US 11964175

US Patent 11964175, titled "Bridge rope assembly," was issued on April 23, 2024, to assignee Tethrd LLC. The application for this patent was filed on July 18, 2022.

Inventors:

• Walter Ernest Power, II
• Gregory Alan Godfrey
• Carl Eugene Kossuth, III

Abstract:
The patent describes a bridge rope assembly that includes a main body made of rope, featuring a first end and a second end. This rope has a splice that creates an eye loop designed to connect to a first bridge loop of a harness. Within the main body, a first portion (including the first end) extends through a second portion (including the second end) such that the first end is positioned adjacent to the second end, with a distance between them being less than 2.0 inches.

Independent Claims Overview:

Claim 1:
This claim describes a bridge rope assembly designed to connect a tree rope to a harness that has both a first and a second bridge loop. The assembly includes:

• A main rope body with a first end and a second end. This main body has a splice that forms an "eye loop," which is specifically designed to attach to the harness's first bridge loop. A key feature is that a first segment of the rope (containing the first end) is threaded through a second segment of the rope (containing the second end) so that the first end is located inside the second segment and positioned close to the second end.
• A friction hitch which is placed on the main rope body, located between the second end and the eye loop. This friction hitch is designed to form a closed loop and attach to the harness's second bridge loop.

Litigation Status:

As of May 22, 2026, US Patent 11964175 is active and is set to expire on April 3, 2040. The patent family has been involved in litigation.

• PTAB Case: IPR2025-01407 was filed but was "Not Instituted - Merits."
• US District Court (Tennessee Middle District Court): A case, 1:24-cv-00076, titled Tethrd, LLC v. CRUZR Saddles LLC, was filed on August 12, 2024. This case has a Case Management Conference and a Jury Trial scheduled for November 30, 2026.
• US District Court (Michigan Western District Court): A case, 1:24-cv-00832, titled Tethrd LLC v. Latitude Outdoors LLC, was filed on August 12, 2024. This patent infringement dispute, which involved US11964175B2, concluded with a binding settlement by March 6, 2025, and was dismissed with prejudice. No damages or injunctive relief were publicly disclosed, and there is no appellate history for this case.

No specific information regarding CAFC 2026 dockets for US11964175 was found that provides an update to the above.