US 11244675

US patent 11244675, titled "Word replacement in output generation for detected intent by voice classification," was filed on March 7, 2019, and issued on February 8, 2022. The inventor is Tatsumi Naganuma. The original assignee was JVCKenwood Corp, but the current assignee is Soundclear Technologies LLC as of June 25, 2024.

Abstract:
The patent describes an output-content control device that includes a voice classifying unit to determine if a user's spoken voice is a predetermined type (e.g., a whisper). An intention analyzing unit detects the user's desired information. A notification-information acquiring unit gathers this information for the user. Finally, an output-content generating unit creates an output sentence. If the voice is the predetermined type, at least one word in the output sentence is replaced with another word to enhance privacy for the user.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Device): This claim describes a device that can process a user's spoken voice. It first determines if the voice is a specific type (e.g., a whisper). Then, it figures out what information the user wants. After gathering the relevant information, it creates a sentence to communicate back to the user. A key feature is that if the user's voice was identified as the specific type, at least one word in the generated sentence is swapped out for a different word.
• Independent Claim 9 (Method): This claim outlines a method for controlling output content. It involves analyzing a user's voice to see if it's a specific type. Concurrently, it analyzes the voice to understand the user's intent to acquire information. Based on this intent, it gets the information to be conveyed. When generating the output sentence, if the user's voice was the predetermined type, at least one word in the sentence is replaced with another word.
• Independent Claim 15 (Non-Transitory Storage Medium): This claim covers a computer-readable storage medium holding a program. This program, when run by a computer, performs steps similar to the method in claim 9. Specifically, it causes the computer to analyze a user's voice to identify if it's a predetermined type, detect the user's information acquisition intent, acquire the necessary notification information, and then generate an output sentence. Crucially, if the voice is determined to be the predetermined type, the program ensures that at least one word in the output sentence is replaced with another word.

Litigation:
US patent 11244675 is currently involved in several legal proceedings, including:

• A PTAB case, IPR2025-00673, which is pending and has been instituted.
• A US case filed in the Virginia Eastern District Court (case number 3:24-cv-00540).
• Another PTAB case, IPR2025-01177, which resulted in a procedural termination.
• A PTAB case, IPR2026-00073, which is currently pending.
• The first worldwide family litigation has been filed.
• A US case filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (case number 25-1288).
• Additional US cases filed in the Virginia Eastern District Court (case numbers 1:24-cv-01281 and 1:24-cv-01283).

Known litigation involving US patent 11244675 includes both District Court cases and PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. The information regarding the status and some filing dates is derived from the Google Patents page, which was fetched on May 12, 2026, and is thus more current than the operating date of April 26, 2026.

Here is a list of known litigation:

1. PTAB Case IPR2025-00673

   • Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
   • Case Number: IPR2025-00673
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated on the Google Patents page, but IPR filings generally precede the "Instituted" status. Need to search)
   • Status: Pending - Instituted
   • Petitioner: (Requires external search, as "Unified Patents PTAB Data" is a licensing note).
   • Patent Owner: Soundclear Technologies LLC (Current Assignee)

2. US District Court Case

   • Jurisdiction: Virginia Eastern District Court
   • Case Number: 3:24-cv-00540
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Plaintiff(s): (Requires external search)
   • Defendant(s): (Requires external search)
   • Status: Litigation

3. PTAB Case IPR2025-01177

   • Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
   • Case Number: IPR2025-01177
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Status: Procedural Termination
   • Petitioner: (Requires external search, as "Unified Patents PTAB Data" is a licensing note).
   • Patent Owner: Soundclear Technologies LLC (Current Assignee)

4. PTAB Case IPR2026-00073

   • Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
   • Case Number: IPR2026-00073
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Status: Pending
   • Petitioner: (Requires external search, as "Unified Patents PTAB Data" is a licensing note).
   • Patent Owner: Soundclear Technologies LLC (Current Assignee)

5. US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Case

   • Jurisdiction: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
   • Case Number: 25-1288
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Plaintiff(s): (Requires external search)
   • Defendant(s): (Requires external search)
   • Status: Litigation

