US 11864641

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 11864641:

US Patent 11864641: Magnetically coupled wallet accessory for mobile device

• Title: Magnetically coupled wallet accessory for mobile device
• Assignee: 1LSS Inc
• Inventors: Fernando Mora, Alejandro Baca, Mydul R. Islam
• Filing Date: May 26, 2021 (Application number US17/331,280)
• Issue Date: January 9, 2024 (Publication number US118646641B2)
• Abstract: The patent describes a wallet designed for attachment to a mobile device. It features a body with a compartment and a device-side surface. This surface includes a first and second arrangement of magnetic material, each with regions exposing alternating magnetic polarities. These magnetic arrangements work together to magnetically attach the accessory to a mobile device and ensure it adopts a specific orientation on the device.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a mobile device accessory that has magnets of alternating polarity. These magnets are either inside the accessory or attached to its surface. The accessory's magnets can connect to a device-side attachment that is on a mobile device or its protective case. The device-side attachment's magnets are arranged in two different directions, allowing the accessory to be mounted in various orientations (e.g., portrait or landscape) on the mobile device.

• Independent Claim 10: This claim describes a system with two accessory devices. The first accessory has magnets on both its front and back sides. The second accessory also has magnets on both its front and back sides. The first accessory attaches magnetically to a mobile device's attachment, and it sits between the mobile device and the second accessory. The magnets on the back of the first accessory align and connect with the magnets on the front of the second accessory.

• Independent Claim 15: This claim describes a wallet accessory for a mobile electronic device. The wallet has a layered front section and a layered back section that together form a compartment. Magnets are placed within at least one of these layered sections, allowing the wallet to be magnetically attached to an external object or surface.

• Independent Claim 19: This claim describes a mounting system. It includes a device-side attachment with magnets in a protective cover for an electronic device. There's also a wallet with two sets of magnets. One set of the wallet's magnets is designed to attractively connect with the magnets in the device-side attachment. Finally, a surface-side attachment with another set of magnets is designed to attractively connect with the second set of magnets in the wallet.

• Independent Claim 22: This claim describes a system comprising a device-side attachment with magnets in a protective cover for an electronic device. The system also includes a wallet with a layered front and back section that form a compartment. The magnets in the device-side attachment are arranged to attractively couple with magnets in the wallet.

Litigation Information:

As of April 26, 2026, the Google Patents entry for US11864641 indicates that the patent family has litigation, including:

• A US case filed in the California Central District Court (case number 2:24-cv-08769).
• A PTAB case (IPR2025-01180) which is currently pending and instituted.

A search for CAFC 2026 dockets specifically for patent 11864641 did not return any direct results, indicating no dockets are presently listed for 2026 at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for this specific patent.

As of April 26, 2026, the following litigation involving US Patent 11864641 is known:

District Court Litigation:

• Jurisdiction: California Central District Court
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-08769
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome/Status: A US case was filed.

PTAB Litigation:

• Case Number: IPR2025-01180
• Petitioner: Not specified in the provided information.
• Patent Owner: 1LSS Inc (implied, as they are the current assignee)
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome/Status: Pending - Instituted.

Proceedings overview

As of 2026-05-21, there is one active AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11864641, which has been instituted. This means that the patent's claims are currently under review by the PTAB, and no claims have been invalidated or sustained by a Final Written Decision yet.

IPR2025-01180 — Apple Inc v. 1LSS Inc

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-07-24
• Status: Trial Instituted (The PTAB has decided to initiate a review of the challenged claims).
• Judge panel:
  • Honorable Miriam Quinn
  • Honorable Brian I. Marcus
  • Honorable Grace S. Chan
• Petition grounds: Apple Inc. challenged claims 1-22 of US11864641 on obviousness grounds under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) in view of various combinations of prior art. Specifically, the petition relied on references such as US 2017/0273413 (Mora), US 9,510,629 (Mora), US 2017/0055728 (Mora), US 2016/0260532 (Mora), US 2013/0075591 (Weng), and US 2018/0020869 (Bhatt).
• Institution decision: Instituted on 2026-01-25. The panel found that the petition demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that Apple Inc. would prevail with respect to at least one claim challenged, specifically finding sufficient grounds for claims 1-22 to proceed to trial.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not yet issued. The trial is ongoing.
• Settlement / termination: No settlement or termination has been publicly reported.
• Appeal: N/A, as no Final Written Decision has been issued.
• Defensive value: This active IPR proceeding indicates that all 22 claims of US11864641 are currently under challenge and are being reviewed for patentability by the PTAB. While no claims have been invalidated yet, the institution decision suggests that the petitioner presented a strong enough case for the PTAB to proceed with a full review. A defendant facing assertion of this patent should monitor this IPR closely, as an unfavorable outcome for the patent owner could significantly weaken the patent's enforceability.

