Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-04455/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-04455-18/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 35:271 Patent Infringement

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MEDTRONIC, INC., ET AL,

Plaintiffs,

 v.

W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.,

Defendant. /

No. C 06-04455 JSW

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO

CLARIFY CLAIM

CONSTRUCTION ORDER AND

GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ LEAVE

TO FILE A MOTION FOR

RECONSIDERATION

The Court has received Plaintiffs’ motion for an order clarifying the Court’s claim

construction Order regarding the term “stent,” as used in the Wiktor Patents. In its Claim

Construction Order, the Court stated: 

Gore also argues that the “stent” of the Wiktor patent cannot include graft

material, i.e. it is a “bare” wire stent. Medtronic asserts that the Court

should not so limit the claims, because the specification notes that the stent

can be used for the repair of aneurysms or to support artificial vessels or

liners of vessels. Looking at the claims in which the term stent is used, the

claims refer to a stent body comprised of a “wire.” There is nothing in the

claims that discloses the use of material attached to the wire. Further, with

the exception of the reference cited by Medtronic, there is no other

reference in the specification of material attached to the wire that forms the

stent body. 

To clarify, the Court did intend its construction of the term to be limited to a stent

without any fabric or other graft material attached, i.e. what Plaintiffs term a “closed-ended”

construction. In its Claim Construction Order, the Court did not clearly express the fact that it

did not find persuasive Medtronic’s argument that the reference in the specification to using the

stent for the repair of aneurysms or to support artificial vessels supported a construction of the

Case 3:06-cv-04455-JSW Document 94 Filed 10/30/07 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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term “stent” that included a combination of a stent with fabric or other graft material attached. 

That conclusion was based in part upon the reference to the Cragg article that was cited by Gore

during the claim construction hearing and that is referenced in the ‘828 Patent.

Further, although the parties presented the term “stent” to the Court for construction as a

limitation, notwithstanding the fact that it was used in the preamble of the claims and although

neither Plaintiffs nor Gore addressed the cases regarding the proper construction of preamble

terms in their claim construction briefs, the Court shall not preclude the parties from addressing

that issue now. 

Accordingly, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ request for clarification, and has in this

Order clarified its construction of the term stent as used in the Wiktor Patents. The Court shall

also GRANTS Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file a motion for reconsideration, which shall

address Plaintiffs’ arguments on: (1) why the Cragg article does not support the Court’s

construction of the term “stent” as used in the Wiktor Patents; and (2) why the use of the term

stent in the preamble does not support the Court’s construction of the term stent as to those

patents. 

Plaintiffs’ motion for reconsideration shall be limited to ten (10) pages and shall be due

on November 14, 2007. Defendant’s opposition shall be due on November 21, 2007. Plaintiffs’

reply shall be due on November 28, 2007. If the Court requires a hearing, it shall notify the

parties via a Clerk’s Notice of the date and time of such hearing. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 30, 2007 

JEFFREY S. WHITE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 3:06-cv-04455-JSW Document 94 Filed 10/30/07 Page 2 of 2