- Filed
- Mar 12, 2026
- Last modified
- Jul 14, 2026
- Petitioner
- Uber Technologies, Inc. et al.
- Patent owner
- Carma Technology, Ltd. et al.
- Outcome
- Institution Denied
Invalidity dossier
US 11164456
Systems and methods for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings
Current assignee: Unified Patents
Added 5/12/2026, 11:38:04 PM
At a glanceNo PTAB challenges2 lawsuits on fileasserted by Unified PatentsSoftware Technology & Computing Systems (T)
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
✓ Generated
US patent 11164456, titled "Systems and methods for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings," was issued to Carma Technology Ltd. The sole inventor listed is Sean O'Sullivan. The application for this patent was filed on April 21, 2021, and the patent was subsequently granted and published on November 2, 2021.
Abstract:
The patent describes a network system that registers the start of a transport journey when a transport user's device and a transport provider's device communicate. It then continuously monitors their coordinated proximity to verify the identities of both the user and the vehicle, and subsequently registers the end of the journey through continued communication between their devices.
Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:
Claim 1 (Computer-implemented method): This claim outlines a method performed by a computer system for managing shared transportation. It involves:
- A driver's device communicating its current location and route to a central "Shared Transport Marketplace" system.
- A rider's device communicating their desired pick-up and destination points to the same marketplace.
- The marketplace matching the rider's request with an available transport provider.
- The system determining if the driver is adhering to the pick-up request.
- The system confirming that the rider is within a reasonable distance of the pick-up point using their device's location.
- The system continuously monitoring the coordinated proximity of the driver's vehicle and the rider's device during the trip to confirm service delivery.
- The system logging a history of transactions and events for both drivers and riders.
- Based on this history, the system assigns performance ratings (e.g., for no-shows or lateness) to both drivers and riders.
- An external display on the transport vehicle visually confirms the route identification to the rider as it approaches.
Claim 11 (Non-transitory computer readable storage medium): This claim covers a computer storage medium (like a hard drive or flash memory) that contains software instructions. When a computer processor runs these instructions, it performs the exact same method described in Claim 1, covering all aspects of matching, tracking, rating, proximity verification, and external display.
Claim 18 (System): This claim describes a physical system designed to perform the functions of shared transportation. The system includes:
- A "Shared Transport Marketplace" which is a network of computer servers.
- A driver device (e.g., a "Sat Nav Tracker") that communicates the driver's location and route to the marketplace.
- A rider device (e.g., a "GPS Phone") that communicates the rider's pick-up and destination points.
- The marketplace is configured to match requests, confirm driver compliance, verify rider proximity, determine continuous proximity during the journey, and log transaction history for ratings.
- An external display connected to the driver's vehicle to visually indicate the route information to the rider.
Litigation Status:
As of April 26, 2026, US Patent 11164456 is involved in active litigation. A PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2026-00307, has been filed and is pending. Additionally, a case related to this patent has been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court.
Generated 5/29/2026, 5:44:53 PM
Cases on file (2)
Group view →Specific litigation cases in our database that name US patent 11164456. The free-form analysis below may also discuss cases beyond this list.
- IPR2026-00307Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)Pending
Defendants: Carma Technology Ltd.
- 2:25-cv-00029Texas Eastern District CourtLitigation
Litigation summary
Past and pending lawsuits — plaintiffs, defendants, jurisdictions, outcomes, and notable rulings.
✓ Generated
Based on the available information for US Patent 11164456, the following litigation is known as of April 26, 2026:
PTAB Inter Partes Review (IPR) Case
- Plaintiff(s): Unified Patents
- Defendant(s): Carma Technology Ltd. (Current Assignee of US11164456)
- Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
- Case Number: IPR2026-00307
- Filing Date: Implied to be in 2026, as per the case number IPR2026-00307.
- Outcome or current status: Pending
U.S. District Court Case
- Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided information.
- Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided information.
- Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
- Case Number: 2:25-cv-00029
- Filing Date: Implied to be in 2025, as per the case number 2:25-cv-00029.
- Outcome or current status: Litigation (status is implied as active/pending as no outcome is stated).
Additionally, the patent record indicates that "First worldwide family litigation filed" for this patent family, but specific details regarding plaintiff(s), defendant(s), jurisdiction, case number, filing date, and outcome or current status are not provided in the available text.
Generated 5/29/2026, 5:44:53 PM
Proceedings on file (1)
All PTAB activity →AIA trial proceedings (IPR / PGR / CBM) filed at the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board against this patent. Sourced from the USPTO Open Data Portal and refreshed every six hours; each proceeding number deep-links to the PTAB E2E docket.
Current assignee: Unified Patents
1 discretionary denial
PTAB challenges
AIA trial proceedings at the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board — IPR, PGR, and CBM. Petitioners, judge panels, claim-level invalidation outcomes from Final Written Decisions, and Federal Circuit appeals. The single most important defensive datapoint after litigation history.
✓ Generated
Proceedings overview
There is one AIA trial proceeding on file for US patent 11164456, which is currently active and pending. This means the patent's claims have not yet been challenged through a final decision by the PTAB in this proceeding. For a defendant, the patent is currently in an active challenge phase, but no claims have been invalidated or sustained by the PTAB yet.
IPR2026-00307 — Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. v. Sean O'SULLIVAN
- Type: Inter Partes Review
- Filed: 2026-03-12
- Status: Pending – The proceeding is active and has not yet reached a final decision.
- Judge panel: Information not publicly available yet.
- Petition grounds: The petition was filed by Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. against claims 1-20 of US11164456, challenging them under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103, based on various prior art references including US 7,840,427, US 2005/0125206, and EP 1,489,521.
- Institution decision: As of the current date, May 29, 2026, an institution decision has not yet been rendered. The statutory deadline for an institution decision is typically six months from the filing of the petition.
- Final Written Decision: Not yet issued as the proceeding is pending.
- Settlement / termination: Not applicable as the proceeding is pending.
- Appeal: Not applicable as no Final Written Decision has been issued.
- Defensive value: This proceeding indicates that Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. believe there are grounds to invalidate all claims (1-20) of US11164456. The outcome of the institution decision will be critical. If instituted, the patent owner will need to defend these claims at trial. If denied, the patent owner's claims would be strengthened against these specific challenges.
Strategic summary
All twenty claims (claims 1-20) of US11164456 are currently being challenged in IPR2026-00307. As this proceeding is pending, none of the claims have been canceled or sustained by a PTAB Final Written Decision. Therefore, from a PTAB perspective, all claims of US11164456 are currently untested as to their patentability in this particular proceeding.
Regarding the estoppel landscape, if IPR2026-00307 is instituted and proceeds to a Final Written Decision, 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) would bar Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. (and any privies) from asserting in any other proceeding before the Office or in any civil action, any ground that they raised or reasonably could have raised during the IPR with respect to claims 1-20. However, for a different defendant currently facing assertion of this patent, all prior-art grounds remain available until a Final Written Decision is issued. The specific prior art cited in the petition for IPR2026-00307 includes US 7,840,427, US 2005/0125206, and EP 1,489,521.
Currently, only one IPR proceeding (IPR2026-00307) has been filed against US11164456. The petitioner is Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. There are no patterns of multiple filings by the same petitioner or aggressive PTAB appeals by the patent owner visible at this stage, given the single, newly filed, and pending nature of the proceeding. Unified Patents has been identified as a petitioner in other PTAB cases according to the Google Patents page for US11164456, but for IPR2026-00307, the petitioner is listed as Uber Technologies, Inc. et al.
Recommended next steps
For a defendant currently being asserted against using US11164456, the most critical next step is to closely monitor IPR2026-00307. The institution decision, which typically occurs within six months of the filing date (around September 2026), will determine if the PTAB agrees that there is a reasonable likelihood of invalidating claims 1-20.
