Federal Circuit upholds subject matter eligibility of “method of preparation” claims in rehearing of Illumina v. Ariosa Diagnostics

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Illumina v Ariosa rehearing “Method of preparation” claims survive §101 challenge at the Federal Circuit

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“Half-liquid” held indefinite by the Federal Circuit – IBSA v Teva

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IBSA v Teva Though IBSA provided direct and indirect evidence that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the term to be a synonym of “semi-liquid,” the Federal Circuit discounted it.  The Court instead found support in a prosecution history where the term was not directly at issue. Background IBSA is the assignee […]

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Genentech v. Iancu – another reminder that narrower, but valid, claims are preferable to broader, but invalid ones

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Genentech v. Iancu, Appeal Nos. 2019-1263, 2019-1267, Fed. Cir., March 26, 2020. Genentech owns US Patent Nos 7,846,441 and 7,892,549, directed to the treatment of cancer with a combination of an antibody and a taxoid, without anthracycline.  The patents share a specification, and the claims of each require that the combination be administered in an amount […]

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“No risk trial” is an offer for sale, and triggers the on-sale bar

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And relying on the exemplary data provided with the offer as proof of reduction to practice, without disclosing the offer, is not a good idea.  GS Cleantech v Adkins Energy, No. 2016-2231 (Fed. Cir. March 2, 2020). The US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (“District Court”) found four of Appellants patents (US […]

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Federal Circuit issues two decisions providing claim construction guidance

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See, Kaken Pharma v Iancu, __ F.3d __, (Fed. Cir. Mar. 13, 2020) (Newman, O’Malley, TARANTO) and Personalized Media v Apple, [2018-1936] (Fed. Cir. March 13, 2020) (Reyna, Taranto, STOLL). In Kaken, the Federal Circuit used unequivocal statements in the specification and prosecution history, upon which the Examiner relied in allowing the claims, to reverse […]

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Examiner reversed, reminded that claims “must be read in accordance with the precepts of English grammar”

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With a Federal Circuit citation, no less. In Ex parte Moffat, USSN 15/227,827, the claims on appeal were directed to toner compositions with white colorants.  Independent claim 1 recited, in pertinent part:  An emulsion aggregation toner having toner particles comprising … one single white colorant consisting of titanium dioxide… While claim 21, dependent from claim […]

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Motivation to combine is not present when benefit alleged to be provided by the combination is already present in the art

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Wait … what? This argument came up and prevailed – twice – in Tech Center 1700 PTAB decisions in November. First, Ex parte Gama, US Patent Application No 12/042641, Appeal 2019-002094, decided November 5, 2019.  In Gama, the Examiner found claims directed to a fuel filter obvious over two references.  The motivation to combine, the […]

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Examiner reversed for relying on “common sense” to supply claim recitation missing from the applied art

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Applicants/Appellants in the food arts, rejoice! In Ex parte Elejalde, US Patent Application Serial No. 14/119,935, Appeal 2019-003528 decided November 21, 2019 (Ex parte Elejalde), the claims recite a pan coating process using two drums.  A liquid is taught to be applied in the first drum, and a powder applied in the second such that […]

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Non-Analogous Art Argument WINS!!!

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Not once, not twice, but FIVE times at PTAB, Tech Center 1700, in November and December. Full disclosure – four of the decisions were issued in related applications. In Ex parte Hansen et al.,  US Patent Application Serial No. 12/345215, Appeal 2019-001796, decided November 14, 2019 Ex parte Hansen and Ex parte Hansen et al., […]

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PTAB Tech Center 1700 Observations, December 2019

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The was no merriment for Appellant’s in Tech Center 1700 in December.  After an almost 40% reversal rate in November, PTAB’s reversal rate in Tech Center 1700 was down to about 24% in December: The Board heard 96 appeals, and reversed the Examiner 23 times with one reversal with a new ground of rejection: No […]

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