Prior art

Here is an analysis of the prior art cited in U.S. Patent No. 10,299,071, focusing on potential anticipation of the independent claims.

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent No. 10,299,071

This analysis examines the prior art references cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent No. 10,299,071 ("the '071 patent"). The focus is on determining which claims of the '071 patent might be anticipated by these earlier inventions under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Cited References and their Potential Impact:

Below is a breakdown of the key prior art documents and their relevance to the claims of the '071 patent.

1. U.S. Patent No. 7,764,961 B2 - "Automatic location and status reporting system and method"

• Full Citation: US Patent 7,764,961 B2, Morley, et al., "Automatic location and status reporting system and method," filed August 26, 2005, issued July 27, 2010.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system for automatically reporting the location and status of a mobile device. It allows a user to define a group of "buddies" and share their location with them. The system can also be configured for parental or employer monitoring, where a "supervisor" can track the location of individuals in their group.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims:
  • Claim 20: This prior art appears to strongly anticipate the core concepts of Claim 20. It explicitly discloses a system with a "supervisor" who can monitor the location of a group of users, a key feature of this claim. The concept of creating and managing a group for location sharing is central to the '961 patent. The ability for the supervisor to have special privileges, such as being non-removable from the group by other members, is also described.

2. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0203923 A1 - "System and Method for Location Sharing and Proximity-Based Service Delivery for Mobile Users"

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0203923 A1, B.J. et al., "System and Method for Location Sharing and Proximity-Based Service Delivery for Mobile Users," published October 14, 2004.
• Brief Description: This publication details a system that enables mobile users to share their location information with others in a controlled manner. It describes the formation of groups and the ability to selectively share location data. A central server manages the location information and facilitates the sharing between users.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims:
  • Claim 1 & 11: This reference appears to describe a system with similar functionalities to what is claimed in claims 1 and 11. It discloses a server-based system for location sharing between mobile devices. The concept of creating temporary or ad-hoc connections for sharing location, akin to the "Instant Buddy" feature, is a plausible interpretation of the described system's capabilities for selective and controlled sharing. The server's role in receiving and distributing location data is also a key element.

3. U.S. Patent No. 6,819,919 B2 - "Personal Locator Service"

• Full Citation: US Patent 6,819,919 B2, Sirola et al., "Personal Locator Service," filed October 23, 2000, issued November 16, 2004.
• Brief Description: This patent describes a service that allows a user to request and receive the location of another user's mobile terminal. The system involves a server that processes these location requests and provides the information to the requesting user. It also includes provisions for the user being located to grant or deny permission for their location to be shared.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims:
  • Claim 1 & 11: This patent discloses the fundamental elements of a server-mediated location sharing system as described in claims 1 and 11. The process of one user requesting the location of another, the server facilitating this request, and the target user having control over the sharing are all present. While it may not use the exact term "Instant Buddy," the core functionality of a temporary, permission-based location sharing session is described.

4. U.S. Patent No. 7,499,715 B2 - "Friend-Finder System and Method"

• Full Citation: US Patent 7,499,715 B2, Choe et al., "Friend-Finder System and Method," filed November 29, 2004, issued March 3, 2009.
• Brief Description: This patent details a system for locating friends or other users in a wireless network. It describes a server that maintains a list of "buddies" for each user and allows for the exchange of location information between them. The system also includes features for displaying the locations of buddies on a map.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims:
  • Claim 1 & 11: This patent discloses a server-based system for sharing location information among a list of "buddies," which is a central concept in the '071 patent. The server's role in managing these lists and facilitating the exchange of location data for mapping purposes aligns with the core functionalities described in claims 1 and 11.

5. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0035654 A1 - "Method and Apparatus for Tracking Mobile Devices"

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0035654 A1, Del Pura et al., "Method and Apparatus for Tracking Mobile Devices," published February 16, 2006.
• Brief Description: This publication describes a method for tracking mobile devices that includes the concept of "geofencing," where alerts are triggered when a device enters or leaves a predefined geographical area. It also discusses the ability to establish and manage groups for tracking purposes.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims:
  • Claim 20: The group management and tracking features described in this publication are relevant to claim 20. The ability to define groups and monitor their members' locations, along with the potential for supervisory control, suggests a significant overlap with the functionalities claimed in this independent claim of the '071 patent.

Conclusion:

The prior art cited against U.S. Patent No. 10,299,071 reveals that the core concepts of server-mediated location sharing, buddy lists, and even supervisory monitoring were present in the field before the '071 patent's priority date. In particular, U.S. Patent 7,764,961 B2 appears to be a strong reference against the novelty of claim 20. Similarly, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0203923 A1 and U.S. Patent No. 6,819,919 B2 disclose systems that perform many of the functions described in the '071 patent's independent claims 1 and 11. A thorough analysis during litigation would likely focus on the specific implementation details and the combination of features claimed in the '071 patent to determine if they were non-obvious in light of this prior art.