USPTO Examiner Maintains Position on Sidense's '855 Patent - Upholding Its Validity Over the Kilopass Peng Patents

Update: Synopsys Expands DesignWare IP Portfolio with Acquisition of Sidense Corporation (Oct. 17, 2017)

USPTO Examiner rejects Kilopass’ arguments on Appeal

Ottawa, Canada - (Sept. 2, 2011) - Sidense Corp., a leading developer of Logic Non-Volatile Memory (LNVM) one-time programmable (OTP) memory IP cores, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Examiner has reasserted his position that all eleven claims in Sidense’s U.S. Patent No. 7,402,855 (‘855) patent are valid over the Kilopass Peng patents, once again rejecting Kilopass’ arguments to the contrary. All ‘855 patent claims remain "confirmed." A copy of the Examiner’s Answer is available on Sidense’s website.

In May of 2010, based on its own Peng patents (the same patents which Kilopass says Sidense is infringing), Kilopass asked the USPTO to invalidate Sidense’s ‘855 patent. The ‘855 patent covers Sidense’s one-transistor one-time programmable (1T-OTP) bit cell – the allegedly infringing product. In January of 2011, after considering Kilopass’ arguments, the USPTO Examiner affirmed validity of the original four claims of the ‘855 patent and granted seven additional claims, bringing the affirmed number of claims on ‘855 up to eleven. Kilopass appealed this decision, making further arguments.

Now, in August of 2011, after considering Kilopass’ further arguments on appeal, the USPTO Examiner has rejected those further arguments, and re-affirmed Sidense’s position.

About Sidense Corp.

Sidense Corp. provides secure, very dense and reliable non-volatile, one-time programmable (OTP) memory IP for use in standard-logic CMOS processes with no additional masks or process steps required and no impact on product yield. The Company’s innovative one-transistor 1T-Fuse™ architecture provides the industry’s smallest footprint, most reliable and lowest power Logic Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) IP solution. With over 70 patents granted or pending, Sidense OTP provides a field-programmable alternative solution to Flash, mask ROM and eFuse in many OTP and MTP applications.

Sidense SiPROM, SLP and ULP memory products, embedded in over 160 customer designs, are available from 180nm down to 40nm and are scalable to 28nm and below. The IP is offered at and has been adopted by all top-tier semiconductor foundries and selected IDMs. Customers are using Sidense OTP for analog trimming, code storage, encryption keys such as HDCP, WHDI, RFID and Chip ID, medical, automotive, and configurable processors and logic. For more information, please visit www.sidense.com.