US 9792361

A technical analysis of U.S. Patent 9,792,361 reveals a system for location-based interaction with social networks, including the reporting of roadway conditions. As of April 26, 2026, the patent is assigned to Mimzi LLC, and a search of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) 2026 dockets did not yield any specific appellate litigation concerning this patent.

Title: Photographic memory

Assignee: Mimzi LLC

Inventor: James L. Geer

Filing Date: May 22, 2013

Issue Date: October 17, 2017

Abstract: The patent describes a system and method for interacting with a social network database. A user's spoken request is transcribed and combined with metadata, including location data. This information is then sent from a mobile electronic device to a social network database. The database, in turn, generates a response based on the transcribed information and metadata, which is then returned to the mobile device and presented to the user. The system may also include the presentation of an advertisement to the user.

Overview of Independent Claims:

U.S. Patent 9,792,361 contains two independent claims: claim 1, which describes a system, and claim 16, which outlines a corresponding method.

Claim 1 (System): This claim details a computer-implemented system for presenting social network information to a mobile device based on its location and a user's input. In essence, the system is comprised of:

• A hardware data input port: This component receives information from the user of a mobile electronic device.
• An automated hardware processor: This processor creates a "user request" by combining the user's input with metadata, which must include the mobile device's location as determined by a hardware-based geospatial positioning system (like GPS).
• An automated hardware communication interface port: This port is responsible for several key functions:
  • It automatically sends the user request to a social network database that contains records of roadway conditions, with each record having associated time and location information.
  • It automatically receives location-dependent information from that social network database.
  • It can also send a message to the social network database to create a new record, which would include the time and location of a specific roadway condition.
• An automated hardware user interface: This component presents the received social network information to the user, and this information is ranked based on at least one "social network ranking factor."

In simpler terms, this claim describes the hardware components of a system that allows a user to provide input (e.g., a spoken query about traffic), combines that input with their location, and interacts with a social network database to both retrieve and contribute information about road conditions. The information presented back to the user is prioritized or "ranked" in some way.

Claim 16 (Method): This claim mirrors the functionality of the system described in claim 1 but is framed as a computer-implemented method. The key steps of this method are:

• Receiving a user request: This request is based on the user's input and associated metadata, including the location of the mobile device.
• Automatically transmitting the request: The user request is sent to a social network database that, as in claim 1, contains roadway condition records with time and location data.
• Automatically receiving social network information: The mobile device receives location-dependent information from the social network database.
• Communicating a message to create a new record: A message is sent to the database to create a new record about a roadway condition, including time and location information.
• Presenting the received information: The social network information is presented to the user, ranked according to at least one social network ranking factor.

Essentially, this claim protects the process or series of steps that the system in claim 1 performs. It covers the actions of receiving a user's request, interacting with a database of road conditions, and presenting ranked, location-specific information back to the user.