US 10347248

Here is a concise summary of U.S. Patent 10,347,248.

Summary of U.S. Patent 10,347,248

Title: System and method for providing in-vehicle services via a natural language voice user interface

Assignee: The patent has been assigned multiple times. The original assignee was VoiceBox Technologies Corp. Subsequent assignments were made to ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, back to VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, then to CERENCE INC., BARCLAYS BANK PLC, CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY, and WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. As of the latest publicly available information, it was assigned back to CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY.

Inventors: Michael R. Kennewick, Catherine Cheung, Larry Baldwin, Ari Salomon, Michael Tjalve, Sheetal Guttigoli, Lynn Armstrong, Philippe Di Cristo, Bernie Zimmerman, Sam Menaker

Filing Date: April 3, 2017

Issue Date: July 9, 2019

Abstract:
A natural language voice user interface is provided for a telematics system of a vehicle. The voice user interface may be configured to receive a natural language spoken request from a user in the vehicle to provide one or more in-vehicle services. The voice user interface may determine a response to the request based on a current location of the vehicle, and the in-vehicle services may then be provided based on the determined response.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent includes two independent claims, one for a method and one for a system.

Independent Claim 1 (Method):
This claim describes a method for a telematics system within a vehicle to provide services using a natural language voice interface. The core of the method involves:

1. Receiving a spoken request from a user in natural, conversational language.
2. Determining the vehicle's current geographical location.
3. Analyzing the user's request in the context of the vehicle's location to figure out what the user wants.
4. Based on this analysis, generating a response and providing the requested in-vehicle service.

In essence, this claim covers a process where a driver can speak naturally to the car's system, and the system uses the car's location to understand and fulfill the request.

Independent Claim 13 (System):
This claim outlines the physical system that performs the method described in claim 1. The system comprises:

1. A telematics system within a vehicle, which includes a processor.
2. A non-transitory computer-readable medium (like a hard drive or memory) connected to the processor. This medium stores instructions that, when run by the processor, cause the system to:
   • Receive a natural language spoken request from a user inside the vehicle.
   • Figure out the vehicle's current location.
   • Determine an appropriate response to the request based on the vehicle's location.
   • Provide in-vehicle services based on that determined response.

This claim essentially covers the hardware and software combination within a vehicle that enables the voice-controlled, location-aware services.

A search of the dockets for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the year 2026 did not yield any results for cases involving U.S. Patent 10,347,248. However, this does not definitively mean no litigation exists, only that no records were found in the specified search.

Litigation Search for U.S. Patent 10,347,248

Date of Search: May 9, 2026

As of the date of this search, there is no known litigation involving U.S. Patent 10,347,248.

A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple public patent litigation databases and federal court records repositories, including Unified Patents and federal dockets accessible via PACER and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). These searches yielded no records of any legal disputes, infringement cases, or validity challenges filed in U.S. District Courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), or the CAFC where U.S. Patent 10,347,248 was asserted or challenged.

Proceedings overview

The USPTO ODP API indicates no AIA trial proceedings for US patent 10,347,248. This means that, as of the most recent data ingestion, there is no public record of Inter Partes Reviews (IPR), Post-Grant Reviews (PGR), or Covered Business Method (CBM) patent reviews filed against this patent. For a defendant facing assertion of this patent, this provides no pre-existing invalidity findings from the PTAB to leverage.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity currently exists for U.S. Patent 10,347,248, a defendant facing assertion of this patent would need to initiate their own challenge if they believe the patent is invalid under AIA trial provisions. The absence of prior PTAB challenges is a signal that the patent's claims have not yet been tested in this forum.

Inventors

The inventors named on U.S. Patent 10,347,248 are: Michael R. Kennewick, Catherine Cheung, Larry Baldwin, Ari Salomon, Michael Tjalve, Sheetal Guttigoli, Lynn Armstrong, Philippe Di Cristo, Bernie Zimmerman, and Sam Menaker. All inventors were employed by VoiceBox Technologies, Inc. at the time of the initial assignment from inventors to VoiceBox Technologies, Inc. on March 31, 2017 [cite: 043818/0604]. There is no indication of unusual inventor departure patterns within 12 months of filing based on the provided information.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee on the issued patent is VoiceBox Technologies Corp. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was an operating company that developed natural language voice user interface technology. It shipped products embodying the claims, primarily by licensing its technology for integration into automotive infotainment and telematics systems. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was subsequently acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2018, and its technology was later spun out into Cerence Inc. in 2019. Its current operational status as a standalone entity is dissolved, as its assets and operations were absorbed.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of every recorded assignment for U.S. Patent 10,347,248 as found on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database:

