ROY S. PAYNE, District Judge.
Before the Court is the opening claim construction brief of Effective Exploration, LLC ("Plaintiff") (Dkt. No. 44, filed on June 19, 2015),
Plaintiff alleges infringement of U.S. Patent No. 8,813,840 (the "'840 Patent"). The '840 Patent is entitled "Method and System for Accessing Subterranean Deposits from the Surface and Tools Therefor" and names a single inventor, Joseph Z. Zupanick. The application leading to the '840 Patent was filed on August 12, 2013 and the patent issued on August 26, 2014. The '840 Patent is related through a series of continuation, continuation-in-part, and divisional applications to an application filed on November 20, 1998, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 6,280,000.
The '840 Patent is one of a large family of patents that claim priority to U.S. Patent No. 6,280,000. Two of these related patents contain claim terms that are currently before the Court and that have been construed by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania: U.S. Patents No. 6,976,533 (the '533 Patent, entitled "Method and System for Accessing Subterranean Deposits from the Surface") and No. 8,469,119 (the "'119 Patent," entitled "Method and System for Accessing Subterranean Deposits From the Surface and Tools Therefor"). The '119 Patent issued from a continuation of Application No. 10/630,345 (the "'345 Application," filed July 29, 2003). The '840 Patent claims priority to the '345 Application as a continuation of Application No. 11/982,249, which is a continuation of the '345 Application.
In general, the '840 Patent is directed to systems and methods for recovering fluids (e.g., water, oil, gas) from subterranean geological formations, and utilizes special configurations of directed bore holes ("bores"). In its 122 columns of text and 115 figures, the '840 Patent describes diverse technology related to the drilling of wells and to the production of formation fluids. The description includes numerous examples of wells and bores (e.g., vertical, horizontal, slanted, articulated, undulated) and numerous examples of multi-well and multi-bore patterns (e.g., multi-well systems, multi-bore wells, multi-bore drainage patterns).
The abstract of the '840 Patent provides:
An example of a multi-well system is shown in Figures 1 and 3, which are reproduced below and annotated by the Court. The figures depict a vertical bore (12) and an articulated bore (3) each extending down from the surface to intersect at an enlarged cavity (20) in the target zone (15). The articulated bore is horizontal (34) at the point it intersects the vertical bore. A pattern of bores (50)are drilled beyond the junction to facilitate draining fluids from the zone, and ultimately to produce the fluids to the surface. '840 Patent col.12 l.42-col.16 l.8; col.16 l.25-col.18 l.3.
Figure 3 depicts the system of Figure 1 in a production configuration. A pump (80) moves water to the surface through a tubing string disposed in the
Another example of a multi-well system is shown in Figure 10, which is reproduced below and annotated by the Court. The main difference between the example of Figure 1 and the example of Figure 10 is that the vertical bore (12) of Figure 1 is replaced with a bore (10012) that includes vertical (10018, 10022) and angled (10020) portions. The example of Figure 10 includes an enlarged cavity (10030) at the junction of the articulated bore (10040) and the vertical/angled bore (10012). The system further includes a bore pattern (10060) to facilitate draining fluids from the zone (10016). '840 Patent col.27 l.65-col.24 l.48.
An example of a multi-bore well is shown in Figures 6A (drilling) and 7 (production), which are reproduced below and annotated by the Court. The figures depict a bore system that extends to the zone (6015) from a single entry point on the surface (6014). The bore system includes two connected vertical bores (6210, 6220) and two articulated bores (6230, 6235). The second vertical bore (6220) extends from the first vertical bore (6210). The first articulated bore (6230) extends from the first vertical bore, and the second articulated bore (6235) extends from the second vertical bore. The two articulated bores intersect at a cavity (6250) within the zone (6015). A bore pattern (6050) extends from the cavity to facilitate draining fluids from the zone. '840 Patent col.23 l.9-col.25 l.53.
Figure 7 depicts the system of Figure 6 as configured for production. Fluids are produced from the zone by: (1) pumping water to the surface through a tubing string (6082) using a downhole pump (6080), and (2) allowing natural gas to flow to the surface in the annulus between the tubing string and casing (6215, 6216) in the vertical bores. '840 Patent col.23 l.9-col.25 l.53.
Another example of a multi-bore well is shown in Figure 20, which is reproduced below and annotated by the Court. The figure depicts articulated bores (20024) in zones (20022). The articulated bores extend from slant bores (20020) which in turn extend from a single vertical entry bore (20015) that extends from the surface (20011) toward the zone. '840 Patent col.38 l.61-col.39 l.42.
Examples of single-well systems configured for production are shown in Figures 93 and 94, which are reproduced below and annotated by the Court. Figure 93 depicts a system with a vertical bore (92532) extending from the surface (92514) to the zone (92515). The vertical bore is connected to a horizontal bore (92534). The horizontal bore includes an enlarged cavity (92520) in the zone (92515). A pumping unit (92540) is disposed in the well with the pump inlet (92544) located in the cavity such that it does not capture the zone's natural gas (as separated from the other fluids) but pumps other fluids (92550) to the surface through the bores. The natural gas is allowed to flow to the surface. Figure 94 depicts a system similar to that of Figure 93 with the main difference being the location of the cavity. The cavity (92220) of Figure 94 is located in the curved bore (92236) that connects the vertical (92232) and horizontal (92234) bores. '840 Patent col.110 l.1-col.111 l.24.
An example of a multi-well system with a specific drainage bore pattern is shown in Figure 79, which is reproduced below and annotated by the Court. This figure depicts a system of wells (75532, 75534) extending from a single drilling and production pad at the surface (75536) to the target zone underground (75540). A system of bores extending from a central well (75532) intersects with bores (75534) extending from disparate locations on the surface pad. There is a cavity (75542) at each junction of central-well bore and disparate-well bore. Each cavity is connected to a drainage bore pattern (75538). This configuration is meant to allow access to a large drainage area from a small surface area. '840 Patent col.94 l.53-col.96 l.8; see also, id. at col.38 ll.24-59 & fig.19.
