PTAB challenges

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method review) currently on file or identified through web search for US Patent 9305450B2. This indicates that the patent has not been challenged in an AIA trial proceeding at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

Strategic summary

As there are no PTAB proceedings on file for US9305450B2, all claims (1-18) remain untested by AIA trial processes. This means that a defendant facing assertion of this patent today does not have the benefit of any claims having been canceled or narrowed by the PTAB.

The absence of PTAB activity also means there is no estoppel landscape established under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2). Therefore, a defendant is not barred from raising any prior-art grounds (e.g., under § 102 or § 103) that they might present in a new PTAB petition or district court litigation.

The lack of PTAB challenges for this patent, despite existing litigation in district courts (as noted in the "Litigation summary" section), could suggest various things:

• The patent owner, Ricmic LLC, has successfully defended against PTAB challenges if any were privately filed and not surfaced, or no challengers have yet sought IPR.
• Potential petitioners may have analyzed the claims and prior art and decided against filing a petition, perhaps due to the perceived strength of the patent or the current trends in PTAB institution rates.
• Alternatively, the litigation might be relatively recent, and potential PTAB challenges are still being evaluated or prepared.

Recommended next steps

• If you are a defendant facing assertion: Given the absence of PTAB activity, an AIA trial proceeding (such as an IPR) could be a viable defensive strategy to challenge the patentability of the asserted claims. A thorough prior art search would be a critical first step to identify strong grounds for a petition.
• Consider recent PTAB trends: Note that PTAB petition filings have recently decreased, and institution rates against Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs) have been low (24.6% in Q1 2026), compared to operating companies (40.5%). Ex parte reexamination requests have, conversely, surged. These trends should be factored into any decision regarding a PTAB challenge.
• Absence is a signal: The fact that no PTAB activity exists for US9305450B2 can be a signal. While some patents successfully withstand challenges, others are simply not challenged for various strategic reasons or because they have not been asserted broadly enough to attract such challenges.