US 12118591

A concise summary of US Patent 12,118,591 is as follows:

Title: Mobile device streaming media application

Assignee: Weple IP Holdings LLC

Inventors: Mary Anne Fletcher

Filing Date: June 11, 2024

Issue Date: October 15, 2024

Abstract: A system and process for coordinating streaming content or messages is provided. A network-connected server maintains a database containing media content-related data, such as the text of a message, accompanying media, time of airing, payment, and related comments. A user can view these feeds or streams of these consciousness messages by downloading a mobile application or browsing to a website. The application can also be used to create, schedule, and pay for a media content message.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

Claim 1: A method for servers to manage and distribute media messages to a mobile application. The servers receive multiple media messages, each with an expiration time. They then select a specific group of these messages to create a "feed" that is sent to the mobile app. Each message in this feed comes with an advertisement. The server can create and send different feeds (a first and a second) to the same mobile app, with each feed presenting a different set of ad-supported media messages.

Claim 11: A system of one or more servers designed to perform the method described in Claim 1. The system is configured to receive media messages with expiration data, store them, and select subsets of these messages to create distinct, ad-supported feeds. These feeds are then provided to a mobile application for presentation to a user.

Claim 21: A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a hard drive or other storage device) that contains instructions. When these instructions are executed by one or more servers, they cause the servers to carry out the method described in Claim 1. This includes receiving, storing, and selecting media messages to be compiled into different ad-supported feeds, which are then sent to a mobile application.

A search of the public dockets for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for 2026 did not find any cases specifically referencing US Patent 12,118,591.

As of April 26, 2026, a search for litigation involving US Patent 12,118,591 has been conducted. Based on a review of publicly available information, including the Unified Patents portal and federal court records, there is no known litigation involving this patent.

A thorough search of the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system and other patent litigation databases reveals no records of lawsuits where US Patent 12,118,591 has been asserted. Additionally, there are no recorded interferences, reexaminations, or other post-grant proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office concerning this patent.

Therefore, at present, US Patent 12,118,591 is not known to be or to have been the subject of any litigation.

Based on the provided information and public records, here is an analysis of the AIA trial proceedings for US patent 12,118,591.

Proceedings overview

There has been one IPR filed against US patent 12,118,591, which the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) declined to institute based on a discretionary denial. This means the patent's claims have not yet been substantively reviewed or invalidated by the PTAB, leaving its validity untested in an AIA trial and providing a mixed defensive posture; while the patent survived the IPR attempt, the denial was procedural, not based on the merits of the prior art challenge.

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IPR2026-00080 — Meta Platforms, Inc. v. Weple IP Holdings LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-10-31
• Status: Discretionary Denial. This means the PTAB used its discretion to decline to institute a trial, for reasons other than the substantive merits of the invalidity arguments presented in the petition.
• Judge panel: I am unable to locate the specific Administrative Patent Judge (APJ) panel for this proceeding in publicly available records. This information would be available in the institution decision document.
• Petition grounds: I do not have access to the specific claims or prior art asserted in the IPR petition. This information is contained within the petition and related documents filed under docket IPR2026-00080, which can be accessed via the USPTO's PTAB E2E portal. Typically, such petitions assert that claims are unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (anticipation) or § 103 (obviousness) based on prior art patents and printed publications.
• Institution decision: Denied on 2026-04-06. The Board issued a discretionary denial. While the specific reasoning must be confirmed by reviewing the decision, such denials are often based on the NHK-Fintiv framework, where the Board declines institution because a parallel district court proceeding is too far advanced. Given the record of a co-pending case (Washington Western District Court, 2:24-cv-01316) filed well before the IPR, it is highly probable the denial was based on the status of that litigation.
• Final Written Decision: None issued, as the IPR was not instituted.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as denial of institution cannot be appealed to the Federal Circuit.
• Defensive value: Minimal. The patent survived this IPR procedurally, not on the merits. Estoppel does not attach to Meta, and the prior art and arguments from Meta's petition are fully available for another defendant to use in a new IPR or in district court litigation. A defendant should obtain and analyze Meta's petition to understand what was likely the strongest available invalidity case.

Strategic summary

All claims of US patent 12,118,591 remain UNTESTED by the PTAB. No claims have been canceled or confirmed patentable through an AIA trial. The patent therefore retains its full original scope.

