Two anonymous requests for reexamination were filed earlier this year with the USPTO related to three patents owned by Apple, Inc. The USPTO has now agreed to reexamine two of Apple’s design patents (D618,677 and D618,678) on the iPhone, as well as U.S. Patent No. 8,014,760 directed towards missed call management for a portable multifunction device. The two design patents have previously been asserted by Apple against Samsung; with one successfully asserted in its Federal court case and the other asserted in its U.S International Trade Commission case seeking an import ban against Samsung. While Apple obtained an exclusion order against certain Samsung products, it is still under the review period in which President Obama can veto the ban (as he has in the past). Apple is also currently asserting U.S. Patent No. 8,014,760 against both Samsung and Motorola. The implications for Samsung in these three cases have led some to believe that at least one of the anonymous requests came from Samsung.

The request filed with respect to the design patents is supported by three Japanese design patents, the combination of which the request alleges obviates D’677 and D’678. The request filed with respect to the ’760 patent is supported by five prior art references, the combination of which the request alleges obviates the ’760 patent.

Source: http://www.fosspatents.com/2013/08/two-iphone-design-patents-apple.html http://www.fosspatents.com/2013/08/uspto-decides-to-reexamine-apple-patent.html http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/08/21/three-apple-patents-being-reexamined-by-uspto-on-anonymous-requests

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