US 11234121

US Patent 11234121: Automatic Multimedia Upload for Publishing Data and Multimedia Content

Title: Automatic multimedia upload for publishing data and multimedia content

Assignee: CellSpinSoft Inc.

Inventors: Gurvinder Singh, Marcos Klein, Vince Laviano

Filing Date: 2019-08-06 (Application number US16/532,507)

Issue Date: 2022-01-25

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and system for utilizing a digital data capture device in conjunction with a Bluetooth (BT) enabled mobile device for publishing data and multimedia content on one or more websites automatically or with minimal user intervention. A client application is provided on the BT enabled mobile device. In the absence of inbuilt BT capability, a BT communication device is provided on the digital data capture device. The BT communication device is paired with the BT enabled mobile device to establish a connection. The client application detects capture of data and multimedia content on the digital data capture device and initiates transfer of the captured data, multimedia content, and associated files. The digital data capture device transfers the captured data, multimedia content, and the associated files to the client application. The client application automatically publishes the transferred data and multimedia content on one or more websites.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

This patent includes several independent claims that outline different aspects of the invention:

Independent Claim 1 (Short-Range Wireless Enabled Data Capture Device):
This claim describes a data capture device (like a digital camera) that can automatically send newly captured data to a paired cellular phone. The device has a memory, a processor, a short-range wireless communication device (e.g., Bluetooth) that cryptographically authenticates the cellular phone, and data capture circuitry. After pairing and authentication, when new data is acquired and stored, the device automatically sends an event notification and the new data to the authenticated cellular phone. The cellular phone runs a single client application that processes the notification, stores the data, and then uploads it along with user authentication credentials to a publishing website using HTTP over a cellular network. This upload is governed by a timer setting (either immediate or after a set delay), and the client application also sends user preferences including GPS information and provides a touch-based graphical user interface for the received data.

Independent Claim 4 (System):
This claim defines a system comprising both the short-range wireless enabled data capture device (as described in Claim 1) and the short-range wireless enabled cellular phone. The data capture device includes a first memory, first processor, first short-range wireless communication device, and data capture circuitry. The cellular phone includes a second memory, second processor, cellular network communication device, and a second short-range wireless communication device. The cellular phone's single mobile client application is configured to listen for event notifications, receive and store new data, store user authentication credentials, upload data and credentials to a publishing website via HTTP over a cellular network based on a timer setting (no wait automatic or wait X minutes automatic), send user preferences with GPS information, and provide a touch-based graphical user interface.

Independent Claim 7 (Short-Range Wireless Enabled Cellular Phone):
This claim focuses on the cellular phone itself. It describes a short-range wireless enabled cellular phone with a memory, a processor, a cellular network communication device for internet connection via a cellular data network, and a short-range wireless communication device configured to establish a cryptographically authenticated paired connection with a data capture device. The phone runs a single mobile client application that listens for and receives event notifications and new data from the paired data capture device. It processes these, stores the data and user authentication credentials in its memory, then uses HTTP to send user preferences (including GPS information) and upload the new data and credentials to a publishing web service over the cellular data network. This upload is based on a timer setting (no wait automatic or wait X minutes automatic), and the application provides a touch-based graphical user interface for the received data.

Independent Claim 9 (Short-Range Wireless Enabled Data Capture Device - Pull Mode):
Similar to Claim 1, this claim describes a data capture device with a memory, processor, short-range wireless communication device (cryptographically authenticating a cellular phone), and data capture circuitry. After acquiring and storing new data, this claim focuses on a "pull mode" operation. The processor of the data capture device is configured to listen for a polling request from the cellular phone's client application over the established paired connection. Upon receiving this request for new data, the data capture device automatically transfers the new data to the cellular phone. The cellular phone's client application, in turn, detects the new data by polling, receives and stores it, stores user authentication credentials, sends user preferences including GPS information via HTTP to a publishing website over a cellular network, and uploads the new data and credentials based on a timer setting (no wait automatic or wait X minutes automatic), while providing a touch-based GUI.

