Prior art

This analysis focuses on identifying the most relevant prior art for US Patent 11,778,415, specifically looking at each patent citation to determine potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

To begin, I will search the USPTO database for US Patent 11,778,415 to access its full citation details and list of cited prior art.

US Patent 11,778,415: Location sharing application in association with services provision

• Filing Date: May 4, 2022
• Issue Date: October 3, 2023
• Assignee: XONE Inc.
• Inventor: Richard D. Haney

Prior Art Analysis (based on publicly available information and the patent text):

Since I cannot directly access the full list of "cited patents" from the USPTO database within this environment, I will proceed by analyzing the prior art explicitly mentioned and discussed within the provided text of US11778415B2. The patent itself identifies and distinguishes itself from certain prior art, which serves as a starting point for relevance.

The patent discusses prior art in the context of "one way location sharing" and "kid tracking systems." [cite: "the one way location sharing prior art", "Other commercial services allow parents to track the locations of their children in a one way location sharing manner.", "the prior art kid tracking systems could not be reconfigured in the field to add new individuals with whom location information was to be shared."]

Specifically, the patent mentions:

• On Star and Mercedes Benz TeleAid services: These are described as systems where, via GPS receivers and cellular phone capability built into a car, an aid center can track cars all over the world and communicate with occupants, sensing events like airbag deployment. [cite: "the one way location sharing prior art includes On Star and the Mercedes Benz TeleAid services where, via GPS receivers and cellular phone capability built into a car, an aid center can track cars all over the world and speak with the occupants and sense when the cars airbags have deployed."]

  • Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the patent text, but these services were commercially available prior to the priority date of US11778415 (April 4, 2005).
  • Brief Description: These systems allow for one-way tracking of a vehicle's location by a central service. They do not enable mutual location sharing between individuals or dynamic reconfiguration of sharing groups in the field. [cite: "None of these services allow the occupants of the car to know where the aid center is or allows the children to know where their parents are.", "the prior art kid tracking systems could not be reconfigured in the field to add new individuals with whom location information was to be shared."]
  • Potential Anticipated Claims (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): This prior art would not anticipate claims related to mutual location sharing, dynamic in-field group configuration, or the "Instant Buddy" or "Personal Bread Crumbs" features. It might, however, be relevant to the broad concept of a central server receiving location data from a mobile device for tracking purposes, as generally described in some aspects of the independent claims, but the additional functionalities of US11778415 distinguish it.

• Other commercial services for parental tracking: These services allow parents to track their children's locations in a one-way manner. [cite: "Other commercial services allow parents to track the locations of their children in a one way location sharing manner."]

  • Publication/Filing Date: Not explicitly stated, but also pre-dates the priority date of US11778415.
  • Brief Description: Similar to On Star/TeleAid in the context of location tracking, these systems are primarily one-way, with the tracked individual generally not able to see the tracker's location. A key limitation highlighted is the inability to reconfigure sharing groups in the field. [cite: "None of these services allow the occupants of the car to know where the aid center is or allows the children to know where their parents are.", "the prior art kid tracking systems could not be reconfigured in the field to add new individuals with whom location information was to be shared."]
  • Potential Anticipated Claims (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): This prior art would similarly not anticipate claims related to mutual location sharing, dynamic in-field group configuration, or the "Instant Buddy" or "Personal Bread Crumbs" features.

The patent explicitly states that a "need" exists for systems allowing mutual location sharing and the ability to reconfigure sharing capabilities in the field, which the described prior art does not address. [cite: "Another need is for a system for use by motorists, hikers, pilots and boatmen to allow them to be able to contact rescuers and know the location of the rescuers as they come to the aid of the stranded person and to allow the rescuers to know the location of the victims they are trying to rescue.", "the need requires that cell phones have the capability to be reconfigured in the field to add an “instant buddy” to the list of people with whom location information is shared.", "the prior art kid tracking systems could not be reconfigured in the field to add new individuals with whom location information was to be shared."]

Therefore, the primary independent claims of US11778415, which cover:

• A method and system for mutual location sharing among selected individuals (buddies).
• The ability for users to create and manage Buddy Lists to control sharing.
• The establishment of temporary "Instant Buddy" relationships for mutual location sharing with unlisted contacts, which then automatically expire.
• The "Personal Bread Crumbs" feature involving periodic check-ins and automated distress message transmission with location history upon non-response.

These features are presented in the patent as novel over the explicitly discussed prior art of one-way location tracking and static buddy lists. Further analysis would require a full review of all cited prior art in the patent's "References Cited" section from an official USPTO record.