The key takeaway from the PTAB history is the procedural nature of the single IPR denial. Because the Board issued a discretionary denial in IPR2026-00080, petitioner estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e) does not apply. This means Meta Platforms, Inc. (and its privies) are not barred from filing a future IPR or raising the same invalidity grounds in district court. For any other defendant, the landscape is entirely open; all prior-art grounds remain available for a potential future IPR.

The pattern of activity—an assertion from an LLC (Weple IP Holdings LLC) followed by an IPR from a major technology company (Meta Platforms, Inc.)—is a common scenario in patent litigation. The discretionary denial represents a tactical victory for the patent owner, as it avoids a merits review at the PTAB. However, it does not "harden" the patent or validate its claims against the prior art. The invalidity arguments raised by Meta remain a significant, unaddressed threat.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant currently facing an assertion of US patent 12,118,591:

• Obtain and Analyze the IPR File Wrapper: The most critical next step is to download the complete file for IPR2026-00080 from the USPTO PTAB E2E Portal. Pay close attention to two key documents:

  1. The Petition: This document contains Meta's invalidity contentions, including the specific claims challenged, the prior art references used, and detailed claim charts mapping that art to the patent's claims. This is essentially a ready-made invalidity case.
  2. The Decision Denying Institution: This document will confirm the precise reason for the discretionary denial. Understanding the Board's rationale is crucial for determining whether a new IPR petition could be successful (e.g., by being filed earlier in a new litigation).

• Assess the Untested Grounds: Use the prior art and arguments from Meta's petition as a starting point for your own invalidity analysis for use in district court or a potential new IPR. Since the patent remains unvetted by the PTAB, a well-crafted invalidity defense based on strong prior art has a high potential for success.

Inventors

• Mary Anne Fletcher: Sole inventor. No employer is listed on the patent. The invention was assigned directly to an IP holding company on the date the application was filed, a pattern often seen with professional inventors or inventions sourced specifically for monetization.

Original assignee

The original assignee of record is Weple IP Holdings LLC. The patent was assigned by the inventor to this entity upon filing. Weple IP Holdings LLC does not appear to ship any products or offer services related to the patent's claims. Public records and litigation databases show its primary business is patent licensing and assertion.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Database for US patent 12,118,591 shows a single recorded assignment.

• 2024-06-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-11 — Reel 070265/0436
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Fletcher, Mary Anne
  • Assignee: Weple IP Holdings, LLC
  • Correspondent: IPINVESTMENTS, LLC, 10116 Hammonds Drive, Suite 100, Cordova, TN, 38016. The use of an LLC as a correspondent, rather than a law firm, is highly unusual and a strong indicator of a specialized patent monetization entity.
  • Context: Transfer from the inventor to a newly formed holding company to facilitate a licensing and assertion campaign.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12118591
    2010 : Priority date
    2024 : Application filed
         : Assigned to Weple IP Holdings LLC
         : Litigation filed on parent patents
         : Patent issued
    2026 : PTAB IPR filed against patent

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred directly from the inventor to Weple IP Holdings, LLC, an entity whose name, lack of products, and subsequent litigation activity indicate it was created for the purpose of holding and asserting patents (Reel 070265/0436).

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Weple IP Holdings LLC is the current assignee and has been identified by litigation clearinghouses like Unified Patents as the plaintiff in multiple infringement lawsuits asserting patents from this same family (e.g., Weple IP Holdings, LLC v. various defendants, WAWD-2:24-cv-01316). The patent's own legal events record confirms this litigation history.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. The correspondent of record for the single assignment is not a law firm but "IPINVESTMENTS, LLC" (Reel 070265/0436). This points to an integrated monetization operation and is a strong signal of non-practicing entity activity.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only a single assignment from the inventor to the current assignee has been recorded.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment was executed on June 7, 2024. Litigation involving the parent patent family was initiated in 2024. This transfer positioned the application for assertion by Weple IP Holdings, LLC immediately upon its grant in October 2024.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

7. Privateering — Not present. The chain originates with the inventor, not an operating company.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is held by an assertion entity.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The verdict is based on multiple, strong, and unambiguous signals. The patent was transferred upon filing to Weple IP Holdings, LLC, a known patent asserter with no evidence of commercial products (Reel 070265/0436). This transfer was recorded just as a litigation campaign on the parent patent family was underway, and the correspondent of record is another LLC focused on patent monetization, not a traditional law firm. These facts collectively demonstrate a clear, pre-planned patent assertion strategy.

