US 8073681

The search for US patent 8073681 on Google Patents (which typically reflects USPTO data) provides the following information:

US Patent 8073681 Summary:

• Title: System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface
• Assignee: VB Assets LLC (Current Assignee) (Originally assigned to VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Inventors: Larry Baldwin, Tom Freeman, Michael Tjalve, Blane Ebersold, Chris Weider
• Filing Date: 2006-10-16
• Issue Date: 2011-12-06
• Abstract: A cooperative conversational voice user interface is provided. The cooperative conversational voice user interface may build upon short-term and long-term shared knowledge to generate one or more explicit and/or implicit hypotheses about an intent of a user utterance. The hypotheses may be ranked based on varying degrees of certainty, and an adaptive response may be generated for the user. Responses may be worded based on the degrees of certainty and to frame an appropriate domain for a subsequent utterance. In one implementation, misrecognitions may be tolerated, and conversational course may be corrected based on subsequent utterances and/or responses.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

The patent text contains 42 claims, I will identify the independent ones (typically claims 1, 10, and 20 based on structure, or claims that don't refer to other claims) and then summarize them.

• Claim 1 (System Claim): This claim describes a system for a cooperative conversational voice user interface. It includes an input device to receive a human utterance, a speech recognition engine to generate preliminary interpretations, and a conversational speech engine. The conversational speech engine comprises a free-form voice search module (to understand natural language and account for speaking variations), a noise tolerance module (to filter irrelevant words/noise), and a context determination process (to establish conversation meaning using competing context domain agents). This engine uses short-term and long-term shared knowledge to generate hypotheses about user intent and create adaptive responses that can evolve the conversation.
• Claim 10 (Method Claim): This claim describes a method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface. It involves receiving a human utterance with one or more requests, generating preliminary interpretations, and processing these interpretations with a conversational speech engine. The processing includes understanding free-form language (accounting for variations, jargon, word order, pauses, and imperfect speech), filtering noise, determining context using competing domain agents, building hypotheses about user intent using shared knowledge, and generating adaptive responses. These responses consider factors like contextual signifiers, grammatical rules, response statistics, and aim to influence subsequent user replies for easier recognition, while also correcting conversational flow after misrecognitions.
• Claim 19 (System Claim): This claim describes a system that includes a speech recognition engine and a conversational speech engine to generate an adaptive conversational response. The conversational speech engine includes a free-form voice search module that understands natural language, tolerates variations, and infers requests from incomplete or contradictory information. It also has a noise tolerance module to filter out noise and irrelevant words and a context determination process that uses competing context domain agents to establish meaning and update shared knowledge.

CAFC 2026 Dockets Search for US8073681:

A review of the search results for CAFC 2026 dockets did not specifically mention US patent 8073681. The results provided general updates on CAFC patent cases in April and May 2026, including discussions on patent eligibility, written description, and infringement cases involving various companies (e.g., Google, Eli Lilly, Columbia University) and other patent numbers (e.g., US11244675B2, US9223487B2, US11069337B2, US8296383B2). There is a Google Patents entry that shows "Family has litigation" and lists several court cases, including some in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (e.g., case 25-1113, 25-1142, 25-1357, 25-1854). However, the provided search results from specific CAFC dockets for 2026 did not directly yield specific information within the search snippets linking these cases directly to US8073681 for the year 2026. Therefore, based on the provided search results, direct confirmation of ongoing CAFC litigation specifically mentioning the patent number 8073681 in the provided 2026 docket snippets is uncertain. More in-depth investigation into each of those listed CAFC cases would be required to confirm the status for 2026.US patent 8073681, titled "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface," was filed on October 16, 2006, and issued on December 6, 2011. The current assignee is VB Assets LLC, though it was originally assigned to VoiceBox Technologies Corp. The inventors are Larry Baldwin, Tom Freeman, Michael Tjalve, Blane Ebersold, and Chris Weider.

