US 12227184

Here is a concise summary of US patent 12227184:

Title: Vehicle gear selection control

Assignee: Bulletproof Property Management LLC

Inventor: Bennet Langlotz

Filing Date: 2024-10-27

Issue Date: 2025-02-18

Abstract: A motor vehicle for operation by a driver is described, featuring a frame with wheels and a motor. A steering control is connected to the wheels to establish a steering angle. A controller is operably connected to the steering control, the motor, and the wheels, enabling the vehicle to be driven in a forward (drive) or rearward (reverse) direction. The controller is capable of selecting a drive direction based on a pattern of steering angle movements, without requiring the operator to explicitly indicate the desired direction.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a method for a vehicle's drive system to automatically change between drive and reverse modes. The system monitors the steering control while the vehicle is moving in one direction, and then shifts to the other mode (e.g., from reverse to drive) based on the steering control's input, without the driver needing to specify the direction of the shift.
• Independent Claim 13: This claim is similar to Claim 1 but specifies that a "controller" performs the actions. The controller monitors the steering control as the vehicle drives in a first direction and then changes the drive mode (e.g., from reverse to drive or vice-versa) based on the steering control's input.

USPTO Database and CAFC 2026 Dockets:

A review of the patent's metadata indicates that US12227184 is currently active and has associated litigation. This includes a US case filed in the Texas Western District Court (case 1:25-cv-00665) and a PTAB case (IPR2026-00204) which is pending. While general information about the USPTO search tools and CAFC scheduled cases for 2026 were found, no specific docket entry for patent 12227184 was identified within the provided CAFC 2026 dockets. Therefore, there is no authoritative information from the direct CAFC search results to report on specific 2026 CAFC dockets for this patent number at this time.