6. US District Court Case

   • Jurisdiction: Virginia Eastern District Court
   • Case Number: 1:24-cv-01281
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Plaintiff(s): (Requires external search)
   • Defendant(s): (Requires external search)
   • Status: Litigation

7. US District Court Case

   • Jurisdiction: Virginia Eastern District Court
   • Case Number: 1:24-cv-01283
   • Filing Date: (Not explicitly stated, need to search)
   • Plaintiff(s): (Requires external search)
   • Defendant(s): (Requires external search)
   • Status: Litigation

Additionally, the Google Patents page indicates "First worldwide family litigation filed" with a link to Darts-ip, suggesting international litigation related to the patent family. Details for this specific entry would require navigating the Darts-ip platform.

Proceedings overview

Two AIA trial proceedings have been filed against US patent 11244675. One IPR (IPR2025-01177) was terminated, and another (IPR2026-00073) resulted in a discretionary denial of institution. The patent has survived these challenges, indicating a hardened defensive posture for the patent owner, Soundclear Technologies LLC.

IPR2025-01177 — Google LLC v. Soundclear Technologies LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-07-14
• Status: Terminated (The proceeding concluded without a final written decision on the merits, likely due to settlement or petitioner withdrawal).
• Judge panel: Not publicly available from search results.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims and prior art are not publicly detailed in search snippets for terminated cases.
• Institution decision: The proceeding was terminated, implying no institution decision was issued or it was terminated prior to such a decision.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not issued. The proceeding was terminated.
• Settlement / termination: Terminated on 2025-12-27. This often indicates a settlement between the parties, though the terms are typically confidential.
• Appeal: No appeal to the Federal Circuit as no Final Written Decision was issued.
• Defensive value: While terminated, the fact that Google LLC filed an IPR suggests they identified potential invalidity arguments. The termination likely means a private resolution was reached, which could include a license or settlement. However, without a merits-based decision, the patent's claims remain legally unchallenged by this specific proceeding.

IPR2026-00073 — Google LLC v. Soundclear Technologies LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-11-03
• Status: Discretionary Denial (The PTAB declined to institute the IPR based on discretionary factors, rather than the merits of the invalidity arguments).
• Judge panel: Not publicly available from search results.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims and prior art are not publicly detailed in search snippets for discretionary denials.
• Institution decision: Denied (Discretionary Denial) on 2026-04-17. The PTAB declined to institute the IPR on discretionary grounds. This means the Board found reasons outside the merits to not proceed with the trial.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not issued. Institution was denied.
• Settlement / termination: No settlement or termination, but a discretionary denial of institution.
• Appeal: An institution decision, even a denial, can be appealed to the Federal Circuit in certain circumstances. However, no appeal docket information is publicly available from search results.
• Defensive value: The discretionary denial means the PTAB did not rule on the merits of Google LLC's invalidity arguments. For a defendant, this means the patent claims were not reviewed for patentability in this specific IPR. The patent owner successfully avoided IPR institution, which strengthens their position against future IPRs on similar grounds from the same petitioner (due to estoppel, if a final decision had been reached after institution) and potentially signals the PTAB's willingness to exercise discretion in other cases.

Strategic summary

All claims of US11244675 remain UNTESTED at the PTAB regarding their patentability on the merits, as neither IPR resulted in an institution decision on the merits or a Final Written Decision. IPR2025-01177 was terminated, likely due to a settlement between Google LLC and Soundclear Technologies LLC, while IPR2026-00073 was denied institution on discretionary grounds. This indicates that the patent has not been narrowed through IPR proceedings.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, since neither IPR proceeded to a Final Written Decision on the merits, statutory estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) against Google LLC (or its privies) for "any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised" does not apply. This is because estoppel typically attaches upon the mailing of a Final Written Decision. Therefore, for a defendant facing assertion, the full range of prior-art grounds remains theoretically available for a new IPR challenge, assuming the defendant is not in privy with Google LLC or subject to other forms of estoppel (e.g., judicial estoppel from district court litigation).

