US 12140998

US Patent 12140998 (US12140998B2) is titled "Flexible display computing devices".

• Assignee: Lepton Computing LLC
• Inventor: Stephen E. Delaporte
• Filing Date: May 22, 2023 (for application US18/200,266)
• Issue Date: November 12, 2024

Abstract:
The patent describes reconfigurable touch screen computing devices with folding designs that incorporate flexible displays made of segments. These devices can transition from a compact, folded state, roughly the size of a handheld phone (with integrated speaker and microphone), to an expanded state, approximately the size of a tablet computer. Both states feature a touch screen display on the front and a protective housing on the back. The devices include sensors to detect the configuration state, as well as mechanisms for folding, alignment, and structural support. Magnets are used to lock the devices in either the folded or unfolded position. A processing module, containing the processor, memory, and communication system, is located within at least one segment and is usable in both states.

Plain-language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a reconfigurable computing device. It includes multiple display segments, each with a touch screen on the front and a protective housing on the back, connected by a flexible circuit. A processing module (containing a processor, memory, and communications system) is located in at least one segment. The device also has sensors to detect its configuration state. The display segments can switch between a compact phone-sized state and an expanded tablet-sized state. Crucially, the content displayed on the touch screen automatically rescales based on which state the device is in.

• Independent Claim 12: This claim outlines a method for reconfiguring such a computing device. The method involves sensors detecting the device's configuration state (compact or expanded). Based on this detection, the content on the touch screen is rescaled. If the device is in the compact (phone-sized) state, the content is shown on a single screen. If it's in the expanded (tablet-sized) state, the content is displayed across multiple screens.

• Independent Claim 15: This claim describes a reconfigurable computing device featuring a flexible display made of multiple touch screen segments. It includes a processing module within at least one segment (with a processor, memory, and communications system). A key aspect is the presence of alignment mechanisms that connect and lock adjacent touch screen segments when the device is either folded or unfolded. The flexible display can be reconfigured between a folded, phone-sized state and an unfolded, tablet-sized state, with a graphical user interface facilitating the smooth transition of content between these states.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
As of April 26, 2026, there is no information readily available in the CAFC 2026 dockets for US Patent 12140998. Litigation has been filed concerning this patent in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:26-cv-00338), but this is a district court case, and it is unlikely to have reached the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in 2026 given its recent filing.

As a patent attorney, I have investigated known litigation involving US patent 12140998 as of April 26, 2026.

According to available information, US Patent 12140998 is involved in at least one litigation case:

• Plaintiff(s): Lepton Computing LLC
• Defendant(s): Samsung Electronics
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• Case Number: 2:26-cv-00338
• Filing Date: A case was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court on May 22, 2023, by Lepton Computing LLC, which also shares a priority date with US18/200,266.
• Outcome/Current Status: Ongoing.

Proceedings overview

There is no PTAB activity on file for US patent 12140998 based on the most recent USPTO ODP API ingest and current web searches. This indicates the patent has not yet been challenged in an AIA trial proceeding.

Strategic summary

As of today, June 1, 2026, all claims of US patent 12140998 are UNTESTED by any AIA trial proceedings (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method review). This means there are no claims that have been canceled or sustained through PTAB decisions.

The estoppel landscape is entirely open. Since no PTAB proceedings have been initiated, there are no prior art grounds that are barred under § 315(e)(2) for potential petitioners or their privies. Any defendant facing assertion of this patent would have all prior-art grounds available for a potential IPR, PGR, or district court defense.

There is no discernible pattern of PTAB challenges or appeals for this patent, as no proceedings have been filed. The absence of PTAB activity can sometimes be a signal that a patent has not yet been heavily asserted, or that prior art challenges have not been identified or pursued.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity exists for US patent 12140998, a defendant facing assertion of this patent should consider the following:

• Conduct a thorough prior art search: Given the patent's active status and potential for litigation, a comprehensive search for invalidating prior art is crucial. This would help identify strong grounds for a potential IPR petition.
• Evaluate IPR potential: If strong prior art is found, analyze the claims of US12140998 against that art to determine the viability of filing an Inter Partes Review (IPR) petition. This would involve assessing the likelihood of institution and a favorable final written decision.
• Monitor for future PTAB filings: Keep an eye on the patent's status for any newly filed PTAB challenges by other parties. Such filings could provide valuable insights into potential prior art or claim interpretations.

Inventors

• Stephen E. Delaporte (Employer: Lepton Computing LLC)

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US12140998 is Lepton Computing LLC. Lepton Computing LLC positions itself as an early pioneer and original developer in the field of foldable/flexible display mobile devices, with patent filings predating larger smartphone companies. They claim to have developed prototypes between 2008 and 2011, covering various aspects of foldable phone technology. While they have discussed a prototype called the "Lepton Flex" and stated that "Devices coming soon" and that a demo video with Android running on the Lepton Flex would be released, there is no evidence that Lepton Computing LLC has actually released a commercial smartphone product. Recent news reports (April 2026) refer to Lepton Computing LLC as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" (NPE), noting that the company has never released a device and has no public contact details, with apparently only two employees.

Lepton Computing LLC's primary line of business appears to be the development and patenting of foldable/flexible display technologies, with a focus on licensing and assertion.

Its current status is active, and it is currently engaged in patent infringement litigation against Samsung in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging infringement on nine foldable-related patents, including US12140998.