Verify at: USPTO Patent Assignment Search (search for patent no. 12118591)

Analysis of Prior Art Cited in US Patent 12,118,591

The following is an analysis of the most relevant prior art cited in US Patent 12,118,591, titled "Mobile device streaming media application." Each citation is examined for its potential to anticipate the claims of the patent under 35 U.S.C. § 102. The analysis is based on the information available in the patent document and publicly accessible patent databases as of May 13, 2026.

Overview of US Patent 12,118,591

US Patent 12,118,591, issued on October 15, 2024, with a priority date of February 12, 2010, describes a system and process for coordinating and presenting streaming media content on mobile devices. The core claims revolve around a server that receives and stores a plurality of media messages, each with associated expiration information. The server selects subsets of these messages to create different feeds, which are then provided to a mobile application. A key aspect of the invention is the association of an advertisement prompt with each media message presented in the feed.

Analysis of Cited Prior Art

The patent examiner cited numerous prior art references during the prosecution of the application for US Patent 12,118,591. The most pertinent of these are detailed below.

US Patent 7,756,744 B2

• Full Citation: US Patent 7,756,744 B2, "User-driven data network communication system and method," assigned to Dotomi, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Dates: Published July 13, 2010; Filed July 31, 2000.
• Brief Description: This patent discloses a system for delivering personalized and targeted advertisements to users over a data network. It describes collecting user data and preferences to create user profiles, which are then used to select and deliver relevant advertising content. The system also allows for user interaction with the advertisements.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is relevant to the advertising aspects of US Patent 12,118,591. Specifically, it discloses the concept of associating advertisements with content delivered to a user. It could be argued that US 7,756,744 anticipates the element of an "advertisement prompt" as recited in claim 1 and its dependent claims. However, the '744 patent is more focused on the personalization of ads based on user profiles rather than the creation of distinct, switchable feeds of media messages with associated ad prompts as claimed in the '591 patent.

US Patent Application Publication 2002/0052781 A1

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2002/0052781 A1, "Interactive advertisement mechanism on a mobile device," assigned to Avantgo, Inc.
• Publication/Filing Dates: Published May 2, 2002; Filed September 10, 1999.
• Brief Description: This publication describes a system for providing interactive advertisements on mobile devices. It details how advertisements can be downloaded and displayed within an application on a mobile device, and how users can interact with these advertisements. The system also includes features for tracking user interactions with the ads.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is highly relevant as it discloses interactive advertisements on a mobile device, which directly relates to the "advertisement prompt" in claim 1 of US 12,118,591. It describes the presentation of ads within a mobile application and user interaction with those ads, which could be seen as anticipating the core advertising functionality claimed. The distinction for the '591 patent would likely lie in the specific method of creating and providing multiple, distinct feeds of media messages selected based on expiration information.

US Patent 7,339,940 B2

• Full Citation: US Patent 7,339,940 B2, "Targeted messaging to end user terminal connected to a service node in a communications network," assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ).
• Publication/Filing Dates: Published March 4, 2008; Filed May 18, 2000.
• Brief Description: This patent details a system for delivering targeted messages to user terminals in a communications network. It describes how a service node can intercept communication and insert targeted messages, including advertisements, based on user information or the content of the communication.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: The '940 patent's disclosure of inserting targeted messages into a data stream is relevant to the concept of associating an "advertisement prompt" with a "media message" as described in claim 1. While this patent teaches the delivery of targeted advertising, it does not appear to describe the creation of multiple, selectable "feeds" of media content on a mobile application, which is a key limitation of the independent claims of the '591 patent.

US Patent Application Publication 2009/0156170 A1

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2009/0156170 A1, "Methods and systems for transmitting video messages to mobile communication devices," by inventor Anthony Rossano.
• Publication/Filing Dates: Published June 18, 2009; Filed December 12, 2007.
• Brief Description: This publication describes a system for creating and transmitting video messages to mobile devices. It includes features for users to record, edit, and send video messages. The system also contemplates the inclusion of advertisements with the video messages.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference is significant as it discloses the transmission of user-generated media (video messages) to mobile devices, a concept central to the '591 patent. The mention of including advertisements with these messages touches upon the "advertisement prompt" element of claim 1. However, this publication does not appear to detail the server-side selection of messages into distinct "feeds" based on expiration information, nor the ability for a mobile application to switch between these feeds, which are distinguishing features of US 12,118,591.

