Opinion ID: 2808717
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Functional Nature of the Limitation

Text: On appeal, Williamson argues that the district court erred in construing the term “distributed learning control module” as being governed by 35 U.S.C. § 112, para. 6. Williamson contends that the district court failed to give appropriate weight to the “strong” presumption against means-plus-function claiming that attaches to claim terms that do not recite the word “means.” Williamson also argues that the district court wrongly focused its analysis on the word “module” instead of the full term, ignored the detailed support provided in the written description, and misapplied our law by failing to view the term from the perspective of one of ordinary skill in the art. Appellees respond that the district court properly construed “distributed learning control module” as a meansplus-function claim term despite the absence of the word “means.” Appellees assert that the presumption against means-plus-function claiming was rebutted because “distributed learning control module” does not have a well understood structural meaning in the computer technoloWILLIAMSON v. CITRIX ONLINE, LLC 17 gy field. Appellees note that the “distributed learning control module” limitation is drafted in the same format as a traditional means-plus-function limitation, and merely replaces the term “means” with “nonce” word “module,” thereby connoting a generic “black box” for performing the recited computer-implemented functions. In Appellees’ view, since the term should be treated as a means-plus-function claim term and there is no algorithmic structure for implementing the claimed functions in the written description, the finding of indefiniteness should be affirmed. We begin with the observation that the claim limitation in question is not merely the introductory phrase “distributed learning control module,” but the entire passage “distributed learning control module for receiving communications transmitted between the presenter and the audience member computer systems and for relaying the communications to an intended receiving computer system and for coordinating the operation of the streaming data module.” This passage, as lengthy as it is, is nonetheless in a format consistent with traditional means-plus-function claim limitations. It replaces the term “means” with the term “module” and recites three functions performed by the “distributed learning control module.” “Module” is a well-known nonce word that can operate as a substitute for “means” in the context of § 112, para. 6. As the district court found, “‘module’ is simply a generic description for software or hardware that performs a specified function.” J.A. 31. Generic terms such as “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” and other nonce words that reflect nothing more than verbal constructs may be used in a claim in a manner that is tantamount to using the word “means” because they “typically do not connote sufficiently definite structure” and therefore may invoke § 112, para. 6. Mass. Inst. of Tech. & Elecs. for Imaging, 18 WILLIAMSON v. CITRIX ONLINE, LLC Inc. v. Abacus Software, 462 F.3d 1344, 1354 (Fed. Cir. 2006); see generally M.P.E.P. § 2181. Here, the word “module” does not provide any indication of structure because it sets forth the same black box recitation of structure for providing the same specified function as if the term “means” had been used. 5 Indeed, Williamson himself acknowledges that “the term ‘module,’ standing alone is capable of operating as a ‘nonce word’ substitute for ‘means.’” Op. Br. at 43. The prefix “distributed learning control” does not impart structure into the term “module.” These words do not describe a sufficiently definite structure. Although the “distributed learning control module” is described in a certain level of detail in the written description, the written description fails to impart any structural significance to the term. At bottom, we find nothing in the specification or prosecution history that might lead us to 5 We have addressed the use of the word “module” in a means-plus-function dispute in the unpublished decision Ranpak Corp. v. Storopack, Inc., 168 F.3d 1316, No. 98-1009, 1998 WL 513598 (Fed. Cir. July 15, 1998) (unpublished). In Ranpak, we were presented with two closely related claim terms, a “settable control means,” which indisputably invoked means-plus-function claiming, and a “settable control module.” Id. at . In the context of the patent at issue, we found that the word “module” in the term “settable control module” did not connote structure. Id. We came to this conclusion because “module” merely sets forth “the same black box without recitation of structure for providing the same specified function” as did “means.” Id. Since there was no difference in the structural implications of the terms, we held that the presumption against means-plus-function claiming was rebutted and the “settable control module” was properly construed as a means-plus-function term. WILLIAMSON v. CITRIX ONLINE, LLC 19 construe that expression as the name of a sufficiently definite structure as to take the overall claim limitation out of the ambit of § 112, para. 6. While Williamson is correct that the presence of modifiers can change the meaning of “module,” the presence of these particular terms does not provide any structural significance to the term “module” in this case. While portions of the claim do describe certain inputs and outputs at a very high level (e.g., communications between the presenter and audience member computer systems), the claim does not describe how the “distributed learning control module” interacts with other components in the distributed learning control server in a way that might inform the structural character of the limitation-inquestion or otherwise impart structure to the “distributed learning control module” as recited in the claim. Williamson also points to the declaration of Dr. Shukri Souri to show that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the term “distributed learning control module” to connote structure. The district court did not discuss Dr. Souri’s testimony in its claim construction ruling. We have considered it but do not find it persuasive. Dr. Souri’s declaration, like the claim language and portions of the written description Williamson identifies, fails to describe how the distributed learning control module, by its interaction with the other components in the distributed learning control server, is understood as the name for structure. Dr. Souri also testified that, “as one of ordinary skill in the art, reading the specification, I would know exactly how to program” a computer to perform the recited functions and further testified that structure “could be in software or it could be in hardware.” J.A. 1391 (256:12–258:16). But the fact that one of skill in the art could program a computer to perform the recited functions cannot create structure where none otherwise is disclosed. See Function Media, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc., 708 F.3d 1310, 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2013). 20 WILLIAMSON v. CITRIX ONLINE, LLC For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the “distributed learning control module” limitation fails to recite sufficiently definite structure and that the presumption against means-plus-function claiming is rebutted. We therefore agree with the district court that this limitation is subject to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, para. 6.