Case: Patents/Obviousness (P.T.A.B.)

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board held that challenged claims of Trina Solar Co. Ltd.'s patent that describes a solar cell as an alternative energy source that generates electric power from solar energy are unpatentable as obvious over prior art, in an inter partes review by Runergy Alabama Inc., Runergy USA Inc., and Canadian Solar (USA) Inc. According to the board, the challenged claims are obvious over various combinations of prior art, including prior art that describes a solar cell that includes a silicon semiconductor substrate, a solar cell including a semiconductor substrate, and a solar cell and method of ...