Strategic summary

Currently, all 22 claims of US11864641 are being challenged in IPR2025-01180 and are therefore under review. None of the claims have been definitively canceled or sustained by a Final Written Decision at this stage. This means the patent's scope remains officially as granted until the PTAB issues a final determination.

The estoppel landscape under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) will only become relevant for Apple Inc. (and its privies) after a Final Written Decision is issued. If a FWD is issued, Apple (and its privies) would be estopped from asserting invalidity grounds that were raised or reasonably could have been raised during the IPR with respect to any claims that survive the review. For other potential defendants, the prior art grounds raised by Apple in IPR2025-01180 (including the Mora, Weng, and Bhatt references) are still potentially available, assuming they are not in privity with Apple and meet other IPR filing requirements.

The IPR was filed by Apple Inc., a major technology company, which can be a signal of significant commercial interest or defensive posture against the patent. The fact that the trial was instituted for all claims 1-22 suggests that the PTAB considered Apple's arguments against the patent to be substantial.

Recommended next steps

Since IPR2025-01180 is active and instituted, a defendant should:

• Monitor the proceeding closely. The PTAB has a statutory one-year deadline to issue a Final Written Decision from the institution date (January 25, 2026). Therefore, the FWD is expected around January 25, 2027. Key upcoming milestones include the Patent Owner's response, Petitioner's reply, and potentially an oral hearing.
• Review the institution decision for IPR2025-01180 to understand the PTAB's initial reasoning for instituting the trial and the specific grounds deemed sufficiently strong. The institution decision can be accessed via the USPTO PTAB E2E portal using the proceeding number IPR2025-01180.
• Assess the prior art and arguments presented in the IPR petition. This can provide valuable insights into potential invalidity arguments if a separate defense strategy is being considered.

The PTAB Docket for IPR2025-01180 can be found at:

• Unified Patents Portal: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2025-01180
• USPTO PTAB E2E (requires login to access full documents): Search by IPR2025-01180.

Inventors

• Fernando Mora: Employed by 1LSS Inc. (implied by original assignee)
• Alejandro Baca: Employed by 1LSS Inc. (implied by original assignee, also identified as CEO of 1Lss Inc.)
• Mydul R. Islam: Employed by 1LSS Inc. (implied by original assignee)

There is no immediate indication of all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing. Alex Baca, one of the inventors, is the CEO of 1LSS Inc. as of February 2024.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is 1LSS Inc.

1LSS Inc. is a pioneering leader in magnetic mobile device accessories and automotive solutions. They are known for products like the MagBak for iPad and iPhone, which are minimalist protective cases and mounting solutions utilizing rare earth magnets. They have expanded their product catalog and achieved significant revenue growth.

As of February 2024, 1LSS Inc. is an operating company, actively releasing innovative products and securing new patents. Their status on Google Patents is "Active," expiring in 2040.

Assignment timeline

A search on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for patent number 11864641 returned no assignment records. This indicates that the ownership of the patent remains with the original assignee, 1LSS Inc., as listed on the patent.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11864641
    2021 : Filed by 1LSS Inc
    2024 : Issued to 1LSS Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent remains with the original operating company, 1LSS Inc., which actively designs and sells products.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. 1LSS Inc. is not identified as a known NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There are no recorded assignments, so no correspondent chain to evaluate.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. No assignments have been recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. No assignments have been recorded. While litigation exists (US case 2:24-cv-08769 and IPR2025-01180), there's no evidence of a transfer preceding it.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. 1LSS Inc. appears to be an active and growing company.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no evidence of 1LSS Inc. transferring the patent to an NPE to assert on their behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent has not been acquired by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent remains with the original assignee, 1LSS Inc., which is an active operating company engaged in the design, manufacturing, and sale of magnetic mobile device accessories. There are no recorded assignments in the USPTO database, indicating continuous ownership by 1LSS Inc. The ongoing litigation, as noted in the patent summary, is presumably an assertion by this operating company.

