US 7177285

I'll search for authoritative records on this patent and any CAFC 2026 docket activity.

The CAFC 2026 search returned nothing. Let me run more targeted searches on dockets and current owner/appeals.

Summary of U.S. Patent No. 7,177,285 (US7177285B2)

Confirmation note: Searches confirm this patent record (Google Patents, Justia, and federal court complaint exhibits, e.g., CommWorks Solutions LLC v. Adtran Inc., N.D. Ala. 5:23-cv-01327; CommWorks Solutions LLC v. [multiple defendants], C.D. Cal. 8:24-cv-02250, among others). I found no CAFC 2026 docket entries referencing patent 7177285 — the CAFC docket queries returned no results, so I cannot confirm any pending appeal at the Federal Circuit. District-court cases from 2025–2026 exist (Texas Western/Eastern, Virginia Eastern) per the patent record, but none of my searches surfaced a CAFC appeal. This should be treated as unverified rather than definitive.

Core bibliographic data

• Title: Time based wireless access provisioning
• Patent No.: US 7,177,285 B2
• Application No.: 10/961,959 (filed October 8, 2004)
• Priority date: January 13, 2003 (continuation of U.S. Application 10/341,847, issued as U.S. Patent 6,891,807 B2)
• Issue date: February 13, 2007
• Inventors: James A. Roskind (Redwood City, CA); John D. Robinson (South Riding, VA)
• Original assignee: America Online, Incorporated (Dulles, VA) — later AOL LLC, then transferred through Tarquin Consulting Co., LLC → Callahan Cellular L.L.C. → Intellectual Ventures Assets 130 LLC → CommWorks Solutions, LLC → Unwired Broadband, Inc. (Google Patents currently lists Unwired Broadband Inc. as assignee; the chain also includes a terminal disclaimer and a 188-day §154(b) adjustment noted on the face of the patent)
• Status: Expired – Lifetime (adjusted expiration around July 20, 2023; maintenance fees were paid through the 12th year)
• Claims: 62 total; 7 drawing sheets
• Classifications: Int. Cl. H04L 12/26, H04Q 7/34 (as printed on the patent face); USPTO classes 370/255, 370/338; modern CPC: H04W48/02, H04W12/08, H04W8/265, H04B17/10

Abstract (verbatim)

"A method and apparatus is provided for the time-based provisioning of wireless devices. A network access point monitors operation of wireless devices within a service region. When provisioning logic is activated at the network access point, the access point determines if the tracked parameter (such as power on or the onset of signal transmission) of the wireless device occurs within a designated time interval from the time of the provisioning activation. If the tracked device qualifies, the network access point proceeds with provisioning the device. In one system embodiment, the network access point tracks the power on time of wireless devices. When a wireless device to be authorized is powered on, the provisioning logic at the network access point notes the power on time. The user then activates the provisioning access at the network access point, and the network access point provisions the wireless device if it is recently powered on."

Plain-language overview of the independent claims

There are three independent claims (1, 22, and 43); claims 2–21, 23–42, and 44–62 are dependent. (Note: the granted claim language shown in the B2 record is narrower than the earlier published application US20050043021A1, which recited "power on, an activation, and a transmission of an output signal.")

• Claim 1 (method/process): A process for provisioning between a wireless device and a network. It requires (a) tracking an operating parameter of the wireless device within a service area — the tracked parameter being the onset of a signal transmission from the wireless device — and (b) initiating provisioning of the device if that tracked event occurs within a defined time interval. In essence: the access point watches for when a device "shows up" on the airwaves, and only provisions it if that appearance happens inside a qualifying time window.

• Claim 22 (system): A system for the same purpose, expressed in means-plus-function form: means for tracking the operating parameter (again, onset of signal transmission) within a service area, plus logic for initiating provisioning if the tracked parameter occurs within a time interval. This mirrors claim 1 as an apparatus/system counterpart.

• Claim 43 (access point): An access point comprising means for tracking an operating parameter of a wireless device — here broader than claim 1, covering either a power-on or an onset of signal transmission — and logic for initiating an association of the device with a network if the tracked parameter occurs within a time interval. Note the terminology shift from "provisioning" (claims 1/22) to "association" (claim 43).

Technology in context

The invention addresses a usability/security problem in early wireless home LANs: conventional provisioning required manual entry of a device identifier (e.g., a MAC address) into the access point, which was impractical for devices lacking a suitable user interface (e.g., wireless picture frames). The solution lets a user physically push a button or switch on the access point to open a short acceptance window (the specification gives a 5-minute example); any wireless device that powers on or begins transmitting within that window is automatically qualified and provisioned (e.g., added to the access control list and given encryption/setup key material), while devices that were already transmitting earlier — e.g., a neighbor's long-on device — are denied. The figures describe both timing orders: power-on-then-button-press (process 52a) and button-press-then-power-on (process 52b).

Sources

• Google Patents: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7177285/en
• Justia (application publication): https://patents.justia.com/patent/20050043021
• Complaint exhibits confirming bibliographic data, e.g., CommWorks Solutions LLC v. Adtran Inc., 5:23-cv-01327 (N.D. Ala.), and C.D. Cal. 8:24-cv-02250 complaint (both via court documents located through web search).

Uncertainty disclosures: (1) I did not locate any CAFC 2026 docket for this patent — absence of results is not proof none exists; (2) the assignment chain and current entity (Unwired Broadband, Inc. versus CommWorks Solutions, LLC) reflect Google Patents legal-event data and complaint allegations, which I did not independently verify against USPTO Assignment records; (3) the exact "current assignee" for enforcement purposes is a litigation fact I cannot confirm from these searches alone.