An example of an undulating bore is shown in Figure 33, which is reproduced below and annotated by the Court. This figure depicts an undulating bore (33200) "that may be included as any well bore of the systems illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 24 or a well bore of any other system that may be used to remove and/or produce water, hydrocarbons and other fluids in a layer of subterranean deposits." The undulating bore includes a declining portion (33212), a bending portion (33208), and an inclining portion (33210). The wavelength (33214) of the undulating bore is the distance between successive like points on the bore, for example, the distance from one point where the bending portion couples to the inclining portion to the next point along the path of the bore where the bending portion couples to the inclining portion. '840 Patent col.51 l.5-col.53 l.10; see also, id. at col.53 ll.11-44 & fig.34.
Independent claims 1
"It is a `bedrock principle' of patent law that `the claims of a patent define the invention to which the patentee is entitled the right to exclude.'" Phillips v. AWH Corp., 415 F.3d 1303, 1312 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc) (quoting Innova/Pure Water Inc. v. Safari Water Filtration Sys., Inc., 381 F.3d 1111, 1115 (Fed. Cir. 2004)). To determine the meaning of the claims, courts start by considering the intrinsic evidence. See id. at 1313; see also C.R. Bard, Inc. v. U.S. Surgical Corp., 388 F.3d 858, 861 (Fed. Cir. 2004); Bell Atl. Network Servs., Inc. v. Covad Commc'ns Group, Inc., 262 F.3d 1258, 1267 (Fed. Cir. 2001). The intrinsic evidence includes the claims themselves, the specification, and the prosecution history. See Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1314; C.R. Bard, 388 F.3d at 861. Courts give claim terms their ordinary and accustomed meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention in the context of the entire patent. Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1312-13; accord Alloc, Inc. v. Int'l Trade Comm'n, 342 F.3d 1361, 1368 (Fed. Cir. 2003).
The claims themselves provide substantial guidance in determining the meaning of particular claim terms. Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1314. First, a term's context in the asserted claim can be very instructive. Id. Other asserted or unasserted claims can aid in determining the claim's meaning because claim terms are typically used consistently throughout the patent. Id. Differences among the claim terms can also assist in understanding a term's meaning. Id. For example, when a dependent claim adds a limitation to an independent claim, it is presumed that the independent claim does not include the limitation. Id. at 1314-15.
"[C]laims `must be read in view of the specification, of which they are a part.'" Id. at 1315 (quoting Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 52 F.3d 967, 979 (Fed. Cir. 1995) (en banc)). "[T]he specification `is always highly relevant to the claim construction analysis. Usually, it is dispositive; it is the single best guide to the meaning of a disputed term.'" Id. (quoting Vitronics Corp. v. Conceptronic, Inc., 90 F.3d 1576, 1582 (Fed. Cir. 1996)); accord Teleflex, Inc. v. Ficosa N. Am. Corp., 299 F.3d 1313, 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2002). This is true because a patentee may define his own terms, give a claim term a different meaning than the term would otherwise possess, or disclaim or disavow claim scope. Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1316. In these situations, the inventor's lexicography governs. Id. The specification may also resolve the meaning of ambiguous claim terms "where the ordinary and accustomed meaning of the words used in the claims lack sufficient clarity to permit the scope of the claim to be ascertained from the words alone." Teleflex, 299 F.3d at 1325. But, "[a]lthough the specification may aid the court in interpreting the meaning of disputed claim language, particular embodiments and examples appearing in the specification will not generally be read into the claims." Comark Commc'ns, Inc. v. Harris Corp., 156 F.3d 1182, 1187 (Fed. Cir. 1998) (quoting Constant v. Advanced Micro-Devices, Inc., 848 F.2d 1560, 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1988)); accord Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1323.
The prosecution history is another tool to supply the proper context for claim construction because a patent applicant may also define a term in prosecuting the patent. Home Diagnostics, Inc., v. Lifescan, Inc., 381 F.3d 1352, 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2004) ("As in the case of the specification, a patent applicant may define a term in prosecuting a patent."). "[T]he prosecution history (or file wrapper) limits the interpretation of claims so as to exclude any interpretation that may have been disclaimed or disavowed during prosecution in order to obtain claim allowance." Standard Oil Co. v. Am. Cyanamid Co., 774 F.2d 448, 452 (Fed. Cir. 1985).
Although extrinsic evidence can be useful, it is "less significant than the intrinsic record in determining the legally operative meaning of claim language." Phillips, 415 F.3d at 1317 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Technical dictionaries and treatises may help a court understand the underlying technology and the manner in which one skilled in the art might use claim terms, but technical dictionaries and treatises may provide definitions that are too broad or may not be indicative of how the term is used in the patent. Id. at 1318. Similarly, expert testimony may aid a court in understanding the underlying technology and determining the particular meaning of a term in the pertinent field, but an expert's conclusory, unsupported assertions as to a term's definition are entirely unhelpful to a court. Id. Generally, extrinsic evidence is "less reliable than the patent and its prosecution history in determining how to read claim terms." Id. The Supreme Court recently explained the role of extrinsic evidence in claim construction:
Teva Pharm. USA, Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc., 135 S.Ct. 831, 841 (2015).
The "determination of claim indefiniteness is a legal conclusion that is drawn from the Court's performance of its duty as the construer of patent claims." Exxon Research & Eng'g Co. v. United States, 265 F.3d 1371, 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2001). Section 112 entails a "delicate balance" between precision and uncertainty:
Nautilus Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc., 134 S.Ct. 2120, 2128-29 (2014) (citations omitted). Therefore, in order for a patent to be definite under § 112, ¶ 2,
The parties have agreed to the following constructions set forth in their Joint Claim Construction Chart Pursuant to Patent Local Rule 4-5 (Dkt. No. 53):
Because the parties' arguments and proposed constructions with respect to these terms are related, the Court addresses the terms together.
