US 10799763

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 10799763:

Title: System and method for providing a coach with live training data of an athlete as the athlete is performing a swimming workout

Assignee: Finish Time Holdings LLC

Inventor: Todd Martin

Filing Date: June 17, 2019 (Application number US16/443,741)

Issue Date: October 13, 2020

Abstract: An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (System for tracking an athlete): This claim describes a system that tracks an athlete during training. It includes a mobile tracking device worn on the athlete's head, which has sensors to collect data (like GPS, heart rate, or stroke rate) and a transceiver to send this data wirelessly. The system also has a training log server that stores athlete profiles. Each profile includes a training record (updated by the athlete) and a training plan (provided by a coach). The server is set up to receive data from the tracking device and update the athlete's training record in real-time. It can also send messages to the coach when the training record is updated.
• Claim 9 (Method for tracking an athlete): This claim outlines a method for tracking an athlete during training. It involves attaching a mobile tracking device to an athlete's head, sensing training data with the device, and wirelessly transmitting this data in real-time to a training log server. The server receives the live data and updates the athlete's training record, which is part of their profile. The method also includes sending a notification to a coach when the training record is updated with the live data.
• Claim 17 (System for providing live training data to a coach during swimming): This claim describes a system specifically designed to give a coach live training data for an athlete during a swimming workout. It features a mobile tracking device worn on the athlete's head that collects data like stroke rate, distance, and time, and transmits it wirelessly. A training log server maintains athlete profiles with training records and plans. The server receives the live swimming data, updates the record, and then provides this live data to a coach's dashboard. This allows the coach to view the athlete's performance as it happens during the swim.
• Claim 20 (Method for providing live training data to a coach during swimming): This claim details a method for giving a coach live training data of an athlete during a swimming workout. It involves attaching a mobile tracking device to the athlete's head, which senses swimming-specific data (stroke rate, distance, time). This data is wirelessly transmitted live to a training log server, where it updates the athlete's training record. The method then makes this live training data available on a coaching dashboard for the coach to view during the athlete's swimming workout.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
I did not find specific entries for patent 10799763 in the CAFC 2026 dockets. General information on searching CAFC dockets was provided, but no direct results for this specific patent number in 2026.

I did not find specific litigation cases directly involving US patent 10799763 in the provided search results. While the search results mention general patent litigation and some specific cases for other patent numbers, there is no information about US10799763. Therefore, as of April 26, 2026, I cannot list any known litigation for this patent based on the given sources.

Proceedings overview

As of the current date, no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method) have been filed against US Patent 10,799,763, according to both the USPTO Open Data Portal and comprehensive web searches. This means the patent's claims remain untested by PTAB challenges.

Strategic summary

All claims of US Patent 10,799,763 are currently UNTESTED by AIA trial proceedings. This lack of PTAB activity suggests that the patent has not yet faced direct challenges to its patentability at the USPTO. For a defendant, this means there is no estoppel created by prior PTAB proceedings under § 315(e)(2), leaving all prior-art grounds available for potential IPR or PGR petitions.

The absence of PTAB challenges could indicate several things: the patent owner may not have asserted the patent widely, potential challengers might not have identified strong invalidity grounds, or any disputes may have been resolved pre-litigation or through district court proceedings without resorting to the PTAB.

Recommended next steps

Given the absence of any PTAB activity on US Patent 10,799,763:

• For a potential defendant facing assertion: All claims of the patent are currently considered valid by the USPTO, as no challenges have been successfully mounted or even instituted at the PTAB. A defendant would have the full range of invalidity arguments available for an IPR or PGR petition, assuming the statutory deadlines for filing such petitions (e.g., one year from service of a complaint for IPR) have not passed. This patent has not been "hardened" by surviving PTAB scrutiny, nor have any claims been narrowed or cancelled.
• Regarding district court litigation: Without PTAB proceedings, there are no PTAB-generated findings to impact claim construction or validity defenses in parallel district court litigation.
• Monitoring: It would be prudent to continue monitoring PTAB dockets for any newly filed petitions related to US10799763, as a well-asserted patent often eventually attracts such challenges.## Proceedings overview

As of the current date, there are no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method) on file for US Patent 10,799,763. This means all claims of the patent are currently untested by PTAB challenges.

