Intel Corp. v. ALTIMA COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Markman Patent Claim Construction Order

On March 24, 25 and 26, 2003, a hearing was held under Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 517 U.S. 370 , 116 S.Ct. 1384 , 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996), during which expert witness testimony was admitted on the repeater management technology involved in United States Patent 5,742,603 (“ ’603 patent”). This order construes the claims of the ’603 patent.

Background and Procedural History

Level One Communications, Inc. (“Level One”) filed suit against Altima Communications, Inc. (“Altima”) for patent infringement of the ’603 patent on December 17, 1999. On May 8, 2000, Altima’s motion under 28 U.S.C. § 1659 was granted which stayed the action because of a proceeding before the United States International Trade Commission (“ITC”). The stay was dissolved on February 12, 2002. On November 27, 2002, a motion was granted substituting Intel Corporation (“Intel”) as plaintiff in place of Level One.

Technology Background

The invention in the ’603 patent “relates in general to [a] repeater management device, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for integrating repeater management, media access control, and bridging support functions into a…