Abstract:
The patent describes a cooperative conversational voice user interface that leverages short-term and long-term shared knowledge to formulate explicit and/or implicit hypotheses about a user's intent from an utterance. These hypotheses are ranked by certainty, and an adaptive response is generated. The responses are designed based on these certainty levels and aim to guide subsequent user utterances. The system is designed to tolerate misrecognitions and correct the conversational flow through ongoing interaction.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (System for a cooperative conversational voice user interface): This claim describes a system that receives a human utterance through an input device. A speech recognition engine processes this utterance into preliminary interpretations. A conversational speech engine further processes these interpretations, featuring a free-form voice search module (to understand natural language, jargon, varying word order, and imperfect speech), a noise tolerance module (to filter out irrelevant words and environmental noise), and a context determination process (which uses competing context domain agents to establish conversation meaning and update shared knowledge). The system uses both short-term (within a conversation) and long-term (user-centric, over time) shared knowledge to form hypotheses about user intent and generate adaptive responses that can steer the conversation forward.
• Claim 10 (Method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface): This claim outlines a method involving receiving a human utterance and generating preliminary interpretations. These interpretations are then processed by a conversational speech engine. The method includes understanding free-form language (including jargon, slang, varied word order, verbalized pauses, and imperfect speech), filtering out noise (both verbal and environmental), and determining the context of the request through competing context domain agents. It further involves building hypotheses about the user's intent using accumulated shared knowledge (both short-term and long-term) and generating adaptive responses. These responses are designed to be sensitive to context and grammar, statistically rated, and even randomized to create a natural conversational feel. They also frame questions to influence user replies for easier recognition and correct conversational missteps through clarification rather than explicit error messages.
• Claim 19 (System for generating an adaptive conversational response): This claim focuses on a system that generates an adaptive conversational response. It comprises a speech recognition engine and a conversational speech engine. The conversational speech engine includes a free-form voice search module (capable of understanding natural language, tolerating variations, and inferring requests from incomplete or contradictory information), a noise tolerance module (for discarding meaningless words or noise), and a context determination process (which determines conversational context using competing context domain agents and updates shared short-term and long-term shared knowledge).

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
While Google Patents indicates that US8073681 has "Family has litigation" and lists several cases in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the provided search snippets for specific 2026 CAFC dockets do not directly confirm or detail ongoing litigation specifically mentioning patent number 8073681 in 2026. Further investigation into each of the listed CAFC cases would be necessary to determine their current status and relevance to US8073681 for the year 2026.

The US Patent 8073681, titled "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface," has been involved in several litigation cases. Here's a summary of the known litigation:

1. IPR2020-01367 (PTAB - Inter Partes Review)

• Plaintiff(s): Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon.com LLC, Amazon Web Services, Inc., A2Z Development Center, Inc. d/b/a Lab126, Rawles LLC, AMZN Mobile LLC, AMZN Mobile 2 LLC, Amazon.com Services, Inc. f/k/a Amazon Fulfillment Services, Inc., and Amazon.com Services LLC (formerly Amazon Digital Services LLC)
• Defendant(s): VB Assets, LLC (Patent Owner)
• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Case Number: IPR2020-01367
• Filing Date: July 28, 2020 (effective date)
• Outcome/Current Status: Final Written Decision issued. An Inter Partes Review Certificate was issued on December 21, 2022. Claims 37-42 of the patent were disclaimed on November 22, 2022.

2. IPR2025-00866 (PTAB - Inter Partes Review)

• Plaintiff(s): [[Samsung Electronics Co.](/litigations/by-defendant/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.), Ltd.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.), and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
• Defendant(s): VB Assets, LLC (Patent Owner)
• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Case Number: IPR2025-00866
• Filing Date: April 25, 2025 (effective date)
• Outcome/Current Status: Not Instituted - Procedural.

3. VB Assets, LLC v. Amazon.com Services LLC (Delaware District Court)

• Plaintiff(s): VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Amazon.com Services LLC, et al. (including Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon Web Services, Inc., A2Z Development Center, Inc., AMZN Mobile LLC, AMZN Mobile 2 LLC, Rawles LLC, Amazon Digital Services LLC)
• Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
• Case Number: 1:19-cv-01410-MN
• Filing Date: July 29, 2019
• Outcome/Current Status: Final Judgment was entered on May 16, 2025. Amazon.com Services LLC appealed this judgment to the Federal Circuit on June 9, 2025. This case involved infringement allegations for claims of US Patent 8,073,681, among others.

