Invalidity dossier
US 12240457B1
Added 5/28/2026, 12:48:32 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
US patent 12240457B1, titled "Vehicle gear selection control," was issued to inventor Bennet Langlotz and is currently assigned to Bulletproof Property Management LLC. The patent has a priority date of June 5, 2023, a filing date of October 27, 2024, and was published/issued on March 4, 2025.
The abstract describes a motor vehicle system where a controller can select a driving direction (forward or reverse) based on observed steering angle movements, without the driver having to manually indicate the desired direction. The system then proposes this change to the driver, who must provide a non-directional approval for the change to be enacted.
Independent Claims Overview:
- Independent Claim 1 (Method of operating a motor vehicle): This claim describes a method where a vehicle's drive system monitors the steering control while the vehicle is moving in one direction. Based on the steering control, the drive system offers the driver a switch between drive and reverse modes. The vehicle then performs this gear change only after the driver approves the offered change.
- Independent Claim 12 (Method of operating a motor vehicle with a controller): Similar to Claim 1, this claim describes a method where a vehicle's controller monitors the steering control while driving in a first direction. The controller then offers the driver a change between drive and reverse modes based on the steering control. The controller subsequently changes the mode in response to the driver's approval of the offered change.
Litigation Status:
According to the Google Patents information, there is litigation associated with the patent family, including a US case filed in the Texas Western District Court (case 1:25-cv-00665) and a PTAB case IPR2026-00205, which is listed as Pending. Searches of the CAFC 2026 dockets as of April 26, 2026, did not return any specific cases mentioning patent number US12240457B1 or its current assignee, Bulletproof Property Management LLC. It is possible that the district court or PTAB cases have not yet reached the Federal Circuit, or are not specifically listed under this patent number in the publicly available summaries.
Generated 5/28/2026, 4:38:46 PM