US 10372793

An analysis of United States Patent 10,372,793 is provided below.

Title: Hyperlink with graphical cue

Assignee: Aloft Media, LLC

Inventors: Gal Arav

Filing Date: January 8, 2019

Issue Date: August 6, 2019

Abstract: The patent describes a system, method, and computer program product for displaying a first set of representations of hyperlinks. Upon receiving a user's selection from this first set, the system displays a second set of hyperlink representations. When the user selects from the second set, the system navigates to the destination specified by that hyperlink.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

Based on the full patent text, the following claims have been identified as independent:

Claim 1: This claim describes a computer-implemented method. It starts by showing a user a first set of hyperlinks that are represented by text (e.g., a list of categories like "World News" or "Stock Research"). When the user interacts with one of these text links (by hovering a mouse over it), the system then displays a second, different set of hyperlinks. This second set is represented graphically, for instance, by showing the logos of various company websites. If the user then clicks on one of these logos, the web browser is directed to that company's website. The claim specifies that all of the graphical logos for the different categories are pre-downloaded, allowing them to be displayed quickly without needing to fetch them from the server again.

Claim 23: This claim covers a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (such as a hard drive or memory) that contains instructions for a processor. When the processor executes these instructions, it performs the method outlined in Claim 1. Specifically, it causes the display of textual hyperlinks, and upon user interaction (like hovering), it displays a corresponding set of pre-downloaded graphical hyperlinks (such as logos). When a user selects one of the graphical hyperlinks, it navigates to the linked destination.

Litigation and Legal Status

A search for dockets in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for 2026 did not yield specific case information for patent 10,372,793. However, records indicate the patent has been the subject of litigation in various U.S. District Courts. Additionally, as of March 2026, Unified Patents has an active contest seeking prior art for at least claim 23 of this patent, noting it has been asserted in complaints seeking declaratory judgments. The legal status of the patent is listed as "Expired - Lifetime" in some public databases, with an anticipated expiration of March 20, 2026.