US 9185522

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 9185522:

Title: Apparatus and method to transmit content to a cellular wireless device based on proximity to other wireless devices

Assignee:

• Current Assignee: Piney Woods Mobility LLC
• Original Assignee: X One Inc

Inventors: Richard D. Haney

Filing Date: 2014-11-07

Issue Date: 2015-11-10

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for transmitting content to a cellular wireless device based on its proximity to other wireless devices. The method involves a communications server receiving a request from a first wireless device to share content with a second wireless device, determining the relative proximity between the two devices, and then transmitting content to either the first or second device based on this proximity. The content can include advertising, alerts, or emergency messages, and its transmission can be triggered by proximity to a fixed location or a moving object.

Legal Status Note: The patent is listed as "Expired - Lifetime" with an anticipated expiration date of 2025-04-04. Despite its expiration, the patent family is noted to have ongoing litigation with cases filed in the Texas Eastern District Court and Texas Western District Court in 2026. Such litigation typically addresses alleged infringement that occurred during the patent's active term.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method Claim): This claim describes a method where a central server receives a request from a first mobile device to share information with a second mobile device. The server then figures out how close these two devices are to each other. Based on their closeness, the server sends some kind of information (content) to either the first or the second device.

• Claim 11 (Method Claim for Emergency Content): This claim outlines a method where a server gets a request from a mobile device to share information with one or more other mobile devices. The server determines the proximity of these devices and transmits content based on their closeness. A key feature of this claim is that the content being transmitted is specifically an emergency message.

• Claim 12 (Apparatus Claim): This claim describes a system (an "apparatus") that includes a communications server. This server is set up to perform three main tasks: (1) receive a request from a first mobile device to share content with a second mobile device, (2) determine the proximity of these two devices, and (3) transmit content to either device based on their determined proximity.

• Claim 18 (Computer-Readable Medium Claim): This claim covers a computer storage device (like a hard drive or flash memory) that contains instructions. When a computer runs these instructions, it performs a method that involves: (1) receiving a request from a first wireless device to share content with a second wireless device via a communications server, (2) determining how close the first device is to the second device, and (3) transmitting content to either the first or second device based on their proximity.