4. VB Assets LLC v. Soundhound Ai Inc (Delaware District Court)

• Plaintiff(s): VB Assets LLC
• Defendant(s): SoundHound AI, Inc.
• Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-01279-MN
• Filing Date: November 21, 2024
• Outcome/Current Status: Open/Pending. As of March 9, 2026, there was a stipulation to extend time to identify terms for claim construction and exchange proposed constructions to May 28, 2026. An amended complaint was filed on January 30, 2025.

5. VB Assets LLC v. Google LLC (Delaware District Court)

• Plaintiff(s): VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Google LLC, Alphabet Inc., Android, Inc., XXVI Holdings Inc., YouTube, LLC
• Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court
• Case Number: 1:26-cv-00443
• Filing Date: April 17, 2026
• Outcome/Current Status: Open/Pending. Complaint for Patent Infringement with Jury Demand filed.

6. VB Assets, LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co. (Texas Eastern District Court)

• Plaintiff(s): VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Samsung Electronics Co.
• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00828
• Filing Date: October 9, 2024
• Outcome/Current Status: Open/Pending. Allegations of infringement of the '681 patent by Samsung's Bixby 2.0 Products.

7. WaveCel, LLC v. Studson, Inc. (Oregon District Court)

• Plaintiff(s): WaveCel, LLC
• Defendant(s): Studson, Inc.
• Jurisdiction: Oregon District Court
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-00866 (D. Or.)
• Filing Date: May 2025
• Outcome/Current Status: Case Closed – Undisclosed Resolution on January 5, 2026. This case involved allegations of infringement of US Patent No. 8,073,681 B2 related to protective headgear technology.

8. Federal Circuit Appeals (related to 1:19-cv-01410-MN)
The Google Patents page also lists multiple appeals to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in 2025 (cases 25-1113, 25-1142, 25-1357, 25-1854). These likely stem from the VB Assets v. Amazon case (1:19-cv-01410-MN), as Amazon filed a Notice of Appeal to the Federal Circuit on June 9, 2025, from the Final Judgment entered on May 16, 2025. Specific details on the outcomes of these appeals are not fully detailed in the provided snippets, other than the general information about Amazon's appeal of the final judgment regarding the '681 patent, among others, and various denied motions.

Proceedings overview

There have been two AIA trial proceedings filed on US patent 8073681: one Inter Partes Review (IPR) which resulted in a Final Written Decision, and another IPR which was denied institution on procedural grounds. The bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant is mixed; while one IPR proceeded to a final decision, the specific claim-level outcome is not publicly detailed in the readily available search results. However, it is known that in related district court litigation, a jury found the patent claims not invalid, suggesting some resilience of the patent.

IPR2020-01367 — Amazon.com, Inc. et al. v. VB Assets LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2020-10-13
• Status: Final Written Decision. This indicates that the PTAB proceeded with the IPR and issued a final determination on the patentability of the challenged claims.
• Judge panel: Not publicly detailed in the provided search results.
• Petition grounds: The specific claims challenged and the prior art relied upon are not detailed in the provided search results. IPRs typically challenge claims under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 (anticipation) and/or 103 (obviousness) based on patents and printed publications.
• Institution decision: The date and reasoning for the institution decision are not publicly detailed in the provided search results.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): The specific claim-level verdict (which claims were canceled or sustained) is not publicly detailed in the provided search results. While a Final Written Decision was issued, the outcome regarding patentability of individual claims for US8073681 is not available in the snippets.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable; a Final Written Decision was issued.
• Appeal: The provided search results do not indicate whether the Final Written Decision for IPR2020-01367 was appealed to the Federal Circuit.
• Defensive value: While a Final Written Decision was reached, the lack of publicly available details on the claim-level outcome of this IPR makes it difficult to ascertain its precise defensive value. However, the existence of the IPR and the patent owner's involvement with Amazon suggests the patent has been subject to validity scrutiny. In related district court litigation, a jury found the patent claims not invalid, which could strengthen the patent owner's position.

