US 12112357

Patent Summary: US 12,112,357

Title: Mobile device streaming media application

Assignee: Weple IP Holdings LLC

Inventor: Mary Anne Fletcher

Filing Date: January 25, 2024

Issue Date: October 8, 2024

Abstract: A system and process for coordinating streaming content or messages is provided. A network-connected server maintains a database containing media content-related data, such as the text of a message, accompanying media, time of airing, payment, and related comments. A user can view these feeds or streams of these consciousness messages by downloading a mobile application or browsing to a website. The application can also be used to create, schedule, and pay for a media content message.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a method for servers to manage and distribute media messages to a mobile application. The servers receive multiple media messages, store them with expiration dates, and then select different subsets of these messages to create at least two distinct feeds. The mobile app can display one feed and then switch to another based on user interaction. When a feed is displayed, it includes a "sharing" option for a media message, which, when used, creates a link to access that message.

Independent Claim 9: This claim outlines a similar method, but it starts with the creation of the media messages on mobile devices. Specifically, it states that the media messages include an image or video captured by the mobile device's camera. The rest of the process is identical to claim 1: the messages are sent to servers, stored with expiration information, sorted into at least two different feeds, and provided to a mobile app that can switch between them and has a sharing function.

Independent Claim 16: This claim describes the server system that performs the method outlined in claim 1. It details a system with one or more servers equipped with memory and processors. These servers are configured to receive and store media messages with expiration data, select messages for at least two different feeds, and provide these feeds to a mobile application. The mobile application is designed to present the feeds and allow a user to switch between them and to share media messages via a link.

Independent Claim 24: This claim covers the entire system, including both the mobile application and the servers. It describes one or more mobile apps capable of creating media messages containing images or videos from the device's camera. It then describes the server-side operations, which are identical to those in claim 16: receiving, storing, and organizing the messages into different feeds for the mobile app, which can then present the feeds with sharing and switching functionalities.

Litigation and Legal Status:

US Patent 12,112,357, assigned to Weple IP Holdings LLC, was involved in litigation against Meta Platforms (Case No. 2:24-cv-01316) in the Western District of Washington. The lawsuit, which also involved other patents from the same family, alleged infringement by Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms. The case was ultimately dismissed with prejudice on January 9, 2026, a decision favorable to Meta Platforms.

Additionally, there is a related appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), case number 26-1476, filed on February 26, 2026, with Weple IP Holdings LLC as the plaintiff and Meta Platforms, Inc. as the defendant. This suggests an appeal of the district court's decision. Other patents in the same family have also faced challenges, including an ex parte reexamination proceeding initiated by Unified Patents for U.S. Patent 11,734,739, which is part of the same patent family as 12,112,357.