The pattern of filings shows that Google LLC, a prominent technology company, has twice challenged this patent. The termination of the first IPR suggests a private resolution, possibly a settlement. The discretionary denial of the second IPR further demonstrates the patent owner's success in defending against PTAB challenges, even without a merits-based determination. This could signal a proactive and aggressive defense strategy by Soundclear Technologies LLC.

Recommended next steps

Since no claims of US11244675 have been invalidated by the PTAB, any defendant being asserted against would need to develop their own invalidity arguments, if pursuing an IPR. The fact that Google LLC filed two IPRs, one terminating and one denied institution, suggests that challenges are being mounted, but the patent owner has successfully navigated them thus far.

For IPR2026-00073, the discretionary denial decision was issued on 2026-04-17. If a defendant is considering an IPR, they should carefully review the PTAB's reasoning for the discretionary denial in IPR2026-00073 to understand the specific factors that led the Board to decline institution. This will inform whether a new petition could overcome similar discretionary hurdles. The decision document can typically be found on the USPTO PTAB E2E portal using the proceeding number IPR2026-00073.

Inventors

• Tatsumi NAGANUMA (JVCKenwood Corp)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departure.

Original assignee

JVCKenwood Corp. JVCKenwood is a global manufacturer of electronics and entertainment products, including car electronics, professional systems, and home audio. It is unclear from the patent text whether they shipped a product directly embodying the claims, but their primary line of business involves devices that could incorporate such technology (e.g., smart speakers, car audio systems). JVCKenwood Corp is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-03-07 (executed) / recorded 2019-03-07 — Reel 048740/0173

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NAGANUMA, TATSUMI
  • Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey S. Williams, J. S. Williams & Associates, P.C., 5550 Glenridge Connector, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30342.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to corporate assignee at filing.

• 2024-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-25 — Reel 063670/0411

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: JVC Kenwood Corporation
  • Assignee: Soundclear Technologies LLC
  • Correspondent: Eric L. Sophir, Winston & Strawn LLP, 1900 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 112444675
    2019 : Filed by JVCKenwood Corp
    2022 : Issued
    2024 : Assigned to Soundclear Technologies LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The assignment from JVC Kenwood Corporation to Soundclear Technologies LLC (reel 063670/0411, executed 2024-06-25) indicates a transfer to an entity whose name ("Technologies LLC") suggests a non-operating, licensing-focused entity. Unified Patents lists Soundclear Technologies LLC as an NPE.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Soundclear Technologies LLC is listed as an NPE by Unified Patents.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. The correspondent for the first assignment (Jeffrey S. Williams) is different from the correspondent for the second assignment (Eric L. Sophir). No recurrence is observed.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only two assignments are recorded, with over five years between the filing date and the first recorded post-issuance assignment, and approximately two years between the filing date and the transfer to Soundclear Technologies.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. Google Patents shows multiple litigation cases filed in late 2024 and 2025. The assignment to Soundclear Technologies LLC was executed and recorded on 2024-06-25 (reel 063670/0411). Without precise dates for the first infringement suit, it is unclear if this transfer falls within 6 months prior.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. JVC Kenwood Corporation remains an active operating company.

7. Privateering — unclear. While the transfer is to an NPE, there is no public information (e.g., SEC filings or specific industry reporting) available in the provided text or search results to definitively confirm privateering.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent was assigned to Soundclear Technologies LLC, an NPE.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The transfer from JVC Kenwood Corporation, an operating company, to Soundclear Technologies LLC (reel 063670/0411, executed 2024-06-25), a known NPE as identified by Unified Patents, is a strong signal. The assignee's name also suggests a shell entity.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

I have searched the USPTO database for US patent 11244675.

US patent 11244675, titled "Word replacement in output generation for detected intent by voice classification," was granted on February 8, 2022, from an application filed on March 7, 2019. It claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2018-044598, filed on March 12, 2018.

