MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, announced that the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied Afinia’s requests for inter partes review of three important FDM® technology patents directed to liquefier structure, temperature control, and tool paths for constructing part perimeters.
“We are very pleased with the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s decision”
Inter partes review is a proceeding in which the PTAB reviews the validity of claims in a patent. In denying Afinia’s requests, the PTAB reasoned that Afinia “has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing,” with respect to any of the challenged claims, in the Stratasys patents. This decision is particularly notable in that, based on current PTAB statistics (published by the USPTO), the PTAB denies only about one of four inter partes review requests.
“We are very pleased with the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s decision,” said Soonhee Jang, Stratasys Vice President and Chief IP Counsel. “These dismissals are evidence of the strength of our patent portfolio.”
These same three patents are asserted by Stratasys in the case of Stratasys, Inc. v. Microboards Technology, LLC dba Afinia, pending in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota where Stratasys continues to pursue a relief from the court involving Afinia’s infringement on three Stratasys patents.
Stratasys Inc.’s co-founder and chief innovation officer, Scott Crump, invented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a technology that prints three dimensional objects from computer models by building them up in layers. Stratasys FDM solutions are the most widely adopted 3D printing solutions in the industry. The company will continue to significantly invest in technology, product and solution development, in order to make 3D printing more accessible and widely adopted by current and future users.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Open Hardware is In, New CircuitPython and Pi 5 16GB, and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
