FullView, Inc. v. Polycom, Inc.

District Court, N.D. California·Decided March 21, 2022·No. 3:18-cv-00510·Unknown

Opinion

FULLVIEW, INC., Case No. 18-cv-00510-EMC

Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S v. MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT, AND GRANTING POLYCOM, INC., PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT Defendant. Docket Nos. 179-180 Plaintiff FullView, Inc. (“FullView”) filed this lawsuit against Defendant Polycom, Inc. (“Polycom”) alleging patent infringement. FullView is the owner of a group of patents disclosing technology involving the creation of composite images—i.e., a device capable of producing panoramic photographs. The patent at issue in these motions is U.S. Patent No. 6,128,143 (“‘143 Patent”). Now pending before the Court are cross-motions for summary judgment by the parties. Polycom moves for summary judgment that claims 10-12 of the ‘143 Patent are invalid as obvious, Docket No. 179 (“Polycom MSJ”), whereas FullView moves for summary judgment on the validity of those same claims, Docket No. 180 (“FullView MSJ”). Additionally, FullView moves to strike expert testimony which does not comply with the Court’s Order on Polycom’s Infringement Contentions. Id. For the following reasons, the Court DENIES Polycom’s motion for summary judgment, DENIES FullView’s motion to strike, and GRANTS FullView’s motion for summary judgment. A. The ‘143 Patent Stand.” Docket No. 179-1, Exh. 1 (“‘143 Patent”). The ‘143 Patent refers to a “compact high resolution onmnidirectional or panoramic viewer” which “has several cameras with a common virtual optical center.” Id. at 2. “The cameras are positioned so that they each view a different reflective surface of a polyhedron such as a pyramid.” Id. FullView alleges infringement of independent claim 10 and dependent claims 11-12 of the ‘143 Patent. Independent Claim 10 states:

A panoramic viewing apparatus, comprising:

[a] plurality of image processing devices, each having an optical center and a field of view; [b] pyramid shaped element having a plurality of reflective side facets facing in different directions, [c] each of at least two of the plurality of reflective side facets redirecting a field of view of one of the plurality of image processing devices to create a plurality of virtual optical centers; and [d] a support member intersecting an inner volume of the pyramid shaped element, the pyramid shaped element being secured to the support member and the plurality of image processing devices being secured to the support member. Id. at 16:20-34 (emphasis added). There is no dispute that claim 10’s elements labeled as [a], [b] and [c] above are disclosed in prior art references, and that the claim limitation at issue in these motions is the bolded portion of [d]: “a support member intersecting an inner volume of the pyramid shaped element.” See Polycom MSJ at 8, Docket No. 184 (“FullView Opp.”) at 6. The Court has construed the “pyramid shaped element” of claim 10 as “an object that has the shape of a pyramid, except that its apex and base may be absent or incomplete,” Docket No. 142 at 2, and “inner volume” as ““inside the space defined and bounded by the pyramid shaped element,” Docket No. 137 at 7. Dependent claim 11 requires that the “image processing devices” are “secured to a portion of the support member extending out from the pyramid shaped element,” and dependent claim 12 further requires that the “support member” be “hollow.” ‘143 Patent at 16:34-39. The ‘143 Patent exemplifies claims 10-12 through its Figure 17. See id. at 11:43-12:19. /// /// FIG. 17 830 818 ' Ul BIB 3 Hl B10 pan Se 812 5 _ FA IW 1 806 6 | | | 7 | | 800 8 908 | Le BO Se ? a4 aes 504 10 ” Kt ~ 11 818 12

Ta. Figure 17 is described as follows (with portions referring to the “support member” at issue in

) claim 10 bolded):

15 Reflective pyramid 800 is mounted to stand or post 802 using a 16 support member such as hollow tube 804. The pyramid is secured A to hollow tube 804 at vertex end 806. The hollow tube is secured to 47 stand 802 by angle brackets 808. Hollow tube 804 extends beyond vertex end 806 so that cameras 810 may be supported by tube 18 804. The cameras are mounted to tube 804 by strap or belt ... Video and power connections to cameras 810 are provided by cables 19 818 which are fed through hollow tub 804 and through space $20. . . It should be noted that hollow tube 804 may be replaced with 0 a solid support member, however, a hollow support member provides a convenient path for routing cables. Feeding the 1 cables through tube 804 prevents the cables from entering the field of view of cameras 810... It is also possible to invert the viewer of FIG. 17 so that the viewer is supported by end 830 of tube 804. In this configuration cables 818 will simply be passed out 3 through an opening at end 830 of tube 804. 24 Il Id. (emphases added). 25 B. Procedural Background 26 1. Inter Partes Review History 27 On January 31, 2019, Polycom sought an IPR of the ‘143 Patent. Docket No. 118-1, Exh. 28 C. However, the PTAB denied this petition as well as Polycom’s request for rehearing on

September 10, 2019. Docket No. 180-18. The PTAB concluded that Polycom had “not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that it would prevail with respect to at least one claim challenged in the Petition.” Id. at 3. As part of its analysis, the PTAB determined that none of the prior art Polycom put forward anticipated any of the challenged claims (including claims 10-12) of the ‘143 Patent, nor had Polycom demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that any prior art (including the art referenced in this motion) nor combination of prior art rendered any of the challenged claims obvious. Id. at 12-23. 2. Litigation History On January 23, 2018, FullView filed its first complaint. Docket No. 1. On July 2, 2020, FullView filed its second amended complaint alleging a single claim for relief: infringement of both the ‘711 and ‘143 Patents under 35 U.S.C. § 271 by (1) direct infringement; (2) infringement by inducement; and (3) infringement via the doctrine of equivalents. SAC ¶¶ 59-66. Polycom moved to dismiss the second amended complaint’s claims pertaining to the ‘711 Patent because that patent (a) was directed at nonpatentable subject matter and (b) sought to protect an abstract idea without an inventive concept. Id. The Court granted Polycom’s motion to dismiss on both grounds. Docket No. 105. The Court later denied FullView’s motion to file a third amended complaint. Docket No. 144. Accordingly, only claims 10 through 12 of the ‘143 Patent are at issue in this litigation. See Docket No. 110 (“Joint Statement”) at 2; SAC ¶ 47. In October 2020, Polycom served FullView with its invalidity contentions. Docket No. 180-4, Exh. A. Polycom alleged invalidity on five grounds:

Ground 1: U.S. Patent No. 3,118,340 (the “‘340 patent” or “Iwerks”) Anticipates and/or Renders Obvious Claims 10–12 of the ‘143 Patent (if construed such that the “set of nine mirrors” without their mirror support constitutes a “pyramid shaped element”). Ground 2: U.S. Patent No. 3,118,340 (the “‘340 patent” or “Iwerks”) Anticipates and/or Renders Obvious Claims 10–12 of the ‘143 Patent (if construed such that the “set of nine mirrors” with their mirror support constitutes a “pyramid shaped element”).

Ground 3: U.S. Patent No. 3,740,126 (the “‘126 patent” or “Goto”) Anticipates and/or Renders Obvious Claims 10–12 of the ‘143 Patent. by Omnidirectional Imaging Sensor Using Hexagonal Pyramidal Mirrors, by Yamazawa et al., published on August 17–18, 1998 (“Yamazawa 1998”) Renders Claims 10–12 of the ‘143 patent Obvious.

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FullView, Inc. v. Polycom, Inc., (N.D. Cal. 2022).

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