The parties' positions evolved somewhat during the briefing: they reached agreement regarding the meaning of "shale" and Defendants further modified their proposal from "a distinct layer composed
Plaintiff submits that the terms carry their full plain and ordinary meaning and that Defendants' proposal that the zone be a "distinct" layer is unclear with respect to what "distinct" means. (Dkt. No. 44 at 13.) Plaintiff argues that under the plain and ordinary meaning, a zone is a "shale zone" if it is comprised primarily of shale. (Id. at 16.)
Defendants respond that these terms need to be construed because "some construction of the disputed claim language will assist the jury to understand the claims." (Dkt. No. 46 at 4 (citing TQP Dev., LLC v. Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., No. 2:08-cv-471, 2012 WL 1940849, at *2 (E.D. Tex. May 29, 2012).) Defendants argue that the meaning of "subterranean zone" has a more specific meaning in the context of geology and the oil-and-gas industry than it may have in ordinary parlance to a lay jury. (Id. at 5.) The meaning of "zone" in this field, Defendants submit, is "a belt, layer, or stratum that is distinguished by content, composition, or characteristic fossils." (Id. (citing various general-purpose dictionaries and the Declaration of John Wheeler ("Wheeler Decl.")).) Defendants further argue that this meaning comports with the '840 Patent's discussion of the subterranean zones as delimited structures (id. at 5) and with statements by the applicant made during prosecution of the patent to distinguish the extraction of oil from above and below a shale formation from the extraction of oil from a shale formation (id. at 5-6). And Defendants argue that the "shale zone" must be a zone comprised mostly of shale, as Defendants' expert, John Wheeler, and Plaintiff's expert, Dr. Enick, purportedly agree. (Id. at 6 (citing Wheeler Decl.; Declaration of Dr. Robert M. Enick ("Enick Decl.").) In sum, Defendants conclude that a "shale zone" does not include surrounding layers of rock that are not comprised mostly of shale. (Id. at 7.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Defendants cite the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support their position.
Plaintiff replies that it is unclear how including "distinct" in the construction of the terms would help the fact finder and doing so threatens to improperly limit the terms to some "dogmatic, geological characteristics" and ignores the ability of the formation to produce oil and gas. (Dkt. No. 51 at 2-3.) Plaintiff suggests that Defendants' proposed construction places too much emphasis on rock identification, which is not the field of the '840 Patent's invention, and not enough emphasis on the recovery of subterranean deposits, which is the goal of the invention. (Id. at 3.)
Plaintiff cites further
The dispute here distills to the definition of "zone": the parties agree what "shale" means. So the real dispute here is whether and how a shale "zone" is "distinct." The Court agrees with Defendants' that "zone" implies distinguishable boundaries. In the context of the '840 Patent, those boundaries are the regions that are adjacent to and distinguishable from the zone. But the Court agrees with Plaintiff that Defendants' proposed construction is ambiguous as to how the zone is distinguishable from the adjacent regions. Further, the Court is not persuaded that "zone" and "layer" are used synonymously in the '840 Patent. In light of the intrinsic and extrinsic evidence of record and as explained below, the Court determines that a "shale zone" of the '840 Patent is a depth interval distinguishable from other depth intervals based on the predominant rock-type (shale) of the targeted formation layers.
The '840 Patent uses "zone" to identify the specific region of the sub-surface ground targeted by the bore. Most commonly, "zone" refers to the region from which fluids are extracted. For example, the patent includes the following:
'840 Patent col.12 ll.43-54. But "zone" also is used to refer to regions targeted for purposes other than production of fluids. For example, the patent includes the following:
Id. at col.21 ll.13-27.
"Zone" as used in the '840 Patent is not limited to a unitary layer of a particular rock type. Indeed, the patent provides examples of multi-layer, multi-rock zones. For example, with reference to Figure 38 (reproduced and annotated below), the patent describes:
Id. at col.59 l.61-col.60 l.20 (emphasis added). In these examples, the "zone" is the aggregate of producing layers (37402) over a distinct depth interval, even with intervening layers. It has an upper layer (37402a) defining the upper boundary (37310) and a lower layer (37402c) defining the lower boundary (37312). See id. at col.57 l.66-col.58 l.2, col.59 l.61-col.60 l.20. A similar multi-layer zone is described with reference to Figure 43. Id. at col.67 ll.13-49 & fig.43 ("multi-level drainage pattern 42600 may provide uniform access to ...
In prosecution of the application for the '840 Patent, the applicant distinguished a reference that disclosed a bore that penetrated a "shale formation" on the grounds that the reference described going through the shale to reach the targeted, non-shale, formation—i.e., that the shale was not the "zone." (File Wrapper, May 16, 2014 Response at 11-12 (Defendants' Ex. 6, Dkt. No. 46-7 at 13-14).) The applicant stated:
(Id. (emphasis added).) The applicant clearly described the "shale zone" of the '840 Patent according to the ability of shale to produce fluids. This comports with the use of "zone" in the '840 Patent itself. Production from a shale zone requires production from the shale layers—i.e., the fluid extracted from the zone must comprise fluid extracted from the shale layers.