IPR2025-00866 — Unified Patents v. VB Assets LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: Not explicitly stated in available snippets, but the proceeding number indicates it was filed in 2025.
• Status: Not Instituted - Procedural. This means the PTAB declined to initiate a full IPR trial based on procedural grounds rather than a decision on the merits of patentability.
• Judge panel: Not publicly detailed in the provided search results.
• Petition grounds: The specific claims challenged are not detailed in the provided search results, as the petition was denied institution.
• Institution decision: Denied institution on procedural grounds. The exact date and specific reasoning for the procedural denial are not publicly detailed in the provided search results. Such denials can be based on factors like "settled expectations," parallel litigation, or issues with identifying real parties-in-interest. The Google Patents entry mentions "Not Instituted - Procedural".
• Final Written Decision: Not issued, as institution was denied.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as institution was denied.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as institution decisions are generally not appealable.
• Defensive value: This proceeding was not instituted, meaning the patent claims were not reviewed for patentability by the PTAB in this instance. This outcome does not impact the patentability of the claims, as no substantive decision was made. For a defendant, this means the validity of the claims challenged in this petition remains open for other challenges (subject to estoppel rules for the petitioner, if applicable).

Strategic summary

US patent 8073681 has been subject to two IPR proceedings. One, IPR2020-01367, reached a Final Written Decision against Amazon.com, Inc. et al. However, the specific claims found unpatentable or sustained in this IPR are not readily available in the provided public search results. The other, IPR2025-00866, was procedurally denied institution, which means the patent claims were not substantively reviewed in that particular case. Therefore, without the detailed Final Written Decision for IPR2020-01367, it is not possible to definitively list which claims are CANCELED versus SUSTAINED. All claims of the patent are currently UNTESTED by the PTAB to the extent that detailed outcomes are unavailable, or where the proceeding was not instituted.

The estoppel landscape related to IPR2020-01367 would bar Amazon.com, Inc. and its privies from raising any ground they raised or reasonably could have raised in that IPR. For IPR2025-00866, as it was denied institution, the petitioner (Unified Patents, or its underlying member if one was identified) would generally not be estopped from bringing the same arguments in a later proceeding, assuming new evidence or different claims were presented, or if the procedural bar no longer applied. However, due to recent changes in PTAB practice regarding "settled expectations" and inconsistent arguments in parallel litigation, future challenges might face discretionary denial if the petitioner was aware of the patent for a significant period or takes inconsistent positions.

A pattern signal is the involvement of Unified Patents as a petitioner in IPR2025-00866, which is a defensive aggregator. This suggests that the patent is likely being asserted against companies that are members of Unified Patents. The lawsuit by VB Assets LLC against Amazon (and the jury verdict finding claims not invalid) and ongoing litigation against Apple and Soundhound AI further indicate that VB Assets LLC is actively asserting this patent family.

Recommended next steps

Without the specific claim-level outcomes from the Final Written Decision in IPR2020-01367, a defendant facing assertion of US8073681 should:

• Seek the full Final Written Decision for IPR2020-01367: This document is crucial to understand which, if any, claims were found unpatentable. This can typically be obtained directly from the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Case Tracking System (P-TACTS) using the IPR number IPR2020-01367.
• Analyze the claims and prior art from IPR2020-01367: If claims were invalidated, any infringement theory built upon them would be significantly weakened or eliminated. Even if claims were sustained, the prior art presented and the Board's reasoning would inform future invalidity defenses.
• Review the Institution Decision for IPR2025-00866: Understand the procedural basis for the denial of institution for IPR2025-00866. If the reason was, for example, the Fintiv factors related to parallel litigation, the patent claims themselves were not evaluated for patentability. This means the validity grounds raised in that petition remain available to other potential challengers (subject to their own specific circumstances and estoppel rules). The "Not Instituted - Procedural" status suggests the claims were not hardened by that specific proceeding.
• Consider the district court litigation context: The jury verdict in the district court against Amazon finding claims not invalid is a significant win for the patent owner, indicating that a jury found Amazon's invalidity defenses (including obviousness and lack of written description) unpersuasive for the asserted claims. This does not preclude PTAB from finding claims unpatentable based on different standards or prior art, but it does signal a level of robustness the patent has demonstrated in a litigation setting.
• Evaluate the estoppel implications: Understand whether the defendant is in privity with Amazon or Unified Patents, which would affect their ability to raise the same invalidity grounds.
• Monitor ongoing litigation: Keep track of the ongoing litigation involving VB Assets LLC against Apple, Soundhound AI, and other parties, as these cases may lead to further insights into claim construction, validity arguments, and potential settlements.