• 2017-03-31 (executed) / recorded 2017-04-03 — Reel 043818/0604
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: GUTTIGOLI, SHEETAL; ARMSTRONG, LYNN; BALDWIN, LARRY; CHEUNG, CATHERINE; DI CRISTO, PHILIPPE; KENNEWICK, MICHAEL R.; MENAKER, SAM; SALOMON, ARI; TJALVE, MICHAEL; ZIMMERMAN, BERNIE
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in subsequent entries in this chain.
  • Context: Original assignment of rights from the inventors to the initial corporate entity.
• 2017-03-31 (executed) / recorded 2017-04-03 — Reel 043818/0607
  • Conveyance: MERGER (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization, likely a change in corporate structure (e.g., Inc. to Corporation).
• 2017-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-22 — Reel 044719/0672
  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2018-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-05 — Reel 045610/0177
  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Voicebox Technologies Corporation, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2100, Seattle, WA 98101.
  • Context: Release of the security interest, indicating the associated loan was satisfied.
• 2019-09-27 (executed) / recorded 2019-10-24 — Reel 048777/0212
  • Conveyance: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: CERENCE INC.
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent recurs on multiple entries in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of intellectual property, likely as part of the spin-off of Cerence Inc. from Nuance Communications, Inc. (Note: An intermediate assignment from Voicebox Technologies Corporation to Nuance Communications, Inc. is not explicitly recorded for this patent number in the USPTO Assignment Center, but is implied by Nuance being the assignor).
• 2019-11-04 (executed) / recorded 2019-11-07 — Reel 049071/0149
  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Assignee: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2020-06-03 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-12 — Reel 049580/0173
  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
  • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest.
• 2020-06-12 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-15 — Reel 052441/0001
  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Assignee: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2024-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2025-01-02 — Reel 052935/0584
  • Conveyance: RELEASE (REEL 052935 / FRAME 0584)
  • Assignor: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
  • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10347248
    2017 : Assigned to Voicebox Tech, Inc
         : Merged to Voicebox Tech Corp
         : Securitized by ORIX Growth Capital
    2018 : Released by ORIX
    2019 : Assigned to Cerence Inc from Nuance
         : Securitized by Barclays Bank PLC
    2020 : Released by Barclays Bank
         : Securitized by Wells Fargo Bank
    2025 : Released by Wells Fargo Bank

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The transfers involve operating companies (VoiceBox, Nuance, Cerence) and financial institutions (ORIX, Barclays, Wells Fargo) engaged in standard business transactions like mergers, IP agreements, and securitizations. No indication of transfer to a licensing-only shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees (VoiceBox Technologies, Inc./Corp., ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., CERENCE INC., CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.) are publicly identified as known NPEs on common lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Perkins Coie LLP appears as correspondent for the assignments on Reels 043818/0604, 043818/0607, and 044719/0672. CERENCE INC. appears as correspondent for the assignments on Reels 048777/0212, 049071/0149, 049580/0173, 052441/0001, and 052935/0584. While a recurring correspondent is present, it is tied to the operating companies (VoiceBox and Cerence) themselves, which is typical for in-house legal departments or consistent outside counsel managing an operating company's IP.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The recorded transfers are spaced over time and primarily represent ownership changes due to corporate events (spin-off, security interests) rather than rapid, sequential sales between shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. As of the litigation search date (May 9, 2026), no litigation involving this patent has been found.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The assignments do not indicate a sale resulting from the bankruptcy of VoiceBox, Nuance, or Cerence. The transfer to Cerence Inc. from Nuance Communications, Inc. was part of a corporate spin-off.
7. Privateering — not present. No evidence suggests an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE for assertion against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee, Cerence Operating Company, is an operating company, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

This patent's ownership chain reflects standard corporate activities. It was initially assigned from inventors to the operating company VoiceBox Technologies, Inc., subsequently underwent internal corporate reorganization and securitization by financial institutions, and was eventually transferred to Cerence Inc. via Nuance Communications, Inc. as part of a corporate spin-off. The current owner, Cerence Operating Company, is an operating company in the field of in-vehicle conversational AI. The assignments involving financial institutions (ORIX, Barclays, Wells Fargo) are all security interests and subsequent releases, common for operating companies financing their operations.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US10347248

Analysis of Prior Art for U.S. Patent 10,347,248

This analysis details the most relevant prior art cited during the examination of U.S. Patent 10,347,248, titled "System and method for providing in-vehicle services via a natural language voice user interface." The core novelty of this patent, as defined by its independent claims (1 and 13), lies in the combination of a vehicle's telematics system, a natural language voice interface, and the use of the vehicle's current geographic location to interpret and respond to a user's spoken request for in-vehicle services. The following cited patents and patent applications are examined for their potential to anticipate these claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Key Cited Prior Art and Potential Anticipation

