DALLAS, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TransData,
Inc., announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(Patent Office) has reaffirmed the validity of two of the company's
key Smart Electric Meter Patents covering digital electric meters
equipped with an internal wireless communications module and
antenna. TransData received notice that the Patent Office will
issue Reexamination Certificates confirming the patentability of
all 27 claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,462,713 and all 40 claims of
U.S. Patent No. 6,903,699 without amendment.
The recent Patent Office actions conclude all nine of the
pending serial patent reexamination requests filed by General
Electric Company (NYSE: GE) against TransData's "Smart Meter
Patents" portfolio which consists of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,181,294;
6,462,713 and 6,903,699. All pending reexaminations filed against
TransData's Smart Meter Patents are now complete.
TransData's Smart Meter Patents are the subject of patent
infringement lawsuits the company has filed against a group of
electric utilities that include defendants Oklahoma Gas &
Electric Co.; Oncor Electric Delivery (an Energy Future Holdings
Corp. company); CenterPoint Energy; San Diego Gas and Electric Co.;
Texas-New Mexico Power Co.; Denton County Electric Cooperative,
Inc. (d/b/a CoServ Electric); Denton Municipal Utilities; and
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc.
The U.S. Patent Office awarded the Smart Meter Patents to
TransData for the development of its MARK-V Digital Electric Meter
equipped with an internal "under-glass" wireless communication
circuit and antenna. In 2011, after TransData filed the patent
infringement lawsuits, an anonymous electric meter manufacturer
filed four separate ex-parte reexamination requests against the
Smart Meter Patents. In response, the Patent Office conducted
reexaminations and reaffirmed the validity of the Smart Meter
Patents.
In 2014, General Electric filed a series of six additional
requests for ex-parte reexaminations, and three requests for
inter partes review of the Smart Meter Patents. The Patent
Office rejected three of General Electric requests for ex-parte
reexamination, concluding that a substantial new question of
patentability was not raised. The Patent Office also rejected
General Electric's requests for inter partes review. For the
remaining three ex-parte reexamination requests, the Patent Office
reexamined TransData's Smart Meter Patents and reaffirmed validity
over all of the alleged prior art cited by General Electric. The
Patent Office and numerous patent examiners now have reviewed and
reaffirmed the validity of TransData's Smart Meter Patents on 13
separate occasions.
"We are again pleased with the hard work of the U.S. Patent
Office and wish to thank the numerous patent examiners involved in
this process for the substantial time they spent reviewing the
facts and law in detail," said Trace
Gleibs, President of TransData, Inc. "The fact that our
Smart Meter Patents have prevailed against 13 validity challenges
speaks volumes about their overall quality and value."
About TransData, Inc.
In business for 46 years, TransData is the only certified Women's
Business Enterprise (WBE) specializing in the design and
manufacture of solid-state electric meters and related products
that enable its global client base to more efficiently measure,
monitor and control the flow of power and energy variables on the
smart grid. Founded in 1969, TransData is a privately-held
corporation with headquarters in suburban Dallas, Texas serving over 2,000 customers in
more than 25 countries worldwide, including most of the top 50
largest U.S. electric utilities. More information on TransData can
be found at www.transdatainc.com. TransData is a registered
trademark of TransData Inc.
For additional information, please contact Dave Moore at 800-559-4534 or
dave@androvett.com.
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SOURCE TransData, Inc.