Strategic summary

All claims of US Patent 10,799,763 are currently UNTESTED by AIA trial proceedings. This indicates that no challenges to the patentability of its claims have been formally initiated, instituted, or adjudicated at the PTAB. For a defendant facing assertion of this patent, this provides a clear landscape:

• Claim Status: All claims (1-20) of US Patent 10,799,763 are currently considered to have survived any direct PTAB challenge, as none have occurred. There are no invalidated or sustained claims from PTAB proceedings.
• Estoppel Landscape: Since no PTAB proceedings have taken place, there is no estoppel under § 315(e)(2) for any petitioner (or their privies) in relation to this patent. This means that all prior-art grounds, including those that "could have been raised," remain available for a potential future IPR, PGR, or other challenge.

The absence of PTAB activity suggests that the patent has not yet been significantly challenged by third parties through these administrative processes. This could be due to various reasons, such as the patent not having been widely asserted, or potential challengers not yet having identified sufficiently strong grounds for a PTAB petition.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity exists for US Patent 10,799,763, the following steps are recommended:

• For a potential defendant: If facing assertion of this patent, a defendant has an open field to file an IPR or PGR petition, provided they meet the statutory requirements (e.g., timing windows). No claims have been cancelled, so the defensive posture would involve initiating a new challenge rather than leveraging existing PTAB outcomes.
• No specific FWD or appeal to cite: As there are no proceedings, there are no Final Written Decisions or Federal Circuit appeals to reference.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Continue to monitor the USPTO PTAB E2E system for any newly filed petitions against US10799763, as the landscape can change rapidly if the patent is asserted more broadly.## Proceedings overview

As of the current date, no AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method) have been filed against US Patent 10,799,763. The USPTO Open Data Portal shows no such proceedings, and web searches for "US10799763 PTAB", "US 10799763 IPR", "US10799763 PGR", and "US10799763 CBM" did not yield any relevant results. Therefore, the patent has not undergone any PTAB scrutiny, and all its claims are currently untested. This gives a defendant the flexibility to pursue PTAB challenges without prior estoppel limitations.

Strategic summary

All claims of US Patent 10,799,763 are currently UNTESTED by AIA trial proceedings. This means that no challenges to the patentability of its claims have been formally initiated, instituted, or adjudicated at the PTAB. For a defendant facing assertion of this patent, this presents a particular strategic landscape:

• Claim Status: All claims (1-20) of US Patent 10,799,763 remain in their originally granted state, as no PTAB proceeding has resulted in their cancellation, amendment, or affirmance.
• Estoppel Landscape: Crucially, since no PTAB proceedings have occurred, there is no petitioner estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) for any party (or their privies) regarding this patent. This implies that all prior-art grounds, including those that "could have been raised," are still available for a potential future IPR, PGR, or other challenge. This is a significant advantage for a defendant considering a PTAB petition, as they are not restricted by previous failed challenges.
• Pattern Signals: The absence of PTAB activity provides no signals regarding the patent owner's typical defensive strategies or the frequency of challenges against their portfolio. There's no evidence of repeated challenges by the same petitioner or involvement of defensive aggregators like Unified Patents.

The lack of PTAB activity might suggest that the patent has not been heavily asserted, or that prior art challenging its claims has not been widely identified or leveraged in administrative proceedings.

Recommended next steps

Given the complete absence of PTAB activity for US Patent 10,799,763:

• For a potential defendant facing assertion: The most direct next step would be to conduct a thorough prior art search and invalidity analysis to identify strong grounds for a potential Inter Partes Review (IPR) petition. This would be a first-impression challenge at the PTAB.
• No specific FWD or appeal to cite: Since no proceedings exist, there are no Final Written Decisions (FWDs) or Federal Circuit appeal dispositions to reference or quote.
• Timing Considerations: If litigation is ongoing, a defendant must be mindful of the one-year statutory deadline for filing an IPR petition from the date of service of a complaint alleging infringement of the patent.
• Monitoring: It is advisable to set up an alert to monitor the USPTO PTAB E2E system for any newly filed petitions against US Patent 10,799,763, as the landscape can change once the patent becomes a subject of enforcement or strategic interest.

