Category Archives: United States patent law

Intellectual Property, Mobile phone, Patent, United States Patent & Trademark Office, United States patent law

8×8 Issued Two New Communications Patents

8×8, Inc. has been awarded two new patents related to its communications technologies. On October 30, 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued United States Patent numbers 8,300,552, entitled “Network Interface Unit Control System and Method Therefor” and 8,300,634, entitled “Mobile Device Communications Routing.”

The “Network Interface Unit Control System and Method Therefor” patent relates to an arrangement for processing external services data including an audio, video and data signal bussing arrangement adapted to distribute audio, video and data to designated points in a user facility. The external services data are processed in a manner that enables easy user interface and control.

The “Mobile Device Communications Routing” patent relates to a variety of methods, systems, devices and arrangements for communications using a mobile communications device. In connection with various embodiments, one such method relates to routing calls specifying an endpoint device, from a mobile communications device to the endpoint device, using a call forwarding/routing service provider that establishes a connection with the endpoint device. The established connection may include, for example, a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection. In some implementations of the invention, an authentication server is contacted (e.g. via the Internet) to authenticate the call to be made via the call forwarding/routing service provider.

Since its establishment in 1987, 8×8 has been awarded eighty-five (85) United States patents covering a variety of voice and video communications, signaling, processing and storage technologies. 8×8’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Martin, is a named inventor on both of the newly issued patents.


GPS, Intellectual Property, TCS, TeleCommunication Systems, TSYS, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, United States Patent and Trademark Office, United States patent law

TeleCommunication Systems Receives 35 U.S. Patents Advancing Mapping/Mobile Location, Public Safety, Messaging, Wireless Data

Image representing TeleCommunication Systems a...

TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued TCS 35 patents related to mobile location/mapping, public safety, messaging and wireless data.

Patents from this new group include 13 mapping and mobile location patents, covering navigation and route determination, location and points of interest, and techniques for locating a user:

Navigation and Route Determination:

  • “Method and System for Dynamic Estimation and Predictive Route Generation” (U.S. Patent No. 8,095,152)
  • “Stateful, Double-Buffered Dynamic Voice Prompting” (U.S. Patent No. 8,099,238)
  • “System and Method for Providing Routing, Mapping, and Relative Position Information to Users of a Communication Network” (U.S. Patent No. 8,107,608)
  • “Method and System for Enabling an Off-Board Navigation Solution” (U.S. Patent No. 8,090,534)
  • “Method and System for Saving and Retrieving Spatial Related Information” (U.S. Patent No. 8,169,343)

The location and points of interest patents provide important benefits for computing and mapping devices that receive discrete position updates for the purpose of monitoring, planning and analysis of mobile devices’ positional information used for mapping, routing and direction finding. Key aspects also include requesting and receiving audio navigation voice prompts and new methods for storing and retrieving locations and/or metadata, such as stop points and images.

Location and Points of Interest:

  • “Device-Based Trigger for Location Push Event” (U.S. Patent No.8,099,105)
  • “Predictive Ephemeral Points of Interest (PEPOI)” (U.S. Patent No. 8,156,068)
  • “Position Identification Method and System” (U.S. Patent No. 8,090,796)
  • “Wireless Network Location-Based Reference Information” (U.S. Patent No. 8,032,166)

Many navigation solutions utilize a database of points of interest (POI) to assist the user in efficiently and effectively routing to/from locations. POIs can be either fixed, such as restaurants, gas stations, etc., or moveable, such as employees and vehicles. The data associated with most POIs can be outdated, as it is stored when the system is created. Thus, conventional navigation systems, for example, would return a list of all possible gas stations to the user, regardless of operating hours, as well as whether or not the POI moved. These patents provide a means to allow the owners of POIs to securely update and post their information on a real-time basis, while also providing a means for the navigation system to predict the future locations of POIs. The patents also cover the use of location triggers for points of interest based upon previous user patterns, stored preferences, etc.

