Invalidity dossier
US 5611613
Added 9/23/2026, 3:31:34 PM
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Patent summary
Title, assignee, inventors, filing/issue dates, abstract, and a plain-language overview of the claims.
Patent Overview — US 5,611,613
Title: Remotely operated door lock light
Patent number: US5611613A
Application number: US08/514,511
Inventors: Gary R. Bergen; George E. Maffey
Original assignee: Newfrey LLC (listed current assignees: Zimmer Inc; Newfrey LLC)
Prior art date / filing date: 1995-08-11
Publication (grant) date: 1997-03-18
Legal status: Expired – Fee Related; anticipated expiration 2015-08-11
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US5611613/en
Purpose. The patent relates to locksets for securing a building door, and more particularly to locksets "which are illuminated prior to key entry." A person approaching a dark door can trigger the light remotely so the lock is lit before the key is inserted.
Plain-language scope. An exterior operator assembly (a knob) contains a key plug, cylinder body, and insert. A light source—described as an L.E.D.—sits in the interior rose/cover, powered by batteries, and is operated for a set time (x minutes) before a person reaches the door. Light travels to the exterior through a clear plastic, rod-shaped light pipe assembly, including a stationary portion and a portion in the exterior knob, and is emitted from an exposed annular ring; a lens may focus the emitted light. A receiver responds to received RF pulse trains, including signals from garage-door openers and automotive entry systems, by operating the L.E.D. The transmitter described issues a pulse train rather than a permanent code. The receiver distinguishes valid asymmetric signals ("on" pulses of about 0.1 to 0.8 ms; "off" pulses of about 1 to 4 ms) and ignores steady signals.
Not established by the excerpt. The supplied text does not include the claims, so the precise metes and bounds of the claimed invention are not reproduced here. It also does not establish litigation, ownership transfers beyond the recorded assignments, validity, or prior art beyond the figures and description quoted.
Generated 10/1/2026, 9:51:30 PM
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Litigation summary
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Proceedings on file (0)
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No PTAB proceedings on file. This patent has not been challenged via IPR, PGR, or CBM. The absence is itself a signal — well-asserted patents eventually attract IPRs. The LLM analysis below may surface filings the ODP feed hasn’t indexed yet.
PTAB challenges
AIA trial proceedings at the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board — IPR, PGR, and CBM. Petitioners, judge panels, claim-level invalidation outcomes from Final Written Decisions, and Federal Circuit appeals. The single most important defensive datapoint after litigation history.
Assignment history
Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.
Prior art
Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.
Obviousness
Combinations of prior art that suggest the claimed invention would have been obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.
Extensions
Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.
Derivative works
Defensive disclosure: derivative variations of each claim designed to render future incremental improvements obvious or non-novel.