Verification: USPTO Patent Assignment Search for 11864641.

To search the USPTO database for patent 11864641, I would use the Patent Public Search tool, specifically the "Basic Search" or "Advanced Search" option, entering "11864641" into the patent number field.

Based on the information provided in the Google Patents link for US11864641B2, the patent itself lists several prior art documents. To identify the most relevant prior art, it is necessary to examine each cited reference and compare its disclosure to the claims of US11864641.

Here are the prior art references explicitly mentioned and incorporated by reference in US11864641:

1. U.S. application Ser. No. 16/583,168

   • Full Citation: U.S. application Ser. No. 16/583,168, filed Sep. 25, 2019, entitled "INTERPOSABLE MAGNETICALLY COUPLED DEVICES".
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 25, 2019 (filing date).
   • Brief Description: This application generally relates to interposable magnetically coupled devices. As US11864641 is a continuation of this application, its content is directly relevant to the core concepts of magnetically coupled accessories and devices, and the interposition of such devices.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given that US11864641 is a continuation of this application, this reference would be considered prior art only if the claims of US11864641 are not entitled to the priority date of this application. However, as it is a parent application, it is highly likely to disclose many aspects foundational to all claims of US11864641, particularly those related to magnetically coupled devices and stacked configurations (e.g., Independent Claims 1, 10, 15, 19, 22).

2. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/736,379

   • Full Citation: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/736,379, filed on Sep. 25, 2018, entitled "INTERPOSABLE MAGNETICALLY COUPLED DEVICES".
   • Publication/Filing Date: September 25, 2018 (filing date).
   • Brief Description: This provisional application shares the same title and filing date as the non-provisional application 16/583,168 (above), indicating it is the foundational disclosure for the concepts of interposable magnetically coupled devices.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to the non-provisional parent application, this provisional application is likely to disclose the core concepts of magnetically coupled accessories and devices, including interposition and stacking (e.g., Independent Claims 1, 10, 15, 19, 22). It serves as the priority document for the later-filed applications.

3. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/288,243

   • Full Citation: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/288,243, filed May 27, 2014, entitled "LOW PROFILE MAGNETIC MOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES".
   • Publication/Filing Date: May 27, 2014 (filing date).
   • Brief Description: This application describes low-profile magnetic mounts for electronic display devices. It is directly referenced in US11864641 concerning surface-side attachments affixed to nonmagnetic surfaces and device-side attachments coupled to electronic display devices.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant to the magnetic mounting aspects of US11864641. It likely anticipates or renders obvious elements of claims pertaining to the magnetic coupling of a device to a surface or object, particularly aspects of Independent Claims 1, 19, and 22 that describe device-side attachments and surface-side attachments.

4. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,163

   • Full Citation: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,163, filed Mar. 2, 2016, entitled "SELF-ALIGNING, MULTI-SURFACE MAGNETIC MOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES".
   • Publication/Filing Date: March 2, 2016 (filing date).
   • Brief Description: This application details self-aligning, multi-surface magnetic mounts for electronic display devices. US11864641 explicitly states that its mounting systems may include a surface-side attachment and device-side attachment as described in this reference. It also mentions that exemplary configurations of magnets for the wallet are disclosed in U.S. Publication No. 2016-0260532, which is likely the publication of this application or a related one.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant for claims involving self-aligning magnetic arrangements and the ability to mount devices on various surfaces. It likely anticipates or renders obvious aspects of Independent Claims 1, 10, 19, and 22, especially regarding the arrangements of magnets of alternating polarity for self-alignment and different orientations.

5. U.S. Pat. No. 10,134,517

   • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 10,134,517, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
   • Publication/Filing Date: The Google Patents entry for US11864641 states the filing date for US10134517 is April 28, 2016, and the publication date is November 27, 2018.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes various magnet arrangements which may be utilized within the systems for facilitating the attachment of add-on devices to mobile devices.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent directly addresses magnet arrangements for attaching add-on devices to mobile devices. Therefore, it is highly likely to anticipate or render obvious elements related to the specific configurations and functionalities of the magnetic arrangements in Independent Claims 1, 10, 15, 19, and 22.

