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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION,
`Patent Owner.
`_____________
`
`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`_____________
`
`Record of Oral Hearing
`Held: May 10, 2018
`
`
`
`
`Before CHRISTOPHER L. CRUMBLEY, JON B. TORNQUIST, and
`JEFFREY W. ABRAHAM, Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`
`
`APPEARANCES:
`
`ON BEHALF OF THE PETITIONER:
`
`
`JOHN GOETZ
`JOHN PEGRAM
`Fish Richardson
`601 Lexington Avenue
`New York, New York 10022
`
`
`
`ON BEHALF OF THE PATENT OWNER:
`
`
`THEODORE OLDS
`JESSICA ZILBERBERG
`CARLSON, GASKEY & OLDS, P.C
`400 West Maple Road, Ste 350
`Brimingham, Michigan 48009
`Telephone: (248) 988-8360
`
`
`
`and
`
`Joe Donahoe, Digital Reporter
`
`
`
`
`The above-entitled matter came on for hearing on May 10, 2018,
`
`commencing at 12:59 p.m., at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,
`Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
`
`
`
`2
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`
` P R O C E E D I N G S
`- - - - -
` THE COURT: Please be seated. Okay. We are here
`for the oral hearing IPR 2017-00966 regarding U.S. patent
`number 916-6243. I'm Judge Abraham. To my right is Judge
`Tornquist and joining us remotely from our Dallas office is
`Judge Crumbley. Pursuant to the order that we issued on
`April 14th, each side will have 30 minutes of total argument
`time. Petitioner will start and can reserve time for
`rebuttal, no more than half of your time, and then we'll hear
`from patent owner, and then if you did reserve time, we can
`go there. So before we hear arguments, let's just take a
`roll call. Starting with petitioner.
` MR. GOETZ: Thank you, Your Honor. On behalf of
`petitioner, John Goetz of Fish and Richardson. With me is
`Mr. John Pegram.
` MR. PEGRAM: Good morning. Or good afternoon
`rather.
` THE COURT: Good afternoon. Thank you. For
`patent owner?
` MR. OLDS: Yeah. Patent. Theodore Olds from the
`Carlson, Gaskey, Olds Firm, along with my partner, Jessica
`Zilberberg. And we also have Mr. Franklin Morrison from
`United Technologies.
` THE COURT: Great. Welcome.
` MR. MORRISON: Good afternoon.
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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` THE COURT: Great. As you can see, Judge Crumbley
`is joining us remotely. He has a copy of the demonstratives
`that were submitted but he cannot see the screen. So as you
`go through your presentations, please identify the -- the
`slide number that you're working from so he can follow along.
`It also helps for clarity and accuracy of the record.
` Okay. So with that, I'll invite petitioner to the
`podium and ask if there's any -- would you like to reserve
`time for rebuttal?
` MR. GOETZ: I would, Your Honor. As close to half
`as I can, but probably going to be about ten minutes I would
`expect.
` THE COURT: Okay. So I will put -- let's see.
`Start with 20 minutes on the clock and if you finish early,
`we'll just add that to your rebuttal time.
` MR. GOETZ: Thank you, sir. And that counts down
`that clock, I take it?
` THE COURT: Yep, it should.
` MR. GOETZ: Okay.
` THE COURT: All right. Let's see. There you go.
` MR. GOETZ: Thank you. May it please the Board,
`John Goetz on behalf of petitioner. We're here to talk about
`the petitioner's challenge to the '243 patent. There are two
`instituted grounds. On slide two, I have them up. The first
`instituted ground relies on three references and the second
`instituted ground adds the Perry publication, which was added
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`to disclose structure and feature of the claimed flow fields,
`although it's the same claims that are at issue with -- with
`respect to each ground.
` At the outset, there are three independent claims.
`I just wanted to note that. I have them on slides three,
`four, and five. In the institution decision there was a
`reference to just two independent claims. There are three.
`Independent claim one is the first one, and I've boxed here
`on slide three really the critical language which talks about
`the interdigitated channels. That's really the thrust of
`this -- this whole proceeding. Slide four is independent
`claim 13, and again, I've boxed and read there the -- the
`channels are interdigitated. The second channels are
`interdigitated with the first channels, and then again slide
`five is independent claim 16. Again has that language. I've
`boxed there the second channels are interdigitated with the
`first channels. So where does this leave us after we've had
`the -- the petition and the preliminary response and the
`patent owner's response and the reply? The narrows -- the issue
`is quite narrow. What we have here are really undisputed
`facts about what -- where these elements in these challenged
`claims, independent and dependent, exist in the prior art.