Assignment timeline

As of June 1, 2026, a search on the USPTO Assignment Center for patent US12140998 (including its application number US18/200,266) shows a single assignment record.

• 2024-09-24 (executed) / recorded 2024-09-24 - Reel 064275/0800
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest (See Document for Details)
  • Assignor: DELAPORTE, STEPHEN E.
  • Assignee: LEPTON COMPUTING LLC
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED. This is the only recorded assignment for this patent.
  • Context: Inventor assigned patent rights to the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12140998
    2010 : Priority date
    2023 : Application filed
    2024 : Inventor assigned to Lepton Computing LLC
    2024 : Patent granted
    2026 : Infringement suit filed by Lepton Computing LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The initial assignment is from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC, which is also the original assignee. While Lepton Computing LLC has been characterized as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" by news sources, implying a shell-like nature for assertion purposes, there is no explicit transfer between entities with shell-entity naming conventions recorded on the USPTO assignment record itself for this patent.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Lepton Computing LLC is currently identified in news reports (April 2026) as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" (NPE) in the context of filing an infringement lawsuit against Samsung.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is only one recorded assignment, and the correspondent information is listed as "NOT RECORDED."

4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded for this patent.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC was recorded on September 24, 2024. The lawsuit against Samsung was filed in April 2026. This span of approximately 19 months between the assignment and the lawsuit filing does not fit the typical "within 6 months" indicator for pre-litigation transfer. However, the timing does precede the litigation, even if outside the typical narrow window.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of the original assignee, Lepton Computing LLC, being involved in bankruptcy proceedings that led to the sale of this patent.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Lepton Computing LLC is asserting the patent against Samsung, there is no publicly available information in the assignment records or other sources consulted that explicitly details a privateering agreement with an operating company.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The primary signal is the characterization of Lepton Computing LLC as a "patent troll" and "Non-Practicing Entity" in multiple news reports directly related to its current litigation against Samsung, despite its claims of being an "original developer." The fact that Lepton Computing LLC has not released a product embodying the claims, despite its stated history of prototypes and ongoing development, further supports this. The singular assignment on record from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC (recorded 2024-09-24, Reel 064275/0800) positions Lepton Computing LLC as the entity holding the patent for assertion, rather than product commercialization. This is corroborated by the recent lawsuit filing against Samsung in April 2026.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html (search for patent number 12140998).

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 12140998, I will search the USPTO database for the patent and examine its cited references.

The USPTO website provides a Patent Public Search tool for this purpose.

Please note that the following information is based on the provided patent text, which lists prior art keywords and cross-references to related applications, but does not explicitly list the "most relevant prior art" in a categorized fashion as typically found in an examiner's search report. To get a definitive list of prior art cited by the examiner, a direct search of the USPTO's Patent Public Search database for US12140998B2 would be required. However, based on the provided text, I can identify references from the patent's own description.

The patent US12140998B2, "Flexible display computing devices," filed May 22, 2023, is a continuation of several earlier applications, ultimately claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/372,391, filed on August 10, 2010. These earlier applications are considered part of the patent family and establish priority, but they are not prior art in the sense of anticipating the claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Rather, they are a lineage of the present patent.

The patent text itself does not explicitly list "prior art" in a separate section with full citations and descriptions of how each reference anticipates specific claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Instead, it discusses the "Background of the Invention" and "Summary of Embodiments of the Invention," which implicitly refer to existing challenges and proposed solutions in the field.

Therefore, without access to the actual "References Cited" section from the USPTO patent document (which is typically found in the full patent PDF or database entry), I cannot provide a definitive list of cited prior art and an analysis of which claims they potentially anticipate.

However, based on the patent's discussion of the "Background of the Invention" and the problems it aims to solve, the general area of prior art would include:

• Handheld computing devices with small-scale touch screens: The patent explicitly mentions "handheld computing devices today" and the "difficulties in using a small scale touch screen device," such as cumbersomeness for physical interaction, imprecise input, and limited viewing capacity for graphic-intensive applications, videos, and text. This indicates prior art exists in mobile phones and similar devices with fixed, small touchscreens.
• Flexible displays and multiple screen displays for transformation: The patent states that "variations on flexible displays and the implementation of multiple screen displays have been proposed to enable the transformation of a display from a compact state to an expanded state." This suggests that prior art exists in the general concept of reconfigurable displays, but these existing solutions are described as having "a number of limitations to how they can be implemented." Specifically, issues with flexible displays having a radius when folded, difficulty in configuring multiple segments into a completely flat compact position, and the need for a reconfigurable structure, alignment locking mechanism, optimized flexible circuit, and folding configuration are highlighted as unmet needs in the prior art.

To provide the specific prior art and claim anticipation analysis you requested, I would need to perform a search on the USPTO Patent Public Search database for US Patent 12140998B2 to retrieve its "References Cited" section.

The provided "Prior Art" section for US Patent 12140998 lists keywords and a priority date (2010-08-10) but does not include specific prior art references (e.g., patent numbers, publication numbers, or other documents) that can be combined for an obviousness analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103.

Without specific prior art documents to examine their teachings and disclosures, it is not possible to:

1. Identify combinations of prior art references.
2. Explain why a person having ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine them.
3. Articulate how such a combination would render the claims of US12140998 obvious.

Therefore, a detailed obviousness analysis cannot be performed with the information provided in the "Prior Art" section. To conduct such an analysis, specific prior art documents, identified through a comprehensive prior art search, would be required.