US Patent Office Denies General Electric's Requests for Reexamination of TransData's Smart Electric Meter Patents

DALLAS, March 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TransData, Inc., announced today that it received notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("Patent Office") that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has denied three Inter Partes Review ("IPR") requests filed by General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) attempting to challenge the validity of TransData's Smart Electric Meter Patent portfolio.

TransData's Smart Meter Patents (US Patents 6,181,294; 6,462,713 and 6,903,699) relate to the Company's development of the first digital electric meter equipped with an internal "under-glass" wireless communication module and antenna.  This technology is key to enabling the electric meter circuitry within the digital electric meter to communicate wirelessly.  Current licensees include Sensus USA, Sensus Metering, M2M Technologies and Telensa Ltd., among others.

TransData's Smart Meter Patents now have withstood a total of 10 patent reexamination challenges at the Patent Office with all asserted claims remaining fully intact.  TransData's Smart Meter Patents are the subject of litigations currently pending against Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (NYSE:OGE), Oncor Electric Delivery (an Energy Future Holdings Corp. company), CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) and several other electric utilities.

"We are disappointed that General Electric and the other indemnifying meter manufacturers have refused to recognize the validity of our patents and accept liability for patent infringement despite the fact that all of the final determinations issued by Patent Office have been in TransData's favor" said Trace Gleibs, TransData, Inc. President.  "We will continue to stand vigilant in protecting our intellectual property."

General Electric began filing serial patent reexamination requests in early 2014.  Public SEC 10-K filings by Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (NYSE:SSNI) indicate that company and General Electric agreed to indemnify and defend Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (NYSE:OGE) in connection with the TransData patent infringement lawsuit. 

Attorneys Robert Sterne, Don Banowit and Graham Phero from Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox and attorneys David Hitt and Charles Gaines from Hitt-Gaines represented TransData in this matter.

About TransData
In business for 46 years, TransData is a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) specializing in the design and manufacture of solid-state electric meters and related products that enable its global client base to more efficiently measure, monitor and control the flow of power and energy variables on the smart grid.  Founded in 1969, TransData is a privately-held corporation with headquarters in suburban Dallas, Texas serving over 2,000 customers in more than 25 countries worldwide, including most of the top 50 largest U.S. electric utilities.  More information on TransData can be found at www.transdatainc.com.  TransData is a registered trademark of TransData Inc.

For additional information, please contact Dave Moore at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE TransData, Inc.

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