Opinion ID: 152020
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Claims 4-6, 12-14, and 18-20.

Text: Claims 4-6 depend from claim 1. The claims limit the time frame in which the patient must ingest the metaxalone in relation to consuming food. Claim 4 limits the time frame to “30 minutes prior to 2 hours after consumption of the food,” claim 5 limits it to “substantially at the same time,” and claim 6 limits it to “immediately after the consumption of food up to 1 hour after.” Fathie II, Albanese, and Abrams respectively disclose administering metaxalone “with food,” “with meals,” and “with food or milk.” J.A.3054, 3065, 3072. On appeal, King argues that none of the claims’ specific timeframe requirements is disclosed in Fathie II, Albanese, or Abrams. Yet, according to King’s own experts, “with food” could mean taking metaxalone “1 hour prior to up to about 2 hours after eating.” J.A.3221 (Decl. 17 KING PHARMACEUTICALS v. EON LABS of Dr. Elia). Under this common-sense definition of “with food,” the prior art discloses a timeframe for ingesting metaxalone in relation to consuming food that falls within the timeframes claimed by claims 4-6. The district court’s finding that claims 4-6 are anticipated is therefore affirmed. See Titanium Metals Corp. of America v. Banner, 778 F.2d 775, 782 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (“[It is] an elementary principle of patent law that when, as by a recitation of ranges or otherwise, a claim covers several compositions, the claim is ‘anticipated’ if one of them is in the prior art.”); Fresenius USA, Inc. v. Baxter Int’l, Inc., 582 F.3d 1288, 1298 (Fed. Cir. 2009). Claims 12-14 and 18-20 contain identical timeframe requirements. The district court invalidated these claims for the same reasons it invalidated claims 4-6. We therefore affirm the district court’s invalidation of these claims for the same reasons we affirmed its invalidation of claims 4-6.