US Patent Application Publication 2010/0161635 A1

• Full Citation: US Patent Application Publication 2010/0161635 A1, "Method and apparatus for providing a mobile video blog service," by inventor Spondon Dey.
• Publication/Filing Dates: Published June 24, 2010; Filed December 22, 2008.
• Brief Description: This application describes a service that allows users to create and share video blogs from their mobile devices. It details a platform for uploading, storing, and sharing video content. The service also includes features for categorizing and searching for video blogs.
• Potential Anticipation of Claims: This reference discloses a mobile media sharing platform, which aligns with the general subject matter of the '591 patent. It describes receiving and storing media messages from users. However, it does not explicitly teach the concept of "expiration information" for media messages, the creation of distinct "feeds" based on this information, or the association of "advertisement prompts" with each message in the feed as claimed in claim 1 of US 12,118,591. The novelty of the '591 patent appears to be in this specific combination of features.

Summary of Findings

While the cited prior art references disclose various elements of the invention claimed in US Patent 12,118,591, none appear to fully anticipate the independent claims. The key distinguishing features of the '591 patent seem to be the combination of:

1. Receiving and storing media messages with expiration information.
2. Selecting subsets of these messages to create at least two distinct feeds.
3. Providing these distinct and switchable feeds to a mobile application.
4. Associating an advertisement prompt with each media message within the feeds.

The prior art generally addresses mobile advertising, media sharing, and content delivery, but not in the specific integrated manner claimed in US 12,118,591. The combination of managing media message lifecycle through expiration data and curating multiple, ad-supported feeds for a mobile application appears to be the novel contribution of this patent.

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 12,118,591

An analysis of US Patent 12,118,591 ("the '591 patent") and relevant prior art suggests that the claims of the '591 patent would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. This conclusion is based on the combination of teachings from prior art references that disclose the key elements of the claimed invention, and the predictable nature of combining these known elements.

The independent claims of the '591 patent generally recite a method and system for receiving a plurality of media messages, storing them, selecting subsets of these messages for inclusion in different feeds based on expiration information, associating advertisement prompts with the messages in the feeds, and providing these feeds to a mobile application. The mobile application is configured to present the feeds, including the media messages and their associated advertisement prompts.

Several prior art references, when considered together, disclose all the limitations of the independent claims of the '591 patent. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings of these references to achieve the claimed invention.

Combination of Prior Art:

A primary combination of references that renders the claims of the '591 patent obvious includes:

• US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0149286 A1 ("the '286 application"): This reference discloses a "Mobile provider advertising and scheduling platform." It teaches a system for receiving scheduling information from providers, including their availability, and providing this information to consumers. This establishes the concept of receiving time-based information (analogous to the "expiration information" and "scheduled airtime" in the '591 patent) and making it available to users. The '286 application describes a platform that enables service providers to use their mobile devices for scheduling and advertising their services in real-time.

• US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0259048 A1 ("the '9048 application"): This reference, titled "Advertisement insertion into media content for streaming," describes a system for inserting advertisements into a stream of media content. This reference teaches the association of advertisements with media content that is delivered to a user's device. The '9048 application details how different advertisements can be selected for the same advertisement opportunity, which aligns with the concept of associating "advertisement prompts" with media messages.

• General knowledge of feed-based content delivery (e.g., RSS feeds): At the time of the invention, the concept of content feeds, such as RSS, was well-established. These feeds allowed users to subscribe to and receive updated content from various sources. It was common for these feeds to contain various types of media and for applications to be able to parse and display the content from these feeds.

Motivation to Combine:

A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine the teachings of the '286 application, the '9048 application, and the general knowledge of content feeds for several reasons. The '286 application provides a framework for scheduling and advertising services via a mobile platform. A skilled artisan, seeking to enhance such a platform, would naturally look to more sophisticated methods of advertising, as taught by the '9048 application. Integrating the advertisement insertion techniques of the '9048 application into the scheduling and content delivery system of the '286 application would be a predictable and logical step to monetize the platform more effectively.

Furthermore, structuring the delivery of the scheduled media messages and advertisements into distinct feeds would be a natural and obvious implementation choice. Content feeds were a standard and well-understood mechanism for delivering updated content to mobile applications. A person of ordinary skill would have recognized that using multiple feeds would allow for better organization and targeting of content and advertisements to different user segments or application contexts. The ability to switch between these feeds, as claimed in claim 10 of the '591 patent, would be a straightforward and expected feature for any application that consumes multiple content streams.

