看到部落格側欄中「七天內熱門文章」突然竄上來的2013年案例 - 「Google街景服務侵權案討論（Vederi v. Google (Fed. Cir. 2013)）（https://enpan.blogspot.com/2014/03/googlevederi-v-google-fed-cir-2013.html），就忍不住找一下後續發展。當時部落格文章算是很清楚地分析其中向Google提告的系爭專利，當年CAFC發回重審是因為系爭專利不當"太窄"解釋，系爭專利中用語「substantially elevations」有解釋爭議，CAFC參考系爭專利說明書（內部證據）認為"substantially"有解釋空間，而不僅是"elevations"（建築正視圖），因此有可能涵蓋「Google街景」形成的方式（呈現建築物的球形與曲線的透視技術）。
尋找CAFC案例時，看到此案在今年5月有個判決 - VEDERI, LLC v. GOOGLE LLC (CAFC 2020)，案件資訊：
上訴人/專利權人：VEDERI, LLC
交叉上訴人：GOOGLE LLC
判決日：May 14, 2020
系爭專利：US7,239,760、US7,577,316、US7,805,025、US7,813,596
2013年CAFC判決：CAFC否決地院解釋專利範圍，但也否決Vederi的侵權主張，發回地院重審，要求根據CAFC意旨重新解釋專利範圍與侵權審理。
根據今年（2020年）5月的判決，可知系爭專利在前次判決後進入「複審/這裡有時也翻為"再審"（inter partes reexamination）」（95/000,681, 95/000,682, 95/000,683, 95/000,684）程序，PTAB決定對專利權人不利，因此上訴CAFC，同時Google交叉上訴，應該是Google也不服複審決定。
其中爭議仍在「解釋專利範圍（claim construction）」，特別是系爭專利請求項中「composite image」用語、「moving」以及「web page for the retail establishment」等。
參考系爭專利'760的claim 19、20：
19. In a system including an image source and a user terminal having a screen and an input device, a method for enabling visual navigation of a geographic area from the user terminal, the method comprising:
accessing a plurality of images from the image source, the images representing objects within the geographic area;
identifying a current location in the geographic area;
retrieving from the image source an image corresponding to the current location;
monitoring a change of the current location in the geographic area; and
retrieving from the image source an image corresponding to the changed location, wherein each retrieved image is a composite image created by processing a plurality of image frames acquired from an image recording device moving through the geographic area.
20. A system for enabling visual navigation of a geographic area from a user terminal, the system comprising:
means for accessing an image source providing a plurality of images depicting views of objects in the geographic area, the views being substantially elevations of the objects in the geographic area, wherein the images are associated with image frames acquired by an image recording device moving along a trajectory;
means for receiving a first user input specifying a first location in the geographic area;
means for retrieving from the image source a first image associated with the first location;
means for receiving a second user input specifying a navigation direction relative to the first location in the geographic area;
means for determining a second location based on the user specified navigation direction; and
means for retrieving from the image source a second image associated with the second location.
'025案claim 21、28:
21. A method for enabling visual navigation of a geographic area via a computer system coupled to an image source, the computer system including one or more computer devices, at least one of the computer devices having a display screen, the method comprising:
providing by the image source a plurality of images depicting views of objects in the geographic area, the views being substantially elevations of the objects in the geographic area, wherein the images are associated with image frames acquired by an image recording device moving along a trajectory;
receiving by the computer system a first user input specifying a first location in the geographic area;
retrieving by the computer system a first image associated with the first location, the first image being one of the plurality of images provided by the image source;
providing by the computer system the retrieved first image for displaying on a first display area of the display screen;
invoking by the computer system a display of a direction identifier for indicating the viewing direction depicted in the first image;
receiving by the computer system a second user input specifying a navigation direction relative to the first location in the geographic area;
determining by the computer system a second location based on the user specified navigation direction;
retrieving by the computer system a second image associated with the second location, the second image being one of the plurality of images provided by the image source; and
providing by the computer system the retrieved second image for updating the first image with the second image.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the particular one of the objects is a retail establishment, the method further comprising:
accessing a web page for the retail establishment; and
invoking by the computer system a display of the web page on the display screen.
針對四件系爭專利的四件複審程序，PTAB對要討論的名詞解釋有相同也有不同，對各項專利範圍也有無效（不具新穎性、非顯而易見性）與有效的決定，因此雙方都上訴。
以上所提到的幾個用語影響專利範圍的解釋，也影響地院的侵權判斷。
(1) “composite image”
（法院同意PTAB專利範圍解釋）
對侵權可能產生影響的用語「composite image」而言，PTAB解釋"composite image"為「“a single image created by combining different image data or by uniting image data”」，法院認為這個解釋符合說明書的描述，認為"composite image"解釋為從影像幀中選擇影像，經組合後形成組合影像。（編按，也就是錄製影片後，從中取得影像資料後組合成呈現給使用者看的畫面。）
然而，Vederi反而採用更窄的專利範圍解釋，認為組合影像是處理從影像幀中得出的畫素資料得出一個新的影像-組合影像。
法院不同意Vederi解釋，認為，當專利範圍文字較實施例更廣時，說明書中特定實施例並不能用來讀入專利範圍中。（重要）
(2) “moving” in the claim limitation “image frames acquired by an image recording device moving along a trajectory”
（法院沒有採用全部PTAB的專利範圍解釋）
PTAB解釋此處特徵為：一個攝影機沿著路徑移動形成影像幀、移動與靜止時都會取得影像幀，以及僅在靜止時取得影像。
根據法院意見，參考說明書內容，攝影機移動時取得影像，或是靜止或移動時都取得影像。兩者有些差異，差異有些微妙。
(3) “web page for the retail establishment”
（法院認為PTAB的專利範圍解釋過窄）
PTAB將"web page"限定為由零售商（編按，這應該是指如google map或街景上的商店興趣點）運作的網頁。經考量說明書內容，事實上僅一處提到"web page"，其中描述在網頁上零售商形成超連結（hyperlink），法院認為這裡的「web page」並非意謂有任何人擁有或控制，並沒有限定在零售商自己的網頁。
以上用語解釋可能牽動在地院的侵權判斷，但針對系爭專利的先前技術而言，雖然判決中並未討論，但法院也在文後認為實質證據（先前技術）支持PTAB判定先前技術已經揭露系爭專利範圍了！
結論，本案中，法院再次強調，解釋專利範圍時，應以「內部證據（intrinsic evidence）」為首要考量，其中第一是申請專利範圍文字（claim language），第二為說明書（specification）與審查歷史（prosecution history），並以最廣而合理的解釋（broadest reasonable interpretation）為標準。
CAFC又發回重審，這回是因為PTAB不當解釋專利範圍發回，而前一回是針對侵權議題是發回給地院！沒完沒了！
Ron
1 則留言:
張貼留言