The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has recently issued decisions on two patents held by Stratasys Inc., a U.S.-Israeli company specializing in 3D printing technologies. In one case, the PTAB invalidated certain claims of a Stratasys patent related to a method for printing three-dimensional parts using an additive manufacturing system. The board determined that the challenged claims were unpatentable as anticipated by or obvious over prior art. This decision arose from an inter partes review initiated by Shenzhen Tuozhu Technology Co. Ltd., a Chinese company accused of infringement.
Conversely, in a separate proceeding, the PTAB upheld the validity of another Stratasys patent. The board found that the challenged claims were not anticipated by or obvious over various combinations of prior art, including references related to extrusion-based layered deposition systems and discussions on plastic leakage from idle extruders during dual-extruder printing. This outcome represents a significant defense of Stratasys’s intellectual property in the competitive 3D printing industry.
These decisions underscore the PTAB’s role in adjudicating patent disputes and highlight the complexities involved in determining patent validity within the rapidly evolving field of additive manufacturing.