US 11810656

Here is a concise summary of US patent 11810656:

US Patent: 11810656

• Title: System for providing a coach with live training data of an athlete as the athlete is training
• Assignee: Finish Time Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Todd Martin
• Filing Date: April 27, 2022 (for application US17/730,756)
• Issue Date: November 7, 2023
• Abstract: An athlete tracking system and method for tracking an athlete during training sessions. The system includes a mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head, and a training log server for maintaining an athlete profile that includes a training record updatable by the athlete and a training plan supplied by a coach.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a web-based platform that helps personalize an athlete's training. It includes a server that stores many athlete profiles, each with a training record detailing workouts (like distance and time). A computer processor on the platform takes workout data from the athlete to update their record. The processor also allows the athlete to give a coach access to view their training record and lets the coach upload a training plan for the athlete to see.
• Claim 11: This claim outlines a method for personalizing an athlete's training using a web-based platform. The method involves creating an athlete profile with a training record (including distance and time fields), receiving workout data from the athlete, updating the record with this data, allowing a coach to view the profile, and then uploading and associating a training plan from the coach with that profile.
• Claim 20: This claim describes a system for wirelessly transferring an athlete's training data from a bike computer to an online training log. The system includes a bike computer with a wireless transceiver for peer-to-peer communication, a mobile device (like a smartphone) that receives and formats this data, and a web-based platform that stores the formatted data in the athlete's online training log.
• Claim 26: This claim details a method for updating an athlete's online training log. It involves establishing a direct (peer-to-peer) wireless connection between a bike-mounted training computer and a mobile device. Training data is transferred from the computer to the mobile device, then formatted by the mobile device, and finally uploaded to a web-based platform to update the athlete's online training log.
• Claim 31: This claim is similar to Claim 20, describing a system for transferring training data from a bike computer to an online training log. It specifies a bike computer with wireless communication capabilities, a mobile device to receive and prepare the data, and a web-based platform to receive and store the data in an athlete's online profile.
• Claim 32: This claim defines a bike computer designed for collecting and sending an athlete's training data. It includes at least one sensor to measure workout parameters, a processor to gather this data, memory to store it, and wireless communication means to transmit the data to a training log.

Litigation Status:
The Google Patents entry for US11810656B2 indicates that the "Family has litigation," with a link to Darts-ip for further details. However, a search of CAFC 2026 dockets for US11810656 did not return specific docket entries for litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit during 2026. Further investigation into the Darts-ip database would be necessary to determine the specific courts and current status of any related litigation.

A search for litigation involving US patent 11810656 through various patent and legal databases did not yield specific active case details as of April 26, 2026.

While the Google Patents entry for US11810656B2 indicates "Family has litigation" with a link to Darts-ip, directly searching Unified Patents Portal and the dockets of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) and PACER for the specific patent number 11810656 did not return any explicit litigation cases. PACER and CAFC are primary sources for federal court litigation records, with PACER providing access to appellate, district, and bankruptcy court case information, and CAFC publishing opinions and orders for cases filed after October 1, 2004. However, without specific case numbers or parties, further details on the nature, parties, or status of any litigation related to the patent family cannot be definitively provided from the available search results.

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings on file for US patent 11810656 as of the most recent ingest from the USPTO Open Data Portal. Web searches for this patent number in PTAB databases also did not yield any specific proceedings.

Strategic summary

As there are no PTAB proceedings on file for US11810656, all claims of the patent remain untested in an AIA trial context. This means that a defendant facing assertion of this patent would have all statutory grounds (e.g., §§ 102, 103, 112) available to them if they were to file an IPR, PGR, or CBM petition. There is no estoppel landscape established from prior PTAB decisions. The absence of PTAB activity could signal that the patent has not yet been aggressively asserted in a way that would provoke an AIA trial challenge, or that potential challengers have not yet identified strong grounds for invalidity that warrant the cost of a PTAB proceeding.

Recommended next steps

Since no PTAB activity exists for US11810656, a defendant considering challenging the patent should:

• Conduct a thorough prior art search to identify potential grounds for invalidity under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103, and analyze the claims for potential indefiniteness under § 112.
• Evaluate the timing requirements for filing an IPR or PGR petition, considering that a PGR can only be filed within nine months of the patent's issuance (November 7, 2023). An IPR can be filed later, typically after the nine-month window for PGR closes, and generally not more than one year after being served with a complaint alleging infringement of the patent.
• If a decision is made to pursue a PTAB challenge, carefully craft the petition, ensuring all grounds are clearly presented and supported by evidence, as the PTAB has discretion to deny institution if petitions are unfocused.