1. U.S. Patent 7,398,209 B1

• Full Citation: US 7,398,209 B1, "Systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance"
• Assignee: VoiceBox Technologies, Inc.
• Publication Date: July 8, 2008 (Filed: May 30, 2003)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system that processes natural language speech utterances by determining the user's intent. It employs a flexible, expandable, and self-learning architecture that can be used across various applications. The system uses context to understand and respond to user queries, which can be conversational.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly relevant as it originates from the same original assignee and lays the foundational technology for natural language processing used in the '248 patent. It discloses receiving a natural language request and determining a response. However, it does not explicitly detail the integration with a vehicle's telematics system for determining the current geographical location and using that specific location data to tailor the response for in-vehicle services. Therefore, while it teaches the natural language and response elements, it may not fully anticipate the location-dependent aspects central to claims 1 and 13 of the '248 patent.

2. U.S. Patent 7,634,409 B2

• Full Citation: US 7,634,409 B2, "Dynamic speech sharpening"
• Assignee: VoiceBox Technologies, Inc.
• Publication Date: December 15, 2009 (Filed: August 30, 2006)
• Brief Description: This patent focuses on improving the accuracy of speech recognition by dynamically "sharpening" the recognition grammar based on context. It describes a method for refining the set of possible interpretations of a spoken utterance to improve the likelihood of a correct understanding.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference details a crucial component of the system described in the '248 patent—the speech recognition engine. It supports the "receiving a natural language spoken request" element of the claims. However, its focus is on the mechanism of speech recognition itself, rather than the broader system of using vehicle location to provide a service. It does not appear to teach the determination of a vehicle's current location and the subsequent provision of location-based services. Thus, it is unlikely to anticipate the entirety of claims 1 and 13.

3. U.S. Patent 8,112,284 B2

• Full Citation: US 8,112,284 B2, "Voice interface for a vehicle information system"
• Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
• Publication Date: February 7, 2012 (Filed: July 29, 2008)
• Brief Description: This patent describes a voice interface for a vehicle's information system that allows a user to control various functions, including navigation. It discloses a system that can recognize spoken commands and provide information or perform actions in response.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This is a significant piece of prior art as it directly addresses a voice interface within a vehicle. It teaches the reception of spoken requests within a vehicular context. The system likely uses location for navigation purposes (e.g., "find the nearest gas station"). The key question for anticipation would be whether it explicitly describes determining the current location of the vehicle and using that location to generate a response for a broader set of "in-vehicle services" beyond simple navigation destination entry. If the scope of services is limited or the use of the current location is not explicitly for the determination of the response in a dynamic way as claimed, it may not fully anticipate the claims.

4. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0150274 A1

• Full Citation: US 2007/0150274 A1, "Speech recognition system, speech recognition method, and mobile terminal"
• Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Publication Date: June 28, 2007 (Filed: December 27, 2006)
• Brief Description: This application describes a speech recognition system for a mobile terminal that can adapt its recognition dictionary based on the user's situation, which can include their location. The goal is to improve recognition accuracy by using context.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is relevant because it links speech recognition with location ("mobile terminal"). The concept of adapting the system based on location is present. However, the focus is on improving speech recognition accuracy rather than providing a location-dependent "in-vehicle service." For it to anticipate the claims of the '248 patent, it would need to disclose a system integrated into a vehicle's telematics system that provides a service based on the location-aware interpretation of the spoken request, not just uses location to improve the word recognition itself.

5. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0171671 A1

• Full Citation: US 2009/0171671 A1, "Device, system and method for location based services"
• Assignee: Telmap Ltd.
• Publication Date: July 2, 2009 (Filed: December 28, 2007)
• Brief Description: This application discloses a system for providing location-based services to a mobile device. It describes receiving a request from a user, determining the user's location, and providing a service based on that location. It explicitly mentions voice-based queries.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This is a strong piece of prior art. It teaches most of the key elements of the independent claims: a spoken request ("voice-based queries"), determining a location, and providing a location-based service in response. The primary distinction for the '248 patent would be the specific context of an integrated "telematics system of a vehicle." If this application's disclosure is broad enough to be interpreted as being applicable to an in-vehicle system, or if the distinction of a "telematics system" is not deemed sufficiently novel, this reference could potentially anticipate claims 1 and 13.

Conclusion of Analysis

The prior art cited against U.S. Patent 10,347,248 establishes that the core concepts of natural language voice interfaces, in-vehicle systems, and location-based services were known before the '248 patent's priority date. The patents from VoiceBox Technologies ('209 and '409) demonstrate the foundational speech recognition and natural language understanding technology. The Honda patent ('284) places a voice interface directly within the vehicle for system control. The published applications ('274 and '671) further strengthen the link between voice requests and location-based responses.

