Toyota Kills Claims in GE Propulsion System Patent

Toyota Motor Corp. won a Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenge over a General Electric Co. invention, invalidating part of a GE vehicle propulsion system patent.

The Patent and Trademark Office tribunal said claims in GE’s U.S. Patent No. 7,723,932 were obvious and anticipated in light of previous inventions, in a decision entered Monday.

The board’s findings come as part of a battle between the companies that has played out at the tribunal. Toyota launched a group of attacks against GE patents in October 2018, most of which didn’t result in validity trials, according to an agency database.

Toyota’s victory ...