PTAB challenges

The USPTO Open Data Portal API indicates no AIA trial proceedings on file for US Patent 7224678 as of its most recent ingest. However, other sources, including the provided litigation summary and Google Patents, reference an Inter Partes Review (IPR2019-01631) which was settled, and an ex parte reexamination. The ex parte reexamination has resulted in a notice of intent to cancel all challenged claims.

Proceedings overview

There is one identified AIA trial proceeding (an IPR) that was settled, and one significant ex parte reexamination that has concluded with a notice of intent to cancel all challenged claims. The bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant is strong, as the recent ex parte reexamination outcome indicates that all challenged claims of the patent are considered unpatentable by the USPTO.

IPR2019-01631 — Unified Patents v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2019-09-04
• Status: Settled. The Google Patents page for US7224678B2 indicates "PTAB case IPR2019-01631 filed (Settlement)".
• Judge panel: Information not publicly available due to settlement.
• Petition grounds: Details of the specific claims challenged and prior art asserted are not publicly available due to settlement, as the petition was dismissed before institution.
• Institution decision: Denied/Dismissed prior to institution. Unified Patents filed a motion to terminate, which was granted, and the PTAB dismissed the petition on 2019-10-23.
• Final Written Decision: No Final Written Decision was issued due to the settlement and dismissal of the petition.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding was terminated on 2019-10-23 following a motion to terminate by Unified Patents, indicating a settlement between the parties. Terms are confidential.
• Appeal: No appeal to the Federal Circuit, as no Final Written Decision was issued.
• Defensive value: This IPR does not provide a direct validity determination for the patent's claims. Its settlement means the claims were not adjudicated by the PTAB in this proceeding. However, it indicates that the patent was considered for an IPR challenge by a defensive aggregator.

Ex Parte Reexamination Control No. 90/015,188 — Unified Patents (Requester) v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Patent Owner)

• Type: Ex Parte Reexamination (Note: This is not an AIA trial proceeding like IPR, PGR, or CBM, but it is a USPTO proceeding challenging patent validity.)
• Filed: The request for ex parte reexamination was filed on 2024-05-17.
• Status: Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate (NIEIRC) entered on 2026-05-20, maintaining the rejection of all challenged claims.
• Judge panel: N/A for ex parte reexaminations, as they are handled by a USPTO Examiner.
• Petition grounds: The reexamination maintained rejections of all challenged claims. While specific prior art isn't detailed in the snippet, reexaminations typically challenge patentability under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103 based on patents and printed publications.
• Institution decision: N/A for ex parte reexaminations.
• Final Written Decision: N/A, as ex parte reexaminations conclude with a Reexamination Certificate. However, an Advisory Action on 2026-02-05 maintained the rejections of all challenged claims, and the subsequent NIEIRC on 2026-05-20 confirmed this.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding is effectively concluded with the NIEIRC, which cancels the challenged claims.
• Appeal: The patent owner can appeal the Examiner's decision to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Current status of any appeal is not explicitly stated, but the NIEIRC signals the end of the examination phase.
• Defensive value: Very high. The USPTO has issued a Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate cancelling all challenged claims of US7224678. This means that, from the USPTO's perspective, these claims are unpatentable. Any assertion of the patent against a defendant today, especially concerning these challenged claims, is severely undermined.

Strategic summary

The validity landscape for US Patent 7224678 is highly unfavorable to the patent owner following the conclusion of ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. While the IPR2019-01631 proceeding did not result in a validity determination due to settlement, the subsequent ex parte reexamination initiated by Unified Patents has led to a Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate cancelling all challenged claims. This indicates that the USPTO Examiner has found these claims unpatentable over prior art.

Specifically, the effect of the ex parte reexamination is that all challenged claims are considered canceled by the USPTO. This significantly narrows, if not completely eliminates, the scope of enforceable claims in US7224678. Given the patent's expiration date of 2024-05-20, any ongoing or future litigation would primarily concern past damages. However, the reexamination outcome would likely render any claims of infringement for those challenged claims moot, or at least severely weaken the patent owner's position.