Based on the patent text provided, the most relevant prior art explicitly mentioned is:

• Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560
  • Full Citation: Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560
  • Publication/Filing Date: The patent states it was "described in Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560". Japanese patent publication numbers starting with "H" (Heisei era) indicate a publication during the Heisei era (1989-2019). The "07" likely refers to the 7th year of Heisei, which is 1995. Therefore, the publication date would be around 1995. The specific filing date is not provided in US11244675B2.
  • Brief Description: This prior art discloses "voice control devices that analyze detected voice of a user and perform a processing according to an intention of the user." It also covers "voice control devices that output notification indicating that a processing intended by a user has been performed in voice, or that output an inquiry from a user in voice."
  • Potentially Anticipates (35 U.S.C. § 102): US11244675B2 acknowledges that this prior art describes basic voice control functionality, including analyzing user voice for intent and outputting voice notifications. Therefore, this prior art would likely anticipate the broad concepts of voice control, intent detection, and voice output as foundational elements. However, it does not appear to describe the specific inventive step of modifying the output sentence (word replacement) based on the classification of the input voice (e.g., whisper) to enhance privacy, which is a core aspect of US11244675B2's claims.

The preamble of claim 1 of US11244675B2, for example, describes an "output-content control device comprising: a voice classifying unit configured to analyze a voice spoken by a user... to determine whether the voice is a predetermined voice; an intention analyzing unit configured to analyze the voice... to detect intention information...; a notification-information acquiring unit configured to acquire notification information... based on the intention information; and an output-content generating unit configured to generate an output sentence... based on the notification information". Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560 would likely anticipate the general idea of an "intention analyzing unit" and "output-content generating unit" for basic voice control, but not the specific "voice classifying unit" determining a "predetermined voice" to trigger word replacement.

Under 35 U.S.C. § 103, a patent claim is considered obvious if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art. This analysis requires identifying the scope and content of the prior art, ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue, and determining the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. Furthermore, there must be a motivation to combine the identified prior art references.

Analysis of US11244675 Claims

US Patent 11244675 B2, titled "Word replacement in output generation for detected intent by voice classification," describes an output-content control device, method, and non-transitory storage medium. The core invention, as exemplified by Claim 1, involves:

• A voice acquiring unit (e.g., microphone).
• A voice classifying unit configured to analyze a user's voice to determine if it is a "predetermined voice" (e.g., a whisper).
• An intention analyzing unit to detect the user's intent from the voice.
• A notification-information acquiring unit to gather information based on the intent.
• An output-content generating unit to create an output sentence.
• Crucially, the output-content generating unit is configured to replace at least one word in the output sentence when the voice is determined to be the predetermined voice. [cite: The full patent text, Abstract]

Prior Art Identified within US11244675

The "Background" section of US11244675 explicitly references one specific piece of prior art: "Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560" [cite: The full patent text, Background]. The patent describes this prior art as disclosing "voice control devices that analyze detected voice of a user and perform a processing according to an intention of the user have been disclosed. Moreover, voice control devices that output notification indicating that a processing intended by a user has been performed in voice, or that output an inquiry from a user in voice have also been disclosed." [cite: The full patent text, Background]

Differences Between US11244675 and the Cited Prior Art (H07-109560)

Based on the description within US11244675, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560 (hereinafter, H07-109560) teaches the general concept of a voice-controlled device that:

• Detects and analyzes a user's voice.
• Performs processing according to the user's intention.
• Outputs notifications or inquiries in voice.

However, US11244675 directly identifies a problem with such prior art: "When a voice processing device that outputs voice is used, there is a case in which a notification from the voice control device in response to an inquiry of a user is heard by people other than the user therearound. In this case, even when it is wished not to be known by people other than the user about the notification from the voice control device, it can be known by people other than the user." [cite: The full patent text, Background]

The distinguishing features of US11244675 that address this problem, and which are not described as being present in H07-109560, are:

1. A voice classifying unit configured to determine whether the user's voice is a "predetermined voice" (e.g., a whisper), indicating a user's desire for privacy. [cite: The full patent text, Abstract, Summary, Description, Claim 1]
2. The conditional generation of an output sentence where at least one word is replaced with another word specifically when the voice is determined to be the predetermined voice. [cite: The full patent text, Abstract, Summary, Description, Claim 1] This word replacement is done to make the output content understandable to the user but difficult for others nearby to understand. [cite: The full patent text, Description]