`That's -- it's really undisputed that all of those elements
`exist in the prior art. And as I have on slide six, the flow
`battery elements are disclosed as, for example, in JP 659,
`except for the interdigitated flow field elements that I've
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`just highlighted on the previous slides.
` With respect to those interdigitated flow field
`elements, it's also undisputed -- I'm now on slide seven --
`that those interdigitated flow field structures are disclosed
`by the JP 228 and peri-938 disclosure. So that's where we
`find ourselves, where all of the claimed elements for all of
`the challenged claims -- and I'm on slide eight now -- are
`found in the prior art that's before the Board. And so what
`does that mean? Well, that means that the issue is pretty
`narrow and I think what -- really what this -- this petition
`is coming down to is analogous art. That's the main thrust
`of the argument that the patent owner has at this point. I will
`say, though, that this recognition that these elements are on
`the prior art shows you that -- that this -- this Perry patent
`that we're challenging here was not a pioneering patent. It
`didn't really break new ground in the art. It is -- it is a
`combination of old elements. And that can be allowed
`sometimes, but what I'm saying is this is not a situation
`where there's really a ground breaking, pioneering invention.
` Okay. So the thrust of what the patent owner is
`saying right now is analogous art. I mean, that's the legal
`sort of frame work that they appear to be going under. And
`really there's two separate tests I have on slide nine,
`federal circuit case In re Bigio. And -- and there's two
`tests and the first is whether the art is from the same field
`of endeavor, regardless of the problems that that particular
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`art is addressed. That's one. And two, the second test is
`if the reference is not within the field of endeavor,
`whether that reference is still reasonably pertinent to the
`particular problem when the inventor is involved. And so
`really the question is whether the JP 228 reference and the
`Perry 938 publication are analogous art. We think they are.
`We think actually that there's strong evidence in the record
`to show that the 228, the JP 228, actually does disclose a
`flow battery itself to those of skill in the art, and we'll
`talk about that. But even if -- even if it doesn't, it
`certainly discloses a fuel cell, electrolyte fuel cell. That
`text is expressly in there. Patent owner has recognized
`that, and so the question is is it analogous even under what
`the patent owner recognizes that as -- as having as a
`disclosure. So I --
` THE COURT: -- so I'm --
` MR. GOETZ: Yes, sir?
` THE COURT: I'm curious why you are characterizing
`the patent owner's argument as one of analogous art versus
`just an argument about the reason to combine the references
`or to make -- make the modification that you propose. Is
`there something in particular that you are noting in their
`briefing that they -- they said it's non-analogous art?
`Because that's a slightly different question than whether a
`person of ordinary skill would have combined references. You
`would agree with me there?
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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` MR. GOETZ: I think they're related, yes, sir. I
`do think they're different questions. I don't think there's
`any debate about that. I do think that they're all related,
`though. I think when you have an analogous, you know, art
`and the -- and the person of skill is faced with that, that
`the fact that that particular piece of prior art is
`analogous, can be a part of the obviousness analysis and --
`and can be made a part of whether it's obvious to try
`something that's analogous in front of me. But --
` THE COURT: -- (inaudible).
` MR. GOETZ: Yes, sir.
` THE COURT: But is it sufficient for a reason to
`combine that the art is analogous? Or is it just necessary?
` MR. GOETZ: I -- I think it might be sufficient in
`some circumstances. I think, in this circumstance, I think
`it could be. Now, I also think, though, that there are
`specific reasons and motivations to combine in this record.
`And so I -- what I'm certainly not saying that if it's
`analogous, you know, then that's the only question. We do
`think there are reasons to combine and are specific to really
`power and current density of the cell, which is exactly what
`the JP 228 reference is -- is really designed to achieve.
`And also Perry 938 also talks about achieving a more
`efficient operation of the cell. And those are motivations
`that are expressed in the references. And so -- so I would
`say that that is there. And I guess because that's there, I
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`sort of thought of the arguments from the patent owner as really
`trying to argue that they're not analogous for all the
`reasons that they say with respect to -- to flow cells. But
`we'll hear from them obviously in a minute.
