BRI = I

In Toyota Motor Corporation v. LeRoy G. Hagenbuch, IPR 2013-00483, Paper 21 (April 16, 2014), the patent expired during the inter partes review, as a result the parties and the Board agreed that “broadest reasonable interpretation” was no longer appropriate.  (This mirrors the treatment in reexamination where because expiration of the patent means that the claims can no longer be amended, broadest reaasonable interpretation is no longer appropriate).  The Board which had instituted the Inter Partes Review based upon the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim term monitoring: “monitoring” namely, “watching, keeping track of, or checking.”  The Board was now forced to construe the term “monitoring,” which it determined meant: “watching or keeping track of, or checking.”  At least in this case the interpreation and the broadest reasonable interpretation were exactly the same!

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About Bryan Wheelock

Education J.D., Washington University in St. Louis B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering, Duke University Bryan Wheelock's practice includes preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications and drafting of intellectual property agreements, including non-compete agreements. He has brought and defended lawsuits in federal and state courts relating to intellectual property and has participated in seizures of counterfeit and infringing goods. Bryan prepares and prosecutes U.S. and foreign patent applications for medical devices, mechanical and electromechanical devices, manufacturing machinery and processes, metal alloys and other materials. He also does a substantial amount of patentability searching, trademark availability searching and patent and trademark infringement studies. In addition to his practice at Harness Dickey, Bryan is an Adjunct Professor at Washington University School of Law and Washington University School of Engineering.