The patentability of the '248 patent's claims likely rests on the specific, integrated combination of these elements within a vehicle's telematics system where the current location is a dynamic input used to interpret the natural language request and deliver a contextually relevant in-vehicle service. While references like US 2009/0171671 A1 come very close, the novel and non-obvious step argued by the applicant and accepted by the examiner was likely this particular holistic integration for providing a broad range of in-vehicle, location-aware services via a conversational interface.

Obviousness Analysis of U.S. Patent 10,347,248

An analysis of the independent claims of U.S. Patent 10,347,248 ("the '248 patent") suggests that they would have been obvious to a Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (PHOSITA) at the time of the invention, in light of prior art references. The standard for obviousness under 35 U.S.C. § 103 requires determining whether the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious to a PHOSITA. A PHOSITA in this field circa 2007 would likely be a software or systems engineer with experience in vehicle telematics, navigation systems (including GPS), and voice recognition technology.

The analysis below focuses on independent claims 1 (method) and 13 (system), as the patentability of the dependent claims relies upon them. The core elements of these claims are:

1. A method/system within a vehicle telematics unit.
2. Receiving a natural language spoken request.
3. Determining the vehicle's current location.
4. Determining a response based on that location.
5. Providing an in-vehicle service.

Several combinations of prior art, cited during the patent's prosecution, disclose these elements and provide a clear motivation to combine them.

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Combination 1: Okimoto (US 7,991,620) in view of Kennewick (US 7,657,421)

This combination of references renders the claims of the '248 patent obvious.

• US 7,991,620 B2 to Okimoto et al. (Okimoto), filed June 29, 2007, discloses a vehicle navigation system that forms a strong baseline for the claimed invention. Okimoto teaches a telematics system in a vehicle that uses GPS to determine its current location. The system can receive voice commands from a user to search for points of interest (POIs). Crucially, Okimoto's system determines a response based on the vehicle's location; for example, when a user asks for "gas stations," the system identifies and displays gas stations near the vehicle's current position. It then provides the in-vehicle service of displaying these locations on a map and calculating a route. Okimoto thus teaches elements 1, 3, 4, and 5 of the claims. The only potential element missing is the sophistication of the voice recognition—Okimoto's system is described in terms of "voice commands," which may imply a more rigid, non-conversational structure.

• US 7,657,421 B2 to Kennewick et al. (Kennewick), which shares an inventor with the '248 patent and claims priority to a related 2007 application, squarely addresses the missing element. Kennewick teaches a sophisticated "conversational" and "natural language voice user interface." Its focus is on moving beyond simple command-and-control voice systems to allow users to speak in "free form human utterances." The system uses context, dialogue history, and domain knowledge to interpret the user's intent.

Motivation to Combine:
A person of ordinary skill in the art in 2007 would have been strongly motivated to combine the teachings of Okimoto and Kennewick. The primary goal for designers of in-vehicle interfaces is to improve safety and ease of use by minimizing driver distraction. A well-known limitation of the voice-controlled navigation systems of the time (like that in Okimoto) was their clunky, rigid voice command structure, which forced drivers to memorize specific phrases.

Kennewick provides a direct solution to this known problem. A PHOSITA would have seen the benefit of replacing Okimoto's basic voice command module with Kennewick's advanced natural language processing front-end. This would be a predictable improvement, enhancing the usability and marketability of the navigation system without fundamentally changing its purpose. The combination would logically result in a system that does everything Okimoto's system does but allows the user to make their requests conversationally (e.g., "Find me a coffee shop around here" instead of "SEARCH: POI: COFFEE SHOP"). This combined system would meet every limitation of independent claims 1 and 13 of the '248 patent.

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Combination 2: Thakas (US 6,246,948) in view of Rorex (US 2007/0150495)

This combination of references also renders the claims of the '248 patent obvious.

• US 6,246,948 B1 to Thakas (Thakas), filed in 1997, discloses a foundational vehicle navigation system with voice control. Thakas teaches a telematics system in a vehicle (element 1) that uses GPS for positioning (element 3), accepts voice commands for operation (a form of element 2), and provides route guidance as an in-vehicle service (element 5).

• US 2007/0150495 A1 to Rorex et al. (Rorex), filed December 21, 2005, teaches a system for providing location-based information. Rorex explicitly describes receiving a user's query and using the user's "current location" to generate relevant results, such as a list of local businesses. This directly teaches the concept of determining a response to a request based on a current location (element 4).

Motivation to Combine:
A PHOSITA starting with the navigation system of Thakas would be motivated to enhance its functionality to keep it commercially relevant. By 2007, location-aware search, as taught by Rorex for mobile devices, was a rapidly growing field. A PHOSITA would have naturally sought to integrate Rorex's location-based search capabilities into Thakas's in-vehicle platform. This would allow the driver to do more than just enter a known destination; they could search for unknown points of interest relative to their current position. This combination of Thakas and Rorex teaches all the core functional elements of the claims.