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print(google_search.search(queries=["US11810656 inventor employer at filing", "Finish Time Holdings LLC products", "Finish Time Holdings LLC line of business", "Finish Time Holdings LLC status", "USPTO Patent Assignment Search US11810656"]))
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The user wants a detailed analysis of the ownership chain for US patent 11810656, focusing on identifying NPE/patent troll patterns. I need to reconstruct the assignment record, create a timeline diagram, and evaluate several NPE signals.

Here's my plan:

1. Inventors: I will look for the inventor's employer at the time of filing. The provided patent text only lists "Todd Martin" as the inventor and "Finish Time Holdings LLC" as the original assignee. I'll search for Todd Martin's employment at the time of the earliest priority date (2012-10-19) or the filing date (2022-04-27) if employer information isn't immediately available for the priority date.
2. Original assignee: I will determine if Finish Time Holdings LLC shipped a product embodying the claims, their primary line of business, and their current status.
3. Assignment timeline: I need to search the USPTO Patent Assignment Database for US11810656. I'll record every assignment chronologically, including executed/recorded dates, reel/frame, conveyance type, assignor, assignee, and correspondent. I'll pay close attention to the correspondent for repeat patterns.
4. Timeline diagram: I'll construct a Mermaid timeline block based on the assignment timeline.
5. NPE / troll-pattern signals: I will go through each of the eight signals and mark them as "present," "not present," or "unclear," providing citations from the assignment records.
6. Verdict: Based on the signals, I will provide a verdict (NPE - high/moderate confidence, Operating-company assertion, Defensive, Insufficient data) and justify it.

Let's start by getting the assignment records from USPTO. I will use the current date (2026-08-18) for any searches. The previous sections already state the patent number is US11810656.

Based on the provided patent text, the original assignee is "Finish Time Holdings LLC". The inventor is "Todd Martin". The earliest priority date is 2012-10-19. The filing date for the application that led to this patent (US17/730,756) is 2022-04-27. The grant date is 2023-11-07.

I will use the USPTO Assignment Search portal to find specific assignment records for US11810656.
I also need to search for "Finish Time Holdings LLC products", "Finish Time Holdings LLC line of business", and "Finish Time Holdings LLC status" to address the "Original assignee" section.

I'll start by querying the USPTO assignment database, as that is the primary source for this task. I need to be careful with dates, especially between priority date and filing date for employer info. The original assignee is Finish Time Holdings LLC. The patent abstract indicates a "mobile tracking device wearable around a portion of the athlete's head" which might hint at a product, but I'll search specifically for products from Finish Time Holdings LLC.

Let's refine the search for inventor employer, I will assume the inventor was employed by the original assignee at the time of the original filing of the earliest application if no other information is readily available. The patent text itself states: "2023-07-09 Assigned to FINISH TIME HOLDINGS, LLC Assignors: MARTIN, TODD". This indicates Todd Martin assigned it to Finish Time Holdings LLC at a later date, not necessarily that he was employed by them at the original filing. This is a crucial piece of information for the inventor section.

I will first search for assignment records on USPTO Assignment Center.
Then I will search for Finish Time Holdings LLC to determine its business and product information.
Then I will consider the inventor's employment based on the assignment information and general knowledge about patent assignments from individual inventors to companies.## Inventors

• Todd Martin: Inventor (employer at time of priority date 2012-10-19 and filing date 2022-04-27 unclear, but assigned the patent to Finish Time Holdings LLC in 2023).

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Finish Time Holdings LLC.

Based on publicly available information, it is unclear whether Finish Time Holdings LLC directly ships a product embodying the claims of US11810656. The name "Holdings LLC" typically suggests a company that holds assets rather than an operating entity that manufactures or sells products. There is no clear public record of Finish Time Holdings LLC's primary line of business beyond holding intellectual property, nor is its current operating status (operating, acquired, dissolved, in bankruptcy) explicitly determinable from the provided information.

Assignment timeline

• 2023-07-09 (executed) / recorded YYYY-MM-DD (not provided in source) — Reel NNNNNN/NNNN (not provided in source)
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Todd Martin
  • Assignee: Finish Time Holdings LLC
  • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's rights to the assignee.

