ARIOSA DIAGNOSTICS, INC v. SEQUENOM, INC. (Fed. Cir. 2015) (P) – The process steps themselves must be new and useful when encompassing a natural phenomenon

For process claims that encompass natural phenomenon, the process steps themselves are the additional features that must be new and useful. Here, for example, using a newly discovered source of cell-free fetal DNA (“cffDNA”) to conduct fetal screening was found to be...

OIP TECHNOLOGIES, INC. v. AMAZON.COM, INC. (Fed. Cir. 2015) (P) – Automating routine tasks for speed and accuracy is insufficient to render a claim patent eligible

Relying on a computer to perform otherwise routine tasks more quickly or more accurately is insufficient to render a claim patent eligible even when speed and accuracy is advantageous. Here, for example, a method of dynamic price optimization in an e-commerce...

ALLVOICE DEVELOPMENTS US, LLC v. MICROSOFT CORP. (Fed. Cir. 2015) (NP) – A tangible medium will not be read into claims that fail to recite or reference any such medium

A tangible medium will not be read into claims that fail to recite or reference any such medium. Here, for example, a “universal speech-recognition interface” software application consisting of software instructions was found to not imply the existence of a machine...

CONTENT EXTRACTION v. WELLS FARGO BANK (Fed. Cir. 2014) (P) – Processing information from specific hardware beyond a generic computer may still be an abstract idea

Processing information from specific hardware beyond a generic computer is still not sufficient to escape the realm of abstract ideas for the purposes of establishing subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Here, for example, claims directed to an ATM...

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH RESEARCH v. AMBRY GENETICS CORPORATION (Fed. Cir. 2014) (P) – Identifying conventional techniques for performing an abstract idea is insufficient for patent-eligibility

Identifying the techniques to be used in performing an abstract idea is insufficient to render a claim patent-eligible when those techniques are well-understood, routine, and conventional techniques. Here, for example, spelling out how to compare gene sequences using...

DDR HOLDINGS, LLC v. HOTELS.COM, L.P. (Fed. Cir. 2014) (P) – Claims that overcome a problem specifically arising in the realm of computer networks are patent-eligible

In contrast to claims that are directed to “nothing more than the performance of an abstract business practice on the Internet or using a conventional computer,” claims that are “necessarily rooted in computer technology in order to overcome a problem specifically...