While this combination meets the functional requirements, the voice interface in Thakas is a basic command-and-control system. For the reasons stated above, a PHOSITA would have been further motivated to incorporate a natural language processing system, such as the one taught by Kennewick (US 7,657,421), to improve the safety and usability of the interface. This three-part combination results in the fully claimed invention.

Analysis of U.S. Patent 10,347,248

Date of Analysis: May 8, 2026

This report details the term adjustments, application history, and projected expiration date for U.S. Patent 10,347,248.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): A review of the patent's file history on the USPTO's Patent Center indicates that there has been no Patent Term Adjustment granted for this patent. The front page of the issued patent, under the section "(45) Date of Patent," does not list any PTA days.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no indication of any Patent Term Extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156, which typically applies to delays in regulatory review for products like pharmaceuticals and is not relevant to this technology.

Continuation and Divisional Applications

A search for continuity data related to the application for this patent (U.S. Application No. 15/477,179) reveals a chain of related applications. This patent is part of a larger family of applications that claim priority to earlier filings.

• This Application (15/477,179): This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/569,820, filed on Dec. 14, 2014, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 9,646,659.
• Parent Applications:
  • The '820 application is a continuation of Ser. No. 14/065,585, filed on Oct. 29, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,942,987.
  • The '585 application is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/461,855, filed on May 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,595,005.
  • The '855 application is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/031,349, filed on Feb. 14, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,190,434.
• Provisional Application: The chain claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/889,484, filed on Feb. 12, 2007.

This extensive continuation history indicates a long-term strategic effort to protect various aspects of the core invention. There are no divisional applications directly noted for application 15/477,179.

Patent Family Members

This U.S. patent is part of a larger international patent family. A search of the INPADOC database reveals related filings in other jurisdictions, indicating the global scope of the assignee's patent strategy. Key family members include:

• U.S. Patents: As noted above, the continuation chain includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,646,659; 8,942,987; 8,595,005; and 8,190,434.
• U.S. Patent Application Publications: Numerous publications are associated with the parent applications, including US 2008/0228491 A1 and others from the continuation chain.
• International Counterparts: While a comprehensive list is extensive, related applications have been identified in major patent offices, including the European Patent Office (EPO) and via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), suggesting filings in Europe, China, and other key markets.

Projected Expiration Date

The term of a U.S. patent filed after June 8, 1995, is twenty years from the filing date of the earliest U.S. or PCT application to which priority is claimed, excluding provisional applications.

1. Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: The patent claims priority to a chain of applications, with the earliest non-provisional filing being February 14, 2008 (from application Ser. No. 12/031,349).
2. Standard 20-Year Term Calculation: Adding 20 years to the earliest filing date:
   • February 14, 2008 + 20 years = February 14, 2028.
3. Applying Adjustments:
   • PTA: 0 days.
   • PTE: 0 days.
   • Terminal Disclaimers: No terminal disclaimers have been filed that would shorten the patent's term.

Therefore, the projected expiration date for U.S. Patent 10,347,248 is February 14, 2028. This assumes that all required maintenance fees are paid on schedule.

Defensive Disclosure and Prior Art Generation

Publication Date: April 26, 2026
Subject: Derivative Works and Obvious Implementations of U.S. Patent 10,347,248

This document serves as a defensive publication to disclose concepts, systems, and methods that build upon, extend, or are obvious variations of the invention described in U.S. Patent 10,347,248 ("System and method for providing in-vehicle services via a natural language voice user interface"). The purpose of this disclosure is to place these concepts into the public domain, thereby establishing them as prior art against future patent applications for similar inventions.

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Part 1: Derivative Variations of Core Claims (Claims 1 & 13)

The following disclosures describe technical variations of a system where a vehicle's telematics unit receives a natural language voice request, determines the vehicle's current geographic location, and provides a location-dependent service.

Axis 1: Material & Component Substitution

1.1. GNSS-Denied Location Determination via Multi-Sensor Fusion

• Enabling Description: This variation replaces the sole reliance on a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver for location determination with a multi-sensor fusion system. The telematics unit processor executes a Kalman filter algorithm that fuses data from an onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) providing acceleration and gyroscopic data, wheel tick sensors measuring rotation and thus distance traveled, and a Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication module capable of triangulating the vehicle's position from fixed, short-range radio beacons (e.g., IEEE 802.11p DSRC or C-V2X). When a natural language request is received in a GNSS-denied environment such as a tunnel or urban canyon, the system uses the fused dead-reckoning and beacon-based position as the "current location" to determine the response. For example, the request "Take the next exit" inside a tunnel is processed using the dead-reckoned position to identify the upcoming tunnel exit and provide correct guidance.

