Cicas IP LLC v. Ethicon Inc

I. Executive Summary and Procedural Information

• Parties & Counsel:
  • Plaintiff: Cicas IP LLC (Wyoming)
  • Defendant: Ethicon, Inc. (New Jersey)
  • Plaintiff’s Counsel: Garteiser Honea, PLLC
• Case Identification: 2:23-cv-00293, E.D. Tex., 06/22/2023
• Venue Allegations: Plaintiff alleges venue is proper in the Eastern District of Texas because Defendant maintains a regular and established place of business in the district through the physical presence of employees, including an Executive Territory Leader in Plano and Medical Device Sales representatives in Tyler.
• Core Dispute: Plaintiff alleges that Defendant’s Monarch Platform for robotic-assisted surgery infringes a patent related to systems and methods for guiding an endoscopic tool to a target using pre-operative scan data.
• Technical Context: The technology at issue falls within the field of image-guided surgery, which merges real-time imaging with pre-operative data (e.g., CT scans) to enable surgeons to navigate instruments to internal targets with greater precision in minimally invasive procedures.
• Key Procedural History: The asserted patent is expired, and Plaintiff seeks damages for past infringement. The complaint details a chain of title for the patent, originating with the inventor, passing through Stanford University, and ultimately being assigned to the Plaintiff. The complaint alleges Defendant had pre-suit knowledge of the patent via an NDA between the inventor and Auris Health, Inc., a company Defendant's parent later acquired.

Case Timeline

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

U.S. Patent No. 6,850,794 - "Endoscopic Targeting Method and System"

• Patent Identification: U.S. Patent No. 6,850,794, “Endoscopic Targeting Method and System,” issued February 1, 2005.

The Invention Explained

• Problem Addressed: The patent's background section describes the challenge surgeons face during endoscopic procedures where the target site (e.g., a tumor) is hidden beneath the visible surface tissue, making it difficult to know in which direction and how far to advance the surgical tool (Compl. ¶23; ’794 Patent, col. 1:23-29).
• The Patented Solution: The invention is a system that solves this problem by integrating a data file of pre-operative volumetric scans (e.g., CT scans) with a real-time, tracked endoscopic tool. A computer determines the tool’s position and orientation, identifies the target's coordinates within the scan data, and then projects graphical "indicia" onto the display screen to guide the surgeon. These indicia show the lateral position of the target relative to the tool's view and can also indicate the distance to the target or its direction if it is outside the current field of view (’794 Patent, Abstract; col. 1:36-52). The overall system is depicted in Figure 1 of the patent (Compl. ¶20; ’794 Patent, Fig. 1).
• Technical Importance: This approach provided a method for "navigational" surgery, enhancing a surgeon's ability to precisely locate and access internal body structures that are not directly visible through the endoscope (Compl. ¶24; ’794 Patent, col. 1:9-12).

Key Claims at a Glance

• The complaint asserts independent claim 1 (Compl. ¶30).
• The essential elements of independent claim 1 include:
  • A data file containing volumetric scan data of a patient region that includes a target site.
  • A display device.
  • A movable imaging tool that produces an image of visible patient structure on the display, where the tool's position/orientation is tracked.
  • A computer connected to the data file, display, and tracking system.
  • The computer is programmed to:
    • (i) determine the tool's position/orientation in the patient's coordinate system.
    • (ii) identify the target site's coordinates from the scan data.
    • (iii) project indicia onto the video image on the display device, where the indicia indicate:
      • (a) the target's direction if it is outside the imaged structure, and
      • (b) the target's lateral position and distance if it is within the imaged structure.
• The complaint reserves the right to assert additional claims (Compl. ¶30).

III. The Accused Instrumentality

Product Identification

• Product Identification: Defendant’s Monarch Platform and its associated accessories (“Accused Instrumentalities”) (Compl. ¶29).

Functionality and Market Context

• Functionality and Market Context: The Monarch Platform is described as a robotic-assisted system used for bronchoscopic and urologic procedures (Compl. ¶32). The system's functionality relies on integrating a pre-procedure CT scan with the live procedure (Compl. ¶31, p. 15). A user first identifies a target in the pre-operative scan data to create a planned pathway (Compl. ¶31, p. 15). During the procedure, the Monarch's touchscreen displays multiple views, including a live endoscopic image and a "Virtual Bronchoscope" view that shows the scope's position and orientation relative to the planned path from the CT data (Compl. p. 14). The complaint provides a screenshot from the system's user manual that shows an interface combining a live endoscopic view with virtual representations derived from CT data (Compl. p. 10). The system is alleged to be commercially significant, stemming from the acquisition of its original developer, Auris Health, for approximately $3.4 billion (Compl. ¶38).

