PTAB

IPR2026-00211

Cisco Systems Inc v. Damaka Inc

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1. Case Identification

2. Patent Overview

  • Title: Improving functionality in software applications.
  • Brief Description: The ’116 patent describes a modular software architecture for improving application functionality. The system uses a main "superblock application" that accesses new capabilities from a separate "function block" via an application programming interface (API), particularly for enabling real-time communications.

3. Grounds for Unpatentability

Ground 1: Obviousness over Abuan - Claims 1-8, 11-14, 16-20, 22-27, and 55 are obvious over Abuan.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Abuan (Application # 2011/0249077).
  • Core Argument for this Ground: Petitioner argued that Abuan, which discloses a modular system for real-time mobile video conferencing, teaches every element of the challenged claims. Abuan's architecture is presented as directly analogous to the "superblock" and "function block" structure claimed in the ’116 patent.
    • Prior Art Mapping: Petitioner asserted that Abuan’s “client application” corresponds to the claimed “superblock application,” and its “video conference module” corresponds to the “function block.” Abuan’s system uses APIs for communication between these components and establishes real-time, server-mediated video conferences over the internet, mapping directly to the core method steps of independent claims 1, 28, and 55. For dependent claims, Abuan was argued to teach session signaling (claims 2-4), use of standard protocols like RTP (claim 5), negotiation of media parameters like bandwidth and codecs (claims 6-8), and server-to-client notifications for call requests (claims 11-14).

Ground 2: Obviousness over Abuan and Guzman - Claims 9-10, 28-41, 43-47, and 49-54 are obvious over Abuan in view of Guzman.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Abuan (Application # 2011/0249077) and Guzman (Application # 2012/0092438).
  • Core Argument for this Ground: Petitioner contended that while Abuan teaches the fundamental modular communication system, it would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) to incorporate the user authentication and authorization mechanisms taught by Guzman. This combination addresses limitations related to securing access to the communication functions.
    • Prior Art Mapping: Abuan provides the base system of a client application using a module for video conferencing via a server. Guzman teaches a video conferencing application that requires users to provide login credentials (e.g., username and password) to access the service and initiate calls. Petitioner argued Guzman’s disclosure of providing and verifying these credentials maps to the limitations of claims 9 and 10, which require an "authorization key" or "authentication credentials" to unlock the function block for use.
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would combine Guzman's teachings with Abuan's system for the practical and well-known purpose of server protection and access control. Requiring authentication is a standard method to prevent system overload from misuse or denial-of-service attacks and to manage finite server resources, which Abuan's server-based system relies upon.
    • Expectation of Success: Petitioner argued success would be highly predictable. Applying a known access-control mechanism (Guzman) to a known server-mediated communication service (Abuan) was a routine engineering task to improve security and stability.

Ground 3: Obviousness over Abuan and Eisenberg - Claim 15 is obvious over Abuan in view of Eisenberg.

  • Prior Art Relied Upon: Abuan (Application # 2011/0249077) and Eisenberg (Application # 2010/0066807).
  • Core Argument for this Ground: Petitioner argued that it would have been obvious to enhance Abuan’s video conferencing system with the "presence" notification feature taught by Eisenberg.
    • Prior Art Mapping: Abuan discloses an instant messaging application as one possible implementation of its video conferencing client. Eisenberg explicitly teaches that instant messaging services typically include a "presence" feature, which permits clients to know the online/offline status of other users. This maps directly to the limitation in claim 15 requiring the function block to "update a presence indicator" in response to a notification.
    • Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would combine these features to yield the predictable result of an improved user experience. Adding a presence indicator to Abuan’s communication client would allow a user to know if another party is available before attempting to initiate a video call, a common and desirable feature in communication applications.
    • Expectation of Success: Petitioner asserted a high expectation of success, as Eisenberg’s presence feature is specifically contemplated for services like video conferencing and represents a straightforward, complementary addition to the system disclosed in Abuan.
  • Additional Grounds: Petitioner asserted additional obviousness challenges, including combining Abuan with Beilis (Application # 2013/0290982) to argue it would have been obvious to adapt Abuan’s application to run on the Android operating system (claim 21).

4. Relief Requested

  • Petitioner requests institution of an inter partes review and cancellation of claims 1-55 of the ’116 patent as unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §103.