Mapping of Prior Art to Claims:

• Receiving and storing a plurality of media messages associated with expiration information (Claim 1): The '286 application teaches receiving and storing scheduling information, which includes availability information for time blocks. This is analogous to receiving media messages with expiration information.
• Selecting subsets of media messages for different feeds based on expiration information (Claim 1): The concept of creating different feeds for different content is a well-known principle in content syndication. A person of ordinary skill would find it obvious to apply this principle to the scheduled content from the '286 application, creating different feeds based on timing or other criteria.
• Associating an advertisement prompt with each media message (Claim 1): The '9048 application explicitly teaches the insertion of advertisements into media streams. Associating an advertisement prompt with each media message is a direct application of this teaching.
• Providing the feeds to a mobile application for presentation (Claim 1): This is a fundamental aspect of both the '286 application and the general concept of mobile content delivery via feeds.
• The second feed differing from the first feed (Claim 1): The use of multiple, distinct feeds for different content is a standard practice in content delivery and would be an obvious way to organize and present different sets of media messages.

The dependent claims of the '591 patent add further limitations, such as interaction with the advertisement prompt leading to additional content, sharing prompts, and bookmarking features. These are all well-known and common features in mobile applications and would have been considered obvious additions to the base system by a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention. They represent predictable variations and enhancements of the core functionality.

In conclusion, the combination of the '286 application, the '9048 application, and the general knowledge of content feeds would have rendered the claims of US Patent 12,118,591 obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The motivation to combine these references would have been to create a more robust and monetizable mobile media delivery platform, and the resulting combination would have contained all the elements of the claimed invention.

Analysis of U.S. Patent 12,118,591

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE):

A review of the prosecution history of U.S. Patent 12,118,591 on the USPTO's Patent Center portal indicates that there have been no Patent Term Adjustments or Patent Term Extensions granted for this patent. The patent's term is therefore the standard 20 years from its earliest effective filing date.

Continuations and Divisional Applications:

U.S. Patent 12,118,591 is part of a series of continuing applications. It is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18/346,318, filed on July 3, 2023 (now U.S. Patent 12,511,668). This application is, in turn, a continuation of a chain of earlier applications. There are no divisional applications associated with this patent.

Patent Family:

This patent is part of a large family of U.S. patents and patent applications stemming from the original provisional application. The continuity data indicates a long chain of continuation applications, leading to numerous granted patents.

Projected Expiration Date:

The patent's earliest priority date is February 12, 2010, based on Provisional Application No. 61/304,331. The 20-year term, calculated from this priority date, results in a projected expiration date of February 12, 2030. This date does not reflect any terminal disclaimers that may have been filed.

Contradiction with Previously Generated Sections:

The previous litigation summary, dated April 26, 2026, stated there was no known litigation involving U.S. Patent 12,118,591. However, current information reveals that this patent was part of a lawsuit filed by Weple IP Holdings LLC against [Meta Platforms Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Meta%20Platforms%20Inc.) (Case 2:24-cv-01316) in the Western District of Washington. The case was filed in August 2024 and was dismissed with prejudice on January 9, 2026. This represents a direct contradiction with the earlier analysis. The patent was one of several asserted in the lawsuit.

Defensive Disclosure Document for US Patent 12,118,591

Publication Date: May 13, 2026
Subject: Derivatives and obvious variations of methods, systems, and storage media for server-side generation and provision of multiple, distinct, ad-supported media feeds to mobile applications based on content expiration parameters. This document is intended to enter the public domain to be used as prior art.

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Introduction

This document discloses a series of derivative inventions and technical variations based on the core concepts outlined in US Patent 12,118,591 ("the '591 patent"). The purpose is to preemptively place into the public domain a range of foreseeable and obvious modifications, extensions, and alternative applications of the patented technology. The disclosures herein are described in sufficient detail to enable a person ordinarily skilled in the art of server-side media delivery, mobile application architecture, and digital advertising to practice the inventions without undue experimentation.

The core concept of the '591 patent involves a server-side system that receives media messages with expiration data, selects subsets of these messages to form distinct media "feeds," associates advertisements with the messages in these feeds, and provides the feeds to a mobile application. The following disclosures expand upon this foundation.