IV. Analysis of Infringement Allegations

’794 Patent Infringement Allegations

| Claim Element (from Independent Claim 1) | Alleged Infringing Functionality - Complaint Citation | Patent Citation |
|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |:-------------------|:-------------------|
| a data file containing volumetric scan data of a region of the patient that includes the target site - The Monarch Platform uses a pre-procedural CT scan to plan a pathway and identify a target of interest, such as a lung nodule. - ¶31, p. 15 | col. 1:37-39 |
| a display device - The system includes the "Monarch Touchscreen," which serves as the display. - ¶31, p. 11 | col. 1:39 |
| a movable imagining tool for producing on the display device, an image of visible structure seen by the tool, where the position and/or orientation of the tool is tracked... - The system uses a robotic-assisted flexible endoscope (e.g., a bronchoscope) with an integrated camera that provides a live view and has 3D tip tracking technology. - ¶31, p. 12 | col. 1:40-43 |
| a computer operatively connected to data file and display screen for (i) determining the position and/or orientation of the tool... (ii) identifying the scan-data coordinates of the target site... | The Monarch's Navigation Application, running on its computer hardware, integrates the CT scan data and tracks the endoscope tip's location to display its position relative to the patient anatomy from the scan. | ¶31, pp. 11, 14 | col. 1:46-50 |
| and (iii) projecting on the video image on the display device, indicia that indicate... (b) the lateral position of the target site... and the distance between the tool and the target site... | The system displays navigational information including a virtual representation of the target and text reflecting the distance from the scope tip to the target nodule. A screenshot shows a "31 mm" distance indicator on the navigation bar. | ¶31, pp. 13, 18 | col. 1:50-52 |

Identified Points of Contention

• Scope Questions: A primary question may be the scope of the phrase "projecting on the video image." The complaint provides screenshots showing navigational cues, such as a virtual pathway and a target icon, displayed in a separate pane alongside the live endoscopic video (Compl. p. 13). This raises the question of whether a side-by-side display on the same screen satisfies the requirement of projecting "on the video image," or if a direct overlay is required by the claim.
• Technical Questions: The Monarch Platform displays a "Virtual Bronchoscope view" which is a computer-generated rendering of the airway based on CT data (Compl. p. 14). It is a question for the court whether the navigational overlays shown in this virtual view meet the limitation of being projected onto "an image of visible patient structure seen by the tool," which may be construed to mean the live feed from the endoscope's camera. The complaint also shows a screenshot where an arrow indicating the "Direction of articulation" is overlaid directly on the live video (Compl. p. 17), which may support the Plaintiff's position on this element.

V. Key Claim Terms for Construction

• The Term: "projecting on the video image"
• Context and Importance: The construction of this term is central to the infringement analysis. The dispute may turn on whether this phrase requires a direct superposition of indicia onto the live endoscopic camera feed, or if it can be satisfied by displaying the indicia in a separate, but integrated, view on the same monitor. Practitioners may focus on this term because the accused product's user interface appears to utilize both direct overlays and adjacent virtual displays (Compl. pp. 13, 17).
• Intrinsic Evidence for Interpretation:
  • Evidence for a Broader Interpretation: The patent's summary describes the computer's function as to "project on the video image on the display device, indicia..." (’794 Patent, col. 1:50-52). An argument could be made that this language means projecting onto the physical display screen that also contains the video image, thus encompassing integrated side-by-side views that achieve the same guiding purpose.
  • Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation: The patent includes a flowchart, Figure 3, which contains the step "Superimpose 2-D Indicia onto video image" (’794 Patent, Fig. 3, step 68). Furthermore, Figures 5A-5C explicitly depict indicia as arrows overlaid directly on top of the "endoscopic image." This evidence could support a narrower construction requiring a direct overlay.

VI. Other Allegations

• Indirect Infringement: The complaint alleges active inducement, stating that Defendant distributes "brochures, manuals, instructional documents, and/or similar materials" that instruct end-users (e.g., surgeons) on how to use the Monarch Platform in an infringing manner (Compl. ¶36).
• Willful Infringement: The willfulness allegation is based on alleged pre-suit knowledge of the ’794 Patent. Plaintiff claims Defendant was on actual notice "at least as early as September 13, 2019," based on an alleged NDA between the patent's inventor and Auris Health, the company that developed the Monarch Platform and was later acquired by Defendant's parent corporation (Compl. ¶38).

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

• A core issue will be one of claim scope: can the phrase "projecting on the video image," which is supported in the specification by figures showing direct overlays, be construed to cover the accused system's user interface, which presents some navigational cues in a separate, adjacent virtual view on the same screen?
• A key evidentiary question will be whether the combination of graphical elements provided by the Monarch Platform—such as the virtual pathway, target icons, and textual distance readouts (Compl. pp. 13, 18)—collectively meets the claim requirement for "indicia that indicate... the lateral position... and the distance," and whether the placement of these indicia aligns with the court's construction of the claims.