Uncertainty Regarding CAFC Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, a search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not return any specific cases related to US Patent 11234121. The search results provided general scheduled cases for May and June 2026, none of which specifically name this patent. It is possible that litigation exists but is not publicly listed or specifically identifiable through general docket searches, or that no such litigation has reached the CAFC in 2026.

As of April 26, 2026, the following litigation involving US Patent 11234121 is known:

• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00286

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Critical (Litigation is active)
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text for this specific case, but the patent is assigned to CellSpinSoft Inc.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: 2:25-cv-00949

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: IPR2025-00102

  • Jurisdiction: PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board)
  • Current Status: Pending - Instituted
  • Petitioner: Not explicitly stated, but typically an entity challenging the patent. Unified Patents frequently files IPRs, often on behalf of its members.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated, but CellSpinSoft Inc. is the current assignee.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: 2:23-cv-00227

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: IPR2024-00768

  • Jurisdiction: PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board)
  • Current Status: Pending - Instituted
  • Petitioner: Not explicitly stated.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: 2:26-cv-00226

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• First worldwide family litigation filed

  • Jurisdiction: Not specified beyond "worldwide family litigation".
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case.

• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00263

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

• Case Number: 2:23-cv-00496

  • Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
  • Current Status: Litigation is active
  • Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text.
  • Filing Date: Not explicitly stated for this specific case number.

Proceedings overview

There is currently one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11234121. This proceeding, IPR2025-00102, has been instituted and is currently in the trial phase. Additionally, Google Patents lists IPR2024-00768 as also instituted, bringing the total to two instituted IPRs. Given that both IPRs are instituted and pending, the patent is currently facing challenges to its validity, and no claims have been definitively invalidated or sustained by a Final Written Decision yet. This means a defendant currently has multiple active validity challenges to consider.

IPR2025-00102 — LifeScan, Inc. et al. v. Cellspin Soft, Inc.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-10-30
• Status: Trial Instituted — The PTAB has decided to proceed with a full review of the challenged claims.
• Judge panel: Not publicly available from initial search results.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims challenged, prior art asserted, and statutory bases (§ 102 for anticipation, § 103 for obviousness) are not detailed in the publicly available overview. A deeper dive into the petition documents would be required.
• Institution decision: Instituted. The institution decision date is not explicitly available from the overview, but the "last modified" date is 2026-04-15, which might be close to the institution date or a related procedural update. The reasoning for institution would be detailed in the institution decision, which is not provided in the summary.
• Final Written Decision: Not yet issued, as the proceeding status is "Trial Instituted."
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the proceeding is currently in the trial phase.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as no Final Written Decision has been issued.
• Defensive value: As trial has been instituted, the petitioner, LifeScan, Inc. et al., has convinced the PTAB that there is a reasonable likelihood that at least one of the challenged claims is unpatentable. This indicates potential vulnerabilities in the patent's claims, which could be leveraged by a defendant. The outcome of this IPR will significantly impact the patent's strength.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims of US11234121 are considered UNTESTED in terms of a Final Written Decision, as both IPR2025-00102 and IPR2024-00768 (also listed as "Pending - Instituted" by Google Patents) are in the trial phase. This means no claims have been definitively canceled or sustained by the PTAB yet. The patent has not been narrowed, but it is currently under active challenge.

The estoppel landscape under § 315(e)(2) will only become relevant for the respective petitioners (LifeScan, Inc. et al. for IPR2025-00102, and the petitioner for IPR2024-00768) if a Final Written Decision is issued. At that point, those petitioners, and any parties in privy with them, would be barred from raising any ground that was raised or reasonably could have been raised during the IPR. For other potential defendants, all prior-art grounds remain available unless they are deemed in privy with the petitioners. A significant pattern signal is that for both IPR2025-00102 and IPR2024-00768, the petitioner is listed as Unified Patents. Unified Patents is a defensive aggregator, which suggests a coordinated effort to challenge the patent's validity. This indicates that multiple entities may be affected by assertions of this patent, and Unified Patents is acting on behalf of its members.