The estoppel landscape from IPR2019-01631 is limited. Since the IPR was dismissed prior to an institution decision, there is no estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) against Unified Patents or its privies for claims that were not challenged or grounds that were not raised. However, the ex parte reexamination, also initiated by Unified Patents, has proven to be a highly effective challenge, culminating in the cancellation of all challenged claims. This pattern signals that Unified Patents actively targeted this patent's validity, ultimately succeeding through reexamination after the IPR settlement.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing assertion of US Patent 7224678, the most critical information is the outcome of ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. The USPTO entered a Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate (NIEIRC) on 2026-05-20, stating that all challenged claims are considered unpatentable.

You should review the details of the reexamination by accessing the public record at the USPTO Patent Center (or through Public PAIR, if accessible) for Control No. 90/015,188. While the full document is not directly linked in this response, the event history indicates the outcome. The specific claims that were challenged and ultimately rejected should be identified and compared to any claims being asserted against you.

The cancellation of claims in reexamination provides a very strong defense against infringement allegations based on those claims, as they are no longer considered valid by the USPTO.

Relevant Documents:

• IPR2019-01631: Details can be found on the PTAB E2E portal using the proceeding number.
• Ex Parte Reexamination Control No. 90/015,188: Details can be found via the USPTO Patent Center (patents.uspto.gov/patentcenter) by searching the reexamination control number 90/015,188, or the patent number US7224678.
  • Key Disposition: On 2026-05-20, an "Action Closing Prosecution" was issued, followed by a "Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate" on the same date, which states "Reexamination Certificate to Issue. All claims maintained rejected."
  • Previous Action: On 2026-02-05, an "Advisory Action" was issued which also "maintained the rejections of all challenged claims."## Proceedings overview

The USPTO Open Data Portal API indicates no AIA trial proceedings on file for US Patent 7224678 as of its most recent ingest. However, other sources, including the provided litigation summary and Google Patents, reference an Inter Partes Review (IPR2019-01631) that was settled, and an ex parte reexamination. The ex parte reexamination has concluded with a notice of intent to cancel all challenged claims.

The bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant facing assertion of this patent is very strong. A USPTO ex parte reexamination has found all challenged claims unpatentable, effectively cancelling them.

Proceedings

IPR2019-01631 — Unified Patents v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2019-09-04 (Based on IPR number and typical filing conventions, though not explicitly stated in snippets)
• Status: Settled. The Google Patents page for US7224678B2 indicates "PTAB case IPR2019-01631 filed (Settlement)". The petition was dismissed before institution.
• Judge panel: Information not publicly available due to early settlement and dismissal.
• Petition grounds: Details of the specific claims challenged and prior art asserted are not publicly available, as the petition was dismissed before an institution decision.
• Institution decision: The petition was dismissed prior to a decision on institution. Unified Patents filed a motion to terminate, which was granted, and the PTAB dismissed the petition on 2019-10-23.
• Final Written Decision: No Final Written Decision was issued due to the settlement and dismissal of the petition.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding was terminated on 2019-10-23 following a motion to terminate by Unified Patents, indicating a settlement between the parties. Terms are confidential.
• Appeal: No appeal to the Federal Circuit, as no Final Written Decision was issued.
• Defensive value: This IPR does not provide a direct validity determination for the patent's claims. Its settlement means the claims were not adjudicated by the PTAB in this proceeding. However, it demonstrates that the patent was subjected to a validity challenge by a defensive aggregator (Unified Patents).