The Court's understanding of the "shale zone" as used in the '840 Patent comports with the extrinsic evidence of record. The extrinsic evidence suggests that a "zone," as used to denote a subterranean geological feature, is a particular range of depths that is distinguishable from adjacent regions based on its constituents. (See, e.g., Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 1377 (10th ed. 1997) (defining "zone" as "a distinctive belt, layer, or series of layers of earth materials (as rock)" and "a region or area set off as distinct from surrounding or adjoining parts") (Defendants' Ex. 4, Dkt. No. 46-5 at 4); The Oxford Modern English Dictionary 1211 (2d ed. 1996) (defining "zone" as "a range between specified limits of depth, height, etc., esp. a section of strata distinguished by characteristic fossils") (Defendants' Ex. 3, Dkt. No. 46-4 at 4); The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 2078 (3d ed.1996) (defining "zone" as "[a] region or stratum distinguished by composition or content") (Defendants' Ex 2, Dkt. No. 46-3).) And the extrinsic evidence suggests that a zone is defined by its most common constituent, whether or not that constituent comprises a majority of the rock. (See A.D. Wilkins, Terminology and the Classification of Fine Grained Sedimentary Rocks Figure 4 (Plaintiff's Ex. 7, Dkt. No. 44-9 at 6).) Thus, a "shale zone" is a particular depth interval that is comprised primarily of shale rock.
Accordingly, the Court construes the "Zone" Terms as follows:
Plaintiff submits that this term consists of plain words that have not been redefined by the patentee and thus the term should be given its full ordinary meaning. (Dkt. No. 44 at 17.) Plaintiff further submits that the term does not render Claim 1 indefinite because one of skill in the art would understand that in the context of the patent, well bores extend in "different directions from each other" if the bores are of sufficiently different directions that they drain different areas of the formation. (Id. at 18-19 (citing '840 Patent col.38 ll.44-47 & fig.19; Enick Decl.).) Plaintiff argues that to the extent Defendants present the Declaration of Wayman T. Gore ("Gore Decl.," Plaintiff's Ex. 11, Dkt. No. 44-13) as evidence of indefiniteness, such declaration should be discounted as "unsupported, conclusory, and unreliable" at least in part because Mr. Gore's opinion is premised on his belief that the term at issue is not a term of art in the industry and the definiteness of a term does not necessarily hinge on whether the term has special meaning in the art. (Id. at 17.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Plaintiff cites the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support its position.
Defendants respond that one of skill in the art cannot determine whether bores "extend in ... different directions" with reasonable certainty and that therefore the term, and the claims within which it is found, are indefinite. (Dkt. No. 46 at 23, 29.) Defendants argue that although exemplary embodiments in the patent show well bores extending in different directions, identification of examples of what meets a claim limitation is not enough to render a claim definite as such examples do not provide sufficient guidance as to what is outside the limitation. (Id. at 25.) According to Defendants, "different" is a word of degree and, as such, the patent must provide a standard for measuring that degree, and the patent fails to provide such a standard. (Id. at 25-27.) Defendants argue that under the plain meaning of the term "different directions" all well bores necessarily extend in different directions because of the technical limitations of drilling and, therefore, under its plain meaning, the term is improperly read out of the claim altogether. (Id. at 26.) Further, Defendants argue, the patent itself describes embodiments of well bores that are "substantially parallel," meaning not "exactly" parallel, and therefore extend in "different directions" even though one of ordinary skill in the art would not understand them to be in "different directions" in any meaningful way. (Id. at 28.) With respect to whether "different" means "different enough to achieve the desired drainage of the target subterranean zone," Defendants respond that "different enough" just adds a layer of subjectivity to the claim term and the patent provides no guidance as to what is "different enough." (Id. at 28-29.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Defendants cite the following
Plaintiff replies that Defendants have offered only attorney argument, and no evidence, to support their position that the term renders claims indefinite and that attorney argument alone does not meet the clear-and-convincing burden that Defendants must meet. (Dkt. No. 51 at 4.)
The dispute here is whether the term "different directions" apprises one of ordinary skill in the art of the scope of the claims with reasonable certainty. The Court determines that Defendants have failed to establish with clear and convincing evidence that the term renders any claim indefinite as the patent provides sufficient guidance as to what constitutes a "different direction."
At the onset, the Court rejects Defendants' contention that the claims all include a central well bore as depicted in Figure 79. At oral argument, Defendants contended that the claimed drainage bores "all come off a single centralized bore." Defendants recognized that the claims do not expressly include such a limitation and instead argued that such a limitation should be imported from the exemplary embodiments, stating: "And throughout the patent not only in figures 19 and 79 but in, I believe, every single embodiment, you have the horizontal drainage bores. We have multiple horizontal drainage bores branching off of a single well bore that comes down from the surface."
The Court disagrees that every embodiment has "multiple horizontal drainage bores branching off a single well bore that comes down from the surface." The '840 Patent includes embodiments that contradict such a contention. For example, the embodiment of Figure 24F shows multiple articulated bores each coming from a different entry bore. '840 Patent col.44 ll.42-61 & fig.24F. In the similar example of Figure 24G, the patent notes that multiple articulated bores "
As Defendants recognize, the patent states that the technical limitations of bore drilling inevitably result in a drilled bore that deviates from the intended direction. (Dkt. No. 46 at 26 (citing '840 Patent col.53 ll.2-10).) The Court agrees with Defendants that because of this technical limitation, it is very unlikely that any two wells would be in exactly the same direction and therefore that, coincidence aside, every bore is directed in a different direction from every other bore if measured with an expectation of absolute precision and accuracy. But Defendants' argument fails because the measure of "different" in the industry is not so exacting as Defendants posit. The patent states,
'840 Patent col.52 l.67-col.53 l.10 (emphasis added). Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand two wells to be in the same direction if they are in the same direction within the normal inaccuracies of drilling. Further, determining direction inherently requires measurement of some type, so one of ordinary skill in the art would take into account the precision of the measurement. See, e.g., id. at col.29 ll.35-40 (describing using a "measurement while drilling (MWD) device" to control "orientation and direction" of the drilled bore). Without more, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand bores to extend in "different directions" if they extend in different directions within the technical limitations of drilling; i.e., different within a margin of error and precision that one of ordinary skill in the art of directional well drilling would know. At oral argument, Plaintiff clarified that it does not contend that parallel bores are in "different directions," but stated that what constitutes "different directions" cannot be determined based on a "simple angular measurement."