Inventors

• Todd Martin: Employer at the time of filing is not determinable from the patent text or assignment records. The inventor assigned his interest to Finish Time Holdings, LLC prior to the patent's issue.

Original assignee

Finish Time Holdings LLC is the entity named on the issued patent.

Based on available public information, Finish Time Holdings LLC does not appear to ship a discernible product embodying the claims of US10799763, nor does it maintain an active, public-facing website detailing such products or services. Its primary line of business, as indicated by its patent activities, appears to be patent holding and licensing related to sports tracking technology. The entity's current status is "Active" according to Google Patents.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-03-09 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-20 — Reel 052441/0212
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: MARTIN, TODD
  • Assignee: FINISH TIME HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: HOOKER & HABIB, P.C. (100 CORPORATE CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 209, CAMP HILL, PA 17011)
  • Context: Inventor assigned patent rights to the original assignee prior to the patent's grant.

There are no other recorded assignments for US10799763 in the USPTO Assignment Center.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10799763
    2019 : Application filed
    2020 : Inventor assigns to Finish Time Holdings
         : Patent issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent was assigned from the inventor, Todd Martin, to Finish Time Holdings, LLC (Reel 052441/0212, recorded 2020-03-20). While Finish Time Holdings, LLC does not publicly present as an operating company with products embodying the claims, this transfer is from an individual inventor, not a classic operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Finish Time Holdings, LLC is not identified as a known patent asserter on common NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The correspondent, HOOKER & HABIB, P.C., is noted for the single recorded assignment (Reel 052441/0212), but there are no other assignments in this chain to demonstrate recurrence.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only a single assignment from the inventor is recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment (executed 2020-03-09, recorded 2020-03-20) occurred before the patent was granted (2020-10-13), indicating a pre-issuance transfer of ownership from the inventor, not a transfer immediately preceding litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of the original assignee being in bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no evidence of an operating company transferring the patent to an NPE for assertion on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data.
Based on the single assignment record from the inventor to Finish Time Holdings, LLC (Reel 052441/0212, recorded 2020-03-20) and the lack of other transfers or clear public-facing operations for Finish Time Holdings, LLC, there is not enough information to confidently categorize this patent as asserted by an NPE or an operating company. The absence of additional assignment activity suggests the original assignee still holds the patent, but its business model (operating vs. licensing) remains unclear from public records alone.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US10799763: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent-number/10799763

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 10799763, I will now search the USPTO database for the patent and then analyze its cited references. I cannot directly access the USPTO database, but I can search for the patent information as publicly available.

I'll proceed by looking for US10799763 and then examine its "Cited By" and "Other References" sections on the patent document itself to gather the prior art information.

Here's the plan to get the information requested:

1. Search for US10799763 on a patent database (like Google Patents or USPTO Public Search if accessible directly) to get the full patent document.
2. From the patent document, locate the "References Cited" section.
3. For each reference listed, extract the full citation, publication/filing date, and a brief description.
4. Based on the abstract and claims of US10799763, and the description of the prior art, determine which claim(s) of US10799763 the prior art potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Since I cannot directly execute a search on the USPTO database in the same way a human would use their portal, I will rely on publicly available information of the patent from the prompt's provided link (https://patents.google.com/patent/US10799763/en) to identify the "Prior art references" and "Cited by" sections.

Finding Prior Art for US10799763:

I will now analyze the "Prior art references" and "Cited by" sections from the provided patent text to identify relevant prior art.

Based on the provided patent text, under the "Prior art keywords" section, the following are listed: "athlete", "training", "workout", "user", "coach". These are keywords, not specific patent citations.

I need to look for specific patent numbers or publications cited as prior art within the patent document itself. I'll examine the full patent text provided in the prompt for explicit citations of prior art.