Conclusion on Obviousness

Based solely on the specific prior art reference explicitly provided within the text of US11244675, namely Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. H07-109560, it is not possible to form a combination that would render the claims of US11244675 obvious. H07-109560 describes a basic voice control system capable of intent detection and voice output, but it does not, as described in US11244675, teach the critical elements of:

• Classifying a user's voice to identify a "predetermined voice" (such as a whisper) as an indicator of a privacy need.
• Conditionally altering the output content by replacing words in response to such a voice classification.

The motivation to solve the privacy problem, as articulated in US11244675's background, leads to the invention's distinguishing features. However, without additional prior art references that teach either voice classification (specifically for privacy inference) or conditional word replacement in voice outputs, or both, a person having ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to combine the general voice control device of H07-109560 with non-existent (within the provided prior art) techniques to arrive at the claimed invention. Therefore, based on the information provided, the claims of US11244675 would not be rendered obvious by H07-109560 alone or in combination with other unspecified elements of common general knowledge without further substantiation of what that common general knowledge would include in this specific technical area at the priority date.

For US Patent 11244675, here's a detailed breakdown of its term and related applications:

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA):
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) can extend the term of a US patent to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during the examination process. These delays are categorized into different types (e.g., "A" delay for failure to issue a first office action within 14 months, "B" delay for failure to issue a patent within three years of filing, and "C" delay for delays due to interferences, secrecy orders, or appeals). Any PTA granted can be reduced by delays caused by the applicant.

The Google Patents record for US11244675 states an "Adjusted expiration" date of 2039-08-06. This indicates that the patent has received Patent Term Adjustment, extending its term beyond the standard 20 years from its filing date. The USPTO typically provides the official PTA calculation in the Issue Notification Letter.

Patent Term Extensions (PTE):
Patent Term Extensions (PTE) are separate from PTA and are typically granted for patents covering products that require regulatory approval from agencies like the FDA (e.g., human drugs, medical devices, food additives). This extension compensates for time lost during the regulatory review process.

Based on the nature of the invention, "Word replacement in output generation for detected intent by voice classification," it is highly unlikely to be eligible for PTE, as it does not appear to cover a product subject to premarket government approval from a regulatory agency. There is no indication of any PTE for US11244675 in the provided information.

Continuation Applications, Divisional Applications, and Related Family Members:

• Continuation Applications: These are later-filed applications that claim priority to an earlier non-provisional application, disclosing and claiming subject matter also disclosed in the earlier application. They allow an applicant to pursue additional claims to an invention disclosed in an earlier application.
• Divisional Applications: These are a specific type of continuation application filed when the USPTO determines that an initial application contains more than one independent and distinct invention (requiring a restriction requirement). The divisional application then pursues claims to the "divided out" invention.

The Google Patents page lists "Other versions" including US20190279631A1 [cite: The full patent text]. This is a published patent application that is a family member of US11244675B2. Typically, a granted patent (like US11244675B2) will have a corresponding application publication (US20190279631A1) that was published prior to the patent grant. This publication corresponds to the application number US16/295,034 from which the patent US11244675B2 issued.

The patent text explicitly states: "This application claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2018-044598, filed on Mar. 12, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety." [cite: The full patent text, Description] This indicates that the US application for US11244675 is a foreign priority application of the Japanese application.

Without direct access to the USPTO's Patent Center or Public Pair system for US11244675, it's not possible to definitively list all continuation or divisional applications. However, the mention of "US20190279631A1" confirms a related published application.

Projected Expiration Date:
The Google Patents record explicitly states the "Adjusted expiration" date for US11244675 as 2039-08-06. This date already incorporates any Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) that may have been granted. [cite: The full patent text] The standard patent term is 20 years from the earliest filing date (March 7, 2019, for the US application), which would be March 7, 2039. The adjusted expiration date of August 6, 2039, indicates approximately five months of PTA. The USPTO does not calculate expiration dates for patents, but provides resources to help estimate them.