It is important to consider that the claimed bores that extend in different directions are "drainage bores," and that the '840 Patent provides guidance as to what constitutes "different directions" for drainage bores. The definiteness of a claim is determined in light of the entire specification, not in a vacuum. Nautilus Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc., 134 S.Ct. 2120, 2128 (2014) ("[I]n assessing definiteness, claims are to be read in light of the patent's specification and prosecution history"); see also, Ultimax Cement Mfg. Corp. v. CTS Cement Mfg. Corp., 587 F.3d 1339, 1353 (Fed. Cir. 2009) ("Claim definiteness is analyzed not in a vacuum, but always in light of the teachings of the prior art and of the particular application disclosure as it would be interpreted by one possessing the ordinary level of skill in the pertinent art." (quotation marks omitted)); Biosig Instruments, Inc. v. Nautilus, Inc., 783 F.3d 1374, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2015) ("When a word of degree is used, the court must determine whether the patent provides some standard for measuring that degree." (quotation marks omitted)). And the intrinsic record supports Plaintiff's position that the drainage bores are directed differently to drain different areas of the zone—they are directed to different drainage regions. (Dkt. No. 44 at 18-19.)
The '840 Patent provides a standard for "different directions" of drainage bores that goes beyond just the technical uncertainty of directional drilling of bores—the direction of a drainage bore is based on the drainage characteristics of the zone. Claim 1, the claim that includes the "different directions" limitation, recites: "a first substantially horizontal
"Drainage bores" are described in the '840 Patent as directed "to provide substantially uniform coverage of a desired area within the [zone]." '840 Patent col.14 ll.48-53. The patent explains that the spacing and orientation of the drainage bores depend on "the characteristics of a particular subterranean resource." See, e.g., '840 Patent col.45 ll.28-40. In one example, the patent provides exemplary drainage bore patterns for a zone comprising a "tight coal seam having a medium to low permeability." '840 Patent col.12 ll.42-47, col.14 l.44-col.15 l.17. The exemplary drainage bores for such a zone have "disparate orientations" so as to intersect a desired percentage of fractures in zone. Id. at col.14 l.44-col.15 l.17. "The percentage of the bores having disparate orientations is significant when twenty-five to seventy-five percent of the bores have an orientation at least twenty degrees offset from other bores of the pattern." Id. at col.15 ll.5-9. More generally, the patent explains the drainage pattern is a function of the drainage characteristics of the zone:
'840 Patent col.46 ll.19-28; see also, id. at col.3 l.67-col.4 l.3 (noting the problem of plugging the "pores, cracks, and fractures that are needed to produce the gas"). The patent further explains:
Id. at col.96 ll.26-50; see also, id. at col.96 l.60-col.97 l.5 (describing fractures as increasing permeability). Thus, the relative directions of the "drainage bores" depend on the targeted drainage area and drainage characteristics (e.g., permeability) of the zone.
The extrinsic evidence submitted in support of argument on this point, the declaration of Plaintiff's expert Dr. Enick, comports with the intrinsic evidence as set forth above. He understood that the '840 Patent described "`drainage patterns' that can be employed to provide `generally uniform access to a relative large subterranean zone'" and therefore drainage bores extend in "different directions" if they drain different areas. (Enick Decl. ¶ 18 (quoting '840 Patent col.38 ll.38-59 & fig.19) (Plaintiff's Ex. 6, Dkt. 44-8 at 9-10).)
Given that the intrinsic evidence suggests that "drainage bores" "extend in different directions" in a zone to effect drainage of different regions within the drainage area, and the unrebutted declaration of Dr. Enick supports this understanding, Defendants have failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that any claim is invalid as indefinite because of the "different directions" term. Accordingly, the Court construes the "different directions" term as follows:
Plaintiff submits that under the intrinsic and extrinsic evidence "drilling pad" refers to a geographic location, and does not include any temporal limitation that would result in a location being a "drilling pad" only when drilling operations are being conducted. (Dkt. No. 44 at 21-22.) Plaintiff argues that to the extent Defendants present the Declaration of Wayman T. Gore ("Gore Decl.," Plaintiff's Ex. 11, Dkt. No. 44-13) as evidence of the meaning of "drilling pad," such declaration should be discounted as "unsupported, conclusory, and unreliable." (Id.) Plaintiff further argues that the plain reading of the claim language itself dictates that there is no temporal aspect to the meaning of "drilling pad" since the claims use the limitation to orient things spatially, not temporally, and because the claims require that the wells be productive and it is nonsensical to require simultaneous drilling and production. (Id. at 21-22.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Plaintiff cites the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support its position.
Defendants respond that the patentee specially defined "drilling pad" as the "same location where drilling operations are being conducted." (Dkt. No. 46 at 7.) Defendants further respond that the special definition of "drilling pad" comports with the ordinary meaning of the term in the oil-and-gas industry. (Id. at 8.) And Defendants argue that "drilling pad" is consistently used in the patent to describe a location where drilling operations are ongoing. (Id. at 8-10). With respect to contemporaneous drilling and production, Defendants argue that the claimed production may occur while drilling equipment is located at the surface, that the "production" requirement of the claims requires production of a fluid and is not limited to production of oil or gas, and that the patent itself describes producing water and drilling mud during the drilling operation. (Id. at 10-11.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Defendants cite the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support their position.
Plaintiff replies to reiterate that the '840 Patent does not set forth a special definition of "drilling pad" that includes a temporal aspect. (Dkt. No. 51 at 6-7.)
Plaintiff cites further
The parties agree that the "drilling pad" is a specific location on the surface from which drilling operations proceed. The dispute is whether the specific location ceases to be a "drilling pad" once drilling operations are complete. The Court is not persuaded by Defendants' argument to read in an "only during drilling operations" temporal limitation.