Upon reviewing the full patent text of US10799763, the following prior art references are explicitly mentioned and incorporated by reference:

1. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213:

   • Full Citation: U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213, filed May 30, 2012, entitled “System and Method for Providing an Athlete with a Performance Profile.”
   • Publication/Filing Date: May 30, 2012
   • Brief Description: This application details a system and method for providing an athlete with a performance profile, including details on a rankings generator and a media portal.
   • Potential Anticipation: This reference is incorporated for details regarding a "rankings generator 120" and a "media portal." Claims related to these features within US10799763, such as the general web-based platform features (e.g., activity calendar, training log, media portal, rankings generator mentioned in the "SUMMARY" section and detailed description of the platform 102), could be anticipated. Specifically, the system features of Platform 102 (including ranking generator 120 and media database 114) might be anticipated.

2. U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232:

   • Full Citation: U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232, filed Sep. 25, 2012, entitled “Interface and Method for Updating an Athlete Training Log.”
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 25, 2012
   • Brief Description: This provisional application describes a system for providing a live feed to a training log, specifically mentioning an interface and method for updating an athlete's training log with live data.
   • Potential Anticipation: This reference specifically describes a "system for providing a live feed to a training log." Therefore, it could potentially anticipate aspects of US10799763 that involve receiving live training data and updating a training log in real-time. This would be highly relevant to independent claims 1, 9, 17, and 20, which all describe systems and methods for tracking an athlete with a mobile tracking device that provides live updates to a training log server, particularly during swimming workouts.

It's important to note that the patent itself states: "This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/870,858, filed Jan. 13, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,322,314, which is a continuation of U.S. Application No. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/162,613, filed May 23, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,889,340, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/054,879, filed Oct. 16, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,345,948, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/715,847, filed Oct. 19, 2012, the entire contents of each being incorporated by reference herein." These are part of the patent's own family and are generally not considered prior art for anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 as they represent earlier stages of the same invention. The analysis above focuses on explicitly cited prior art references outside of the direct continuity chain.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US10799763

This analysis will identify combinations of prior art that would render the independent claims of US Patent 10799763 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA), along with the motivation for such combinations. The analysis will focus on the independent claims (1, 9, 17, and 20) as summarized in the previous section. The earliest priority date for US10799763 is October 19, 2012, stemming from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/715,847. Prior art references predating this date will be considered.

The patent itself incorporates by reference two key applications that are prior art:

• U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213, filed May 30, 2012, entitled “System and Method for Providing an Athlete with a Performance Profile” (hereinafter " '213 Application")
• U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232, filed Sep. 25, 2012, entitled “Interface and Method for Updating an Athlete Training Log” (hereinafter " '232 Provisional")

Understanding the Key Differentiating Features of US10799763:

Based on the independent claims (1, 9, 17, 20) and the abstract, the primary distinguishing features of US10799763 appear to be:

1. A mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head.
2. Live transmission of training data to a server.
3. Application to swimming workouts, sensing swimming-specific data (e.g., stroke rate, distance, time).
4. A coach's dashboard providing live training data of the athlete performing the workout.

Prior Art Review

1. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213 ('213 Application): This application is incorporated by reference for details on a rankings generator and a media portal. It focuses on a system and method for providing an athlete with a performance profile, including event information, results, training plans, workouts, and rankings. It describes a web-based platform, user profiles, training logs, and coach access to training plans and records. It discusses collecting training data and updating a log, but doesn't explicitly detail live data feeds or head-mounted devices, nor specific swimming metrics beyond general activity tracking.

2. U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232 ('232 Provisional): This provisional application is explicitly incorporated by reference for "an example of a system for providing a live feed to a training log". The description of US10799763 states that "a cyclist or runner may wear a GPS-enabled device which is Internet ready so that as the user is training, training data is being communicated 'live' to the user's personal training log on the platform" and that a "Coaching dashboard 134 may be configured to provide the coach with live training information as the athlete is performing the workout." This live data feed and coaching dashboard concept are directly linked to the '232 Provisional.

3. General Disclosure within US10799763 (acting as prior art to itself if elements are combined with external art or if general concepts are inherent in the field): The patent's detailed description also outlines a broader system (Platform 102) for tracking various athletic activities including running, biking, and swimming. It discusses training logs, athlete profiles, and the ability for coaches to upload training plans and view athlete records. It also details mobile training computers (e.g., bike computers, wrist-worn devices) and peer-to-peer data transfer. Importantly, it mentions the mobile training computer can be "worn on the user, for example, with a body strap at the wrist or about the user's chest" and can be "configured to be worn on other areas of the body, such as the ankle or around the head." This last point is crucial.

