DCT

2:23-cv-00219

Foras Tech Ltd v. Kia Corp

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Key Events
Complaint
complaint

I. Executive Summary and Procedural Information

  • Parties & Counsel:
  • Case Identification: 2:23-cv-00219, E.D. Tex., 05/18/2023
  • Venue Allegations: Venue is alleged based on Kia America, Inc. having a regular and established place of business in the district (Plano, TX) and Kia Corporation, as a foreign entity, being subject to suit in any judicial district. The complaint further alleges Defendants transact business and have committed acts of infringement in the district.
  • Core Dispute: Plaintiff alleges that certain Kia vehicles, equipped with radar components from Mando or Hella containing specific Infineon chipsets, infringe a patent related to firmware-based error recovery for lockstep processors.
  • Technical Context: The technology concerns methods for improving the reliability of multi-processor systems by enabling recovery from data processing errors without crashing the entire system, a feature of potential importance in safety-critical automotive applications.
  • Key Procedural History: The complaint asserts that the Plaintiff and its predecessors have complied with the marking requirements of 35 U.S.C. §287, noting that they did not sell products practicing the patent. No other prior litigation, licensing history, or administrative proceedings are mentioned.

Case Timeline

Date Event
2004-10-25 ’958 Patent Priority Date
2009-03-10 ’958 Patent Issue Date
2023-05-18 Complaint Filing Date

II. Technology and Patent(s)-in-Suit Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 7,502,958 - System and method for providing firmware recoverable lockstep protection

Issued: March 10, 2009

The Invention Explained

  • Problem Addressed: The patent addresses the problem of "Silent Data Corruption" (SDC) in computer processors, where a hardware fault causes incorrect calculations without immediate detection (Compl. ¶13; ’958 Patent, col. 2:38-43). While using paired "lockstep" processors to detect such errors is known, the traditional response—crashing the entire system to prevent propagating corrupt data—is highly undesirable in systems requiring high availability (’958 Patent, col. 3:5-12).
  • The Patented Solution: The invention proposes a system where firmware, rather than the operating system (OS), manages the recovery process. Upon detecting a "loss of lockstep" (LOL), the firmware triggers the OS to idle the faulty processor pair using standard OS commands. The firmware then attempts to reset and re-synchronize the processors. If successful, it triggers the OS to recognize the processor pair as available again, allowing operations to resume without a system crash and without requiring a specially modified OS (’958 Patent, Abstract; col. 4:50-58; Fig. 6).
  • Technical Importance: This approach aims to provide the reliability of lockstep processing while avoiding the significant downtime of a full system crash, thereby increasing the availability of multi-processor systems (’958 Patent, col. 3:5-15).

Key Claims at a Glance

  • The complaint identifies independent claim 19 as exemplary (’958 Patent, col. 16:19-48; Compl. ¶15).
  • Essential elements of independent claim 19 include:
    • A pair of lockstep processors.
    • Computer-executable firmware code stored on a computer-readable medium.
    • Firmware code that, responsive to detecting a loss of lockstep, determines if the lockstep is recoverable, which includes determining if a "lockstep mismatch" has occurred.
    • Firmware code that, if the lockstep is determined to be recoverable, (1) triggers an operating system to idle the processors, (2) attempts to recover lockstep, and (3) if successful, triggers the operating system to recognize the processors as being available again.
  • The complaint reserves the right to assert other claims in future filings (Compl. ¶14).

III. The Accused Instrumentality

Product Identification

The accused instrumentalities are certain Kia vehicles, including the Kia K5, Telluride, and Seltos, that are equipped with either a Mando MRR-20 Mid-Range Radar (containing an Infineon SAK-TC297TA chipset) or a Hella RS4 Lange Change Assist Radar (containing an Infineon SAK-TC264DA chipset) (Compl. ¶14).

Functionality and Market Context

The complaint alleges these radar systems, which are components of the vehicles' advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), contain the infringing chipsets (Compl. ¶14). The complaint does not provide a detailed technical description of how these specific radar systems or chipsets operate. It does, however, provide charts illustrating Kia's U.S. sales volume and global network, suggesting the commercial scale of the alleged infringement (Compl. pp. 3-4). The complaint includes a map from a Kia sustainability report illustrating its "Global Network" of production, R&D, and sales operations, including in the U.S. (Compl. p. 3, Ex. 3).

IV. Analysis of Infringement Allegations

The complaint references, but does not include, claim charts in an Exhibit 5 (Compl. ¶15). The infringement theory is based on the allegation that the accused Kia vehicles, by containing and using the specified Infineon chipsets within their radar systems, practice the method and system of the asserted patent (Compl. ¶¶14-15).