The statement in the '840 Patent that Defendants contend is an express, temporal, definition of "drilling pad" is better understood in context as a discussion of the process to create the system depicted in Figure 23A—it does not expressly define "drilling pad" as existing only at a particular time:
'840 Patent col.41 ll.7-39. The process of forming the slant well system of Figure 23A is described with reference to the flow chart of Figure 23B, reproduced here and annotated by the Court. The first step in the process is to form the entry well bore: "DRILL SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL WELL BORE." Id. at col.41 ll.57-58 ("The method begins at step 23100 wherein an entry well bore is formed.") The process continues through several drilling steps and once the drainage pattern corresponding to the entry bore has been drilled, determines whether another entry bore needs to be drilled:
Id. at col.41 l.63-col.42 l.34. If additional entry bores are required, then the process returns to the first step, and the additional entry bore is formed—and located—as described above with respect to Figure 23A. Id. at col.42 ll.26-34. If no additional entry bores are required, drilling is complete, and the production equipment is installed and production begins. Id. at col.42 ll.35-39. These passages taken together show that the "drilling pad" is not about the timing of the drilling operation, it is about the location of the entry bores, where they are formed and where they continue to be located after the drilling operation is complete. And they are located on the same drilling pad if they are
That a "drilling pad" is a location and not a point in time is further supported by the use of the term elsewhere in the patent. For example, a drilling pad (24092) is shown in Figure 24F to denote the location of entry bores—and the figure depicts the
The extrinsic evidence does not support the narrow definition that Defendants' advocate. For example, the Handbook of Oil Industry Terms & Phrases defines "drilling pad" as: "The area on which the drilling rig and associated equipment sits while a well is being drilled. It is usually bulldozed, cleared and leveled in preparation for the rig and the drilling and completion operations." (R.D. Langenkamp, Handbook of Oil Industry Terms & Phrases 362 (6th ed. 2014) (Defendants' Ex. 9, Dkt. No. 46-10 at 4).) There is no clear temporal limitation in this definition. The pad is a location suitable for a specific use, it exists before that use (in "preparation"), and there is no indication that is ceases to exists once it has been used. And according to this definition, a "drilling pad" is not limited to drilling operations, it includes at least completion operations. Further, the U.S. Energy Information Administration broadly defines "drilling pad" as "a location which houses the wellheads for a number of horizontally drilled wells." (Today in Energy, Pad Drilling and Rig Mobility Lead to More Efficient Drilling (Sept. 11, 2012) (Plaintiff's Ex. 1, Dkt. No. 44-3 at 2), available at http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=7910.) Thus, it is the wellheads, not the drilling equipment, that define the drilling pad location.
Defendants make two unsupported contentions that the Court rejects. First, Defendants contend that "it is common practice to abbreviate longer terms in specifications," such that "drilling pad" at one point means that drilling operations are ongoing and at other points means "drilling and production pad" or "surface pad" and presumably does not carry the ongoing-drilling-operation meaning. If "drilling pad" is specially defined in the patent, it carries that meaning throughout the patent else there is not the requisite "clear" definition. See Abbott Labs. v. Syntron Bioresearch, Inc., 334 F.3d 1343, 1355 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ("Because the specification provides two alternative definitions for the term at issue, the specification does not define the claim term."). The better understanding of the multiple uses of "drilling pad" is that it is not specially defined as Defendants posit, but that it refers to a single location at the surface where various operations (e.g., drilling, completions, production) are performed because the wellheads are located there. Second, Defendants contend that a drilling pad is significantly different than a production pad because of the nature of the equipment, but offers no evidence by which the Court can determine the accuracy of this statement. And the contention runs contrary to the intrinsic and extrinsic evidence, which suggests that a drilling pad is used for more than just drilling operations.
Finally, the Court rejects Defendants' arguments that the '840 Patent's examples of drilling-mud-circulation satisfy the "production" limitations of the claims such that drilling and production may be contemporaneous. (Dkt. No. 46 at 10-11.) Defendants citation of Figure 5 and accompanying text to support its contention is unavailing. Figure 5 depicts a drilling system used to prevent damage to the zone by managing the pressure exerted by the drilling mud on the zone. See '840 Patent col.22 l.22-col.23 l.7 ("This [circulation system] eliminates the friction of air and fluid returning up the articulated well bore 30 and reduces down hole pressure to nearly zero. Accordingly, coal seams and other subterranean zones having ultra low pressures below 150 psi can be accessed from the surface.") The use of drilling mud in drilling the wells of Figure 5 works in the same manner as that described with reference to Figure 1. Id. at col.22 ll.63-64. The mud system described with reference to Figure 1 is described as follows:
Id. at col.15 ll.29-37. The system of Figure 5 addresses the over-balanced problem by using a pump "to pump drilling fluid and cuttings to the surface." Id. at col.22 l.66-col.23 l.1. Using a downhole pump to circulate drilling mud pumped down the drill string from the surface is not producing "a fluid extracted from the subterranean zone" (Claim 1) or "a fluid originating from the shale subterranean zone" (Claim 18). As set forth above in the discussion of the "shale zone" terms, the fluid extracted from the shale zone must comprise fluid extracted from the shale layers. And as set forth above in the discussion of Figures 23A and 23B, producing zone-originating fluids, be they water, oil, or gas, comes after drilling. Compare Figure 1, "illustrating formation of a well bore pattern," id. at col.6 ll.66-67, with Figure 3, "illustrating production of fluids from a well bore pattern," id. at col.7 ll.7-8. Thus, the '840 Patent's claims' reference to production further supports that "drilling pad" exists beyond the drilling operation.
Accordingly, the Court rejects Defendants' proposed temporal limitation and construes "drilling pad" as follows:
Because the parties' arguments and proposed constructions with respect to these terms are related, the Court addresses the terms together.