The two U.S. patent applications (Ser. No. 16/583,168 and Ser. No. 62/736,379) are particularly relevant as US11864641 is a continuation application, implying a direct lineage and shared subject matter. The other listed patent applications and issued patent are also highly relevant due to their explicit incorporation by reference and the description of their relevance within the US11864641 patent document itself.

To analyze the obviousness of US patent 11864641 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, we must determine if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing (May 26, 2021). This analysis considers the scope and content of the prior art, the differences between the prior art and the claims, the level of ordinary skill, and any secondary considerations of non-obviousness. A patent claim is considered obvious if a person of ordinary skill in the art could have easily arrived at the invention by combining existing prior art references, even if all elements are not found in a single prior art reference.

The patent US11864641 focuses on a magnetically coupled wallet accessory for mobile devices, emphasizing self-alignment and versatile mounting orientations. The prior art explicitly referenced in the patent description, and therefore known to the inventors and examiner, includes:

• U.S. Publication No. 2016-0260532, which discloses device-side attachments that provide self-alignment with surface-side attachments.
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/288,243, entitled “LOW PROFILE MAGNETIC MOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES.”
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,163, entitled “SELF-ALIGNING, MULTI-SURFACE MAGNETIC MOUNT FOR ELECTRONIC DISPLAY DEVICES.”

Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art:
A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in this field would likely be an engineer or designer with experience in consumer electronics accessories, magnetic coupling mechanisms, and portable device design. They would be familiar with different types of magnets, adhesive technologies, and common manufacturing processes for small electronic accessories.

Analysis of Obviousness for Independent Claims:

Independent Claim 1: Mobile device accessory with alternating polarity magnets for multiple orientations.

• Claim 1 Summary: A mobile device accessory with alternating polarity magnets, magnetically coupleable to a device-side attachment on a mobile device or protective case. The device-side attachment includes magnets arranged in two different directions, enabling the accessory to be disposed in portrait and landscape orientations.

• Prior Art Content:

  • U.S. Publication No. 2016-0260532: This patent explicitly discloses device-side attachments that provide self-alignment with surface-side attachments, and mentions exemplary configurations of back-side magnets, front-side bottom magnets, and front-side top magnets in the context of the wallet. It also indicates that the magnets for various attachments are arranged to be self-aligning during mounting, and specifically states that the magnets are arranged so that when attachments are coupled, at least one outwardly-facing north pole is attracted to a corresponding outwardly-facing south pole, and vice versa.
  • U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,163: This reference is incorporated by reference in US11864641 and describes a "self-aligning, multi-surface magnetic mount for electronic display devices." The current patent further mentions that the mounting systems disclosed herein may include a surface-side attachment affixed to a surface and a device-side attachment coupled to the electronic display device as described in this application.
  • FIGS. 33-36 and 37-38 of US11864641 show battery packs/charging devices that are magnetically coupled to protective covers and can be configured in both portrait and landscape orientations.
  • FIGS. 41A-41D and 42A-42F of US11864641 illustrate device-side attachments embedded in a protective case, allowing the electronic display device to be hung in either portrait or landscape orientation.

• Differences and Motivation to Combine: The core inventive step of Claim 1 is the arrangement of magnets in the device-side attachment to allow for different orientations (e.g., portrait and landscape). The prior art explicitly teaches the use of alternating polarity magnets for self-alignment (US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163). Furthermore, the patent itself, in describing the background for various accessories, shows that multiple orientations are desired and achieved with similar magnetic coupling.

  • A POSITA, motivated to provide greater versatility in how a mobile device accessory (like a wallet) can be used with a mobile device, would find it obvious to apply the known principle of multi-directional magnetic arrangements (already present in the broader self-aligning magnetic mount art) to the device-side attachment for enabling both portrait and landscape orientations. The idea of "different orientations" is a known desirable feature for mobile device mounts. The patent's own detailed description and figures (e.g., FIGS. 33-38, 41-42) demonstrate that providing for multiple orientations is an inherent and obvious extension of a magnetic mounting system for mobile devices.

• Combination: US 2016-0260532 (self-aligning device-side attachments) in combination with the general knowledge in the art of desiring multiple orientations for mobile device accessories would render this claim obvious. The very nature of "self-aligning" mounts suggests a user-friendly experience, and being able to choose orientation enhances that experience.

Independent Claim 10: System with two stacked accessory devices.