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Section 1: Derivatives of Independent Claim 1 (Method)

The following are derivative methods based on the teachings of Claim 1 of the '591 patent.

1.1. Material & Component Substitution

• Derivative 1.1.1: In-Memory Database and Edge Computing for Feed Selection

  • Enabling Description: The method is modified by substituting the persistent storage database (e.g., a hard drive-based SQL database) with a high-speed, in-memory data grid (e.g., Redis, Hazelcast) for storing the plurality of media messages and their associated expiration information. The selection process for the first and second subsets of media messages is offloaded from central servers to geographically distributed edge computing nodes. When a mobile application requests a feed, the request is routed to the nearest edge node, which queries its local in-memory cache of available media messages. This node performs the subset selection based on expiration data and user-specific criteria (e.g., location, viewing history), and assembles the feed in real-time. This substitution significantly reduces latency in feed delivery and enables dynamic, context-aware feed generation. The advertisement prompts are also cached at the edge and selected based on local relevance.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    sequenceDiagram
        participant MobileApp as Mobile Application
        participant EdgeNode as Edge Computing Node
        participant CentralServer as Central Server
        participant InMemoryDB as In-Memory Data Grid
    
        MobileApp->>EdgeNode: Request Feed
        EdgeNode->>InMemoryDB: Query Available Media Messages
        InMemoryDB-->>EdgeNode: Return Messages + Expiration Data
        EdgeNode->>EdgeNode: Select Subset (Feed)
        EdgeNode->>EdgeNode: Associate Ads
        EdgeNode-->>MobileApp: Provide Feed
        CentralServer->>InMemoryDB: Periodically Update Media Messages
    

• Derivative 1.1.2: GraphQL API for Feed Provisioning

  • Enabling Description: The method of providing the first and second feeds to the mobile application is altered by replacing a traditional REST API with a GraphQL API endpoint. The mobile application, instead of requesting a predefined feed structure, sends a GraphQL query specifying the exact data fields it requires for presentation (e.g., message text, video URL, ad prompt type, expiration timestamp). The server-side resolver for this query performs the selection of the media message subset based on the expiration information and other parameters embedded in the query context. This allows the mobile application to control the data payload, reducing bandwidth consumption and improving performance on low-speed networks. The server provides a flexible schema defining available media message attributes and advertisement prompt formats.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    graph TD
        A[Mobile Application] -- GraphQL Query --> B(Server: GraphQL Endpoint);
        B -- Resolves Query --> C{Feed Selection Logic};
        C -- Based on Expiration Info --> D[Database of Media Messages];
        D -- Returns Subset --> C;
        C -- Associates Ads --> E[Ad Server];
        E -- Returns Ad Prompts --> C;
        C -- Constructs JSON Response --> B;
        B -- Returns Specified Data --> A;
    

1.2. Operational Parameter Expansion

• Derivative 1.2.1: Nanosecond-Scale Expiration for High-Frequency Trading Feeds

  • Enabling Description: The operational parameters are scaled to handle media messages with expiration information defined at the nanosecond level. The system is designed for high-frequency financial or betting applications where information (a "media message") is only valid for microseconds or nanoseconds. The server infrastructure utilizes Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) to execute the message selection logic. Messages are received via a low-latency protocol like FIX (Financial Information eXchange) and stored in SRAM. The FPGA continuously evaluates expiration timestamps against a high-precision network clock and assembles feeds of currently valid market data or odds. The "advertisement prompt" is replaced with a sponsored trade execution button or a micro-betting opportunity.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    flowchart LR
        subgraph Low-Latency Infrastructure
            A[FIX Ingest] --> B(FPGA Processor);
            C[High-Precision Clock] --> B;
            B --> D{SRAM Message Store};
        end
        subgraph Feed Generation
            B -- Selects Subset based on Nanosecond Expiration --> E[Feed Assembler];
            F[Sponsored Trade Engine] -- Provides Prompts --> E;
            E --> G(Feed Stream to Client);
        end
    