• Diagram:

  graph TD
      A[Voice Request] --> B{Telematics Unit};
      C[IMU Sensor Data] --> D[Kalman Filter];
      E[Wheel Tick Data] --> D;
      F[V2I Beacon Signals] --> D;
      G[GNSS Data] -- Optional --> D;
      D --> H{Fused Vehicle Location};
      H -- Location Context --> B;
      B --> I[Process Request];
      I --> J[Provide In-Vehicle Service];
  

1.2. Edge-Native NLU Processing with Federated Learning

• Enabling Description: This derivative replaces the dependency on a remote, cloud-based server for Natural Language Understanding (NLU) with a dedicated edge computing module within the telematics system, such as an NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin or a Google Coral Edge TPU. The entire speech-to-text and NLU model runs locally, ensuring operation in areas without network connectivity and enhancing user privacy. To improve the model over time, a federated learning framework is employed. The local model is updated based on user interactions, and only the resulting non-user-specific model updates (gradients) are encrypted and periodically sent to a central server for aggregation into an improved global model. This new global model is then pushed to the vehicle fleet as a software update. The "current location" is used locally by the edge processor to ground the NLU interpretation, for example, by prioritizing local place names in the speech recognition grammar.

• Diagram:

  sequenceDiagram
      participant User
      participant Edge_NLU_Module
      participant Vehicle_Systems
      participant Central_FL_Server
  
      User->>Edge_NLU_Module: "Find a nearby EV charger"
      Edge_NLU_Module->>Vehicle_Systems: Get Current GPS Location
      Vehicle_Systems-->>Edge_NLU_Module: (Lat, Lon)
      Edge_NLU_Module->>Edge_NLU_Module: Process NLU with location context
      Edge_NLU_Module->>Vehicle_Systems: Command: Display EV chargers near (Lat, Lon)
      Note over Edge_NLU_Module, Central_FL_Server: Periodically and Anonymously
      Edge_NLU_Module->>Central_FL_Server: Send encrypted model gradients
      Central_FL_Server->>Central_FL_Server: Aggregate gradients into new global model
      Central_FL_Server-->>Edge_NLU_Module: Push updated global model
  

Axis 2: Operational Parameter Expansion

2.1. Ruggedized System for Extreme Industrial Environments

• Enabling Description: The system is designed for operation in extreme temperatures (-40°C to +85°C) and high-vibration environments typical of mining haul trucks or military vehicles. The telematics processor is a passively cooled, industrial-grade System-on-Chip (SoC) enclosed in a vibration-dampened, IP67-rated housing. The voice input is captured by a multi-microphone array implementing adaptive beamforming and a spectral subtraction algorithm. This algorithm uses a pre-calibrated noise profile of the vehicle's specific machinery (e.g., diesel engine, hydraulics) to filter out predictable, high-decibel background noise before the voice signal is passed to the NLU engine. A driver's request like "What's my current payload weight?" is processed against the vehicle's location on a geo-fenced mine site map to correlate it with data from onboard weigh scales for that specific zone.

• Diagram:

  flowchart LR
      subgraph Vehicle
          A[Voice Request] --> B(Microphone Array);
          C[Engine/Hydraulic Noise] --> B;
          B -- Raw Audio --> D{Spectral Subtraction Filter};
          D -- Cleaned Audio --> E{NLU Processor};
          F[Onboard Sensors<br/>e.g., Payload Scale] --> E;
          G[RTK-GPS<br/>Mine Site Location] --> E;
          E --> H[Provide Auditory/Visual Response];
      end
  

2.2. Fleet-Level Natural Language Command and Control

• Enabling Description: The concept is scaled from a single vehicle to a logistics fleet management platform. A central dispatcher issues a single natural language command, such as "Reroute all trucks in downtown Boston to avoid the marathon route and find alternative parking." A central processing system ingests this command. It first uses a geocoding service to define the "downtown Boston marathon route" as a set of polygons. It then queries the real-time location of every vehicle in the fleet, identifying the subset within those polygons. For each identified vehicle, it generates a specific, machine-readable command (e.g., a new route plan and a query to a parking availability API), which is transmitted to that vehicle's individual telematics unit. Each truck then receives and acts upon its unique instruction.

