PTAB challenges

Proceedings overview

One AIA trial proceeding is on file for US Patent 11014301. The proceeding, IPR2025-01241, is currently in the "Trial Instituted" status. This means the patent owner is actively defending the patent, and no claims have been invalidated or sustained yet. The ultimate defensive posture will depend on the outcome of this ongoing IPR.

IPR2025-01241 — 3D Systems Corporation et al. v. Intrepid Automation Inc

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-07-08
• Status: Trial Instituted – the PTAB has decided to initiate a review of the challenged claims.
• Judge panel: Not yet publicly available.
• Petition grounds: Not yet publicly available, but will challenge certain claims of US11014301 under § 102 (novelty) and/or § 103 (obviousness) based on prior art.
• Institution decision: Instituted – 2026-05-13. The PTAB determined that there was a reasonable likelihood that at least one of the challenged claims is unpatentable.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not yet issued.
• Settlement / termination: Not settled or terminated.
• Appeal: No appeal has been filed as a Final Written Decision has not been issued.
• Defensive value: This active IPR means that the patentability of claims in US11014301 is currently being challenged. The outcome of this proceeding will significantly impact the strength of the patent. If claims are invalidated, it weakens the patent owner's position; if claims are sustained, it strengthens them.

Strategic summary

As of today, US Patent 11014301 has one active Inter Partes Review, IPR2025-01241, filed by 3D Systems Corporation et al. This IPR was instituted on 2026-05-13, meaning the PTAB found a reasonable likelihood that at least some challenged claims are unpatentable. All claims of the patent are currently UNTESTED in terms of a final PTAB decision. The specific claims challenged and the prior art relied upon by 3D Systems Corporation et al. are not yet publicly detailed in the provided information, but will be crucial for understanding the potential scope of invalidation and subsequent estoppel.

The institution of this IPR indicates that 3D Systems Corporation et al. successfully presented a compelling argument for unpatentability. While no claims have been canceled yet, the patent is certainly not "hardened" and is under active threat. The estoppel provisions of § 315(e)(2) will prevent 3D Systems Corporation et al. (and their privies) from raising any ground they raised or reasonably could have raised in this IPR. For a new defendant, however, any prior art grounds not asserted or instituted in this IPR, and not reasonably available to 3D Systems Corporation et al., would still be available for a future challenge.

Recommended next steps

The IPR2025-01241 proceeding is ongoing. The PTAB has a statutory one-year deadline from the institution date (2026-05-13) to issue a Final Written Decision, meaning a decision is expected by May 13, 2027. We recommend monitoring the PTAB E2E system for updates on IPR2025-01241 to identify the specific claims being challenged, the prior art asserted, and any upcoming trial-stage milestones, such as oral hearings or the Final Written Decision due date. The institution decision can be found on the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board End-to-End system.