US 11025573

US patent 11025573, titled "Method and apparatus for data sharing," was issued on June 1, 2021, from an application filed on December 7, 2018 (Application No. US16/212,902). The patent is currently assigned to Ginko LLC, and the inventors are II Ronald J. Czajka and Sam B. Attisha.

Abstract:
The patent describes a method for data sharing that involves receiving a first location from a potential contact. If a user device's second location matches the first location, the potential contact is identified to the user. The user device then sends a request to become a contact with the potential contact, which includes a permission setting for viewing a subset of the user's data. A communication is sent to the potential contact to initiate a data exchange. Upon acceptance of this communication, the user and potential contact are set as contacts, allowing the subset of user data to be viewable to the potential contact according to the permission setting.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Method): This claim describes a method where a user's device identifies a potential contact. The user then sends a request to become a contact, which includes specific permission settings. These settings define whether a subset of the user's data should be shared or if only chat communication is allowed. If the potential contact accepts the request, they both become contacts, and the user's data is shared or chat is enabled based on the initial permission settings.

• Independent Claim 7 (System): This claim outlines a system comprising a processor and memory with instructions. When executed, these instructions perform operations similar to the method claim. Specifically, it identifies a potential contact for a user, receives a contact request with permission settings (at least allowing a subset of user data to be shared), and sends a communication to the potential contact for data exchange. Upon acceptance, the user and potential contact are established as contacts, and the user's data is viewable according to the permission.

• Independent Claim 13 (Another Method): This claim details a method that begins with receiving a first location from a potential contact. If a user device's current location matches this first location, the potential contact is identified to the user. The user device then sends a request to become a contact with the potential contact, specifying permission for sharing user data. A communication is sent to initiate data exchange. Upon acceptance, both parties are set as contacts, with the user's data viewable by the potential contact based on the granted permission.

Litigation Status:
As of the current date, US11025573 is involved in several litigation proceedings:

• A PTAB case, IPR2025-01388, has been filed but not yet instituted on the merits.
• There is a US case filed in the Texas Western District Court (case number 1:24-cv-01279).
• Another US case is filed in the California Northern District Court (case number 3:25-cv-11014).
• The first worldwide family litigation for this patent has also been filed.

A search of CAFC 2026 dockets did not reveal any cases specifically pertaining to patent 11025573. This means that as of April 26, 2026, there are no scheduled arguments or filings directly related to this patent in the CAFC's May 2026 schedule, and no other 2026 CAFC dockets were found for this patent.