` I did want to say, though, in -- in -- in the
`context of analogous art, you know, the first thing is
`whether -- whether it's in the same field of -- of endeavor
`and what is the field of endeavor of the -- of the challenged
`patent. And on slide ten, you have the background. It's
`redox flow batteries and then -- or redox flow cells. And so
`the art is not just flow batteries in general. It's also
`flow cells and -- and what the -- the third patent goes on
`after this to talk about in -- in the context of what the
`field of endeavor is. It talks about, you know, what -- what
`a flow cell has. It has negative electrodes, positive
`electrodes, separated by an iron exchange mechanism. And
`these are the structures of the field of endeavor that the
`Perry patent -- the challenged Perry patent is -- is
`addressing, and the JP 228 patent, that has electrodes, that
`has cation exchange membrane. Even the Perry has anodes and
`cathodes and a proton exchange membrane, right, at the -- in
`the -- in the Perry publication, the 938 Perry. It talks right
`in paragraph two about proton exchange membranes. And so all
`this is to say that both of these references are analogous
`to -- to -- to redox flow batteries for those reasons, based
`just on what they -- they say themselves, and then we have
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`the Kato -- the declaration starting at paragraph 130 where
`he goes in great detail about why a certain specific fuel
`cells, including those with a -- with a -- a proton exchange
`membrane are analogous in terms of structure and function and
`operation. So we do think it is analogous. But even under
`the second prong of the analogous art, which talks about even
`if it's not in the same field of endeavor, it can still be
`analogous under the law if it's reasonably pertinent to the
`particular problem which the inventor's involved. And so the
`question then becomes is, well, what is the problem that the
`inventor was involved in, and we have that on -- on slide 11.
`I mean, this is right from the challenged patent, column
`four, lines six through 14. The -- the purpose of the
`challenged patent and claims was to enable cells with higher
`performance and to provide, you know, quote, a powered
`density of greater than point -- 0.3 watts percent meter
`squared. So they're really talking about the -- the problem
`is is focusing on this question of higher performance and
`powered density and -- but that's exactly what JP 228 and
`even Perry 938 references are all about. I mean, there's a --
`there's a quote that was actually quoted in the institution
`decision from the JP 228 about the purpose was to increase
`the average current density. And in the -- and the Perry 938
`reference it talks about getting a greater exposure of the
`reacting to the catalyst. That -- that's -- that's this idea
`of greater powered density, and both those two references
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`satisfy that prong as well. And so for those reasons we
`think that whatever you think about JP 228 and whether it
`teaches a flow battery or not, at a minimum, that reference
`in Perry 938 are -- are analogous art. And -- and none of
`this should be really that surprising, and we -- we had a lot
`of talk about this at the deposition and there's some
`exhibits in the reply brief.
` On slide 12 we've got one of them. This is -- this
`is Exhibit 1059. It's a -- it's a Journal of Electrochemical
`Society and it's from 2016. Well, we -- we get that. It's
`not at the time of the invention, but it just shows that
`those people -- people of skill in the art think of a redox
`flow battery as a reversible fuel cell, and that's -- that's
`not -- that didn't come late. I mean, that is really just a
`recitation of the scientific truth that, you know, you can
`when you reverse a fuel cell and you can do that, that
`essentially is a redox flow battery. And now at slide 14,
`UTC's expert, Mr. Brushett, you know, admitted as much on
`page 216 of his deposition. He said the short answer is that
`every single redox reaction, including the ones we described
`earlier, can be reversed. And so this was all this idea that
`a fuel cell is not a redox flow battery. And the truth is
`that scientifically they -- they are and they can be the --
`the same. And further, I would say that UTC's expert on page
`220 even went so far as to agree that flow field designs for
`redox flow batteries evolved from the bipolar plate designs
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`from the polymer electric fuel cells. That's a question,
`right? And he says I agree that most fuel -- flow field
`designs for RFBs have evolved from bipolar plate designs for
`polymer electro--- electrolyte fuel cells. And so that's an
`admission, I would submit, Your Honors, that their own expert
`is saying the fuel cell's art is an analogous art. It is
`something that the person of skill would look to in trying to
`solve problems and -- and it is appropriate.