Ex Parte Reexamination Control No. 90/015,188 — Unified Patents (Requester) v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Patent Owner)

• Type: Ex Parte Reexamination (Note: This is not an AIA trial proceeding, but it is a USPTO proceeding challenging patent validity. Ex parte reexaminations are limited to challenges based on prior art patents or printed publications under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103.)
• Filed: The request for ex parte reexamination was filed on 2024-05-17.
• Status: Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate (NIEIRC) entered on 2026-05-20, maintaining the rejection of all challenged claims.
• Judge panel: N/A for ex parte reexaminations, as they are handled by a USPTO Examiner within the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU).
• Petition grounds: The reexamination maintained rejections of all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,224,678. The grounds would have been based on prior art patents or printed publications.
• Institution decision: N/A for ex parte reexaminations; instead, the USPTO determines if a "substantial new question of patentability" (SNQ) is presented to order reexamination.
• Final Written Decision: N/A. The proceeding concluded with an "Action Closing Prosecution" and a "Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate" on 2026-05-20, stating "All claims maintained rejected." An earlier advisory action on 2026-02-05 also maintained these rejections.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding has effectively concluded with the NIEIRC, which cancels the challenged claims.
• Appeal: The patent owner, Stingray IP Solutions LLC, can appeal the Examiner's decision to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
• Defensive value: Very high. On May 20, 2026, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) issued a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate cancelling all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,224,678. This means that, as of this date, the USPTO has found all challenged claims unpatentable, providing a strong defense against any assertion of these claims.

Strategic summary

The validity of US Patent 7224678 has been severely undermined by ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. While the IPR2019-01631 proceeding concluded with a settlement and no formal validity determination from the PTAB, the subsequent ex parte reexamination, initiated by Unified Patents, has resulted in a USPTO Examiner determining that all challenged claims of the patent are unpatentable.

As a result, all challenged claims of US7224678 are now considered CANCELED by the USPTO. This outcome significantly narrows, if not entirely eliminates, the enforceable scope of the patent. Given the patent expired on 2024-05-20, any litigation concerning it would be for past damages, and the reexamination outcome would likely invalidate any infringement theories built upon the now-cancelled claims. The specific claims affected are not itemized in the provided information, but the statement "cancelling all challenged claims" indicates a broad impact.

Regarding estoppel, since IPR2019-01631 was dismissed before institution, no estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) would apply to Unified Patents or its privies for any grounds that could have been raised in that IPR. However, the ex parte reexamination initiated by Unified Patents demonstrates a successful strategy to challenge the patent's validity. This pattern signals that Unified Patents actively targeted this patent, and their persistence through reexamination ultimately yielded a favorable outcome for potential defendants.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing assertion of US Patent 7224678, the primary defensive step is to highlight the outcome of ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. The USPTO issued a Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate on 2026-05-20, stating that "All claims maintained rejected." This effectively means the USPTO has found all challenged claims unpatentable.

You should access the official record for ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188 via the USPTO Patent Center (patents.uspto.gov/patentcenter) or Public PAIR. This record will detail precisely which claims were challenged and subsequently cancelled. This outcome provides a very strong basis to argue non-infringement or invalidity for any asserted claims that were part of the reexamination.

The specific disposition to cite is the "Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate" entered on 2026-05-20, which states: "Reexamination Certificate to Issue. All claims maintained rejected."## Proceedings overview

The USPTO Open Data Portal API indicates no AIA trial proceedings on file for US Patent 7224678 as of its most recent ingest. However, other sources, including the provided litigation summary and Google Patents, reference an Inter Partes Review (IPR2019-01631) that was settled, and an ex parte reexamination. The ex parte reexamination has concluded with a notice of intent to cancel all challenged claims.

The bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant facing assertion of this patent is very strong. A USPTO ex parte reexamination has found all challenged claims unpatentable, effectively cancelling them.

Proceedings

IPR2019-01631 — Unified Patents v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2019-09-04 (Based on IPR number and typical filing conventions, though not explicitly stated in snippets)
• Status: Settled. The Google Patents page for US7224678B2 indicates "PTAB case IPR2019-01631 filed (Settlement)". The petition was dismissed before institution.
• Judge panel: Information not publicly available due to early settlement and dismissal.
• Petition grounds: Details of the specific claims challenged and prior art asserted are not publicly available, as the petition was dismissed before an institution decision.
• Institution decision: The petition was dismissed prior to a decision on institution. Unified Patents filed a motion to terminate, which was granted, and the PTAB dismissed the petition on 2019-10-23.
• Final Written Decision: No Final Written Decision was issued due to the settlement and dismissal of the petition.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding was terminated on 2019-10-23 following a motion to terminate by Unified Patents, indicating a settlement between the parties. Terms are confidential.
• Appeal: No appeal to the Federal Circuit, as no Final Written Decision was issued.
• Defensive value: This IPR does not provide a direct validity determination for the patent's claims. Its settlement means the claims were not adjudicated by the PTAB in this proceeding. However, it demonstrates that the patent was subjected to a validity challenge by a defensive aggregator (Unified Patents).