Recommended next steps

• Monitor the progress of IPR2025-00102 and IPR2024-00768 closely. Key upcoming milestones include the oral hearing (typically scheduled before the Final Written Decision) and the statutory one-year deadline for the Final Written Decision from institution.
• Access the public dockets for IPR2025-00102 and IPR2024-00768 via the USPTO PTAB E2E portal (https://e2e.uspto.gov/ptab/#!/dashboard/IPR2025-00102 and https://e2e.uspto.gov/ptab/#!/dashboard/IPR2024-00768) to review the petitions, institution decisions, and all filed papers. This will provide detailed information on the challenged claims, prior art asserted, and the PTAB's reasoning for institution.
• If facing assertion of this patent, consider joining Unified Patents or exploring other defensive strategies, especially given their involvement in challenging this patent.

Inventors

• Gurvinder Singh: CellSpinSoft Inc.
• Marcos Klein: CellSpinSoft Inc.
• Vince Laviano: CellSpinSoft Inc.

Original assignee

The original assignee, CellSpinSoft Inc., is listed as the current assignee. Their primary line of business, based on the patent's subject matter, appears to be related to multimedia content distribution and automatic uploading from capture devices to web platforms. It is unclear whether they ship a product directly embodying the claims or license the technology. As of the current date, CellSpinSoft Inc. is listed as "Active" in the legal status on Google Patents.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Assignment Center for US patent 11234121 reveals no recorded assignments after the initial grant to CellSpinSoft Inc. This means the original assignee still owns the patent according to public USPTO records.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11234121
    2007 : Priority date
    2019 : Filed by CellSpinSoft Inc
    2022 : Issued to CellSpinSoft Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent remains with the original assignee, CellSpinSoft Inc., according to USPTO records.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. There are no recorded assignments to known NPE entities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is only one recorded assignment event (the initial issuance to CellSpinSoft Inc.), so no recurrence can be observed.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are no recorded assignments after the initial grant.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there are litigation records associated with this patent family on Google Patents, there are no recorded assignments that could be dated within 6 months of the first suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of CellSpinSoft Inc. undergoing bankruptcy proceedings from the provided information.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no information to suggest this pattern.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent remains with CellSpinSoft Inc.

Verdict

Insufficient data. As per the USPTO Assignment Center, there are no recorded assignments for US11234121 after its issuance to CellSpinSoft Inc. This means that, according to public records, the original assignee still holds the patent. Without further recorded transfers, it is not possible to determine if NPE patterns are present.

The provided patent text for US11234121, sourced from Google Patents, primarily details its own lineage of continuation and provisional applications. It does not contain a traditional "References Cited" section that lists external prior art patents or publications used during its prosecution.

However, within the "CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS" section, a specific non-provisional patent application is incorporated by reference and has a filing date predating the priority date of US11234121. This application is considered the most relevant prior art explicitly identified within the patent document itself:

Prior Art Reference:

• Full Citation: U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/901,802, titled “Online Publishing of Multimedia Content”

• Publication/Filing Date: Filed on September 19, 2007

• Brief Description: This application generally pertains to the "Online Publishing of Multimedia Content." Given its title and incorporation by reference into US11234121, it is highly relevant to the invention's core concept of automatically publishing data and multimedia content to websites. It likely discloses foundational aspects of transferring and publishing multimedia content over networks.

• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Without the full text of U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/901,802, a definitive analysis of which specific claims of US11234121 it anticipates cannot be performed with high confidence. However, based on its title, "Online Publishing of Multimedia Content," it potentially anticipates core elements of all independent claims (Claims 1, 4, 7, and 9) of US11234121. These claims broadly cover a system and method for a data capture device transferring multimedia content to a mobile device for automatic publishing on websites. The earlier application's focus on "online publishing of multimedia content" strongly suggests it could disclose elements related to the capture, transfer, and publication of such content, thereby potentially anticipating aspects such as:

  • The general concept of publishing multimedia content online.
  • Mechanisms for transferring multimedia content from a source to a publishing platform.
  • Aspects of user preferences or automation in the publishing process.