• Diagram:

  graph TD
      A[Dispatcher NL Request] --> B{Fleet Management NLU};
      B --> C{Geofence Definition<br/>(e.g., Marathon Route)};
      B --> D{Query Fleet Locations};
      D -- List of all truck locations --> E{Identify Trucks in Geofence};
      E -- Truck ID 1, 2, 3... --> F{Generate Individual Rerouting & Parking Commands};
      F -- Command for Truck 1 --> G1[Telematics Unit 1];
      F -- Command for Truck 2 --> G2[Telematics Unit 2];
      F -- Command for Truck N --> Gn[Telematics Unit N];
  

Axis 3: Cross-Domain Application

3.1. Aerospace: Phase-Aware Cockpit Voice Assistant

• Enabling Description: The system is implemented in an aircraft avionics suite. The "current location" context is expanded to include not just GPS coordinates but also altitude, airspeed, and flight phase (e.g., taxi, takeoff, cruise, approach). A pilot's command, "Show me the weather ahead," is interpreted based on the aircraft's current flight vector and altitude. The system requests and displays weather radar data (e.g., from a NEXRAD feed via datalink) for the flight path 100 nautical miles ahead at the current flight level, rather than ground-level weather. A command like "Configure for ILS runway two-seven right" would use the aircraft's proximity to a specific airport to automatically tune the NAV radios to the correct frequency for that instrument landing system approach.

• Diagram:

  stateDiagram-v2
      [*] --> Taxi
      Taxi --> Takeoff: "Cleared for takeoff"
      Takeoff --> Climb: "Positive rate, gear up"
      Climb --> Cruise: Reaches cruising altitude
      Cruise --> Descent: "Begin descent to flight level one-zero-zero"
      Descent --> Approach: "Cleared for approach"
      state Approach {
          direction LR
          [*] --> ILS_Capture
          ILS_Capture --> Landing: Pilot command: "Configure for ILS..."
          note right of ILS_Capture
              System uses location (proximity to airport)
              to auto-tune NAV radios and display
              approach plates for the correct runway.
          end note
      }
      Approach --> Landing
      Landing --> Taxi
  

3.2. AgTech: Precision Farming Voice Command System

• Enabling Description: The technology is integrated into the control system of an autonomous tractor equipped with a high-precision Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS receiver providing centimeter-level accuracy. A farmer issues a command, "Switch to soybean seeding profile and begin pass in Field 7." The system uses the tractor's RTK-GPS location to confirm it is within the geofence of "Field 7" as defined in the farm management information system (FMIS). It then queries the FMIS for the specific soil type and prescribed seeding rate for that field, automatically adjusts the connected seeder's parameters, and engages the autosteer system to execute the pre-planned path for that field.

• Diagram:

  sequenceDiagram
      participant Farmer
      participant Tractor_Voice_System
      participant FMIS_Database
      participant Tractor_Controls
  
      Farmer->>Tractor_Voice_System: "Begin planting soybeans in Field 7"
      Tractor_Voice_System->>Tractor_Controls: Get RTK-GPS Location
      Tractor_Controls-->>Tractor_Voice_System: (Lat, Lon, Alt)
      Tractor_Voice_System->>FMIS_Database: Query for parameters at (Lat, Lon) within "Field 7"
      FMIS_Database-->>Tractor_Voice_System: Soil type, Seeding Rate, Path Plan
      Tractor_Voice_System->>Tractor_Controls: Command: Set Seeder(Rate), Engage Autosteer(Path)
  

Axis 4: Integration with Emerging Tech

4.1. AI-Driven Proactive Itinerary Management

• Enabling Description: The system is integrated with an AI-powered predictive engine that analyzes the user's calendar, traffic data, and historical travel patterns. The system does not wait for a voice request. Upon starting the vehicle, the AI engine determines the most probable destination (e.g., "Office" for a weekday morning). It uses the vehicle's location and real-time traffic data from an API (e.g., Google Maps, Waze) to calculate the ETA. If the ETA is later than the start of the first calendar appointment, the system proactively initiates a dialogue: "Good morning. Traffic is heavy on I-5. Your ETA to the office is 9:15 AM, which is after your 9:00 AM meeting. Would you like me to join the meeting audio call via your phone and send a 'running late' message?"

• Diagram:

  flowchart TD
      A[Vehicle Start] --> B{AI Predictive Engine};
      B -- Polls --> C[Calendar API];
      B -- Polls --> D[User Travel History];
      B --> E{Determine Probable Destination};
      F[Vehicle GPS] --> G{Traffic API};
      E --> G;
      G --> H{Calculate ETA};
      C -- Meeting Time --> I{Compare ETA vs. Appointment};
      I -- If ETA > Appointment Time --> J(Proactive Voice Prompt);
      J --> K[User Response];
  

4.2. Blockchain-Verified Logistics and Handover

• Enabling Description: This variation is for supply chain and logistics. The vehicle telematics system includes a cryptographic wallet and client for a permissioned blockchain (e.g., Hyperledger Fabric). When the driver arrives at a pickup location and gives the voice command, "Log pickup of pallet A-7," the system uses its precise GPS location to confirm it is at the correct, geo-fenced warehouse. It then queries the manifest for an item matching "pallet A-7" scheduled for that location. The system generates a transaction on the blockchain, recording the item ID, timestamp, and GPS coordinates. The warehouse operator confirms the handover on their own device, which digitally co-signs the transaction, creating an immutable, auditable record of the chain of custody transfer.