• Derivative 1.2.2: Geocached Feeds for Large-Scale Live Events

  • Enabling Description: The method is adapted for industrial-scale use at a live event (e.g., Olympics, music festival) with millions of concurrent users. The "media messages" are short video clips, alerts, or offers relevant to specific venues within the event. The expiration information is tied to the duration of an activity at a venue (e.g., a 15-minute concert set). The server system pre-generates and caches multiple feeds for each venue (geofenced zone) on a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A mobile device entering a zone is served the pre-cached feed. The selection of the subset is performed ahead of time based on the event schedule, and the advertisement prompts are sponsored messages from vendors within that zone. This avoids real-time selection load on the central server during peak demand.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    graph TD
        A[Central Server] -- Event Schedule --> B{Pre-Generation Service};
        B -- Generates Feeds per Geofence --> C[CDN Storage];
        D[Mobile App] -- Enters Geofence --> E{Location Service};
        E -- Notifies App of Zone --> D;
        D -- Requests Feed for Zone --> C;
        C -- Delivers Cached Feed with Ads --> D;
    

1.3. Cross-Domain Application

• Derivative 1.3.1: Aerospace - Dynamic Flight Crew Checklists

  • Enabling Description: In an aerospace context, the method is used to manage and present dynamic checklists to flight crews on Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) devices. "Media messages" are individual checklist items. The "expiration information" is tied to a specific flight phase (e.g., "pre-flight," "takeoff," "in-flight climb"). The server receives checklist items from a central flight operations database. It selects a "first feed" of pre-flight checks and provides it to the EFB. Upon phase change detection (e.g., from aircraft data bus), the EFB requests a new feed, and the server provides the "second feed" (e.g., takeoff checks). The "advertisement prompt" is replaced with a safety notification, maintenance alert, or an informational prompt linking to a specific section of the flight manual.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    stateDiagram-v2
        [*] --> PreFlight
        PreFlight: Displaying Feed 1 (Pre-Flight Checks)
        PreFlight --> Takeoff: Flight Phase Change Detected
        Takeoff: Displaying Feed 2 (Takeoff Checks)
        Takeoff --> Climb: Flight Phase Change Detected
        Climb: Displaying Feed 3 (Climb Checks)
    

• Derivative 1.3.2: AgTech - Time-Sensitive Crop Treatment Feeds

  • Enabling Description: In agricultural technology (AgTech), the method delivers time-sensitive treatment plans to smart farming equipment (e.g., drones, tractors). "Media messages" are specific instructions, such as "apply X liters of pesticide to sector 4" or "irrigate sector 2 with Y amount of water." The "expiration information" is critical and is based on environmental sensor data (e.g., soil moisture below a threshold, pest detection valid for 2 hours). The server aggregates sensor data, selects a subset of urgent tasks into a "treatment feed," and pushes it to the relevant machinery. The "advertisement prompt" becomes a sponsored recommendation for a specific brand of fertilizer or pesticide that is compatible with the current task.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    sequenceDiagram
        participant SensorNet as IoT Sensor Network
        participant AgServer as Agricultural Server
        participant SmartTractor as Autonomous Tractor App
    
        SensorNet->>AgServer: Stream Real-time Soil/Pest Data
        AgServer->>AgServer: Analyze data, create treatment tasks (media messages) with expiration
        AgServer->>AgServer: Select subset of urgent tasks into Treatment Feed
        AgServer->>AgServer: Associate sponsored product prompt
        AgServer-->>SmartTractor: Provide Treatment Feed
        SmartTractor->>SmartTractor: Execute tasks from feed
    

1.4. Integration with Emerging Tech

• Derivative 1.4.1: AI-Optimized Personalized Feed Generation

  • Enabling Description: The method is integrated with an AI/ML model for feed personalization. The server receives the plurality of media messages. The selection of the "first subset" is not based solely on expiration but is primarily determined by a machine learning model that predicts user engagement. The model considers user history, time of day, device type, and the semantic content of the media messages. The "expiration information" is used as a hard constraint to filter out expired content before the AI model makes its selection. The associated "advertisement prompt" is also selected by a complementary AI model to maximize conversion probability for that specific user and media message pairing. The system continuously retrains the models based on user interactions.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    graph TD
        subgraph Server
            A[Media Messages Ingest] --> B(Filter Expired Content);
            B --> C[User Profile Data];
            C --> D{AI Engagement Prediction Model};
            B --> D;
            D -- Selects Personalized Subset --> E[Feed Assembler];
            F{AI Ad Selection Model} --> E;
            E --> G[Provide Personalized Feed];
        end
        subgraph Client
            H[Mobile App] --> G;
            G --> H;
            H -- Interaction Data --> I(Feedback Loop);
            I --> D;
            I --> F;
        end
    

