US 9609544

Here's a concise summary of US patent 9609544:

US Patent 9609544: Device-assisted services for protecting network capacity

• Title: Device-assisted services for protecting network capacity
• Assignee: Headwater Research LLC
• Inventors: Gregory G. Raleigh, Alireza Raissinia, James Lavine
• Filing Date: 2013-11-15
• Issue Date: 2017-03-28
• Abstract: Techniques are described for protecting network capacity by controlling network service usage activities of a communications device in wireless communication with a network. Such techniques include monitoring a network service usage activity of the communications device in network communication; classifying the network service usage activity for differential network access control for protecting network capacity; and associating the network service usage activity with a network service usage control policy based on a classification of the network service usage activity to facilitate differential network access control for protecting network capacity.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method): This claim describes a method for managing network capacity. It involves a communications device monitoring its own network activities. These activities are then categorized so that network access can be controlled differently for each category, specifically to prevent network overload. A specific set of rules (a control policy) is then applied to these categorized activities to regulate their network access and help preserve overall network capacity.
• Claim 18 (Communications Device): This claim describes a communications device (like a smartphone or tablet) equipped with a processor and memory. This device is designed to carry out the method of Claim 1. Specifically, it monitors its network activities, assigns them to different classifications to enable varied network access controls for capacity protection, and then enforces a control policy based on these classifications to manage its network usage.
• Claim 24 (System): This claim outlines a system for protecting network capacity. The system includes a central "service controller" that manages network usage rules and a "communications device" (as described in Claim 18) that connects to this controller. The device contains a "device-based service processor" which is responsible for monitoring its network activities, classifying them for differentiated network access control to protect network capacity, and applying a control policy based on this classification to manage network access. The system works by coordinating the device's local actions with the broader network policies.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
A search of the CAFC 2026 dockets did not explicitly return any scheduled cases or specific litigation directly naming US patent 9609544 in the provided search snippets for May or June 2026. More detailed searching within the CAFC database would be required to definitively confirm the absence of any cases. However, information from Google Patents indicates that the patent family has litigation and that a PTAB case IPR2026-00138 was filed and is pending.