US 7989944

Here's a concise summary of US patent 7989944:

US Patent 7989944

• Title: Method for embedding a component in a base
• Assignee: The current assignee is Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, As Collateral Agent. The original assignee was Imbera Electronics Oy.
• Inventors: Risto TUOMINEN
• Filing Date: 2007-07-25
• Issue Date: 2011-08-02
• Abstract: The patent describes a method for embedding semiconductor components, or at least some of them, into a base (such as a circuit board) during its manufacturing process. This involves creating through-holes for the components in the base, covering the second surface of the base and these holes with a polymer film, and then placing the semiconductor components into the holes from the first surface. The components are pressed against the polymer film to adhere, and the polymer film is subsequently hardened (or partially hardened before component placement). The method also includes forming a conductive pattern in the base before component placement, and aligning the components relative to these patterns.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Circuit Board): This claim describes a circuit board structure. It includes an insulating material layer with conductive pattern layers on its top and bottom surfaces, where these patterns can define metal plates. A component is embedded within this insulating layer, positioned between the top and bottom metal plates. The component has contact areas on one surface that faces towards the bottom metal plate. An insulating polymer layer, which has been hardened, sits between the component's contact surface and the bottom conductive patterns. Electrical connections are made from the component's contact areas to the bottom conductive patterns through openings and conductors in this hardened polymer layer.
• Claim 15 (Multi-layered Circuit Board): This claim describes a multi-layered circuit board made up of at least two circuit board substructures stacked on top of each other. At least the first (bottom-most) substructure has the same features as described in Claim 1: an insulating material layer, top and bottom conductive patterns (including metal plates), an embedded component with contact areas facing a bottom metal plate, a hardened insulating polymer layer, and conductors in contact openings to connect the component's contact areas to the bottom conductive patterns.
• Claim 32 (Electronic Module): This claim defines an electronic module. It includes an insulating material layer with top and bottom conductive pattern layers, each capable of defining a metal plate. A hole is created in the insulating layer with metal foil covering its sidewalls, and this hole is situated between the top and bottom metal plates. A microcircuit is placed inside this hole, having a surface with contact areas facing towards the bottom metal plate. A filler material is present in the hole between the metal foil and the microcircuit. Similar to the previous claims, there's a hardened insulating polymer layer between the microcircuit's contact surface and the bottom conductive patterns, with contact openings and conductors forming electrical connections.

USPTO and CAFC Docket Search (as of April 26, 2026):

• A search of the USPTO database for patent 7989944 confirms the publication number, filing date, issue date, inventor, and original assignee as stated above. The legal status is "Active," with an adjusted expiration date of 2027-01-14. The assignment records show a recent chain of assignments, ultimately leading to Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, as the current assignee.
• A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for specific litigation related to patent 7989944 did not yield direct results. However, the provided patent information indicates "Family has litigation" with multiple PTAB cases (IPR2025-01244, IPR2025-00578, IPR2023-00323) and US district court cases (Texas Western, Texas Eastern, California Northern) filed in various years, including 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. These are family litigation events, not necessarily direct CAFC 2026 dockets. Therefore, I cannot authoritatively confirm any new CAFC litigation specifically within 2026 based on the provided search capabilities, only previous and ongoing district court and PTAB actions relating to the patent family.