The Google Patents entry explicitly states: "2023-07-09 Assigned to FINISH TIME HOLDINGS, LLC Assignors: MARTIN, TODD". No other recorded assignments for US11810656 are provided in the patent text or search results. This indicates that as of the available data, Finish Time Holdings LLC remains the assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11810656
    2012 : Priority date (Oct 19)
    2022 : Application filed (Apr 27)
    2023 : Inventor assigns to Finish Time Holdings LLC (Jul 9)
         : Patent issued (Nov 7)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The current assignee, Finish Time Holdings LLC, has a name consistent with a holding company. However, without further details on its operations, products, or registered agent address, it cannot be definitively identified as a shell entity from the available information. The initial assignment is from the inventor to this entity, which is a common practice for both operating companies and NPEs.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Finish Time Holdings LLC does not appear on public NPE lists based on the provided information.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Only one assignment record is explicitly provided from the inventor to the assignee, and the correspondent information for this record is not available.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment from the inventor to the original assignee is indicated.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment from the inventor to Finish Time Holdings LLC occurred on 2023-07-09. The patent was granted on 2023-11-07. The Google Patents entry notes "Family has litigation," but no specific litigation filing dates involving this patent (US11810656) were found in the previous searches. Without the date of the first infringement suit, it's unclear if this transfer was pre-litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of the original assignee (or inventor) undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and selling patents.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no information to suggest this pattern.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data

The provided information only details one assignment from the inventor, Todd Martin, to the original assignee, Finish Time Holdings LLC (executed 2023-07-09, as noted in the Google Patents legal events). While the assignee's name "Holdings LLC" could suggest a non-operating entity, there is insufficient evidence regarding its products, business operations, or specific litigation details (beyond "Family has litigation") to confidently label it as an NPE, operating-company assertion, or defensive entity. Further investigation into Finish Time Holdings LLC's activities and detailed litigation records would be necessary to make a more definitive assessment.

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11810656, I will focus on patent documents published or filed before the earliest priority date of US11810656, which is October 19, 2012, derived from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/715,847. I will prioritize references by different inventors or those by the same inventor that are not directly within the continuation chain or explicitly incorporated by reference for the specific claimed subject matter in a way that provides priority benefit.

After reviewing the citations, the following patents are identified as strong candidates for relevant prior art based on their publication/filing dates predating US11810656's earliest priority and their subject matter:

1. US20110190089A1 (by Jones et al. - different inventor)
2. US20080270054A1 (by Martin - same inventor, significantly earlier publication)

While other patents by Todd Martin exist with earlier priority dates, those are often either explicitly incorporated by reference within US11810656 for specific features or are part of a related patent family where US11810656 may claim priority. For anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a single prior art reference must disclose every element of the claimed invention.

Most Relevant Prior Art Analysis

1. US20110190089A1

• Full Citation: US20110190089A1 (Inventor(s): Michael C. Jones, Robert V. Braden; Assignee(s): Nike, Inc.)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: August 4, 2011; Filed: February 1, 2011.
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a portable electronic training system. The system can include a portable electronic device (e.g., a music player, mobile phone, or dedicated exercise device) and a sensor (e.g., foot pod, GPS receiver, heart rate monitor) that collects data during an athletic activity. The data can be stored, analyzed, and presented to a user. The system also supports training programs, goals, and social networking features, allowing users to share data and compare performance. It details various types of data collected (speed, distance, heart rate, GPS coordinates), display on a mobile device, and communication for data transfer.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
  • Claims 1 & 11 (Web-based platform, coach interaction): This prior art describes a system for collecting and analyzing athletic data and presenting it to a user, as well as social networking features for sharing data and comparing performance. However, it does not explicitly disclose a web-based platform configured to permit an athlete to grant access to their training record to a coach, nor does it describe a processor configured to receive and associate a training plan from a coach with the athlete's profile for the athlete to view. Therefore, it is unlikely to fully anticipate claims 1 or 11, which focus on the coach-athlete interaction for training plan management.
  • Claims 20, 26, 31 (Bike computer to mobile device to online log transfer): This prior art describes a portable electronic device communicating with a sensor (including GPS) to collect and store training data, which can then be displayed or transferred. While it mentions GPS receivers and data collection, it doesn't specifically detail a "bike computer" with "peer-to-peer communication" with a "mobile communications device" which then formats and uploads data to a "web-based platform" to update an "online training log." It generally describes data transfer but not the specific architecture of bike computer -> mobile device -> platform for log updates via peer-to-peer links. Therefore, it is unlikely to fully anticipate the specific system and method of claims 20, 26, and 31.
  • Claim 32 (Bike Computer): The prior art discusses a "portable electronic device" and "sensors" that collect data like speed, distance, and heart rate during athletic activity. A bike computer is a type of such portable electronic device with sensors. It describes a processor to collect data from sensors and memory to store it, and means for data transfer. While it doesn't use the exact term "bike computer," the general system described (portable electronic device, sensors for activity parameters, processor, memory, communication means) broadly covers the functional elements of claim 32. It might anticipate the broad scope of claim 32 depending on the interpretation of "bike computer" and "wireless communications means."

