U.S. Patent Office Reaffirms TransData's Smart Meter Patents Covering Wireless Digital Electric Meter Communications
TransData's Smart Meter Patents Defeat All 9 Serial Patent Reexamination Requests Filed by General Electric
DALLAS, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TransData, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Patent Office) has reaffirmed the validity of two of the company's key Smart Electric Meter Patents covering digital electric meters equipped with an internal wireless communications module and antenna. TransData received notice that the Patent Office will issue Reexamination Certificates confirming the patentability of all 27 claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,462,713 and all 40 claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,903,699 without amendment.
The recent Patent Office actions conclude all nine of the pending serial patent reexamination requests filed by General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) against TransData's "Smart Meter Patents" portfolio which consists of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,181,294; 6,462,713 and 6,903,699. All pending reexaminations filed against TransData's Smart Meter Patents are now complete.
TransData's Smart Meter Patents are the subject of patent infringement lawsuits the company has filed against a group of electric utilities that include defendants Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co.; Oncor Electric Delivery (an Energy Future Holdings Corp. company); CenterPoint Energy; San Diego Gas and Electric Co.; Texas-New Mexico Power Co.; Denton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (d/b/a CoServ Electric); Denton Municipal Utilities; and Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc.
The U.S. Patent Office awarded the Smart Meter Patents to TransData for the development of its MARK-V Digital Electric Meter equipped with an internal "under-glass" wireless communication circuit and antenna. In 2011, after TransData filed the patent infringement lawsuits, an anonymous electric meter manufacturer filed four separate ex-parte reexamination requests against the Smart Meter Patents. In response, the Patent Office conducted reexaminations and reaffirmed the validity of the Smart Meter Patents.
In 2014, General Electric filed a series of six additional requests for ex-parte reexaminations, and three requests for inter partes review of the Smart Meter Patents. The Patent Office rejected three of General Electric requests for ex-parte reexamination, concluding that a substantial new question of patentability was not raised. The Patent Office also rejected General Electric's requests for inter partes review. For the remaining three ex-parte reexamination requests, the Patent Office reexamined TransData's Smart Meter Patents and reaffirmed validity over all of the alleged prior art cited by General Electric. The Patent Office and numerous patent examiners now have reviewed and reaffirmed the validity of TransData's Smart Meter Patents on 13 separate occasions.
"We are again pleased with the hard work of the U.S. Patent Office and wish to thank the numerous patent examiners involved in this process for the substantial time they spent reviewing the facts and law in detail," said Trace Gleibs, President of TransData, Inc. "The fact that our Smart Meter Patents have prevailed against 13 validity challenges speaks volumes about their overall quality and value."
About TransData, Inc.
In business for 46 years, TransData is the only certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) specializing in the design and manufacture of solid-state electric meters and related products that enable its global client base to more efficiently measure, monitor and control the flow of power and energy variables on the smart grid. Founded in 1969, TransData is a privately-held corporation with headquarters in suburban Dallas, Texas serving over 2,000 customers in more than 25 countries worldwide, including most of the top 50 largest U.S. electric utilities. More information on TransData can be found at www.transdatainc.com. TransData is a registered trademark of TransData Inc.
For additional information, please contact Dave Moore at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].
SOURCE TransData, Inc.
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