Attack on Helferich Patent Licensing/Wireless Science Patent, among the Reexamination Requests Filed Week of May 7, 2012

| May 7, 2012

Helferich Patent Licensing has been extremely aggressive and extremely successful in asserting its portfolio of mobile wireless communications patents against the world’s media and retail giants.  According to the patent search outfit M-CAM, Helferich has sued licensed 42 companies, including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC, Nissan, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba.  In a case filed in 2010, Helferich sued CBS for infringement of 21 patents.  This February, it obtained U.S. Patent No. 8,116,741, adding it to the CBS litigation and to six other infringement actions.  On Friday CBS and the other defendants in those cases, requested reexamination of the ‘741 patent (see inter partes Request No. (1)).   

This is by no means the first reexamination asserted against Helferich, who so far appears to have been quite adept at overcoming the prior art asserted against and adding numerous claims to its patents in reexamination. 

Helferich holds an exclusive licensee to the patents in its portfolio, a license it obtained from Wireless Science.  Wireless states on web page that their “intellectual property portfolio contains numerous pending and issued domestic and international patents (over 1600 patent claims issued, allowed and pending) related to a variety of wireless and web-based messaging technologies.” 

There was also an interesting reexamination request filed by Medtronic against an implantable valve prosthesis patent owned by Edwards Lifesciences (see ex parte Request No. (2)).  The two companies have been in a long-term struggle over this technology.

The following inter partes requests were filed:

(1)         95/001,983 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 8,116,741 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING INFORMATION TO A TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING DEVICE and owned by Wireless Science.  Filed May 4, 2012, by CBS Interactive, New York Times, Best Buy, Bon-Ton Dep’t Stores, G4 Media, Bravo Media and Phoenix Newspapers.  The ‘741 patent is currently the subject of seven infringement actions styled Helferich Patent Licensing v. New York Times (Case No. 1:10-cv-4387 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. G4 Media (Case No. 1:11-cv-7395 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. CBS (Case No. 1:10-cv-7607 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. Bravo Media (Case No. 1:10-cv-7647 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. Best Buy (Case No. 1:10-cv-6914 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. Bon-Ton Stores (Case No. 1:10-cv-7189 (N.D. Ill.)); Helferich Patent Licensing v. J.C. Penney (Case No. 1:10-cv-9143 (N.D. Ill.)). 

The following ex parte requests were filed:

(1)         90/012,276 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 5,612,179 entitled INTRON SEQUENCE ANALYSIS METHOD FOR DETECTION OF ADJACENT AND REMOTE LOCUS ALLELES AS HAPLOTYPES.  Filed April 30, 2012, by Merial, Ltd.   The ‘179 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled Genetic Technologies v. Merial (Case No. 1:12-cv-396 (D. Del.)). 

(2)         90/012,277 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 5,411,552 entitled VALVE PROSTHESIS FOR IMPLANTATION IN THE BODY AND A CATHETER FOR IMPLANTING SUCH VALVE PROSTHESIS.  Filed May 2, 2012, by Medtronic.   The ‘552 patent is currently the subject of two infringement actions styled Edwards Lifesciences AG v. CoreValve (Case No. 1:08-cv-91 (D. Del., on appeal)); Edwards Lifesciences AG v. CoreValve (Case No. 1:09-cv-873 (D. Del., stayed)).

(3)         90/012,278 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,437,316 entitled FLUID ANALYZER WITH TUBE CONNECTOR VERIFIER and owned by Spegas Industries.  Filed May 2, 2012.  

(4)         90/012,279 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,174,075 entitled ILLUMINATED ORNAMENTAL/AMUSEMENT DEVICE and owned by Ever Win Int’l.  Filed May 3, 2012.   The ‘075 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled Ever Win Int’l v. RadioShack (Case No. 11-cv-1104 (D. Del.)).

(5)         90/012,280 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 5,995,587 entitled STABLE LIPID-COMPRISING DRUG DELIVERY COMPLEXES AND METHODS FOR THEIR PRODUCTION and owned by NIH.  Filed May 3, 2012, by Owner.  

(6)         90/012,281 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 7,320,287 entitled TABLECLOTH COVERING AND METHOD OF COVERING AND SKIRTING A TAB and owned by SMT Solutions.  Filed May 3, 2012, by.   The ‘287 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled SMT Solutions v. Expoevent Supply (Case No. 2:11-cv-6225 (D.N.J.)).

(7)         90/012,282 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 7,991,764 entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATION, PUBLISHING, SEARCHING, SHARING AND DYNAMICALLY PROVIDING A JOURNAL FEED and owned by Onepatont Software.  Filed May 4, 2012.  

(8)         90/012,283 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 7,610,932 entitled FLUIDIC CARTRIDGES AND END PIECES THEREOF and owned by Whirlpool.  Filed May 4, 2012.  The ‘932 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled Whirlpool v. Swift Green Filters et al. (Case No. 1:11-cv-2686 (D. Minn.)). 

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