Yuntek International, Inc. v. Xiamen JXD Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd.

Background

This document gives the court’s tentative constructions of disputed terms in United States Patent No. 6,715,446, titled “Pet Tent.” Claim construction is the process of determining what disputed words and phrases in a patent claim mean. Yuntek proposed interpretations for the terms, while the defendants generally proposed using the terms’ plain and ordinary meanings or offered different definitions.

The notice states that the court had reviewed the parties’ briefs and did not want them to reargue issues already covered there. It directed the parties to notify the court and opposing counsel before the hearing if they intended to rely on legal authorities not cited in their briefs.

Tentative Constructions

1. “Foldable.” Yuntek proposed a definition referring to structural features that facilitate folding in the described manner. The defendants proposed the plain and ordinary meaning. The court tentatively adopted the plain and ordinary meaning and construed “foldable” to mean “able to be folded.”

2. “On top of said bottom side [of said main body].” Yuntek proposed “above and directly adjacent to the bottom side of the main body.” The defendants proposed a definition referring to the interior floor of the housing and any mat or pad on that floor. The court rejected adding an optional pad or mat to the construction and tentatively defined the phrase as “on the interior floor directly above the bottom side of the main body.”

3. “Front panel and back panel are folded over the collapsed main body with one of the front panel and the back panel folded over the other.” Yuntek proposed that “folded over” mean bent or pivoted above the collapsed main body, with at least partial overlap. The defendants proposed a definition requiring the panels to fold toward and over each other so the housing remains significantly compact. The court stated that “folded over” means “bent toward” and tentatively construed the full phrase to require the front and back panels to be bent toward the collapsed main body, with either panel bent toward the other in an overlapping and significantly compact position above the collapsed main body.

4. “A continuous structure.” Yuntek proposed a definition referring to four connected sides that cannot be disengaged, including examples involving sewing and zippers. The defendants proposed the plain and ordinary meaning. The court found Yuntek’s proposed additions improper or potentially confusing and tentatively defined the term as “a structure in which all parts are connected without being disengageable.”

5. “Wherein said housing is foldable such that.” Yuntek proposed constructions for Claims 6 and 7 that referred to specified passages in the patent’s Inter Partes Reexamination Certificate. The defendants proposed the plain and ordinary meaning. The court found that “such that” introduces the three limitations that describe how the housing is foldable, rather than requiring a particular folding event. It tentatively construed the phrase for Claim 6 by reference to column 1, lines 39–47 of the certificate, and for Claim 7 by reference to column 2, lines 13–21.

Ruling and Effect

The court issued these constructions as tentative rulings for the May 26, 2022 hearing and directed the parties to confine their arguments and presentations to the listed constructions. The document ends with “IT IS SO ORDERED” and is dated May 24, 2022. Because the notice expressly describes the constructions as tentative, the text does not state whether these constructions were later changed or entered as final constructions.