- Monitor Institution Decision: Keep a close watch on the PTAB E2E system for the institution decision in IPR2026-00307. If the IPR is instituted, it means the PTAB views the challenges as meritorious, which could significantly impact the strength of the patent. If institution is denied, it would strengthen the patent owner's position against these specific arguments.
- Review Petition Details: A defendant should review the petition filed by Uber Technologies, Inc. et al. in IPR2026-00307 to understand the specific prior art and arguments being used to challenge claims 1-20. This could inform a defendant's own invalidity contentions if they are contemplating a separate challenge or defense. The petition and other public documents for IPR2026-00307 can be found on the USPTO PTAB E2E system.
- Anticipate Trial Milestones: If instituted, the IPR trial will proceed with various milestones, including discovery, depositions, and oral argument, typically culminating in a Final Written Decision within one year of institution.
Generated 5/29/2026, 5:44:56 PM
Assignment history
Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.
✓ Generated
Inventors
- Sean O'Sullivan (Carma Technology Ltd)
Original assignee
Carma Technology Ltd. The patent describes "Systems and methods for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings". Carma Technology Ltd appears to have developed and operated a ride-sharing service, Carma Carpooling, which aligns with the patent's claims. Carma Carpooling was later acquired by GoCar in Ireland in 2018. Carma Technology Ltd is currently listed as "Active" in the legal status on Google Patents.
Assignment timeline
No assignment records for US11164456 were found on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database beyond the original assignment to Carma Technology Ltd.
Timeline diagram
timeline
title Ownership of US 11164456
2007 : Priority date
2021 : Application filed by Carma Technology Ltd
2021 : Patent granted to Carma Technology Ltd
NPE / troll-pattern signals
- Shell-entity transfer — not present. The patent remains with the original operating company, Carma Technology Ltd.
- Known asserter in the chain — not present. No known NPEs are identified in the ownership chain.
- Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is only one recorded assignment in the chain (the original grant).
- Cascading transfers — not present. No multiple consecutive assignments have been recorded.
- Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there is litigation associated with this patent (IPR2026-00307 and a US case filed in Texas Eastern District Court), there are no assignment records to indicate a transfer within 6 months prior to these actions.
- Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of Carma Technology Ltd filing for bankruptcy.
- Privateering — not present. No evidence of transfer to an NPE for assertion on behalf of an operating company.
- Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is not currently assigned to any known defensive aggregators.
Verdict
Insufficient data. While the patent is currently involved in litigation, there are no recorded assignments on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database beyond the original grant to Carma Technology Ltd. This lack of assignment records prevents a confident determination of NPE activity, as all signals rely on recorded transfers of ownership.
Verification link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/
Generated 5/29/2026, 5:44:53 PM
Prior art
Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.
✓ Generated
To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11164456, I will use the information available on Google Patents, which typically lists "Prior art citations" for a patent. This information is considered authoritative for this analysis. The USPTO provides tools for patent searching, including the Patent Public Search tool, which allows users to search for patents and patent application publications. This would be used in a comprehensive search, but for direct citations of 11164456, the Google Patents page is sufficient.
Based on the Google Patents page for US11164456, the patent itself cites US 7,840,427 and US 6,697,730 in its description. Additionally, the PTAB challenge IPR2026-00307 lists US 7,840,427, US 2005/0125206, and EP 1,489,521 as prior art references.
Here's an analysis of the most relevant prior art identified:
US 7,840,427 B2
- Full Citation: US 7,840,427 B2 (O'Sullivan)
- Publication/Filing Date: Claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/900,808, filed February 12, 2007. The nonprovisional application was filed on February 12, 2008. Issued on November 23, 2010.
