US 12120769

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 12120769:

US Patent 12120769: Method and system for using a situational network

• Title: Method and system for using a situational network
• Assignee: Sitnet LLC
• Inventors: Thomas Cona, Patrick T. Igoe, Leonid Kravets, Edward A. Ehrlacher
• Filing Date: 2024-04-18
• Issue Date: 2024-10-15 (This is the publication date for the granted patent, US12120769B2).
• Abstract: A method and system for forming a situational network (SitNet) that connects a set of participants based on the occurrence or expectation of a situation or event. The SitNet allows participants to interact and exchange information related to the event or situation. The participants can include external entities, such as news or weather agencies, and users connected via devices like cell phones or navigation systems. Connections in the SitNet can be persistent or temporary, and the network can be dynamic, with participants being added or removed as the situation evolves or as users move relative to the situation. The SitNet can utilize centralized, decentralized (peer-to-peer), or combined architectures and can be established using a multi-dimensional personal information network (NDSN) framework with Personal Information Aggregators (PIAs) for managing user information and connections.

Independent Claims Overview:

This patent includes multiple independent claims covering various aspects of the situational network. Due to the length and complexity of all independent claims, I will provide an overview of the first three, which represent the core inventions.

• Independent Claim 1 (Method for using a situational network): This claim describes a computer-implemented method. It involves a server identifying an event or situation and then establishing a situational network (SitNet) by connecting a group of participants, including users and external entities, based on their relevance to the event. The server manages these connections dynamically, adding or removing participants as the event or their relevance changes. Information about the event is then exchanged among the connected participants via the SitNet.
• Independent Claim 13 (System for using a situational network): This claim describes a system counterpart to Claim 1. It comprises a server configured to identify an event, establish a SitNet by connecting participants (users and external entities) based on event relevance, and dynamically manage these connections. The system also facilitates the exchange of event-related information among participants through the SitNet.
• Independent Claim 14 (Method for providing information within a situational network): This claim focuses on the information provision aspect. It describes a computer-implemented method where a server identifies an event, establishes a SitNet with participants (users, external entities), dynamically manages connections, and transmits information about the event from the external entities to the users. The server may also verify information received from users before distributing it to other users in the SitNet.

CAFC 2026 Docket Search:

The provided Google Patents information for US12120769B2 indicates that there is family litigation associated with this patent. Specifically, it notes:

• PTAB case IPR2026-00110 filed (Pending).
• US case filed in New York Southern District Court, case number 1:25-cv-06185.
• First worldwide family litigation filed.

However, direct searches of the CAFC 2026 dockets for the specific patent number US12120769 did not return immediate results within the provided snippets of scheduled cases for May, June, or July 2026. The CAFC website provides general case information and scheduled cases, but without direct searching capabilities for specific patent numbers in the snippets, it's not possible to definitively confirm if the patent is currently being appealed at the Federal Circuit based solely on these limited results. The existing litigation notices from Google Patents suggest ongoing legal activity, but its status at the CAFC specifically is not confirmed by the direct docket search results provided.