’958 Patent Infringement Allegations

| Claim Element (from Independent Claim 19) | Alleged Infringing Functionality - |:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Complaint Citation | Patent Citation |
| a pair of lockstep processors... - | The complaint alleges the Accused Products contain infringing chipsets, which are understood to operate as or contain a pair of lockstep processors. - | ¶14 | col. 4:17-25 |
| computer-executable firmware code stored to a computer-readable medium... - | The Accused Products allegedly contain the specified Infineon chipsets, which include computer-readable media storing firmware. - | ¶14 | col. 5:1-3 |
| firmware code, responsive to detection of loss of lockstep... for determining if the lockstep is recoverable... wherein said firmware code for determining if the lockstep is recoverable further comprises firmware code for determining if a lockstep mismatch has occurred... | The complaint alleges that the firmware within the accused chipsets performs the claimed step of determining if a detected loss of lockstep is recoverable. - | ¶14, ¶15 | col. 5:46-59 |
| firmware code, responsive to determining that the lockstep is recoverable, for triggering an operating system to idle the processors, attempting to recover lockstep... and if lockstep is successfully recovered... triggering said operating system to recognize the processors as being available... | The complaint alleges the firmware in the accused chipsets performs the claimed multi-step recovery process involving interaction with an operating system. | ¶14, ¶15 | col. 6:8-16, 6:53-59 |

Identified Points of Contention

  • Scope Questions: A central question may be whether the software environment on the accused Infineon microcontrollers constitutes an "operating system" as contemplated by the patent. The patent specification repeatedly references high-level, general-purpose computing concepts like ACPI, HP-UX, and Open VMS (’958 Patent, col. 6:5-8), raising the question of whether a more specialized real-time operating system (RTOS) or bare-metal scheduler in an embedded system falls within the claim's scope.
  • Technical Questions: The complaint does not provide evidence detailing the actual error-handling mechanism of the accused Infineon chipsets. A key factual dispute will likely be whether the chipsets' firmware performs the specific sequence recited in claim 19—(1) triggering an OS to idle, (2) recovering lockstep, and (3) triggering the OS to re-recognize the processors—or if it employs a different error recovery method, such as a simple reset or a non-recoverable fault state.

V. Key Claim Terms for Construction

The Term: "operating system"

  • Context and Importance: This term is critical because the claim requires the "firmware" to interact with an "operating system" to idle and then reintroduce the processors. The viability of the infringement allegation may depend on whether the software architecture of the accused embedded chipset includes a component that meets the definition of an "operating system."
  • Intrinsic Evidence for Interpretation:
    • Evidence for a Broader Interpretation: The patent does not provide an explicit definition, which may support an argument that the term should be given its plain and ordinary meaning, potentially covering any supervisory software that manages processor tasks, including an RTOS.
    • Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation: The specification's consistent examples involve interactions via the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and references to complex operating systems like HP-UX and Open VMS (’958 Patent, col. 6:5-8, Fig. 1). This context may support a narrower construction limited to operating systems that support such standardized, high-level interfaces for managing hardware components.

The Term: "firmware"

  • Context and Importance: The claims create a distinction between "firmware" and the "operating system," with the former directing the latter. Practitioners may focus on this term because the specific software layer that performs the claimed actions in the accused device will determine infringement.
  • Intrinsic Evidence for Interpretation:
    • Evidence for a Broader Interpretation: Claim 19 itself broadly recites "computer-executable firmware code stored to a computer-readable medium," which could be argued to cover nearly any software on the device.
    • Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation: The detailed description, particularly in the context of the IPF architecture, discusses firmware as the Processor Abstraction Layer (PAL), System Abstraction Layer (SAL), and Extended Firmware Interface (EFI) (’958 Patent, col. 7:27-42). This could support a narrower definition of firmware as low-level code that initializes hardware and mediates between the hardware and the OS, rather than any and all software.

VI. Other Allegations

The complaint does not contain explicit counts or factual allegations for indirect or willful infringement.

VII. Analyst’s Conclusion: Key Questions for the Case

The disposition of this case may turn on the resolution of two fundamental questions:

  1. A core issue will be one of definitional scope: Can the term "operating system", which the patent describes in the context of general-purpose computers with ACPI interfaces (e.g., HP-UX), be construed to read on the embedded software environment of the accused automotive radar microcontrollers?

  2. A key evidentiary question will be one of technical implementation: Assuming the definitional scope is met, what evidence will demonstrate that the accused Infineon chipsets' error-handling routines perform the specific, multi-step recovery process recited in claim 19, as opposed to an alternative error-handling mechanism not covered by the patent's claims?