Opinion ID: 786974
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: JMOL Denial on Invalidity

Text: 45 On cross-appeal, VDO argues that the district court erred in denying its motion for JMOL of invalidity based on obviousness and in upholding the jury's verdict that the '714 patent is not invalid. JMOL Invalidity Opinion at 3-4. In particular, VDO argues that if TI Group's claim constructions are adopted, the '714 patent is anticipated by at least U.S. Patent No. 2,953,156 and German Patent Application No. 2 849 461 A1, neither of which was before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during the prosecution of the '714 patent. TI Group argues in response that substantial evidence in the record supports the jury's verdict finding the '714 patent not invalid, that VDO has not rebutted this evidence, and that VDO failed to present a case of obviousness before the district court. 46 Our validity analysis is a two-step procedure: The first step involves the proper interpretation of the claims. The second step involves determining whether the limitations of the claims as properly interpreted are met by the prior art. Beachcombers, Int'l, Inc. v. WildeWood Creative Prods., Inc., 31 F.3d 1154, 1160 (Fed.Cir.1994). We have determined the proper interpretation of the claims, see Section B, supra, thus leaving for review whether a reasonable juror, in performing the second step of the analysis, could have found less than clear and convincing evidence of invalidity under the new claim constructions. Because the jury could only have compared the prior art to the erroneously narrowly construed claims, we vacate the district court's JMOL Invalidity Opinion and remand the invalidity question to the district court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.