2. US20080270054A1

• Full Citation: US20080270054A1 (Inventor(s): Todd Martin; Assignee(s): Finish Time Holdings, LLC)
• Publication/Filing Date: Published: October 30, 2008; Filed: October 31, 2007.
• Brief Description: This patent application describes a personalized performance profile system and method for athletes. It focuses on collecting and analyzing data from athletic activities to generate a performance profile, track results, and assist athletes in training. The system includes an activity calendar, a training log, a media portal, and a rankings generator. It details storing training and race data (distance, time, etc.), calculating cumulative training distances, and maintaining records of best performances. Users can access the platform through client computers.
• Potential Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102:
  • Claims 1 & 11 (Web-based platform, coach interaction): This prior art explicitly describes a web-based platform with a training log for athlete profiles, storing training records with distance and time aspects, and receiving workout data to update the log. It also mentions providing assistance to athletes in training. However, it does not explicitly disclose the specific features of allowing an athlete to grant access to a coach to view their training record, nor the coach uploading a training plan to the athlete's profile for viewing by the athlete. While coaching is implied, the specific mechanism of remote coach-athlete interaction through the platform for training plan management as claimed in US11810656 might not be fully anticipated.
  • Claims 20, 26, 31 (Bike computer to mobile device to online log transfer): This prior art focuses on the overall platform and training log functionalities. It broadly discusses users entering data or data being transferred, but does not specifically detail a "bike computer" with "peer-to-peer communication" to a "mobile communications device" which then formats and uploads to the web-based platform, as claimed in 20, 26, and 31. Therefore, these claims are unlikely to be fully anticipated by this reference.
  • Claim 32 (Bike Computer): This prior art describes collecting "data from athletic activities" and storing it in a training log. While it broadly covers the concept of measuring training parameters and collecting data, it does not specifically describe a dedicated "bike computer" comprising a sensor, processor, memory, and wireless communications means for transmitting the training data to a training log as a distinct apparatus. The focus is more on the web-based platform's capabilities to receive and manage data, rather than the specifics of the data collection device itself in the context of a "bike computer." Therefore, it is unlikely to fully anticipate claim 32.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US Patent 11810656

This analysis examines whether the claims of US patent 11810656 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSA) at the time of the invention, considering combinations of prior art references. The priority date for US11810656 is October 19, 2012.

Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art (POSA)

A POSA in the field of US11810656 would likely be an individual or a team with a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical discipline, coupled with practical experience in developing web-based applications, mobile applications, and fitness tracking or sports performance systems. This individual would be familiar with database design, user interface development, wireless communication protocols, and data processing for athletic performance metrics.

Identified Prior Art References

The US11810656 patent itself incorporates by reference the following U.S. patent applications, which predate its priority date and thus constitute prior art:

1. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213, filed May 30, 2012, titled “System and Method for Providing an Athlete with a Performance Profile.”
   • This reference is explicitly cited in US11810656 for "details of a preferred rankings generator" and "details of a preferred medial portal." Its title suggests a system for managing athlete performance data and profiles on a platform.
2. U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232, filed September 25, 2012, titled “Interface and Method for Updating an Athlete Training Log.”
   • This reference is explicitly cited in US11810656 as "An example of a system for providing a live feed to a training log." This directly teaches the concept of real-time or near real-time data flow to a training log.

In addition to these specific references, general knowledge in the art prior to October 2012 includes:

• The existence of web-based platforms for tracking personal fitness and training.
• The use of wearable sensors and specialized sports devices (e.g., bike computers, GPS watches) for collecting athletic performance data (e.g., distance, time, speed, heart rate, cadence).
• Wireless communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular networks) for transferring data between devices and to online platforms.
• Mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) serving as intermediaries for data processing and internet connectivity.
• The established practice of athletes working with coaches, often requiring communication and sharing of training information.

Obviousness Arguments

The independent claims of US11810656 can be broadly categorized into two groups for obviousness analysis: those primarily related to coach-athlete interaction on a web platform (Claims 1, 11) and those related to automated, wireless data transfer from training devices to an online log, including "live feed" aspects (Claims 20, 26, 31, 32).

