Yufa v. Tsi, Incorporated

652 F. App'x 939
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJune 14, 2016
Docket2015-1063, 2015-2007, 2016-1134
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 652 F. App'x 939 (Yufa v. Tsi, Incorporated) 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
Yufa v. Tsi, Incorporated, 652 F. App'x 939 (Fed. Cir. 2016).

Opinion

Wallach, Circuit Judge.

In three separate appeals, Appellant Dr. Aleksandr L. Yufa challenges various decisions of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. 1 For reasons discussed below, we solely address issues raised in Appeal No. 2015-1063. In that appeal, Dr. Yufa challenges the district court’s summary judgment decision that Appellee TSI, Incorporated (“TSI”) did not infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 5,767,967 (“the ’967 patent”), 5,946,091 (“the ’091 patent”), 6,034,769 (“the ’769 patent”), and 7,439,855 (“the ’855 patent”) (collectively, “the patents-in-suit”). See Yufa v. TSI, Inc., No. 8:12-cv-01614-FMO-JCG, 2014 WL 11398761 (C,D.Cal. Sep. 22, 2014) (J.A. 2-28). We affirm.

Background

The patents-in-suit relate to methods and devices for counting and measuring particles in gases and fluids. Dr. Yufa raises arguments in his opening brief pertaining only to the district court’s grant of summary judgment of non-infringement for the ’769 and ’855 patents. Thus, only the ’769 and ’855 patents are at issue in this appeal. The ’769 patent claims a method and a device for counting and measuring particles without using a reference voltage to determine the size of the detected particles. The ’855 patent is directed to a method and an apparatus for remotely controlling an environmental monitoring system.

I. The ’769 Patent

The ’769 patent is entitled “Method and Device for Counting and Measuring Particles” and discloses “devices and instruments for particle quantity counting and *941 particle size measuring by light or laser beam.” ’769 patent col. 111, 6-7.

The prior art’s method of counting and measuring particles utilized “light scattering focalizing methods,” which are based “on the collection of the scattered light.” Id. col. 2 11. 5-6. Particles are introduced into a laser beam at a first focal point, which is then “collect[ed] and focalize[d] at the second focal point [] [via mirrors or optics], where a light detector is placed and intended for scattered light detection.” Id. col. 2 11.10-13. “The amplified detected signal is compared with the predetermined reference voltage for the particle size qualifying.” Id. col. 3 11. 12-14. However, using this method “creates [ ] background (light noises) inside such devices, creating ... incorrectness of the resulting information about the measured environment.” Id. col. 21. 66-col. 3 1.1.

The ’769 patent discloses “[a]n improved method of counting and measuring parti-clef ] forms [through a] direct detection process, eliminating the light scattering detection principles.” Id. col. 411.19-21. “A light or laser beam intersects a particle flow inside a light detecting system in the light detection means area.” Id. col. 4 11. 25-26. “The signals, detected by light detection means through an analog-digital subsystem^] follow to a processing system for signal processing and information displaying.” Id. col. 4 11. 27-30. “When the particles of the particle flow intersect the light beam, the intensity of the light beam on the light detection means [ ] will be less than at the time when the particles are missing, because the presence of a particle in the light beam is an obstruction for the light in the direction to the light detection means [ ].” Id. col. 5 11. 20-25. “The bigger the particle, the less light intensity on the light detection means [ ].” Id. col. 5 11. 25-26.

Independent claim 1 is illustrative and recites, in relevant part:

A method for counting and measuring particles illuminated by a light beam and including the steps of:
providing by a light detecting system an output which is effectively indicative of a size of said particles intersecting said light beam within a particle monitoring region of said light detecting system so that said particles are monitored within said particle monitoring region, and wherein a light, created by [the] an intersection of said particles with said light beam, is proportional to said output:
amplifying said output by an amplifying means;
converting each amplified signal to a digital form pulse [having an adequate duration with said output] without using a reference voltage to convert each said amplified signal, wherein said digital form pulse has a duration which is adequate to a baseline duration of said output of said light detecting system.

Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate to U.S. Patent No. 6,034,769 (Issued Feb. 23, 2010) (“First Reexamination Certificate”) col. 1 1. 61-col. 2 1. 10 (brackets designate text removed from the patent and italics designate text added to the patent). 2 Claims 1, 4, and 6 all require conversion of the amplified signal “without using a refer *942 ence voltage.” See id. col. 2 11. 6-7 (claim 1); id. col. 2 11. 52-58 (claim 4); id. col. 4 11. 1-8 (claim 6).

II. The ’855 Patent

The ’855 patent is entitled “Method and Wireless Communicating Apparatus for Analysis of Environment” and discloses a method and a “wireless communicating apparatus for analysis of [the] environment including a wireless communication system/means, intended for wireless communication ... and wireless control of at least one of a plurality of environment monitoring systems_” ’855 patent col. 4 11. 59-66. The wireless “control signal can provide, for example, [the] possibility to switch ‘on/off, to switch ‘run/stop’, to select and change the particle counting and measuring channels, to provide remote sensor diagnostics, to switch the mode [ ] from particle counting and measuring to concentration determination ..., etc.” Id. col. 2 1. 67-col. 3 1. 7. Wireless communication with and control of the environmental monitoring systems allows users “to eliminate the presence of the operator in the clean rooms,” id. col. 3 11. 52-53, as well as eliminate the use of “long wire (long cable) connections,” which “can create interference [via electromagnetic noise] ... thereby limiting the sensitivity and efficiency of the environmental analyzers,” id, col. 1 11. 58-63.

Independent claim 1 is illustrative and recites, in relevant part:

A method for analysis of an environment monitored by a ray or a light beam, said method, providing a wireless communication, comprises the steps of:
forming in a mobile control system at least one of a plurality of control signals, which provide at least one of a turning-on, turning-off, and/or switching of modes of operation of an environment monitoring system;
converting in said mobile control system said at least one of said plurality of control signals to the form for a wireless transmission;

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652 F. App'x 939, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yufa-v-tsi-incorporated-cafc-2016.