville, TN 37201 Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation