Transperfect Global, Inc. v. Matal

703 F. App'x 953
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJuly 12, 2017
Docket2016-1121
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 703 F. App'x 953 (Transperfect Global, Inc. v. Matal) 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
Transperfect Global, Inc. v. Matal, 703 F. App'x 953 (Fed. Cir. 2017).

Opinion

Chen, Circuit Judge.

This case arises from MotionPoint’s petition for covered business method (CBM) review of claims 1-28 of U.S. Patent No. 6,857,022 (’022 patent), which is directed to ordering a translation of an electronic document that includes hyperlinks, and is owned by TransPerfect Global, Inc. (TransPerfect). The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Patent Trial & Appeal Board (Board) instituted the review and issued a final decision finding the challenged claims unpatentable for lack of written description support under 35 U.S.C. § 112 ¶ 1. 1 TransPerfect and MotionPoint subsequently settled, and the Director of the PTO intervened in this appeal pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 143.

TransPerfect appeals the Board’s construction of the claim term, “said hyperlink,” arguing that the Board’s construction excludes a translated hyperlink on a translated webpage that links to a different target than the target to which the original, untranslated hyperlink links. TransPerfect also appeals the Board’s lack of written description finding, arguing that even if the claimed “said hyperlink” must refer to the same hyperlink that is present in the original, untranslated webpage, the ’022 specification describes an embodiment that can redirect a user to a translated version of the hyperlink’s target instead of the original untranslated target, upon clicking the original, untranslated hyperlink. Because the Board’s construction of “said hyperlink” is correct and all the challenged claims are unpatentable for lack of written description support, we affirm.

Background

The ’022 patent describes a method of ordering a translation of an electronic document on the Internet, such as a webpage, using a “one-click” translation component. ’022 patent abstract. Figure 1 of the ’022 patent contains a flowchart illustrating this process:

*955 [[Image here]]

’022 patentfig.l. Figure 1 shows a user 1 who requests a webpage 2 from web server 3. Id. col. 3 11. 3-6. The user can request a translation from one language (e.g., English) to another (e.g., German) by' clicking on the one-click translation component. Id. col. 3 11. 47-57. When the translation is requested, webpage 2 is transferred from user 1 to a “translation manager” 4. Id. col. 3 11. 14-17. The translation manager translates the original webpage 2 into the requested language as translated web-page 7, which is then displayed to the user. Id. col. 3 11. 28-36. The translation manager can also retrieve the original webpage 2 from web server 3 if the user provides the translation manager with just the address of the webpage rather than the webpage itself. Id. col. 311. 28-31.

If webpage 2 contains hyperlinks to further webpages, translation manager 4' may replace links in the translated webpage 7 with hyperlinks pointing to the translation manager. Id. col. 3 11. 36-38. The translation manager may automatically translate these hyperlinked webpages, either at the time the user clicks on the replacement links or in advance, such that the user need not request separate translations of hyperlinked webpages. Id. col. 3 11. 38-46. This allows a user to surf many linked webpages without needing to request separate translations. Id.

Claim 1 is representative and reproduced below:

1. A method of ordering a translation of an electronic communication, the electronic communication comprising at least text of more than one word and one or more hyperlinks to further elec-ironic communications, including the steps of:
displaying simultaneously to a user:
at least part of said electronic communication; and
a single action translation component, said single action translation component comprising an object identified as effecting a translation of said electronic communication in a single action;
said user clicking said single action translation component to request translation of at least said text of said electronic communication by transmitting said electronic communication, or *956 an indicator of said electronic communication, to. a translation manager, and said translation manager,
obtaining a translation of said electronic communication;
directing transmission of said translation of said electronic communication to said user; and •
providing translation of said further electronic communications when said hyperlink is activated', by delivering a translation of said further electronic communications that was translated when said electronic communication was translated; or
by obtaining a translation of said further electronic Communications when said hyperlink is activated,

’022 patent col. 8 1. 51-col. 9 1.11 (emphases added)..

The Board found that “the first use of the term ‘hyperlink’ specifically identifies the hypertext document that includes the ‘link or connection’ and the objects linked or connected thereto,” J.A. 13. The hypertext document that contains the link is the “electronic communication” and the objects linked or connected, thereto are the “further electronic communications.” J.A. 13. The Board construed “hyperlink” to mean “a connection between an element in a hypertext document, such as a word, phrase, symbol, or image, and a different element in the document, another hypertext document, a file, or a script.” J.A. 11. It construed “said hyperlink” to mean “referring back to the ‘one or more hyperlinks,’ i.e., the original ‘one or more hyperlinks’ in the original (untranslated) electronic communication that link or connect to the further (untranslated) electronic communications,” J.A. 11, 21,

We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.O. § 1295(a)(4).

Discussion

I. Standard of Review

In construing claims, the Board applies the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification. Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC v. Lee, — U.S.-, 136 S.Ct. 2131, 2142-45, 195 L.Ed.2d 423 (2016). “We review intrinsic evidence and the ultimate construction of the claim de novo,” SightSound Techs., LLC v. Apple Inc., 809 F.3d 1307, 1316 (Fed. Cir. 2015). “We review underlying factual determinations concerning extrinsic evidence for substantial evidence.” Id. “Whether a patent claim is supported by an adequate written description is a question of fact.” AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co., KG v. Janssen Biotech, Inc.,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
703 F. App'x 953, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/transperfect-global-inc-v-matal-cafc-2017.