Techniques for Locating a User:

  • “Personal Location Code” (U.S. Patent No. 8,165,603)
  • “Location Fidelity Adjustment Based on Mobile Subscriber Privacy Profile (“Location and Privacy”)” (U.S. Patent No. 8,126,889)
  • “Location Derived Presence Information” (U.S. Patent No. 8,032,112)
  • “User Plane Location-Based Service Using Message Tunneling to Support Roaming” (U.S. Patent No. 8,126,458)

These inventions allow both a caller and receiver to provide each other with position information related to the caller and/or receiver’s physical location, including address information, GPS coordinates and nearby fixed locations (such as a parking structure, etc.) while the users are stationary or roaming. The user controls who accesses this information.

“TCS has long been a pioneer and leading innovator in messaging, mobile location/mapping, public safety and wireless technology,” said Maurice B. Tose, TCS chairman, CEO and president. “These 35 new patents – including the 13 mapping & location patents – demonstrate our continued commitment to apply innovative engineering solutions to improve mobile device communications.”

“There are significant opportunities to leverage our company’s 200+ patents and other intellectual property around the world, through both licensing and partnership arrangements in core and non-core business areas,” said Bob Held, TCS senior director of intellectual asset management.

With clear strengths in mobile location/mapping, public safety, messaging, and wireless communication fields, TCS has created an impressive intellectual property portfolio. Meaningful partnerships with other industry-leading companies can be developed through direct licensing, cross licensing and joint venture agreements. In 2011, TCS was issued 44 U.S. patents; for the year to date, 29 U.S. patents have been issued, bringing the total number of patents issued worldwide to TCS to date to 218, with 309 patent applications pending worldwide.

The following is a complete list of these new patents: Mobile Location/Mapping (13): 8,095,152; 8,099,238; 8,099,105; 8,166,603; 8,169,343; 8,107,608; 8,032,166; 8,032,112; 8,126,458; 8,126,889; 8,156,068; 8,090,534; 8,090,796. Public Safety (11):8,103,242; 8,068,587; 8,059,789; 8,102,972; 8,102,252; 8,116,722; 8,155,109; 8,149,997; 8,150,363; 8,150,364; 8,175,570. Wireless Data (5): 8,090,856; 8,089,401; 8,095,663; 8,127,025; 8,161,553. Messaging (4): 8,073,477; 8,090,341; 8,175,953; 8,060,429. Semiconductor Drives (1): 8,154,881. Secure Communications (1): 8,090,941.


GraphOn, Intellectual Property, Patent, United States Patent and Trademark Office, United States patent law, Web server

GraphOn Awarded Patent for “Multi-Homed Websites”

GraphOn Corporation, a developer of cloud application delivery and Web-enabling solutions, announced today that it has been issued a new patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

U.S. Patent 8,117,298, issued February 14, 2012, is directed towards an easily configurable Web server that has the capability to host (or provide a home for) multiple Web sites at the same time. This patent helps small companies or individuals create the same kind of Web presence enjoyed by larger companies that are able to afford the cost of multiple, dedicated Web server machines.

This patent protects GraphOn’s unique technology for “configuring” a Web server that has the capability to host multiple Web sites at the same time – called “multi-homing”. This multi-homing capability of the Web server provides the appearance to users of multiple distinct and independent servers at a lower cost. Functionally, a multi-homed Web server consists of, in effect, multiple virtual Web servers running on the same computer. The patent claims a design in which features can be readily added to one or more of the virtual servers. For example, a new software module having additional features or different capabilities might be substituted for an existing module on one of the virtual servers. The new features or capabilities may be added without affecting any other of the virtual servers and without the need to rebuild the Web server.

“We continue to recognize the vital importance of intellectual property in today’s marketplace,” stated Eldad Eilam, GraphOn’s interim chief executive officer. “We are pleased to add this new patent to our intellectual property portfolio, which helps to protect fundamental technology relating to both the Internet and GraphOn’s own products. Our portfolio now includes twenty-five patents, and more than 30 patent applications are pending. Our objectives include continuing to add significantly to our patent portfolio, maximizing the value of that portfolio, contributing technology to our current GO-Global product line, and providing opportunities for development of new products.”