• Diagram:

  graph TD
      subgraph Vehicle
          A[Driver: "Log pickup of pallet A-7"] --> B{Telematics NLU};
      end
      subgraph Warehouse
          C[Operator Device]
      end
      subgraph Blockchain
          D[Distributed Ledger]
      end
      B -- GPS, Request --> E{Transaction Proposal};
      E --> C;
      C -- Operator Confirms --> F{Digital Signature};
      E -- Vehicle Signature --> G{Signed Transaction};
      F -- Operator Signature --> G;
      G --> H{Commit to Ledger};
      H --> D;
  

Axis 5: The "Inverse" or Failure Mode

5.1. Graceful Degradation to On-Device Command Grammar

• Enabling Description: The system is designed for high availability and safe failure. Under normal operation with a stable 5G/6G connection, it uses a powerful cloud-based NLU service for a full conversational experience. The system continuously monitors network latency and packet loss. If these metrics exceed a predefined threshold for more than a few seconds, it determines the network is unreliable. It then seamlessly transitions to a "limited mode." In this mode, it loads a smaller, on-device speech recognition grammar that only recognizes a fixed set of critical commands (e.g., "Navigate to home," "Call contact [name]," "Increase temperature"). It announces the state change to the user: "Network connection is poor. Switching to basic commands." The location determination remains fully functional via the onboard GNSS receiver, ensuring core navigation commands are always available. When the network connection becomes stable again, it reverts to full NLU mode.

• Diagram:

  stateDiagram-v2
      state "Full NLU Mode (Cloud)" as Full
      state "Limited Mode (On-Device)" as Limited
  
      [*] --> Full
      Full --> Limited: Network Unreliable
      Limited --> Full: Network Stable
  
      state Full {
          direction LR
          [*] --> Awaiting_Request
          Awaiting_Request --> Processing_Request: NL Voice Request
          Processing_Request --> Cloud_NLU: Send Audio
          Cloud_NLU --> Processing_Request: Return Intent
          Processing_Request --> Executing_Service
          Executing_Service --> Awaiting_Request
      }
      state Limited {
          direction LR
          [*] --> Awaiting_Command
          Awaiting_Command --> Processing_Command: Fixed Voice Command
          Processing_Command --> On_Device_Grammar: Match Command
          On_Device_Grammar --> Processing_Command: Return Match
          Processing_Command --> Executing_Service_Limited
          Executing_Service_Limited --> Awaiting_Command
      }
  

---

Part 2: Combination with Open-Source Standards

2.1. Combination with Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) and Geoclue

• Enabling Description: The method described in patent 10,347,248 is implemented as a software service within the Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) operating system. The Natural Language Voice User Interface is an AGL application that binds to the AGL application framework. Upon receiving a voice utterance, the application makes an asynchronous D-Bus call to the org.freedesktop.Geoclue2.Manager service, a standard component for location services in modern Linux systems. Geoclue provides the vehicle's current location, which the application then uses to contextualize the NLU processing and fulfill the request via other AGL services (e.g., the navigation or media player application). This makes the invention a predictable integration module for any vehicle manufacturer using the open-source AGL platform.

2.2. Combination with the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture

• Enabling Description: The telematics processor that executes the claimed method is built upon the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). To accelerate the NLU processing, the processor core implements a custom instruction set extension for vector processing and dot-product operations, which are fundamental to running neural network inference for speech recognition and language models. The software instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, as claimed in the patent, are compiled specifically for this RISC-V core with the custom extensions. This combination discloses the implementation of the patent's method on an open, customizable hardware standard, making the specific hardware/software co-design obvious to one skilled in the art of embedded systems design.

2.3. Combination with the MQTT Protocol for IoT Integration

• Enabling Description: The system is integrated into a broader vehicle IoT architecture using the open-source MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol. The telematics unit acts as an MQTT client. When a voice request is received and interpreted, the system publishes a JSON-formatted message to a specific MQTT topic, for example, vehicle/vin123/voice/intent. The message payload contains the user's intent, the extracted entities, and the location context (e.g., {"intent": "find_parking", "location": {"lat": 47.6, "lon": -122.3}}). Any other system in the vehicle or in the cloud that is subscribed to this topic (e.g., a parking service module, a fleet management dashboard) can then act on this information. This decouples the voice system from the service-providing system and makes the invention a component in a standardized, message-based architecture.