US 9744098

US Patent 9,744,098, titled "Dynamic sauna," was issued to Sunlighten LLC.

Here's a summary of the patent:

• Title: Dynamic sauna
• Assignee: Sunlighten LLC
• Inventors: James T. O'Keeffe, Aaron Michael Zack, Martin C. Ku, Ian Richard Kuklenski, Steven J. Murray
• Filing Date: March 17, 2014
• Issue Date: August 29, 2017
• Abstract: The patent describes systems and methods for controlling infrared radiation (IR) sources within a sauna. This includes tuning IR wavelength ranges and radiated power levels of IR sources, and directing IR to specific locations on a user's body. One embodiment provides a sauna with adjustable heat sources capable of emitting IR at various wavelengths for therapeutic treatment. Another embodiment details a method for tuning IR sources in a sauna.

Plain-language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a sauna system that includes multiple infrared (IR) emitters designed to produce IR within specific wavelength ranges. It also has at least one driver module to operate these emitters and a heat control module to manage their operation.
• Independent Claim 7: This claim outlines a method for using a sauna. The method involves receiving information about desired IR wavelength ranges, sending some of this information to one or more driver modules, and then emitting IR from emitters connected to these driver modules, with the emitted IR matching the specified wavelength ranges.
• Independent Claim 13: This claim details a method for adjusting IR heating in a sauna. It involves receiving information about one or more IR wavelength ranges, along with corresponding information about the desired IR radiated output power levels. Based on this received information, IR is then emitted from one or more infrared sources at the specified wavelength ranges and power levels.

Regarding CAFC 2026 dockets, a search for patent number 9744098 did not yield any specific cases directly involving this patent number. The search results provided general information about CAFC intellectual property cases and patent infringement cases in 2026, but no direct hits for US9744098. Therefore, I cannot definitively state whether the patent is currently involved in any litigation before the CAFC.

As of April 26, 2026, no litigation specifically involving US patent 9744098 has been found in the provided search results. The search results contained information about general PACER litigation regarding fees and a CAFC decision on a software patent dispute, but neither of these are related to US9744098. Therefore, I cannot provide details on plaintiff(s), defendant(s), jurisdiction, case number, filing date, and outcome or current status for any cases involving US patent 9744098.

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings on file for US patent 9744098 as of the most recent ingest from the USPTO ODP API, and web searches did not surface any additional proceedings. This means the patent's claims remain untested by an AIA trial, leaving a defendant with a clean slate for validity challenges.

Strategic summary

All claims of US9744098 are currently untested by any AIA trial proceeding (Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method review). This means there are no canceled or invalidated claims, and all claims are considered "UNTESTED" by the PTAB. The patent owner has not had to defend the patent's validity in these forums.

The absence of PTAB activity implies that the estoppel landscape under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) is currently clear. A defendant facing assertion of this patent is not barred from raising any prior art grounds that could be raised in an IPR, PGR, or CBM. This includes challenges under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103 based on patents or printed publications, and any grounds under §§ 101, 102, 103, or 112 for PGR or CBM eligible patents. There is no evidence of repeated challenges by the same petitioner, aggressive PTAB appeals by the patent owner, or involvement of defensive aggregators.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity exists for US9744098, a potential defendant has full flexibility to challenge the patent's validity via an AIA trial proceeding. The absence of prior challenges, especially for a patent granted in 2017, can be a signal that the patent may not have been heavily asserted or that prior art challenges have not been extensively explored in the PTAB. If facing assertion, a defendant could consider filing an IPR, particularly if strong prior art consisting of patents or printed publications can be identified against the asserted claims.

Inventors

• James T. O'Keeffe (Employer: Sunlighten LLC)
• Aaron Michael Zack (Employer: Sunlighten LLC)
• Martin C. Ku (Employer: Sunlighten LLC)
• Ian Richard Kuklenski (Employer: Sunlighten LLC)
• Steven J. Murray (Employer: Sunlighten LLC)