• Derivative 1.4.2: Blockchain-Verified Message Provenance

  • Enabling Description: The method is enhanced with blockchain integration to ensure the authenticity and provenance of media messages, particularly for news or official announcements. When a media message is received by the server, its hash, author, and timestamp are recorded as a transaction on a distributed ledger (e.g., a permissioned blockchain). When the server selects a subset of messages for a feed, it includes the blockchain transaction ID for each message. The mobile application can optionally use this ID to query the blockchain and independently verify that the message content has not been altered since its creation. The "advertisement prompt" can also be linked to a smart contract on the blockchain that governs the terms of the ad placement and payment.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    erDiagram
        SERVER {
            string messageID PK
            string content
            datetime expiration
            string blockchainTxID
        }
        MOBILE_APP {
            string sessionID PK
            string currentFeed
        }
        BLOCKCHAIN {
            string transactionID PK
            string messageHash
            string author
            datetime timestamp
        }
        SERVER ||--o{ BLOCKCHAIN : Records
        SERVER ||--o{ MOBILE_APP : Provides_Feed
    

1.5. The "Inverse" or Failure Mode

• Derivative 1.5.1: Graceful Degradation to a Text-Only, Ad-Free Failsafe Feed
  • Enabling Description: A version of the method is designed to fail safely. Under normal operation, the server provides rich media feeds with video and interactive advertisement prompts. The server continuously monitors its own load, network latency, and the health of the advertising backend. If a performance threshold is breached (e.g., database response time > 500ms), the system automatically switches to a "limited-functionality" mode. In this mode, the selection logic is simplified to only choose media messages that are text-only, and it explicitly omits the step of associating an advertisement prompt. This ensures that users receive a core, low-bandwidth, failsafe feed of information even when ancillary services like video hosting or ad serving are unavailable.
  • Mermaid Diagram:

    stateDiagram-v2
        [*] --> Normal_Operation
        Normal_Operation: Serving Rich Media Feeds with Ads
        state Normal_Operation {
            [*] --> Monitoring
            Monitoring --> Threshold_Breached : High Latency or System Load
        }
        Normal_Operation --> Limited_Functionality : Failover
        Limited_Functionality: Serving Text-Only Feeds, No Ads
        Limited_Functionality --> Normal_Operation : System Health Restored
    

---

Section 2: Combination Prior Art Scenarios

The core method of the '591 patent is combined with existing open-source standards to create obvious and non-novel derivative systems.

1. Combination with ActivityPub (W3C Standard): The server system is implemented as a federated social media server (e.g., Mastodon, PeerTube) that communicates using the ActivityPub protocol. "Media messages" are Note or Video objects in the ActivityStreams 2.0 vocabulary. The "expiration information" is a custom property, expires, added to the ActivityStream object. A client application receives a feed by following a specific Actor (e.g., a news bot). The server selects which activities to push to followers' inboxes based on the expires property. The "advertisement prompt" is an Announce activity where the object being announced is a sponsored Note from an advertiser, injected into the user's feed. The ability to switch feeds is accomplished by following or unfollowing different Actor accounts. This combines the feed generation of '591 with the standardized, decentralized infrastructure of the Fediverse.

2. Combination with RSS (Really Simple Syndication): The server's output is not a proprietary API but a standard RSS or Atom XML feed. The "first feed" and "second feed" are simply different RSS feed URLs (e.g., .../feed.php?type=news and .../feed.php?type=sports). Each <item> in the RSS feed represents a media message. The "expiration information" is implemented using the <ttl> (time to live) tag, which informs the client how long to cache the feed before requesting a new one. The selection logic on the server filters messages based on their internal expiration times before generating the XML file. The "advertisement prompt" is an additional <item> in the feed that is clearly marked as sponsored, or is embedded within the <description> field of a content item using HTML, following the RSS specification's allowance for HTML content.

3. Combination with IAB OpenRTB (Interactive Advertising Bureau Real-Time Bidding): The process of associating an "advertisement prompt" is performed by integrating the server with the OpenRTB open standard. When the server selects a subset of media messages to form a feed, it generates a bid request for each message slot and sends it to an ad exchange. This bid request contains information about the media message content and the user (anonymized). Ad buyers bid in real-time to have their ad served. The winning bid's ad creative (the "advertisement prompt") is returned to the server, which then packages it with the media message into the feed for the mobile application. This replaces the patent's generic "association" of an ad with a standardized, auction-based mechanism for ad selection and pricing.