Plaintiff submits that its proposed constructions are the constructions adopted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania for patents related to the '840 Patent in Effective Exploration, LLC v. Pennsylvania Land Holdings Company LLC et al., No. 14-cv-00845 (June 16, 2015) (adopting the Special Master's Report and Recommendation on Claim Construction). (Dkt. No. 44 at 8-9, 22, 26.) Plaintiff argues that in all material respects the intrinsic record for the '840 Patent is the same as for the patents construed in Pennsylvania Land Holdings Company ("PLHC") and that the terms should here be construed as they were in PLHC. (Id. at 23, 26.) Plaintiff argues that the '840 Patent uses "vertical" and "horizontal" to describe a direction relative to the plane of target zone, with "vertical" being perpendicular to the zone and "horizontal" being in-line with the zone. (Id. at 23-24, 26.) Plaintiff argues that the '840 Patent uses "substantially" to capture the full scope of the invention's intended functionality and thus a "vertical" bore may include a "suitable slope" and a "horizontal" bore may "undulate." (Id. at 23-24.) Plaintiff further submits that Defendants' proposed constructions are improperly narrowing, and that the applicant's prosecution-history statements are not disclaimers that justify Defendants' proposals. (Id. at 24-27.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Plaintiff cites the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support its position.
Defendants respond that "vertical" and "horizontal" are everyday well-understood words and that "substantially" recognizes that well bores are not drilled with mathematical precision. (Dkt. No. 46 at 12.) Defendants argue that Plaintiff's proposed constructions, defining "vertical" and "horizontal" with respect to the plane of the target zone, complicates the infringement analysis, are technically impractical, and are logically absurd. (Id.) Defendants argue that "vertical" and "horizontal" bores are distinguished in the '840 Patent from bores of other angles (e.g., slanted, inclined, declined) and from those that are not straight (e.g., radiused, curved, undulated). (Id. at 14-19.) Defendants further argue that the applicant disavowed certain bore angles in the course of prosecution, and that in doing so it referred to absolute angles, not angles relative to the target zone. (Id. at 19-22.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Defendants cite the following
Plaintiff replies that well bores are typically drilled to provide the shortest distance from the target zone to the surface and that this necessarily means the bore is drilled perpendicular to the target zone, as determined in PLHC. (Dkt. No. 51 at 7.) Plaintiff further replies that while the '840 Patent distinguishes a "horizontal" bore from an "undulating" bore, it is distinguishing a bore that follows the contours of the target zone (the "horizontal" bore) from a bore that is undulated within and relative to a target zone or to span multiple zones (the "undulating" bore). (Id. at 8.) And Plaintiff further replies that prosecution statements that Defendants posit as a disclaimer distinguishes the prior art not on bore angle, but on the number of horizontal bores, and thus does not limit the bore angles as Defendants propose. (Id. at 9-10.)
Plaintiff cites further intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support its position:
There are three disputes with respect to these terms: (1) what direction is "vertical" and what does it mean to be "substantially" oriented in that direction; (2) what direction is "horizontal" and what does it mean to be "substantially" oriented in that direction; and (3) whether horizontal and vertical bores are precluded from also being certain other types of bores.
(Special Master's Report and Recommendation on Claim Construction at 133, Effective Exploration, LLC v. Pennsylvania Land Holdings Company LLC et al., No. 14-cv-00845 (W.D. Penn. May 8, 2015) ("PLHC R&R") (Plaintiff's Ex. 2, Dkt. No. 44-4 at 142) (emphasis added).) And the defendant in PLHC did not disagree that "substantially horizontal" meant "aligned with the target zone," so the PLHC court did not address the argument presented here. (Id. at 136, Dkt. No. 44-4 at 145.) Further, applicant statements made in prosecuting the application for the '840 Patent regarding "horizontal" and "vertical" bores were not before the PLHC court, so the intrinsic record here is different than that considered in PLHC.
That said, the specification suggests that a "horizontal" bore is one that aligns with, and follows the contours of, the target zone. For example, with reference to Figure 1, the '840 Patent describes:
'840 Patent col.13 ll.49-50 & fig.1. Similarly, with reference to Figure 1, the patent describes,
Thus, a bore is still horizontal if it aligns with the zone, even if the bore makes an angle with the horizon other than 90 degrees to follow the zone's variance. But that doesn't mean that this holds true regardless of the zone. Taken to the logical extreme, a bore that follows a zone with an extreme dip, say 90 degrees, would still be "horizontal" even though the bore extends in a downward or upward direction (traditionally "vertical").
The prosecution history suggests that "horizontal" and "vertical" have the same meaning in the patent and in the field as they do in everyday parlance—i.e., they are defined with respect to the horizon (or, equivalently, with respect to gravity). In distinguishing a prior-art reference, U.S. Patent No. 4,773,488 ("Bell"), the applicant characterized Bell as not including horizontal or vertical bores, even though the reference disclosed bores deviated between 30 and 87.5 degrees from true vertical. ('840 Patent File Wrapper, May 16, 2014 Response at 10 (Defendants' Ex. 6, Dkt. No. 46-7 at 12).) Bell, in the background section, describes vertical and horizontal bores as follows:
(Bell col.1 ll.6-30 (Plaintiff's Reply Ex. 1, Dkt. No. 51-2 at 5) (emphasis added).) Thus, "vertical" and "horizontal" are used in Bell in their traditional sense, and are not defined relative to the zone. And the applicant, in its prosecution-history statements, accepted Bell's reference point for "vertical" and "horizontal." For example, the applicant stated:
('840 Patent File Wrapper, May 16, 2014 Response at 10 (Defendants' Ex. 6, Dkt. No. 46-7 at 12) (emphasis in original).) Similarly, the applicant stated:
('840 Patent File Wrapper, April 2, 2014 Response at 7-9 (Defendants' Ex. 6, Dkt. No. 46-13 at 8-10) (emphasis in original).) This prosecution history does not rise to the level of disclaimer— and the Court rejects that that angles mentioned in Bell's abstract limit the claims of the '840 Patent. Rather, the prosecution history demonstrates that the '840 Patent's applicant understood "horizontal" and "vertical" bores to be oriented as Bell described, i.e., with reference to the horizon.
