US 8112104

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 8112104:

US Patent 8112104

• Title: Adaptable communication techniques for electronic devices
• Assignee: Ingeniospec LLC (Current Assignee)
• Inventors: C. Douglass Thomas, Peter P. Tong
• Filing Date: January 7, 2011
• Issue Date: February 7, 2012
• Abstract: The patent discloses improved approaches for users of electronic devices with audio and/or textual output capabilities to communicate. These approaches allow users to communicate in different ways based on device configuration, user preferences, prior history, etc. In one embodiment, communication is achieved using short audio or textual messages.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

US Patent 8112104 contains three independent claims: Claim 1, Claim 19, and Claim 31.

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a wireless communication system. The system includes a wireless headset and a wireless communication device (like a mobile phone) used by a first user. This device can communicate wirelessly with the headset. The key functionality of the wireless communication device, as claimed, is to:

  1. Receive an incoming text message from a second user.
  2. Convert this incoming text message into an incoming audio message.
  3. Play this incoming audio message for the first user through the wireless headset.
  4. Record a reply audio message spoken by the first user via the wireless headset.
  5. Convert this reply audio message into a reply text message.
  6. Transmit this reply text message back to the second user.

• Independent Claim 19: This claim describes a wireless headset designed to support messaging for a first user, and which connects wirelessly to a mobile electronic device. The headset is configured to:

  1. Wirelessly receive an incoming audio message from the mobile electronic device. This audio message is generated by converting an incoming text message that the mobile device received from another wireless electronic device via a wireless network.
  2. Output (play) this incoming audio message for the first user.
  3. Receive a reply audio message from the first user in response to the incoming audio message.
  4. Wirelessly transmit this reply audio message to the mobile electronic device.

• Independent Claim 31: This claim describes a method implemented in a wireless communication device that supports wireless communication and messaging for a first user. The method involves:

  1. Receiving an incoming text message from a second user.
  2. Converting the incoming text message to an incoming audio message.
  3. Presenting the incoming audio message to the first user via a wireless headset that is wirelessly connected to the device.
  4. Recording a reply audio message from the first user via the wireless headset.
  5. Converting the recorded reply audio message into a reply text message.
  6. Transmitting the reply text message to the second user.

USPTO and CAFC 2026 Dockets:

A search of the USPTO database would confirm the details extracted from Google Patents regarding US8112104, as Google Patents typically draws from official sources for this information.

Regarding CAFC 2026 dockets, the provided information indicates a "PTAB case IPR2026-00142 filed (Not Instituted - Procedural)" associated with US8112104, which suggests activity in 2026, though it was not instituted. The specific "Scheduled Cases – May 2026 (pdf)" for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit does not explicitly list patent 8112104 in its summarized dockets. Therefore, based on the provided CAFC schedule for May 2026, there is no direct indication of US8112104 being actively heard or argued at the CAFC during that month. However, the mention of IPR2026-00142 in the patent's legal status on Google Patents implies related proceedings that might eventually lead to CAFC review, even if not yet on a CAFC 2026 hearing schedule. No other CAFC 2026 dockets directly referencing US8112104 were found in the provided search results.