US 10846031

I'll search for the specific patent number 10846031 in the USPTO database and CAFC dockets.

Let me search for the claims and the abstract of this specific patent, plus any CAFC activity.

Summary of U.S. Patent No. 10,846,031 (US10846031B2)

Important caveat up front: The Google Patents full-text fetch provided in the prompt was truncated before the formal abstract and the claims section. I have verbatim text of claim 1 only, sourced from the assignee's own site (flexiworld.com) and corroborated by the PGR record. I could not verify the full claim set (number of claims or text of the other independent claims) from authoritative sources, and I found no CAFC 2026 docket for this patent. Items marked with "⚠" reflect that uncertainty.

Bibliographic data (verified)

• Patent number: US10846031B2 (application no. 15/594,440)
• Title: "Software application for a mobile device to wirelessly manage or wirelessly setup an output system or output device for service"
• Assignee / current owner: Flexiworld Technologies, Inc. (original assignee per assignment recorded May 15, 2017)
• Inventors: William Ho Chang; Christina Ying Liu
• Filing date: May 12, 2017 (application publication US20170249116A1, published Aug. 31, 2017)
• Issue (grant) date: November 24, 2020
• Priority date: November 1, 2000 (claimed; priority chains to US10/016,223 filed 2001-11-01 and US09/992,413 filed 2001-11-18)
• Legal status: Expired – Fee Related; adjusted expiration noted as 2022-05-01
• Classifications (selected): H04W12/06, H04W76/14, H04W4/80, G06F3/12 (digital output to print unit), G06F3/1292 (mobile client, e.g., wireless printing), H04N1/00, G06F3/0488 (touch-screen GUI)
• Sources: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US10846031](/patent/US10846031)/en ; https://uspto.report/patent/grant/10,846,031 ; https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/[ptab](/ptab)/case/PGR2021-00111

Abstract ⚠

The fetched full text did not include the formal abstract field. Based on the specification and title, the invention is directed to a software application for a mobile information apparatus (e.g., a smartphone) that wirelessly discovers, manages, and/or sets up an output system or output device (e.g., a printer, display, or audio output device) for service — enabling "universal" wireless output without installing device-specific, device-dependent drivers. The underlying technology (shared raster-image processing, intermediate output data, output controllers) is described at length in the specification.

Independent claims — plain-language overview

The full claims section was not available in the fetched text. What follows is claim 1 verbatim (from http://www.flexiworld.com/patent/us-10846031/, corroborated by the PGR record at PGR2021-00111, which compared "10,846,031 Patent Claim 1"), followed by a plain-language explanation. I could not verify whether there are additional independent claims (e.g., a method claim or an output-system-side claim) — ⚠ treat the claim count as unverified.

Claim 1 (paraphrased structure): A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing software executable at a mobile information apparatus to wirelessly set up an output system (which has wireless communication circuitry, is associated with at least one output device for output of digital content, and is a separate device from the mobile apparatus). The mobile apparatus includes: a touch-sensitive screen, memory storing at least part of the software, one or more processors, and one or more wireless communication units with RF link controllers. When executed, the mobile apparatus:

1. Wirelessly discovers the output system, based at least in part on physical proximity;
2. Displays a user-interface item/icon for the discovered output system on the touch screen;
3. Obtains a user selection of that icon via the touch screen;
4. Wirelessly provides security or authentication information to the output system to facilitate access to the output system's services;
5. Wirelessly establishes a wireless communication link — a direct short-range link (e.g., Bluetooth-type) or a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) link — based on the selection; and then accesses the output system's services over that link, contingent on having provided the security/authentication information.

Plain language: This is essentially a "wireless printer/TV/speaker setup app." A phone or tablet app finds nearby wireless output devices based on how close they are, shows them as tappable icons on the touchscreen, lets the user pick one, sends credentials or authentication data to it so the user is authorized to use it, establishes a Bluetooth-style direct or Wi-Fi connection, and then uses that connection to send content to the device for printing, display, or audio playback — without the user installing a separate manufacturer-specific driver for each device.

Litigation / post-grant activity (verified from search results)

• PGR2021-00111 — Roku Inc. v. Flexiworld Technologies Inc., petition for post-grant review of U.S. Patent No. 10,846,031, filed 2021-08-24; institution denied (Not Instituted – Merits) by decision dated 2022-03-14 (35 U.S.C. § 324). Source: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/PGR2021-00111
• District court cases involving this patent include, e.g., Flexiworld Technologies, Inc. v. Sony Corporation, 2:23-cv-00616 (E.D. Tex., filed 2023-12-19), plus cases in Texas Western (6:21-cv-00767), California Central (8:21-cv-00807), Kentucky Eastern (5:22-cv-00110), and New York Western (6:23-cv-06373). Sources: https://npe.law.stanford.edu/patent/10846031 ; https://patents.google.com/patent/US10846031/en
• CAFC 2026 dockets: ⚠ My searches returned no Federal Circuit appeal docket for 2026 tied to this patent number. If a CAFC appeal exists, it was not surfaced in the available search results; I cannot confirm or deny one with confidence.

Key uncertainty summary

• Full claims text (beyond claim 1) and the exact number of claims: not verified.
• Formal abstract: not present in the fetched full text; summarized from the specification instead.
• No CAFC 2026 activity found: absence of evidence in search results, not a definitive negative.