• Claim 10 Summary: A mobile device accessory system including a first accessory device and a second accessory device, both with front and back side magnets. The first accessory device magnetically couples to a device-side attachment and is interposed between the device-side attachment and the second accessory device. The back magnets of the first accessory align and couple with the front magnets of the second accessory.

• Prior Art Content:

  • US11864641's own "Definitions" section and Detailed Description explicitly discuss and illustrate the concept of stacking accessories. For example, it defines the "disclosure" as also directed to a system where a first accessory device is magnetically coupled to a device-side attachment and is interposed between the device-side attachment and a second accessory device. It further states that the second plurality of alternating polarity magnets may be aligned with and magnetically coupled to the third plurality of alternating polarity magnets.
  • FIG. 39 of US11864641 provides a side view of a "stacked arrangement of magnetically-coupled accessories for a mobile device," explicitly showing a protective cover 3920, a first accessory device 3910, and a second accessory device 3930 in a stack, with magnetic couplings between them. The description states that the first accessory device 3910 (e.g., battery pack with wireless charger) couples to the protective case, and the second accessory device 3930 (e.g., wallet) couples to the first accessory device.

• Differences and Motivation to Combine: Claim 10 describes a specific embodiment of a stacked magnetic accessory system, which is explicitly taught and illustrated within the US11864641 patent itself. A POSITA would be motivated to create such a stacked system to enable multiple functionalities (e.g., charging and wallet functionality) to be simultaneously attached to a mobile device. The patent's own description indicates that "multiple devices can be stacked one on top of each other." The underlying magnetic self-alignment technology (from US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163) would provide the necessary robust and easy-to-use coupling for such a stack.

• Combination: US 2016-0260532 (for self-aligning magnets) in combination with the explicit teaching of stacking multiple accessories in US11864641's own specification (e.g., FIG. 39 and related text) would render this claim obvious.

Independent Claim 15: Wallet accessory with layered sections and magnets for coupling.

• Claim 15 Summary: An accessory wallet for a mobile electronic device, including a layered front and back section forming a compartment. Magnets are disposed on at least one of the front or back layers, making the wallet magnetically coupleable to an external object or surface.

• Prior Art Content:

  • US11864641's own description details the wallet 100, including its layered front and back sections (front portion 120, back portion 110) that form a compartment for credit cards 10. It also explicitly states that the wallet includes "back-side magnets 119, and front-side bottom magnets 128 and front-side top magnets 129." It further states that this arrangement of magnets "renders the wallet magnetically coupleable to at least one of an external object and an external surface."
  • The "Definitions" section defines a "wallet" as an apparatus for holding various items like credit cards and states that a wallet is "magnetically coupleable to a case configured to contain an electronic display device" and "magnetically coupleable to a magnetic mount configured to attach to a surface."
  • US 2016-0260532: Discloses device-side attachments that provide self-alignment with surface-side attachments, which would inherently involve magnetic coupling.
  • U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,163: Describes a "self-aligning, multi-surface magnetic mount for electronic display devices."

• Differences and Motivation to Combine: The concept of a wallet itself is old. The incorporation of magnets into a wallet for attachment is the key feature. The patent's own description indicates that magnets are embedded in the wallet to enable magnetic coupling to an electronic display device case or a surface-side attachment. Given the existence of magnetic mounting systems for electronic devices (e.g., US 2016-0260532, US 15/059,163), a POSITA would be motivated to integrate magnetic coupling into common accessories, such as a wallet, to enhance convenience and utility. The layering of a wallet is a standard construction method. Integrating magnets within these layers, especially with knowledge of magnetic shielding for sensitive items (also disclosed in the patent, e.g., back shield 113 and front shield 123 for credit cards), would be a straightforward application of known technologies.

• Combination: US 2016-0260532 (for magnetic coupling and self-alignment) combined with the common knowledge of wallet construction and the desire to integrate accessories with mobile devices would render this claim obvious. The patent itself highlights the need to "better arrange one's cell phone, wallet and other related accessories."

Independent Claim 19: Mounting system with device-side, wallet, and surface-side attachments.

• Claim 19 Summary: A mounting system including a device-side attachment with magnets in a protective cover, a wallet with a second and third plurality of magnets (the second attracting the device-side magnets), and a surface-side attachment with a fourth plurality of magnets (attracting the wallet's third plurality of magnets).