1. Claims 1 and 11: Web-based Platform with Coach Interaction and Training Plans

• Claim 1 (System): This claim describes a web-based platform with a training log server, athlete profiles (including distance and time), a processor to receive and update workout data, and features enabling an athlete to grant a coach access to their training record, and for the coach to upload a training plan for the athlete to view.
• Claim 11 (Method): This claim outlines a method involving creating athlete profiles, receiving and updating training records with workout data, permitting coach access, and uploading/associating training plans from the coach.

Combination and Motivation:
U.S. application Ser. No. 13/484,213 (“System and Method for Providing an Athlete with a Performance Profile”) would teach a web-based platform designed to manage and display an athlete’s performance and training information. Such a "performance profile" would inherently include training records with aspects such as distance and time, collected and updated by a processor as described in US11810656.

A POSA would have been motivated to combine the teachings of US 13/484,213 with the general knowledge of how athletes and coaches interact, especially when geographically separated. The problem identified in US11810656 itself highlights this: "Often, the athlete becomes attached to a particular coach, but then has to move to a different city... The present invention in one or more preferred embodiments seeks to provide an athlete with the ability to maintain their current relationship with a preferred coach regardless of their physical location."

To address this recognized problem, it would have been obvious to a POSA to extend a web-based athlete performance platform (such as that described in US 13/484,213) to include functionalities that facilitate remote coaching. These functionalities would logically include:

1. Granting access to training records: Implementing a permission-based system for sharing an athlete's data with a coach is a common and obvious security feature in web applications where users want to share private information with trusted parties.
2. Uploading training plans: Allowing coaches to directly upload and associate training plans with an athlete's profile on the same platform where the athlete logs their workouts creates a centralized and efficient system for training management. This would provide the coach with a clear way to deliver instructions and the athlete a clear way to receive them.

Therefore, the specific features of coach access and training plan upload in Claims 1 and 11 would have been an obvious design choice for a POSA seeking to create a comprehensive, remotely accessible coaching and training platform based on existing athlete performance profile systems.

2. Claims 20, 26, 31, and 32: Automated Wireless Data Transfer and Live Feed

• Claim 20 (System): Describes a system for transferring data from a bike computer (with a wireless transceiver for peer-to-peer communication) to a mobile device (processor, wireless transceiver, formats data) and then to a web-based platform (processor, training log server).
• Claim 26 (Method): Describes a method for updating an online training log by establishing a peer-to-peer link between a mobile training computer and a mobile device, transferring data, formatting it, and uploading it to a web platform.
• Claim 31 (System): Similar to Claim 20, specifying "wireless communications means for transmitting" from the bike computer.
• Claim 32 (Bike Computer): Describes a bike computer with sensors, a processor, memory, and wireless communications means to transmit training data to a training log.

Combination and Motivation:
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/705,232 expressly teaches "a system for providing a live feed to a training log." This reference clearly establishes the concept of automatically, potentially in real-time, updating an online training log with data from an athlete's activities.

Combining this teaching with general knowledge of existing technologies would render Claims 20, 26, 31, and 32 obvious. Prior to 2012, bike computers (as described in Claim 32) were well-known for collecting various training data (e.g., speed, distance, cadence, heart rate from sensors). Mobile communication devices (smartphones, tablets) were also commonly equipped with wireless transceivers (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular) and processors, and were widely used for internet access and as data hubs. Peer-to-peer communication protocols like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct were also established.

A POSA would have been motivated to automate the process of updating an online training log using these readily available components, particularly to provide "live feed" capabilities as taught by US 61/705,232. The motivation would be to:

1. Improve accuracy and reduce manual entry: Automating data transfer from dedicated training devices eliminates errors associated with manual logging.
2. Provide timely data: Enabling a "live feed" or automated post-workout upload allows athletes and coaches to review performance data more quickly, enhancing feedback and training adjustments.
3. Leverage mobile device capabilities: Using a mobile device as an intermediary is an obvious architectural choice to bridge the specialized capabilities of a bike computer (data collection) with the broad connectivity of a web-based platform, especially if the bike computer itself lacks direct internet access. Formatting data for compatibility with the web platform is a routine programming task.

Therefore, the integration of a bike computer with a mobile communication device via a peer-to-peer link to transmit formatted training data to a web-based training log, especially to enable a "live feed" as directly suggested by US 61/705,232, would have been an obvious development for a POSA in the field of athlete training and data management.