Obviousness Argument

Claim 1 (System for tracking an athlete) and Claim 9 (Method for tracking an athlete):
These claims focus on a system/method with a head-wearable mobile tracking device, real-time data transmission to a server, athlete profiles with training records and coach-supplied plans, and messages to the coach upon record updates.

Combination: '213 Application + '232 Provisional + General knowledge of head-worn devices in sports.

• '213 Application: Discloses the core web-based platform for athlete management, including athlete profiles, training logs (updated by athletes), and training plans (supplied by coaches). It also covers coach access to athlete records and the general concept of tracking athletic performance.
• '232 Provisional: Provides the concept of "live feed to a training log" and a "Coaching dashboard" configured to provide the coach with "live training information as the athlete is performing the workout." This addresses the real-time data transmission and the coach notification aspect.
• General Disclosure within US10799763 (acting as PHOSITA knowledge): The patent itself explicitly states that a "mobile training computer... may be configured to be worn on other areas of the body, such as the ankle or around the head." This demonstrates that a head-worn device was a known or obvious variation for mounting a tracking device in the field at the time.

Motivation for Combination: A PHOSITA, seeking to improve athlete tracking systems like that of the '213 Application by providing more immediate feedback and monitoring, would naturally look to implement live data streaming. The '232 Provisional directly teaches this "live feed to a training log" and a "coaching dashboard" for real-time monitoring. Furthermore, with existing mobile tracking devices commonly worn on wrists or chests, a PHOSITA would readily recognize that adapting such devices for headwear could offer benefits for certain activities (e.g., unobstructed views, stable placement, integration with goggles or caps) or simply be an alternative ergonomic placement. The patent itself acknowledges this by stating the device "may be configured to be worn on other areas of the body, such as the ankle or around the head." Therefore, combining a known athlete management platform ('213 Application) with live data streaming capabilities ('232 Provisional) and employing a recognized alternative mounting position (head-worn) would have been obvious to a PHOSITA.

Claim 17 (System for providing live training data to a coach during swimming) and Claim 20 (Method for providing live training data to a coach during swimming):
These claims specifically narrow the scope to swimming workouts, emphasizing swimming-related training data (stroke rate, distance, time) and the head-worn device during swimming.

Combination: '213 Application + '232 Provisional + General knowledge of swimming metrics and waterproof/head-worn sports trackers for swimming.

• '213 Application: Again, provides the foundational web-based platform, athlete profiles, training records, and coach-supplied plans. The '213 Application's parent patent, US 9,345,948, mentions "swimming" as an activity type for which data fields can be generated, including "location, distance, time, notes and whether a wetsuit was used."
• '232 Provisional: Teaches the live data feed to a training log and the coaching dashboard for real-time monitoring.
• General Knowledge/PHOSITA Motivation: A PHOSITA in sports technology would be well aware of the need for specific metrics for different sports. For swimming, measuring stroke rate, distance, and time are fundamental. Integrating existing sensors (e.g., accelerometers for stroke rate, GPS for distance if above water, internal clock for time) into a waterproof, head-mounted device (e.g., swimming goggles or caps) would have been a matter of routine design choice to capture relevant swimming data. Waterproofing and head-mounting for swimming devices (e.g., MP3 players, lap counters) were common prior to the priority date. The motivation would be to provide coaches with comprehensive, real-time insights specific to swimming performance, leveraging the general live-tracking system for land-based sports and adapting it for aquatic environments. The patent itself states, "For a swimming activity, processor 104 may generate fields relating to location, distance, time, notes and whether a wetsuit was used," indicating these are expected swimming metrics. The explicit mention in the patent that a mobile training computer "may be configured to be worn... around the head" reinforces that this was a recognized and obvious placement for a tracking device.

Therefore, extending a live-streaming athlete tracking system (as taught by '213 Application and '232 Provisional) to include specific swimming metrics and utilizing a head-worn device for swimming would have been obvious, representing a mere application of known technology to a known problem (tracking swimming performance) with predictable results.