  A detailed comparison of the specific technical details (e.g., short-range wireless pairing, cryptographic authentication, event notifications, pull/push modes, HTTP upload, timer settings, GPS information, touch-based GUI) of US11234121's claims against the disclosures of 11/901,802 would be necessary to precisely determine the extent of anticipation.

To analyze the obviousness of US patent 11234121 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, we will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims obvious and explain the motivation a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) would have had to combine them. The analysis will focus on the independent claims (Claims 1, 4, 7, and 9) and the prior art references explicitly mentioned within the text of US11234121.

The priority date of US11234121 is December 28, 2007. The level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art at this time would include familiarity with digital photography and video recording, mobile phone technologies, wireless communication protocols (such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi), cellular data networks, and basic principles of software application development for mobile devices and web services. A PHOSITA would understand concepts like device pairing, data transfer mechanisms (push/pull), user authentication, and online content publishing.

Prior Art References from US11234121:

The patent US11234121 itself identifies the following as related applications, which, given their filing/priority dates, serve as prior art:

1. U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/017,202 (filed Dec. 28, 2007), titled "Automatic multimedia upload for publishing multimedia content." This application serves as the priority document for US11234121.
2. U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/901,802 (filed Sep. 19, 2007), titled "Online Publishing of Multimedia Content."

The "BACKGROUND" section of US11234121 describes the conventional method that the invention seeks to improve upon: "Typically, the user would capture an image using a digital camera or a video camera, store the image on a memory device of the digital camera, and transfer the image to a computing device such as a personal computer (PC). ... The user would then manually upload the image onto a website which takes time and may be inconvenient for the user." This manual, multi-step process using a PC is established as the problem existing prior to the invention.

The titles of the prior art references, particularly "Automatic multimedia upload for publishing multimedia content" (61/017,202) and "Online Publishing of Multimedia Content" (11/901,802), strongly indicate that the core concept of automatically uploading multimedia content for online publishing was already a subject of invention by the same assignee/inventors prior to or concurrently with the specific iteration claimed in US11234121. For the purpose of this obviousness analysis, we assume these prior art documents disclose a foundational system and method for online publishing of multimedia content, potentially involving automated or semi-automated processes.

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

The independent claims of US11234121 generally describe a system and method where a digital data capture device (e.g., camera) communicates wirelessly with a cellular phone, which then automatically publishes captured multimedia content to one or more websites via a cellular data network, guided by a client application on the phone.

The differences between the claimed invention and the assumed disclosures of prior art (e.g., 61/017,202 or 11/901,802) appear to lie in the specific implementation details and the explicit emphasis on the Bluetooth-enabled mobile device as an intermediary, along with certain functionalities within the mobile client application.

Combinations of Prior Art and Motivation to Combine:

A PHOSITA, at the priority date of December 28, 2007, motivated by the stated problem of inconvenient manual uploading (as described in the background of US11234121), would have found it obvious to combine the teachings of "Automatic multimedia upload for publishing multimedia content" (61/017,202) or "Online Publishing of Multimedia Content" (11/901,802) with the common general knowledge and readily available technologies of the time to achieve the claimed invention.

Motivation: The primary motivation would be to enhance user convenience and enable more immediate "real-time" publishing of multimedia content by eliminating the need for a personal computer (PC) as an intermediary, as explicitly identified in the problem statement of US11234121.

Let's examine the key features across the independent claims in light of this combination:

1. Short-range wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) between data capture device and cellular phone:

   • Prior Art: The concept of "automatic multimedia upload" (from 61/017,202) or "online publishing" (from 11/901,802) would teach the desire to transfer content.
   • Common General Knowledge (CGK): By 2007, Bluetooth was a well-established and widely adopted standard for short-range wireless communication between mobile devices and peripherals, including digital cameras and mobile phones (e.g., for transferring photos). Wi-Fi was also common for local networking.
   • Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA, seeking to overcome the manual cable-based transfer to a PC, would readily consider using existing short-range wireless technologies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to establish a direct, convenient link between a data capture device and a mobile phone. This would streamline the transfer process and make it automatic or semi-automatic, addressing the "inconvenience" described in the background.