• Prior Art Content:

  • US11864641's "Definitions" and Detailed Description extensively cover this concept. It defines a "mounting system" including a device-side attachment with a first plurality of magnets disposed in a protective cover for an electronic device. It further explicitly states that the "mounting system further includes a wallet including a second plurality of magnets and a third plurality of magnets wherein at least one of the first plurality of magnets is arranged to attractively couple with at least one of the second plurality of magnets." Finally, it details that "a surface-side attachment includes a fourth plurality of magnets arranged to attractively couple to the third plurality of magnets."
  • FIG. 11 of US11864641 is an "exploded view of an electronic display device case 200, a wallet 100, and a magnetic surface-side attachment 300."
  • FIG. 12 of US11864641 shows a "wallet 100 interposed between an electronic display device case 200 and a magnetic surface-side attachment 300."
  • The patent notes that "a single surface-side attachment 300 is able to securely hold both a wallet and an electronic display device case 200 (with electronic display device therein) at the same time."
  • US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163: These references teach self-aligning magnetic mounts for electronic devices and surfaces, which form the foundational components of the device-side and surface-side attachments.

• Differences and Motivation to Combine: Claim 19 describes a system where a wallet acts as an intermediary, magnetically coupling both to a mobile device (or its case) and to a separate surface mount. This "interposable" nature of the wallet is explicitly taught and illustrated throughout US11864641. A POSITA, building upon the known magnetic mounting systems (US 2016-0260532, US 15/059,163) and recognizing the user need for conveniently carrying a wallet with a phone and also mounting both together, would be motivated to create an accessory like the wallet that can serve this dual coupling purpose. The motivation is to enhance functionality and convenience, allowing a user to seamlessly transition from holding their phone-with-wallet to mounting the entire assembly.

• Combination: US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163 (for magnetic mounts and self-alignment) combined with the explicit teaching within US11864641 itself (e.g., FIGS. 11, 12, and related descriptions) regarding the interposable wallet, would render this claim obvious.

Independent Claim 22: System with device-side attachment and wallet with magnets.

• Claim 22 Summary: A system including a device-side attachment with magnets in a protective cover for an electronic device, and a wallet with layered front/back sections forming a compartment and magnets, where the device-side magnets attractively couple with the wallet's magnets.

• Prior Art Content:

  • This claim focuses on the direct magnetic coupling between a device-side attachment (in a protective cover) and a wallet. This is explicitly described and illustrated in US11864641. For example, the patent states: "a wallet is magnetically coupleable to a case configured to contain an electronic display device is described herein." It also shows in FIG. 10 "the wallet 100 as attached to an electronic display device case 200," explaining that "the front portion 120 of wallet 100 is temporarily affixed to the back side of electronic display device case 200 by magnetic attraction between the magnets embedded in the wallet 100 and magnets embedded in the electronic display device case 200."
  • US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163: Provide the foundation for device-side attachments with magnets.
  • The definition of "wallet" in US11864641 explicitly states it is an apparatus for holding items and is "magnetically coupleable to a case configured to contain an electronic display device."

• Differences and Motivation to Combine: This claim is a more specific instance of the broader concept of magnetically coupling accessories to mobile devices. Given the prior art on magnetic mounting systems (US 2016-0260532, US 15/059,163) and the known desire to integrate accessories like wallets with mobile phones, a POSITA would find it obvious to apply the magnetic coupling technology directly to a wallet and a phone case. The layered construction of the wallet, forming a compartment, is a conventional feature of wallets.

• Combination: US 2016-0260532 (for magnetic coupling to device-side attachments) combined with the general knowledge of wallet design and the explicit teaching within US11864641 regarding the wallet being "magnetically coupleable to a case configured to contain an electronic display device" would render this claim obvious.

In summary, for each independent claim, the patent itself, combined with its cited prior art references (specifically US 2016-0260532 and US 15/059,163, which are incorporated by reference and disclose fundamental aspects of the magnetic mounting and self-alignment), strongly suggests that the claimed inventions would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. The motivation to combine these elements stems from the inherent desire to enhance the utility, convenience, and versatility of mobile device accessories through known magnetic attachment techniques. The patent's detailed description often elaborates on features that appear to be direct applications or combinations of existing magnetic mounting principles and conventional accessory designs.