原告/上訴人/專利權人：INNOVATION SCIENCES, LLC
被告/被上訴人：AMAZON.COM, INC.
系爭專利：RE46,140, US9,369,844, US8,135,398
判決文：July 2, 2019
在地方法院的決定包括：系爭專利'140不具專利適格性（違反35 U.S.C. § 101）、各方同意對'844侵權不成立，以及地院同意對'398不侵權的簡易判決。
RE46,140關於跨國電子商務的技術，技術針對跨國電子商務傳送信用資料的資訊安全措施，當買家購買電子商務伺服器提供商品清單的產品，信用資料提供給另一負責安全性的伺服器，例如Claim 17：
17. An online method for a payment server to support online buying over the Internet, the online method comprising:
receiving, at the payment server, credit card payment information transmitted from a buyer for payment of one or more items identified for purchase from a website listing the items, wherein the credit card payment information is received after online communication of the buyer has been switched from the website listing the items to a website supported by the payment server, wherein the switching of the online communication of the buyer is after an indication from the buyer to buy the one or more of the items;
sending the credit card payment information to an established financial channel;
receiving a credit card payment processing decision from the established financial channel; and
sending credit card payment confirmation information;
wherein:
transmission of information about the items for purchase between a server supporting the website listing the items and the buyer, before occurrence of the indication to buy, is less secure than transmission, from the buyer, of the credit card payment information, the transmission of the credit card payment information being performed under a security protocol for encryption of the credit card payment information, said security protocol providing at least 128 bit encryption for the credit card payment information;
the payment server has a respective IP address different from a respective IP address of the server supporting the website listing the items;
the sending of the credit card payment confirmation information updates the server supporting the website listing the items, with respect to the purchase of the one or more items identified by the buyer, in support of a real-time purchasing/sales environment on the website listing the items;
the server supporting the website listing the items is in one of a first nation state or a second nation state; and
the payment server is in the first nation state.
US9,369,844關於在網路上傳遞資料的安全技術，Claim 28為執行電子通訊的無線裝置，包括有處理器、無線電晶片、記憶體與相關指令。
28. A wireless device configured to facilitate electronic communication of information, the wireless device comprising:
a processor;
a wireless radio chip containing information of a unique identifier corresponding to the wireless device;
a memory configured to store program code that includes instructions executable by said processor, said instructions comprising:
instructions for transmitting, through a wireless transmission channel, an item status signal to provide information regarding an updated condition of a merchandise,
wherein the wireless transmission channel is established in a local wireless communication network in response to an indication of the updated condition and the wireless transmission channel is established for transmission of the item status signal by the wireless device; and
wherein the unique identifier corresponding to the wireless device is recognized during a processing of a purchase request for the merchandise regarding the updated condition based on a successful transmission of the item status signal;
wherein the purchase request for the merchandise is identified based on recognition of the unique identifier;
wherein information of a user account is communicated through a communication channel to accommodate the processing of the purchase request; wherein the user account is associated with the wireless device; and wherein the wireless transmission channel is separate from the communication channel, the information of the user account comprising the information for the processing the purchase request; and
wherein the wireless device is designated to transmit the item status signal.
US8,135,398關於多方多媒體通訊的技術，專利範圍Claim 1即關於在裝置之間傳遞內容的方法，接收多媒體後轉換並再生多媒體內容，傳送轉換的內容元件給目標裝置，建立通道與傳輸多媒體內容。
1. A method for conversion and sending of content to devices, the method comprising:
receiving a multimedia content item originated from a source located outside a home location and destined for a destination device located within the home location, wherein the multimedia content item is received through a wireless communication network and from a wireless terminal device;
converting the multimedia content item for reproduction according to a determined signal format of the destination device; and
sending the converted multimedia content item to the destination device, wherein the destination device is a television, and wherein the sending comprises:
establishing a predetermined channel operatively in communication with the destination device
and transporting the multimedia content item to the destination device via said predetermined channel,
for the destination device to display the multimedia content item in conjunction with a navigational command to the destination device for the predetermined channel.
35 U.S.C. § 101議題：
面對專利適格性，即採用TWO-STEP測試，先判斷是否為抽象，再判斷專利元件的個別或其組合是否具有可以轉換抽象為可專利應用的額外元件（"the elements of each claim both individually and ‘as an ordered combination’ to determine whether the additional elements ‘transform the nature of the claim’ into a patent-eligible application."）。
地院認為'014案專利範圍為抽象，專利範圍的特徵僅在「switch，切換買家信用資訊執行支付」的技術，缺乏可以轉換為可專利議題的「進步特徵」。
CAFC法官認為，系爭專利'014範圍僅描述「功能、結果導向（functional, result-oriented）」的用語，僅是不可專利的用語而沒有改善習知技術，認為沒有超越抽象概念的本質；加上，法官更認為'014使用了習知的網路交易系統，所採用的伺服器也是一般執行已知、常規與習知的活動（"There is no inventive concept in the claim’s use of a generic payment server “to perform well-understood, routine, and conventional activities commonly used in industry."），因此認為'014相關系爭專利範圍不具專利適格性。
編按，以下摘錄內容為很好的提醒：
侵權議題：
經解釋專利範圍後，法院認為Amazon對'844侵權不成立。根據法院意見，不侵權理由之一是'844限定在單一無線裝置，但說明書描述以兩個裝置（DCSM與user equipment）執行監控與處理支付程序的動作，而另有實施例表示使用者可以使用wireless HUB或user equipment實現支付，傳送支付請求至wireless HUB，如此，因為說明書描述了幾個實施例，可以合理解釋Claim 28，認為發明人在本項的意圖是僅使用單一裝置。
對於'398也是解釋專利範圍的問題，參考上述Claim 1內容，法院認為多媒體內容通過無線通訊網路傳送到目的地裝置，其中轉換與再生多媒體內容是根據目的地裝置的訊號格式，而且轉換是在目的地裝置接收到內容之前，與專利權人認知不同，沒有證據支持最終目的地不需要被設定，直到多媒體內容傳送到終端裝置。
如此，最終判決是'014系爭專利範圍不具專利適格性、對'844侵權不成立，以及對'398侵權不成立，但其中仍有差異，因此部分撤回、部分發回重審，以及部分確認地院判決。
my two cents:
從本案可知，在商業方法中，「有沒有改善習知技術」成為通過101的重要門檻之一，也就是專利範圍、說明書的描述不能僅在「表面」用語的描述，還要更深刻的「技術描述」，否則會被認為僅是「功能性」描述。
我認為（後見之明），'014不是不能專利，從說明書的篇幅來看可以簡單認知沒有足夠的描述，把其中重點"switching"講得太少，應該提到其中切換機制、判斷條件、網路連線方法、使用者與連線識別資訊...，以及來往訊息的內容等，如此，有可能至少避免被法官認定是執行習知、常規的活動而已。
判決文：
http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/18-1495.Opinion.7-2-2019.pdf（備份：https://app.box.com/s/p2pttc8ybwcduo4vkvu0879qw38geg5r）
資料參考：
https://patentlyo.com/patent/2019/07/enforcing-payment-abstract.html
Ron
沒有留言:
張貼留言