Sonos prevails as PTAB invalidates Google’s patent
PTAB partially invalidates a google patent related to voice assistant technology | Decision could impact ITC and District Court dispute in smart speaker litigation campaign.
Sonos has successfully demonstrated that all challenged claims of one of Google’s patents relating to its Google Assistant were obvious, in the pair’s ongoing litigation dispute.
The decision, heard before the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on April 4, 2024, is a setback for Google, and partially invalidates a patent related to its voice interface technology.
Sonos challenged multiple claims of Google's US patent number 11,024,311 B2 via an inter partes review, contesting their validity.
Judges, Kevin Turner, Terrence McMillin, and Scott Raevsky, delivered their final written decision, concluding that Sonos had successfully demonstrated that all challenged claims were unpatentable.
The patent in dispute
The '311 patent relates to voice interfaces and coordination among multiple voice interface devices.
It concerns coordination among voice interface devices, focusing on multiple users and noisy environments, addressing scenarios where multiple devices within a space respond to voice inputs from users.
The patent covers methods for identifying speakers, personalising responses, and negotiating leadership among devices.
It also covers noise mitigation measures, such as suggesting alternative wake-up methods in noisy settings.
The challenged claims of the '311 patent were contested based on prior art references, in which Sonos argued that these references invalidated the patentability of Google's claims—a position the PTAB upheld.
Impact on related disputes
This decision not only impacts the immediate dispute between Sonos and Google but also holds broader implications for related disputes between the companies.
The outcome could influence ongoing litigation in the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and district courts, where the '311 Patent, along with other related patents, are in dispute between the two tech giants.
Sonos’ latest win comes shortly after it convinced the PTAB to cancel all challenged claims of a Google smart speaker patent, after an inter partes review petition was filed in April 2023.
On March 15, 2024, the PTAB ruled that all challenged claims of US patent number 1,812,128 were unpatentable, citing precedence from an earlier patent and patent application.
The patent in question related to coordinating voice interface systems across numerous devices.
Case background
The legal conflict dates back to January 2020 when Sonos accused Google of infringing its patented smart speakers. Sonos filed a complaint with the US District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing Google of infringing its multiroom audio technology.
Sonos secured a victory at the ITC in January 2022, resulting in a limited import ban on some of Google’s devices and the removal of some features from its smart speakers and smart displays.
Google then countered by suing Sonos at the ITC, alleging the infringement of seven patents that concerned voice input technology, hot word detection, and wireless charging.
In May 2023, the US District Court ruled in favour of Sonos, holding that Google must pay $32.5 million for using Sonos’ patented smart-speaker technologies without obtaining permission.
However, in October 2023, Judge William Alsup at the Californian District Court ruled in favour of Google and threw out the verdict.
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