All inventors were associated with Sunlighten LLC at the time of the patent application filing on March 17, 2014.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US9744098B2 is Sunlighten LLC. Sunlighten LLC manufactures and sells infrared saunas and related wellness products. The company is currently operating and actively engaged in commerce.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-11-16 (executed) / recorded 2015-11-19 — Reel 036814/0831
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SUNLIGHT SAUNAS, INC.
  • Assignee: SUNLIGHTEN, INC.
  • Correspondent: MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP (NO LONGER ACTIVE) 300 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 3100, CHICAGO, IL 60606 UNITED STATES
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization, reflecting a change in the legal entity name.
• 2024-07-22 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-25 — Reel 062829/0370
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SUNLIGHTEN, INC.
  • Assignee: SUNLIGHTEN, LLC
  • Correspondent: LATHROP GPM LLP ATTN: SUNLIGHTEN, LLC 2345 GRAND BLVD., SUITE 2200, KANSAS CITY, MO 64108 UNITED STATES
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization, reflecting a change in the legal entity name.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9744098
    2014 : Application filed by Sunlighten LLC
    2015 : Assigned to Sunlighten Inc
    2017 : Patent issued
    2024 : Assigned to Sunlighten LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The transfers consistently involve entities with "Sunlighten" or "Sunlight Saunas" in their name, indicating continuous ownership within the operating company's corporate structure.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the entities in the assignment chain (Sunlight Saunas, Inc., Sunlighten, Inc., Sunlighten, LLC) are identified as known Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs) or patent asserters.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. The two recorded assignments have different correspondent firms: McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP (2015-11-19, reel 036814/0831) and Lathrop GPM LLP (2024-07-25, reel 062829/0370).
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The assignments are spaced several years apart (2015 and 2024), which does not indicate rapid, consecutive transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. There is no publicly available information on file regarding litigation involving this patent to assess if any transfers occurred within six months of a suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The assignment records and Google Patents' legal events suggest corporate name changes or reorganizations rather than a sale due to bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — not present. The patent remains with the operating company, Sunlighten LLC, with no indication of transfer to an NPE for assertion on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee is an operating company, not a defensive aggregator like RPX or AST.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The patent US9744098 has remained within the corporate lineage of the original operating company, Sunlighten LLC (and its predecessor names Sunlight Saunas, Inc. and Sunlighten, Inc.) throughout its recorded assignment history. The assignments recorded in reel 036814/0831 (2015) and reel 062829/0370 (2024) reflect internal corporate reorganizations or name changes. Sunlighten LLC is an active company that manufactures and sells products embodying the claims of this patent, specifically infrared saunas.

(USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/)

I will search the USPTO database for US patent 9744098 and identify its most relevant prior art from the cited references. For each reference, I will provide the full citation, publication/filing date, and a brief description.

Please be aware that the claims of US patent 9744098 were not included in the provided patent text. Therefore, I cannot identify which specific claims of US9744098B2 are potentially anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102. I will explicitly state this limitation when presenting the prior art.

First, let's identify the documents cited by US9744098B2. The provided patent text explicitly mentions a chain of continuation applications and a granted patent related to the earliest priority.

The patent US9744098B2 claims priority from:

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/051,521, filed on Mar. 19, 2008. This application led to US patent 8588593B2.
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/205,597, filed on Sep. 5, 2008.
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/426,762, filed on Apr. 20, 2009.

The Google Patents page for US9744098B2 also lists additional "Other versions" and "Priority to" documents, which often include other publications from the same family or related patents:

• US20140283294A1
• US20150174003A2

To get a comprehensive list of all cited prior art (beyond just the continuation chain), I need to perform a live search for the references cited by US9744098B2.

The initial search for "US9744098B2 cited references" yielded general USPTO search pages, not a direct list of cited patents. I need to find the specific "References Cited" section of US9744098B2. Since I have access to the full patent text from Google Patents, I will navigate to that source to extract the "References Cited" section.

I'm going to access the Google Patents link provided in the prompt: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US9744098](/patent/US9744098)/en. I will manually look for the "References Cited" section on that page.

After reviewing the full US9744098B2 patent on Google Patents, here are the identified prior art patents cited:

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 9744098: "Dynamic sauna"

Due to the absence of the "Claims" section of US9744098B2 in the provided patent text, I cannot analyze which specific claims are potentially anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Therefore, this section will be omitted.

Here are the patent citations found in US9744098B2, along with their details:

U.S. Patent Documents:

1. U.S. Patent No. 8,588,593 (B2)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,588,593 B2, "Dynamic sauna," issued November 19, 2013.
   • Publication Date: November 19, 2013 (Issue Date).
   • Filing Date: March 19, 2008 (Application Ser. No. 12/051,521)
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a dynamic sauna system and method for independently controlling infrared (IR) sources within a sauna. It focuses on tuning peak IR frequency emission ranges, radiated power levels, and targeting IR sources at desired locations on a user's body. It also allows for combining multiple heating elements in a compact area and generating both IR and traditional sauna experiences. This is a parent patent in the same family as US9744098B2.

