Aylus Networks, Inc. v. Apple Inc.

856 F.3d 1353, 122 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1672, 2017 WL 1946961, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 8334
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedMay 11, 2017
Docket2016-1599
StatusPublished
Cited by141 cases

This text of 856 F.3d 1353 (Aylus Networks, Inc. v. Apple Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aylus Networks, Inc. v. Apple Inc., 856 F.3d 1353, 122 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1672, 2017 WL 1946961, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 8334 (Fed. Cir. 2017).

Opinion

STOLL, Circuit Judge.

Aylus Networks, Inc. appeals the United States District Court for the Northern District of California’s grant of summary judgment finding that Apple Inc.’s AirPlay feature does not infringe the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. RE 44,412. For the reasons below, we affirm. .

Background

I.

The ’412 patent “provides systems and methods for implementing digital home networks having a control point located on a wide area network.” ’412 patent col. 5 11. 35-37. The specification explains that as bandwidth provided by wireless networks *1356 increases, these networks, such as 3G networks, “are now expected to provide broad-cast content, video telephony, multimedia conferencing, video streaming services, file upload and download services, and interactive multimedia services.” Id. at col. 4 1. 60-col. 5 1. 3. But the availability of network coverage supporting these multimedia services is uneven, because “[i]n some areas several networks may be available simultaneously that could be used by a handset, whereas in other regions there may be insufficient coverage to support a given network service.” Id. at col. 5 11. 4-8. The specification also describes “an inherent disadvantage” to using handsets due to their small screen sizes, which are not amenable to long viewing periods or being jointly viewed by multiple users. Id. at col. 5 11.14-24.

To overcome these disadvantages, the patent teaches various network architectures for streaming and displaying media content using combinations of networked components. These networked components include: (1) a media server (MS); (2) a media renderer (MR); (3) control point (CP) logic that includes logic to negotiate media content delivery with at least one of an MS and an MR; and (4) control point proxy (CPP) logic that includes:

(i) logic to negotiate media content delivery with at least one of an MS and an MR, (ii) logic to cooperate with CP logic to negotiate media content delivery between an MS and an MR, and (iii) VCR controls to control a presentation of content provided by the MS and rendered by the MR.

Id. at col. 5 11. 56-62. In one embodiment, “[t]he control point and control point proxies cooperatively negotiate media delivery from a user-selected media server, such as a home stereo or DVD player, to a user-selected media renderer, such as a TV display or the display on a handset.” Id. at col. 511. 42-48.

The specification further explains that when one of an MS and an MR are not in communication with the user endpoint device (“UE”) via a local wireless network, both the CP logic and CPP logic are invoked to cooperatively negotiate media content delivery between the MS and MR. When both an MS and an MR are in communication with the UE via a local wireless network, however, “[t]he CPP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between” the MS and MR. Id. at col. 6 11. 5-8. Finally, when neither an MS nor an MR are in communication with the UE via a local wireless network, “[t]he CP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between” the MS and MR. Id. at col. 6 11. 9-12.

The architecture of the networked components of one embodiment is depicted in Figure 12:

*1357 [[Image here]]

’412 patent Fig. 12. Claims 2 and 21 are at issue in this appeal. 1 Because claim 2 is dependent upon claim 1, we reproduce both claims below:

1. A method of controlling and delivering media content from a media server (MS) to a media renderer (MR) utilizing a wide area network for control, comprising the acts of:
provisioning a serving node in the wide area network with control point (CP) logic that includes logic to negotiate media content delivery with at least one of the MS and the MR, wherein the CP logic, MS, and MR resides outside of a user endpoint (UE) and the CP logic resides in the signaling domain and serves as a first proxy;
provisioning the UE of the wide area network with control point proxy (CPP) logic that includes (i) logic to negotiate media content delivery with at least one of the MS and the MR, (ii) logic to cooperate with CP logic to negotiate media content delivery between the MS and the MR, and (iii) video cassette recorder (VCR) controls to control a presentation of content provided by the MS and rendered by the MR, wherein the CPP logic resides in the UE and serves as a second proxy;
in response to a media content delivery request, determining a network context of the UE and a network connectivity of the MS and MR;
invoking the CPP logic and the CP logic to cooperatively negotiate media content delivery between the MS and the MR if one of the MS and MR are not in communication with the UE via a local wireless network; and once media content delivery is negotiated, controlling a presentation of delivery via the VCR controls on the UE.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CPP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between the MS *1358 and the MR if the MS and MR are both in communication with the UE via a local wireless network.

’412 patent col. 24 11. 37-67 (contested limitation emphasized).

II.

Aylus sued Apple for infringement of the ’412 patent. Apple then filed two separate petitions for inter partes review with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, each challenging different claims of the ’412 patent. 2 The Board instituted an IPR proceeding on the petition challenging all claims of the ’412 patent. But the Board denied institution as to claims 2, 4, 21, and 23. Following institution, Aylus filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in the district court, dismissing with prejudice its infringement contentions as to all of the asserted claims, except as to claims 2 and 21. Apple subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment of noninfringement of claims 2 and 21, arguing that it does not practice the limitation “wherein the CPP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between the MS and the MR” recited in both asserted claims.

In its order on Apple’s summary judgment motion, the district court construed the limitation “wherein the CPP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between the MS and the MR” to “require that only the CPP logic is invoked to negotiate media content delivery between the MS and the MR, in contrast to claims 1 and 20 which require both the CP and CPP to negotiate media content delivery.” Aylus Networks, Inc. v. Apple Inc., No. 13-cv-04700-EMC, 2016 WL 270387, at *6 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 21, 2016) (Summary Judgment Order). Based on this construction, the district court granted summary judgment of noninfringement of claims 2 and 21 of the ’412 patent. Id. at *7.

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856 F.3d 1353, 122 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1672, 2017 WL 1946961, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 8334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aylus-networks-inc-v-apple-inc-cafc-2017.