enpan's Patent & Linux practice: 相似前案僅須針對部份問題即可

2021年3月19日星期五

相似前案僅須針對部份問題即可 - CyWee Group v. Google (Fed. Cir. 2021)

本篇討論幾個特別的議題，特別是關於作為先前技術的標準，何謂「analogous prior art」，這句話「"In any event, a reference need not be reasonably pertinent to every problem facing a field to be analogous prior art, but rather need only be “reasonably pertinent to one or more of the particular problems to which the claimed inventions relate.”"」告訴我們一些原則。

案件資訊：

上訴人/專利權人：CYWEE GROUP LTD.
被上訴人：Google, Samsung, LG, Huawei, 等
系爭專利：US8,441,438、US8,552,978（IPR2018-01257, IPR2018-01258）

本案緣起專利權人CyWee向多間公司提起侵權訴訟，之後系爭專利被提起IPR異議，系爭專利權項包括'438案的Claims 1, 3-5以及'978案的Claims 10, 12，PTAB判定上述幾項系爭專利範圍為顯而易知，CyWee上訴CAFC。（相同的專利也對Apple提告，之後雙方和解）

多年前接觸過CyWee公司，當時來說，體感技術才剛起步，CyWee已經有很創新的技術。

系爭專利US8,441,438關於3D指向的技術，所運用的裝置設有感測器，感知裝置在空間的移動，進而控制顯示器上的物件移動，Claim 1範圍如下，所界定的裝置包括有方位感測器、旋轉感測器、兩個處理器、加速器、磁力計等，其中特徵在得出空間中各軸向移動資訊外，還以磁力計感測出立體空間中各軸向的磁力，可以據此修正裝置在空間中移動感測的結果

1. A 3D pointing device, comprising:

an orientation sensor, generating an orientation output associated with an orientation of the 3D pointing device associated with three coordinate axes of a global reference frame associated with Earth;

a rotation sensor, generating a rotation output associated with a rotation of the 3D pointing device associated with three coordinate axes of a spatial reference frame associated with the 3D pointing device; and

a first computing processor, using the orientation output and the rotation output to generate a transformed output associated with a fixed reference frame associated with a display device,

wherein the orientation sensor comprises:

an accelerometer, generating a first signal set comprising axial accelerations associated with movements and rotations of the 3D pointing device in the spatial reference frame;

a magnetometer, generating a second signal set associated with Earth's magnetism; and

a second computing processor, generating the orientation output based on the first signal set, the second signal set and the rotation output or based on the first signal set and the second signal set;

wherein the rotation sensor, the accelerometer, and the magnetometer forming a nine-axis motion sensor module; the 3D pointing device is configured for obtaining one or more resultant deviation including a plurality of deviation angles using a plurality of measured magnetisms Mx, My, Mz and a plurality of predicted magnetism Mx′, My′ and Mz′.

系爭專利US8,552,978的Claim 10：

10. A method for compensating rotations of a 3D pointing device, comprising:

generating an orientation output associated with an orientation of the 3D pointing device associated with three coordinate axes of a global reference frame associated with Earth;

generatinq a first signal set comprising axial accelerations associated with movements and rotations of the 3D pointing device in the spatial reference frame;

generating a second signal set associated with Earth's magnetism; generating the orientation output based on the first signal set, the second signal set and the rotation output or based on the first signal set and the second signal set;

generating a rotation output associated with a rotation of the 3D pointing device associated with three coordinate axes of a spatial reference frame associated with the 3D pointing device; and

using the orientation output and the rotation output to generate a transformed output associated with a fixed reference frame associated with a display device, wherein the orientation output and the rotation output is generated by a nine-axis motion sensor module; obtaining one or more resultant deviation including a plurality of deviation angles using a plurality of measured magnetisms Mx, My, Mz and a plurality of predicted magnetism Mx′, My′ and Mz′ for the second signal set.

CyWee對PTAB終判提起上訴，上訴議題有：提起IPR者（Google）的利害關係（議題一），PTAB的APJ違反憲法的任命條款（Appointments Clause）（議題二），以及主張IPR證據Bachmann非與系爭專利相似的先前技術（analogous prior art）（議題三）。

IPR2018-01257異議證據：

Bachmann：

議題一：

針對Google是否為適格的利害關係人（real party in interest）的上訴議題，CAFC駁回，因為案件經PTAB起始（institition）後，為非可上訴議題（non-appealable），相關法條為35 U.S.C. § 314(d)：

35 U.S. Code § 314 - Institution of inter partes review
...
(d)No Appeal.— The determination by the Director whether to institute an inter partes review under this section shall be final and nonappealable.

議題二：

關於PTAB的行政專利法官（APJ）的任命（Appointments），CAFC認為APJ認為合法。

議題三：

PTAB在IPR判決中，關於系爭專利解決問題：補償裝置移動與增進其中比對方法，判定Bachmann揭露了收集各感測器的數據、校正其中誤差的技術，證明Bachmann為類似系爭專利的先前技術。

CyWee主張系爭專利專注在立體空間中的裝置移動補償，但Bachmann並非解決這類問題，也沒有提到任何與立體空間指向的技術問題，然而，法院給了很好的回應，其實PTAB知道這個情況，但並未回應此論題，不過，作為先前技術的參考文獻，沒有需要合理地相關系爭專利的每個問題才是相似前案（analogous prior art），而僅需要合理地相關發明中的一或多個特定問題就可。