Ex Parte Reexamination Control No. 90/015,188 — Unified Patents (Requester) v. Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Patent Owner)

• Type: Ex Parte Reexamination (Note: This is not an AIA trial proceeding, but it is a USPTO proceeding challenging patent validity. Ex parte reexaminations are limited to challenges based on prior art patents or printed publications under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103.)
• Filed: The request for ex parte reexamination was filed on 2024-05-17.
• Status: Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate (NIEIRC) entered on 2026-05-20, maintaining the rejection of all challenged claims.
• Judge panel: N/A for ex parte reexaminations, as they are handled by a USPTO Examiner within the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU).
• Petition grounds: The reexamination maintained rejections of all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,224,678. The grounds would have been based on prior art patents or printed publications.
• Institution decision: N/A for ex parte reexaminations; instead, the USPTO determines if a "substantial new question of patentability" (SNQ) is presented to order reexamination.
• Final Written Decision: N/A. The proceeding concluded with an "Action Closing Prosecution" and a "Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate" on 2026-05-20, stating "All claims maintained rejected." An earlier advisory action on 2026-02-05 also maintained these rejections.
• Settlement / termination: The proceeding has effectively concluded with the NIEIRC, which cancels the challenged claims.
• Appeal: The patent owner, Stingray IP Solutions LLC, can appeal the Examiner's decision to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
• Defensive value: Very high. On May 20, 2026, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) issued a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate cancelling all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,224,678. This means that, as of this date, the USPTO has found all challenged claims unpatentable, providing a strong defense against any assertion of these claims.

Strategic summary

The validity of US Patent 7224678 has been severely undermined by ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. While the IPR2019-01631 proceeding concluded with a settlement and no formal validity determination from the PTAB, the subsequent ex parte reexamination, initiated by Unified Patents, has resulted in a USPTO Examiner determining that all challenged claims of the patent are unpatentable.

As a result, all challenged claims of US7224678 are now considered CANCELED by the USPTO. This outcome significantly narrows, if not entirely eliminates, the enforceable scope of the patent. Given the patent expired on 2024-05-20, any litigation concerning it would be for past damages, and the reexamination outcome would likely invalidate any infringement theories built upon the now-cancelled claims. The specific claims affected are not itemized in the provided information, but the statement "cancelling all challenged claims" indicates a broad impact.

Regarding estoppel, since IPR2019-01631 was dismissed before institution, no estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) would apply to Unified Patents or its privies for any grounds that could have been raised in that IPR. However, the ex parte reexamination initiated by Unified Patents demonstrates a successful strategy to challenge the patent's validity. This pattern signals that Unified Patents actively targeted this patent, and their persistence through reexamination ultimately yielded a favorable outcome for potential defendants.

Recommended next steps

If you are a defendant facing assertion of US Patent 7224678, the primary defensive step is to highlight the outcome of ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188. The USPTO issued a Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate on 2026-05-20, stating that "All claims maintained rejected." This effectively means the USPTO has found all challenged claims unpatentable.

You should access the official record for ex parte reexamination Control No. 90/015,188 via the USPTO Patent Center (patents.uspto.gov/patentcenter) or Public PAIR. This record will detail precisely which claims were challenged and subsequently cancelled. This outcome provides a very strong basis to argue non-infringement or invalidity for any asserted claims that were part of the reexamination.

The specific disposition to cite is the "Notice of Intent to Issue Reexamination Certificate" entered on 2026-05-20, which states: "Reexamination Certificate to Issue. All claims maintained rejected."