US 9991030

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 9991030:

US Patent 9991030: High Performance Data Communications Cable

• Title: High performance data communications cable
• Assignee: Belden Inc.
• Inventors: Andrew John Wehrli, William Thomas Clark, Galen Mark Gareis, Douglas David Brenneke
• Filing Date: May 31, 2017
• Issue Date: June 5, 2018
• Abstract: The patent describes two methods for applying electromagnetic interference (EMI) controlling tape to unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables: Fixed Tape Control (FTC) and Oscillating Tape Control (OTC). In FTC, the tape's application angle and edge placement are precisely controlled to keep the tape edges over a nonconductive filler base within the cable. In OTC, the tape's application angle is continuously varied, causing the tape edges to cross over all conductor pairs with varying periodicity. Both methods utilize a filler to maintain a cylindrical cable shape.

Legal Status and Litigation:
The patent is currently active, with an anticipated expiration date of October 21, 2034.

There are ongoing litigation proceedings related to US9991030:

• A PTAB case, IPR2023-01056, was filed on June 13, 2023, by CommScope Technologies LLC, CommScope, Inc. of North Carolina, CommScope, Inc., and CommScope Holding Company, Inc. against Belden, Inc.. The case is listed as having a "Final Written Decision".
• A US case was filed in the Delaware District Court (case 1:22-cv-00783).
• A US case was filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC case 25-1428).
• The first worldwide family litigation was also filed.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a cable that includes a first and second twisted pair of insulated conductors, separated by a filler. A multi-layer conductive barrier tape, made of a continuous conductive material sandwiched between two layers of dielectric material, surrounds these components. The conductive material extends all the way to the lateral edges of the dielectric layers.

• Claim 18: This claim outlines a method for manufacturing a cable. It involves providing first and second twisted pairs of insulated conductors, placing a filler between them, and then wrapping all of these elements with a conductive barrier tape. Similar to Claim 1, this barrier tape consists of a conductive material between two dielectric layers, and the conductive material extends to the lateral edges of the dielectric layers.