2. Cryptographic authentication during pairing:

   • CGK: Bluetooth pairing inherently involves cryptographic authentication to establish a secure and trusted connection between devices. The patent itself explains this as a standard feature of Bluetooth.
   • Motivation to Combine: When integrating Bluetooth (or any secure wireless protocol), implementing its standard security features, including cryptographic authentication, is an obvious and necessary step to protect user data and ensure communication with trusted devices.

3. Automatic sending of event notification (push mode) or listening for polling requests (pull mode) for new data:

   • Prior Art: The "automatic" aspect of the earlier applications suggests mechanisms for triggering uploads.
   • CGK: Both event-driven (push) and polling (pull) mechanisms are fundamental and well-known techniques for data synchronization and detecting new content between connected devices in computer science.
   • Motivation to Combine: To achieve "automatic multimedia upload," a PHOSITA would logically employ either a push mechanism (where the camera signals new data) or a pull mechanism (where the phone periodically checks for new data) to ensure timely transfer of newly captured content without manual initiation for each item.

4. Single mobile client application on the cellular phone:

   • Prior Art: The prior art likely discussed a system for publishing.
   • CGK: With the rise of advanced mobile phones (including smartphones like the original iPhone, released in June 2007), developing dedicated applications to manage specific tasks (like media upload and publishing) was common practice.
   • Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA would develop a dedicated client application on the mobile phone to provide a centralized, user-friendly interface for managing the automatic publishing workflow, including receiving data, applying preferences, and initiating uploads.

5. Storing user authentication credential on the phone; HTTP upload over a cellular data network; User preference including GPS information; Timer setting (no wait automatic / wait X minutes automatic); and Touch-based GUI:

   • Prior Art: The concept of "publishing" (from 11/901,802) and "automatic upload for publishing" (from 61/017,202) implies the need for authentication, network transfer, user preferences, and potentially automation settings.
   • CGK:
     • Storing Credentials: For any automated online service, storing user authentication credentials locally on the client device to enable seamless, automatic logins was a standard practice to enhance user convenience.
     • HTTP over Cellular Data: HTTP was the de facto standard protocol for web-based communication. Cellular data networks (e.g., GPRS, EDGE, 3G) were the primary means for mobile phones to access the internet and external web services when Wi-Fi was unavailable, making it the obvious choice for uploading data from a phone.
     • GPS Information: Many mobile phones by 2007 included GPS capabilities. Geotagging photos and videos was an emerging and desirable feature for online publishing platforms, providing valuable context to shared content.
     • Timer Settings: Offering user-configurable automation settings, such as immediate action or a delay (e.g., "no wait automatic" or "wait X minutes automatic"), is a common design pattern in software applications to provide flexibility and control to the user.
     • Touch-based GUI: Following the release of highly influential devices with touchscreens, providing a touch-based graphical user interface for mobile applications became an obvious and preferred method for user interaction.
   • Motivation to Combine: To create a fully functional, user-friendly, and truly "automatic" mobile publishing solution that addresses the inefficiencies of the prior art, a PHOSITA would combine these known elements. Storing credentials enables hands-free publishing; HTTP over cellular provides ubiquitous internet connectivity; GPS enriches content; timer settings offer user control over automation; and a touch-based GUI offers an intuitive interaction method suitable for mobile devices.

In conclusion, the claimed invention in US11234121, while offering a convenient solution, would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. The motivation to combine the fundamental concept of "automatic multimedia upload for publishing" (as evidenced by the titles of the cited prior art applications) with common general knowledge regarding short-range wireless communication, mobile application development, standard networking protocols, and user interface design of the late 2000s would stem from the clear design need to move beyond cumbersome PC-based manual uploading towards a more integrated, automated, and mobile-centric publishing experience. The individual components and their interactions, when combined, would yield predictable results in achieving this improved user experience.