` THE COURT: Counsel, before you go.
` MR. GOETZ: Yes, sir.
` THE COURT: Can you just take me to your best
`argument for why one of skill in the art would add an
`interdigitated flow field to an RFB?
` MR. GOETZ: Yes. Well, I think -- I think it does
`start with the notion that you would look to what's out there
`in the art, and -- and clearly the inter--- interdigitated
`flow fields are out there. And so then the question is, you
`know, how do I balance really the overall efficiency of the
`system with the -- the specific electric efficiency of my
`cell. And -- and what you find is that when -- when you
`adjust the flow fields, you can increase the efficiency of
`the cell, the electrical efficiency, the current density, the
`power density, which is exactly what the prior art taught you
`in JP 228.
` THE COURT: And where do you (inaudible)? I'm --
`I'm focusing on page 30 and 31 of your petition where you
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`talk about obviousness and you talk about current density
`efficiency. Where do you actually lay that out?
` MR. GOETZ: So I think we -- I think we best say
`that, Your Honor, in potentially in the reply brief. I have
`a slide on that, slide 19. See if I can go that, I have that
`up. And slide 19 and slide 20 are -- are just excerpts from
`the reply brief. And so this is our best argument is, you
`know, would have been obvious to use the interdigitated flow
`field structures of JP 228 or Perry 938 in the known flow
`battery cells of the -- of the art that we've submitted.
`Because for the reasons that are consistent with KSR, if
`there's any need in the field or problem in the field, and
`the quote from KSR there is when there is a design need in
`the field. And -- and the -- the need that we talk about,
`which is on the next -- in the next paragraph of brief, is
`really where we were -- we're laying that out. And the
`problem was approving flow characteristics and power density
`of known flow batteries as represented by that art. And when
`a person of skill would consider the JP 228 and Perry 938
`would be with that problem in mind. And it would recognize
`that the -- the powered density and, in particular, the --
`the electrical -- the current density, are things that JP 228
`talk specifically about. And -- and so I think there's a
`specific motivation there. But also you have that -- you're
`faced with the situation where the skilled artisan has a set
`of sort of known structures, and at a minimum would have been
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`Case IPR2017-00966
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`obvious to try those structures to test them out to see how
`that works.
` THE COURT: Now, did you make these arguments in
`the petition? I'm -- I'm worried -- can we actually use a
`reply argument about motivation to combine (inaudible) then
`patent owner hasn't -- hasn't had a chance to respond?
` MR. GOETZ: I -- I -- well, certainly we -- we
`talk about motivation to combine, we talk about the reasons
`to combine in the petition. I have focused on this now, but
`I -- when I get back up, I'll talk about that. I promise you
`that.
` THE COURT: Okay. I'd like to have a -- draw me
`to the petition where you're making those arguments.
` MR. GOETZ: Yes, sir.
` THE COURT: And put those reasonably together.
` MR. GOETZ: Yes, sir.
` THE COURT: Okay.
` MR. GOETZ: Okay. So I'm going to go back just
`for a second to slide 15, and slide 15 is a -- is an excerpt
`from JP 228 that talks about iron two and iron three, ferric
`and ferrous, and this -- this excerpt is actually from
`Exhibit 2050, which is the updated translation that was
`submitted by patent owner. The same disclosure is -- is in
`the originally filed JP 228 translation, although I think it
`might say ferric and ferrous, which is the same thing. But
`the point is -- two points on this. One is UTC's expert
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`Case IPR2017-00966
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`agreed that iron is often used in flow batteries, and, you
`know, when UTC's expert submitted this declaration in
`paragraph 38, he said that flow batteries have been known
`since at least 1971. And when we asked him about that at --
`at his deposition, he cited to a particular reference, and
`that reference is Exhibit 2023. And the only reference to
`1971 in that particular article talks about a redox type fuel
`cell. So, again, we have the patent owner's expert
`characterizing as the first flow battery the disclosure in --
`in Exhibit 2023 that relates to a -- a fuel cell. And,
`again, that's really the way we see that is an admission that
`of course fuel cells, which even agrees the Perry 938 and
`the -- and the JP 228 are addressed due that they are
`analogous art and they are something that -- that someone
`would look to in the art.
