US 9451001

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 9451001:

US Patent Number: 9451001
Title: Social networking with video annotation
Current Assignee: ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC
Inventors: David Hirschfeld, Barry Fernando, Mark C. Phelps
Filing Date: 2014-01-31
Issue Date: 2016-09-20
Abstract: A method and system for annotating Playable Media Files in a social network having a plurality of members, wherein the method includes receiving the Playable Media File from a first member, receiving an annotation from another member, and embedding the annotation in the Playable Media File.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Method): This claim describes a method for annotating playable media files in a social network. It involves a member receiving a playable media file, creating an annotation for it, and providing both the annotation and a data profile (which specifies where the annotation should be embedded) to a network server. The network server then embeds the annotation at the specified location. The method also includes steps for determining if it's the first annotation for the media file: if it is, the server creates a new table of contents and encodes the data profile into it; if not, the server encodes the data profile into an existing table of contents. The playable media file can be various formats like audio, video, audiovisual, slideshow, AVI, MP3, MP4, WMA, WAV, Flash, or MPEG.

• Independent Claim 8 (Article of Manufacture): This claim describes an article of manufacture, specifically a non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer readable program code. This code is designed to perform the steps outlined in Claim 1 for annotating playable media files in a social network. The steps include receiving a playable media file from a member, the member creating and providing an annotation and a data profile (with embedding location) to a network server, the network server embedding the annotation, and the network server determining if it's the first annotation to either create or update a table of contents with the annotation's data profile.

• Independent Claim 15 (Computer Program Product): This claim describes a computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium. This product contains computer readable program code that, when executed by a programmable computer processor, causes the processor to perform the actions described in Claim 1 for annotating playable media files in a social network. These actions include receiving a playable media file and annotation from a member, providing a data profile for embedding, embedding the annotation, and managing the creation or updating of a table of contents based on whether it's the first annotation.

USPTO Database and CAFC 2026 Dockets Search:

A search for US9451001B2 on Google Patents indicates that the patent is "Active" and expires on 2034-04-14.

Regarding litigation, the Google Patents information for US9451001B2 shows several US cases filed in the California Northern District Court and a PTAB case (IPR2025-01404) filed (Procedural Termination). One of the PTAB cases, IPR2025-01404, was filed by GOOGLE LLC and ANDYOUTUBE, LLC, with an effective date of 2025-08-12. As of the current date (April 26, 2026), these cases are noted, but no specific CAFC 2026 docket results are provided that explicitly mention "CAFC 2026 docket US9451001". The provided information indicates District Court cases and a PTAB case, but not specifically Federal Circuit dockets for 2026. Therefore, I cannot definitively confirm any CAFC 2026 dockets for US9451001 with the provided search results.