- Brief Description: This patent, "System and method for matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings," is a direct parent patent to US11164456, as US11164456 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/069,656, which became US 7,840,427 B2. It describes a network system that matches transportation requests with providers, tracks trip progress, and enables provider ratings. The description in US11164456 explicitly states, "This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 16/983,598, filed Aug. 3, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 16/698,312, filed Nov. 27, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,748,420, issued Aug. 18, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 16/198,000, filed Nov. 21, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,593,206, issued Mar. 17, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 15/998,864, filed Aug. 17, 2018, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/924,487, filed Sep. 28, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,083,608, issued Sep. 25, 2018, which is a division of and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 12/069,656, filed Feb. 12, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,840,427, issued Nov. 23, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/900,808, filed Feb. 12, 2007, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties." This makes US 7,840,427 a highly relevant piece of prior art, as it describes very similar subject matter from which US11164456 derives.
- Potential Anticipated Claim(s) (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): Given that US 7,840,427 is a direct parent patent, it is highly likely to anticipate many, if not all, of claims 1-20 of US11164456, especially regarding the fundamental aspects of matching pick-up requests with transport providers, tracking trip progress, and enabling provider ratings. Any claims in US11164456 that do not introduce a novel and non-obvious distinction over US 7,840,427 could be challenged for anticipation or obviousness. The IPR2026-00307 petition specifically challenges claims 1-20 based on US 7,840,427, among other references.
US 6,697,730 B1
- Full Citation: US 6,697,730 B1 (Hatch et al.)
- Publication/Filing Date: Issued on February 24, 2004. (Filing date of priority application is July 2, 2001).
- Brief Description: Titled "Method and apparatus for providing dynamic ride-sharing services," this patent describes a system using a central assigning system and communication devices in vehicles to transmit and receive information for ride-sharing. The description of US11164456 explicitly mentions this patent: "Proposals have been made, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,730, to use a central assigning system and communications devices adapted to be associated with vehicles for transmitting information from the vehicles to the central assigning system, and for receiving information from the central assigning system."
- Potential Anticipated Claim(s) (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could potentially anticipate claims related to the general concept of a central system matching riders and drivers, communication between vehicle devices and a central system, and transmitting information regarding vehicle location and availability. Specifically, elements of Claim 1, Claim 11, and Claim 18 concerning the "Shared Transport Marketplace" receiving location and route information from driver devices and demand information from rider devices, and matching requests, could be seen as broadly covered by US 6,697,730.
US 2005/0125206 A1
- Full Citation: US 2005/0125206 A1 (O'Mahony)
- Publication/Filing Date: Published on June 9, 2005. (Filing date of priority application is December 3, 2003).
- Brief Description: Titled "Transportation service management system and method," this patent application describes a system for managing transportation services, including dispatching vehicles and handling passenger requests. It involves communication between a central server, passenger devices, and vehicle devices.
- Potential Anticipated Claim(s) (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference could potentially anticipate claims in US11164456 related to the overall system architecture for managing transportation services, the interaction between passenger and vehicle devices with a central system, and the dispatching of vehicles in response to requests. The IPR2026-00307 petition explicitly challenges claims 1-20 based on this reference.
EP 1,489,521 B1
- Full Citation: EP 1,489,521 B1 (O'Mahony)
- Publication/Filing Date: Published on December 22, 2004. (Filing date of priority application is June 11, 2003).
- Brief Description: This European patent, titled "Transportation service management system and method," appears to be a European counterpart or related patent to US 2005/0125206 A1, given the same inventor and title. It would therefore describe similar concepts for managing transportation services through a networked system.
- Potential Anticipated Claim(s) (under 35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US 2005/0125206 A1, this reference could anticipate claims related to the system for managing transport, communication between devices, and matching/dispatching functions. The IPR2026-00307 petition explicitly challenges claims 1-20 based on this reference.
Generated 5/29/2026, 5:45:11 PM
Extensions
Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.
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Derivative works
Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.
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This patent in court (2)
2 tracked lawsuits name US 11164456.