` I want to make just a few comments on slide 21
`about claim 11. The only dependent claim which is separately
`argued by the patent owner is claim 11. I have that up on
`slide 21 right now. And, you know, the first thing that I
`want to note is that, you know, claim ten is not separately
`challenged. It talks about the thickness of less than
`2 millimeters. It's only claim 11 when I guess you get down
`to, you know, less than a millimeter. And the patent -- the
`patent owner didn't explain what's the critical difference there
`just in terms of size. But the -- the 659 publication, one
`of the pieces of prior art that's before you, has a specific
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`disclosure of electrode thickness of .3 millimeters. So it's
`clearly within -- within the -- the range of -- of claim 11.
`And what -- what the 659, I'm going to click over to slide --
`slide 22, what the 659 reference is all about is it teaches
`flow passages in the plates that are adjacent to the
`electrodes, and it teaches that when you open up those
`grooves next to the electrode that that allows the flow to
`flow a little bit better and it deals with -- with the
`pressure loss. And the idea that it was and before there was
`the electrodes or three dimensional electrodes and the -- the
`electrolyte is being forced through that. If you open up
`those flow fields at the top, it allows some of that liquid
`to go. But -- and it makes it easier. And so that -- that
`making it easier makes the total energy efficiency of that
`flow battery greater. But by doing that, you -- you are
`going to affect the potential current that average density,
`because some of that electrolyte is not going to be going all
`the way through the electrode. But in no place in the record
`or in the 659 is there anything that suggests anything other
`than this trade off between, you know, electrode thickness
`and where you put the flow fields such that a thin electrode
`like that would not work. And this is something that you
`mentioned in the institution decision and that there is
`nothing, anything in the record -- in the record about that.
`Those thin electrodes will work. They're specifically
`disclosed in the 659. And the thickness of the electrode is
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`really just a design choice, as you -- as you, as the skilled
`artisan work through the issues with the flow and the
`electrode and the current powered density.
` Okay. Finally, on secondary considerations, I
`would just want to touch briefly on it. I'll just go to
`slide 25. This is patent owner's response at page 57, and
`sort of listed in this -- these couple of paragraphs their
`arguments about secondary considerations. And the first one
`is the inventor's own statement. It's that doesn't count --
` (Beeping.)
` MR. GOETZ: Thirty more seconds, Judge, that's all
`I need.
` THE COURT: Go ahead. It's your time.
` MR. GOETZ: That's all right.
` THE COURT: I didn't -- I didn't realize it was
`going to beep. I apologize for the --
` MR. GOETZ: No problem.
` The -- the rest are -- they're either unconnected
`to the claims or a bionics promotional piece, which is an
`exclusive licensee of the patent.
` And then finally with respect to the license
`itself, that agreement is not in evidence and so we don't --
`we don't really know what that says, and that's not -- not a
`sufficient nexus for any of these supposed secondary
`considerations.
` With that, Your Honors, I'll reserve the balance
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
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`of my time.
` THE COURT: Okay. Thank you.
` MR. GOETZ: Thank you.
` (Speaking out of hearing.)
` THE COURT: Ready (inaudible)?
` MR. OLDS: Start on page three, if you could. May
`it please the -- the Board, I'm going to start with kind of
`focusing the -- the arguments here and following up on
`something that Judge Crumbley said. We've never argued fuel
`cells and flow batteries are not analogous art. At
`30,000 feet, they're analogous. It's when we put in the
`evidence in our response that kind of blew up their arguments
`that suddenly they started characterizing our entire case
`being non-analogous art. It's not our position. However,
`they then leap from -- and I think you also touched on this,
`Judge Tornquist. They leap from it's analogous -- or perhaps
`it was you, Judge Crumbley. They leaped from the analogous
`to anything you want to do with them would have been obvious,
`and that's not the (inaudible). We all know that. There are
`hundreds of cases that -- that lay out what the tests should
`be.
` Also, the motivation to combine, it's not in the
`petition. There -- there's no statement to that. They make
`some vague statements about it would have been obvious to
`try, but they don't go through the tests, they don't show
`that there was a problem existing. They don't hit on each of
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`those steps, and you're absolutely right, we had no chance to
`respond to any of that. And it should be in the petition for
`us to have a fair hearing on -- on the issues.