But both Bell and the '840 Patent allow that a horizontal bore is one that stays in the formation, and the '840 Patent expressly states that a horizontal bore "may include sloped, undulating, or other inclinations of the ... subterranean zone." '840 Patent col.14 ll.44-52. Given the intrinsic evidence, the Court determines that a bore is substantially horizontal if it substantially aligns with the zone, and the zone itself is substantially parallel to the horizon. The Court declines to adopt Defendants' negative limitations.
As set forth above, the prosecution history indicates that the applicant understood "vertical" and "horizontal" in the traditional sense—as unrelated to the zone. Examination of the '840 Patent further suggests that the traditional meaning of "vertical" is the better interpretation. One issue is that the dual-zone embodiment creates uncertainty under Plaintiff's construction. In
Figure 20, for example, is the vertical bore vertical with respect to the upper zone or the lower? What if one zone dips substantially more than the other?
Another issue is that in some examples, the angle of the vertical bore is expressly stated as making an angle relative to the surface, contrary to Plaintiff's proposed construction. For example, with reference to Figure 6A, the patent states:
'840 Patent col.23 ll.31-37.
With respect to whether the vertical bore can be inclined or curved in any way, that is addressed in the patent: The '840 Patent states that the vertical bore is meant to work well with sucker-rod pumps and thus should not be articulated or curved and should not be deviated more than thirty-five degrees:
Horizontal drilling patterns have been tried in order to extend the amount of coal seams exposed to a drill bore for gas extraction. Such horizontal drilling techniques, however, require the use of a radiused well bore which presents difficulties in removing the entrained water from the coal seam. The most efficient method for pumping water from a subterranean well, a sucker rod pump, does not work well in horizontal or radiused bores.
'840 Patent col.3 ll.51-58.
'840 Patent col.12 l.60-col.13 l.3 (emphasis added). Given the intrinsic evidence, the Court determines that a bore is substantially vertical if it is straight (within the parameters of sucker-rod pumps) and substantially vertical. The Court declines to otherwise adopt Defendants' negative limitations.
Accordingly, the Court construes "substantially vertical" and "substantially horizontal" as follows:
Plaintiff submits that the construction it proposes for "coupled" is the same construction of "coupled" in related patents that was agreed to by the parties in PLHC and was adopted by the court in CNX Gas Corp. et al. v. CDX Gas, LLC, No. 05-cv-1574 (W.D. Penn. Oct. 13, 2006) (adopting the Special Master's Report and Recommendation). (Dkt. No. 44 at 8-9, 27.) Plaintiff submits that there is nothing in the claim language to suggest Defendants' proposed "separate and distinct" limitation and argues that: (1) Claim 5's "drainage bore" that is coupled to a "cavity" may itself include the cavity; and (2) Claim 18's "wellbore" that is coupled to a "drainage bore" is separately claimed as including a vertical portion from which the drainage bore extends, thus the addition of the "separate and distinct" limitation would needlessly complicate the case and render claim language superfluous. (Id. at 27-28.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Plaintiff cites the following
Defendants respond that "coupled" is used consistently in the claims and the description to denote the connection of two separate things. (Dkt. No. 46 at 22-23.) Defendants argue that the '840 Patent always describes "coupled" wellbores as separately drilled bores joined underground and never as two portions of a continuously drilled articulated bore. (Id. at 23.) Defendants further respond that the cavity and bore are two separate things, i.e., that the cavity is not simply a portion of the bore, and that this was the holding in PLHC. (Id. at 23.)
In addition to the claims themselves, Defendants cite the following intrinsic and extrinsic evidence to support their position.
Plaintiff replies that the plain meaning of "coupled," as used in the '840 Patent, encompasses the joining of portions of wellbores. (Dkt. No. 51 at 11.)
The dispute here is whether the items that are coupled according to the claims are "separate and distinct" as advocated by Defendants and, more specifically, "whether a single continuous wellbore could be coupled to itself." The Court finds Defendants' argument unsupported by the intrinsic record and their proposed construction potentially confusing. Therefore, the Court rejects Defendants' argument and proposed construction.
The term "couple" is used in the '840 Patent in the exact way that the Defendants are trying to read out of the claims—describing the transitional connection between two portions of a bore. Specifically, in describing an undulating bore—a "single continuous wellbore"—the '840 Patent notes with reference to Figure 33 (reproduced and annotated below) that sections of the bore are coupled one to the other:
'840 Patent col.51 l.36-col.52 l.5 (emphasis added). Thus, one portion of the undulating bore, the bending portion, is described as "coupled" to another portion of the undulating bore, the inclining portion. According to the patent, portions of a thing, such as a borehole, can be coupled to each other. As Defendants intend the "separate and distinct" language to exclude such coupling, the language is properly rejected. MBO Labs., Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co., 474 F.3d 1323, 1333 (Fed. Cir. 2007) ("A claim interpretation that excludes a preferred embodiment from the scope of the claim is rarely, if ever, correct." (quotation marks omitted)).
Accordingly, the Court rejects Defendants "separate and distinct" construction and construes "coupled" as follows:
The Court adopts the above constructions set forth in this opinion for the disputed terms of the '840 Patent. The parties are ordered that they may not refer, directly or indirectly, to each other's claim construction positions in the presence of the jury. Likewise, the parties are ordered to refrain from mentioning any portion of this opinion, other than the actual definitions adopted by the Court, in the presence of the jury. Any reference to claim construction proceedings is limited to informing the jury of the definitions adopted by the Court.