US 7482916

Patent Analysis: US 7,482,916

Date of Analysis: April 26, 2026

Patent Number: 7,482,916

Summary

Title	Automatic signaling systems for vehicles
Assignee	Wyoming Technology Licensing LLC
Inventors	Anita Au, Gerald Chan
Filing Date	January 28, 2005
Issue Date	January 27, 2009
Abstract	An automatic signaling system includes a processor having an input for receiving a signal from a sensor, and an output configured to be coupled to a signaling system of a vehicle, the signaling system having a turn signal light, wherein the processor is configured to automatically activate the turn signal light based at least in part on the signal received from the sensor. A method for activating a turn signal light of a vehicle includes receiving a signal from a sensor, and automatically activating the turn signal light of the vehicle based at least in part on the received signal.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent describes a system that automatically activates a vehicle's turn signals. The core of the invention is a processor that takes input from a sensor to decide when to activate the signals. The independent claims outline four main variations of this system:

• Claim 1: This claim describes the fundamental system. It consists of a processor that receives a signal from a sensor. Based on this signal, the processor automatically turns on the vehicle's turn signal. The key here is the automatic activation based on sensor input, without the driver having to manually use the turn signal lever.

• Claim 20: This claim focuses on the method of activating the turn signal. It outlines the process of receiving a signal from a sensor and then automatically activating the turn signal based on that signal. This claim protects the process itself, not just the physical system.

• Claim 33: This claim covers a computer-readable medium (like a CD or flash memory) that contains instructions for a processor. When these instructions are executed, they cause the processor to automatically activate the turn signal based on a sensor's signal. This is important for protecting the software that runs the automatic signaling system.

• Claim 47 & 51: These claims describe the user control for the automatic signaling system. They detail a turn signal lever that, in addition to its normal function, has a switch or can be moved in a specific direction (like pushing it forward) to turn the automatic signaling system on or off. This gives the driver the ability to enable or disable the automatic feature.

Litigation Status

As of April 2026, a review of available information indicates that US Patent 7,482,916 has been asserted in litigation against General Motors and Toyota by the current assignee, Wyoming Technology Licensing, LLC. Additionally, third-party firm Unified IP Services has reportedly been engaged in identifying prior art against claim 33 of this patent. A direct search of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 did not yield specific case information for this patent. This does not confirm the absence of an appeal, only that no records were located in this specific search.