` THE COURT: Counsel, could I just interrupt you
`for a second.
` MR. OLDS: Sure.
` THE COURT: So I'm looking at page -- I believe it's
`49 of your response, and you do cite and write (inaudible)
`about, you know, whether IFFs or fuel cells were known to
`be reasonably pertinent to the problem faced by the inventor.
`And -- but that is a formulation that comes out of the
`non-analogous art cases. But your -- your -- you never go as
`far as to say that it's not analogous art. So I just wanted
`to clarify, you know, since I have you here, you're not
`making the assertion that under Bigio it's not analogous art.
`You're just making the argument about the motivation
`to combine.
` MR. OLDS: I think if that were our main argument,
`we could have saved our plane fare. I mean, I -- that's --
`that's a hard thing to win in -- in -- in -- in the patent
`office, I think, and that is not our argument, no. They are
`analogous especially at 30,000 feet. But they're not -- that
`does not equate to this would have been obvious to make these
`changes. And in particular, after our -- our response, there
`are four big holes in their case. Number one, I think it's
`quite clear that their primary reference, this 228, does not
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`contemplate a flow battery. And anyone reading it would
`recognize that. And so because of that, their argument that
`you could put recirculation tanks as are found in flow
`batteries into the 228 or the fuel cell of the 938 also
`collapses. Further, the argument that you can take these
`IFFs from those fuel cells and put them into a flow battery
`collapses, and -- and there's some additional evidence there
`that -- that we'll get into. And finally, we don't think
`they've shown the -- they've met the burden for showing that
`claim 11 would have been obvious.
` Turning now to page four, the '243 patent, it
`broke new ground in redox flow batteries. It is a flow
`battery. A flow battery requires certain things. It's gotta
`operate in a charge mode and then a discharge mode. I mean,
`it might be at night and discharging at night, charging
`during the day, or it could be wind. But you need to have it
`be reversible. For that to happen, you have to have what's
`called a redox pair, meaning the reactants on each side have
`to be able to transfer electrons back and forth. You need
`recirculation tanks because those reactants flow all day long
`all through the mode. So they've gotta keep going and going.
`And we refer to that as round -- round trip efficiency in one
`of our -- our points, and we'll get to that. And with regard
`to '243, we also need to have these interdigitated flow
`fields. And we agree a hundred percent they -- the IFF's
`well known in fuel cells and other one way cells. But every
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`single case that ever gets this far, every individual part is
`known. I mean, it's probably the very rare case where
`there's something completely new.
` '243 patent, the critical date, December 18,
`2009. Heading to page 35 real quickly, the R and D Magazine
`voted the -- the UTC flow battery as one of the top one
`hundred R and D inventions of 2012. As of 2012, this was a
`public patent application. It was known to the public as of
`2012, and that gets to be important when you start looking at
`a lot of their publications that were published four and five
`years after that date. By 2014, Exhibit 20 -- 28, SEI has
`actually filed its own patent application on incorporating
`IFFs into a flow battery, which we -- we don't know whether
`they're actually using it in practice, but that's at least
`some indication of a recognition that there was something
`kind of neat going on here.
` Moving on to page six or actually page seven, in
`this case there are two types of cells, and I've touched on
`that briefly. There's what we call one way, and I believe
`Dr. (inaudible) expert has also agreed with this
`characterization. There are things like fuel cells where you
`make a chemical reaction happen and it creates some
`electricity which can then be used. You can operate it the
`other way. You can put some electricity into it and you can
`drive a chemical reaction, such as recovering metal is one of
`the things that's specifically mentioned in the 228. But
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`Case IPR2017-00966
`Patent 9,166,243 B2
`
`that's not what the patent covers here. The patent here is
`what we are calling a two way system, meaning you've gotta
`operate in one mode for perhaps half the day and then you
`switch to the other mode for the other half of the day. So
`it's a really different animal. And some of the drawings
`might look alike, but it's a much different animal. It's
`gotta operate in both modes and operate efficiency --
`efficiently because of the whole point of this is to store
`energy so that it can be utilized later.
` THE COURT: Are both of these types of electrical
`chemical cells that you show here on slide seven, are they
`both fairly characterized as flow type electrolyti

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