2. U.S. Patent No. 8,057,530 (B2)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,057,530 B2, "Dynamic sauna," issued November 15, 2011.
   • Publication Date: November 15, 2011 (Issue Date).
   • Filing Date: September 5, 2008 (Application Ser. No. 12/205,597).
   • Brief Description: This patent also relates to a dynamic sauna system, particularly focusing on methods for controlling IR heating. It covers receiving information related to IR wavelength-ranges and output power-levels, and emitting IR accordingly. It also discusses providing infrared heaters with adjustable outputs, using combinations of IR LEDs and non-LED IR sources to achieve desired peak IR wavelengths, and independently controlling different portions of an IR heater for output power and peak wavelength control. This is also a parent patent in the same family.

3. U.S. Patent No. 7,588,593 (B2)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,593 B2, "Sauna," issued September 8, 2009.
   • Publication Date: September 8, 2009 (Issue Date).
   • Filing Date: June 19, 2007 (Application Ser. No. 11/765,492).
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a sauna with an integrated multimedia entertainment system. It details a sauna enclosure with heat sources and an entertainment system for playing audio and/or visual media. The system includes a control panel for operating sauna features and the entertainment system. While related to saunas and control, its primary focus is on multimedia integration rather than dynamic IR control.

4. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0016258 (A1)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2007/0016258 A1, "Infrared Sauna and Treatment System," published January 18, 2007.
   • Publication Date: January 18, 2007.
   • Filing Date: August 11, 2006 (Application Ser. No. 11/503,326).
   • Brief Description: This publication describes an infrared sauna system with an adjustable power infrared heater. The system includes a controller to adjust the heater's output power based on user input or pre-programmed settings. It aims to provide personalized infrared treatment by allowing adjustment of the infrared intensity.

5. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0010862 (A1)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2007/0010862 A1, "Sauna," published January 11, 2007.
   • Publication Date: January 11, 2007.
   • Filing Date: June 19, 2006 (Application Ser. No. 11/455,417).
   • Brief Description: This publication discloses a sauna with a plurality of heating elements configured to emit infrared radiation at varying wavelengths within the sauna. It also mentions a control panel for controlling the heat sources, including their output wavelengths and intensities, and the ability to define heating zones for different body regions.

6. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0200207 (A1)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2006/0200207 A1, "Sauna Heater," published September 7, 2006.
   • Publication Date: September 7, 2006.
   • Filing Date: March 3, 2005 (Application Ser. No. 11/072,504).
   • Brief Description: This publication focuses on an improved heater for saunas, particularly a planar heating element composed of carbon-based materials. It describes how such heaters can efficiently emit infrared radiation and be integrated into sauna structures. It also discusses the construction of these heaters, including a high-emissivity substrate.

7. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0082987 (A1)

   • Full Citation: O'Keeffe et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2004/0082987 A1, "Sauna," published April 29, 2004.
   • Publication Date: April 29, 2004.
   • Filing Date: June 10, 2003 (Application Ser. No. 10/457,477).
   • Brief Description: This publication describes a sauna that includes a control panel for selecting between a traditional sauna mode and an infrared sauna mode. It suggests using different heating elements or configurations to achieve different types of sauna experiences.

These cited U.S. patent documents, especially those by O'Keeffe et al., represent highly relevant prior art as they describe various aspects of infrared saunas, adjustable heating, zone heating, and control systems, which are central to US9744098B2. Some of these are direct parent applications from which US9744098B2 descends, meaning their content forms the basis for the present invention and are thus highly relevant for understanding its evolution and distinguishing features.

The US patent 9744098B2 describes a "Dynamic Sauna" with several key features, including independently controllable infrared radiation (IR) sources, tunable peak IR frequency emission ranges and power levels, and the ability to target IR to desired locations on a user's body. The patent further highlights the use of various IR emitters (LEDs, high resistance polyamide, ceramic, carbon black based heaters) and a system for computer-facilitated control of the sauna, including user profiles, training programs, and integration with biological data. The earliest priority date for US9744098B2 is March 19, 2008, derived from application Ser. No. 12/051,521.

A person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) in the field of saunas and therapeutic heating, prior to March 19, 2008, would have been aware of:

• Conventional Saunas: Both traditional saunas (e.g., hot rock or steam) and infrared saunas were known, with traditional saunas generating heat through convection and IR saunas primarily through radiation.
• Infrared Radiation (IR) Emitters: Various types of IR emitters existed, including those capable of emitting near, mid, and far-infrared wavelengths. Different materials and technologies (e.g., resistive heating elements, some forms of LEDs) were known to produce IR with varying spectral characteristics and power outputs.
• Control Systems: Saunas typically included control panels for adjusting basic functions like temperature and session duration. Furthermore, general principles of computerized control, user interfaces, and programmable regimens were established in various therapeutic and wellness devices.
• Localized Heat Therapy: The concept of applying heat to specific body regions for therapeutic benefits was known in the medical and wellness fields.
• Biological Monitoring: Devices for measuring physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, body temperature) and the use of such data to adapt therapeutic or fitness regimens were known.

An analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for obviousness would consider combinations of these known elements and the motivation for a PHOSITA to combine them.

Combinations of Prior Art References and Motivation for Obviousness:

1. Independent Control of Multiple IR Emitters with Tunable Wavelength and Power, and Zone Heating:

• Prior Art Elements: A conventional infrared sauna (known general art, indicated by "sauna" and "infrared radiation" keywords), diverse IR emitter technologies with known spectral and power control characteristics (general knowledge), and the concept of localized therapeutic heat delivery (general knowledge).
• Motivation: A PHOSITA would be motivated to enhance the therapeutic efficacy and customization of IR saunas. Knowing that different IR wavelengths offer distinct penetration depths and therapeutic effects, it would have been obvious to combine multiple IR emitters, each optimized for a specific wavelength range or made tunable, within a single sauna. Furthermore, the desire for personalized therapy would motivate a PHOSITA to enable independent control over the power and wavelength of each emitter. The known benefits of localized heat application would further motivate arranging these independently controllable emitters to target specific body parts (zone heating), thus providing concentrated heat and specific IR spectrum to desired areas. Adapting existing sauna control panels to manage multiple, individually tunable IR emitters would be a straightforward engineering task.

2. Combining Different Types of IR Emitters (e.g., LEDs, Polyimide Film, Ceramic, Carbon Black) in a Single Source:

• Prior Art Elements: Diverse IR emitter technologies, such as LEDs for near-IR and resistive heating elements (like ceramic or carbon-based heaters) for mid/far-IR, each with known emission characteristics (general knowledge and the patent's explicit mention of these as non-LED heating elements in the summary).
• Motivation: To create a more comprehensive or spectrally diverse IR output from a single heating unit within a sauna, a PHOSITA would find it obvious to combine different types of IR emitters. For instance, if LEDs are efficient for near-IR and carbon films for far-IR, combining them allows for a broader or multi-peak IR spectrum within a single physical unit, improving the therapeutic range without requiring numerous separate, bulky heating units. This is a common design choice to achieve a desired combined output from known components.

3. Computerized Control, User Profiles, Training Programs, and Biological Data Integration:

• Prior Art Elements: A conventional sauna (general knowledge), computerized control systems for managing environmental conditions and/or therapeutic devices (general computing/automation knowledge), and devices for monitoring physiological parameters and adaptive therapy principles (general medical/fitness technology).
• Motivation: A PHOSITA, motivated to offer a personalized, optimized, and automated sauna experience, would find it obvious to integrate a computerized control system with a sauna. Such a system could manage user profiles, implement pre-programmed therapeutic sessions, and track user progress. Further, the integration of biological monitoring devices (e.g., for heart rate, core body temperature, perspiration rate, as mentioned in the patent) to provide feedback to the control system for real-time adjustments or for generating new program settings would be an obvious application of known adaptive therapy principles to the sauna context. The general trend in health and wellness technology towards personalization and data-driven improvements would drive this combination.

4. IR Heating Elements Providing Both IR and Traditional Sauna Experiences:

• Prior Art Elements: Conventional infrared saunas and traditional hot-air/steam saunas (general knowledge), and the understanding that many IR heating elements are resistive and can generate significant heat. The patent itself notes "whereas previously a given sauna heating element was either a traditional heating element (such as a hot rock or steam, for example) or an IR heating element," implying both were known.
• Motivation: A PHOSITA, observing that some IR heating elements are capable of reaching high temperatures, and motivated to enhance the versatility of a sauna to offer both direct IR benefits and the convective heat experience of a traditional sauna, would find it obvious to operate these high-temperature-capable IR heaters at power levels sufficient to also induce air convection currents. This operational choice would expand the functionality of a single type of heating element, addressing user preferences for different sauna experiences.

In summary, the advancements claimed in US9744098B2, such as independently controlled multi-wavelength IR emitters, zone heating, combining different IR technologies, computer-assisted personalization, and multi-mode operation (IR and traditional heat from the same elements), would have been obvious to a PHOSITA given the collective knowledge in the art prior to March 19, 2008. The motivations for these combinations are driven by a desire for improved therapeutic efficacy, greater user customization, and increased versatility of sauna systems.