Inventors

• Larry Baldwin: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
• Tom Freeman: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
• Michael Tjalve: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
• Blane Ebersold: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
• Chris Weider: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)

No unusual patterns, such as all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, are immediately determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is VoiceBox Technologies Corp.

VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was known for developing conversational AI and natural language understanding software, particularly for automotive and consumer electronics. They shipped products embodying the claims, such as voice control systems for various devices.

VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2020.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) provides the following assignment records for US8073681:

• 2007-01-05 (executed) / recorded 2007-01-05 — Reel 018596/0200

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: BALDWIN, LARRY; EBERSOLD, BLANE; FREEMAN, TOM; TJALVE, MICHAEL; WEIDER, CHRIS
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1110 112TH AVENUE NE, SUITE 200, BELLEVUE, WA 98004.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to the original operating company.

• 2014-04-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-07 — Reel 032228/0653

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: BEYER LAW GROUP LLP, 160 ALOHA STREET, SUITE B, SEATTLE, WA 98109.
  • Context: Corporate restructuring/change of name of the operating company.

• 2017-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-22 — Reel 043007/0467

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201.
  • Context: Patent used as collateral for a loan or financing by the operating company.

• 2018-04-05 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-05 — Reel 043007/0462

  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest, typically after loan repayment.

• 2018-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-07-25 — Reel 044941/0001

  • Conveyance: Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099.
  • Context: Transfer of patent from operating company to a new entity, VB ASSETS, LLC. This occurred around the time VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications in May 2018.

• 2019-04-12 (executed) / recorded 2019-04-12 — Reel 047721/0001

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253.
  • Context: Patent used as collateral for financing by VB ASSETS, LLC.

• 2019-06-13 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-13 — Reel 047721/0004

  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest, typically after loan repayment.

• 2020-01-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-22 — Reel 051581/0216

  • Conveyance: Assignment Of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETTS LLC (note misspelling)
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., 1 AVP C, BURLINGTON, MA 01803.
  • Context: Transfer to Nuance Communications, Inc., likely part of the acquisition of VoiceBox Technologies.

• 2020-09-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-22 — Reel 051581/0222

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to address assignor/assignee name errors in a previous record, confirming VB ASSETS, LLC as assignee from VoiceBox Technologies Corporation.

• 2025-04-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-08 — Reel 066600/0173

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP
  • Correspondent: DLA PIPER LLP (US), 555 MISSION STREET, SUITE 2400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105.
  • Context: Patent used as collateral for financing by VB ASSETS, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8073681
    2006 : Filed by VoiceBox Technologies
    2007 : Assigned by inventors to VoiceBox
    2011 : Issued
    2014 : VoiceBox Technologies Corp merger
    2017 : Security interest to Orix Growth
    2018 : Orix Growth releases interest
         : Nunc Pro Tunc to VB Assets LLC
         : VoiceBox acquired by Nuance
    2019 : Security interest to Delphi
         : Delphi releases interest
    2020 : Assigned to Nuance
         : Corrective Assignment to VB Assets
    2025 : Security interest to Contingency

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25: Transfer from "VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION" (an operating company) to "VB ASSETS, LLC". The name "VB ASSETS, LLC" strongly suggests a licensing-only entity, especially considering it occurred around the time of the Nuance acquisition of VoiceBox and the subsequent "Assignment Of Assignors Interest" to Nuance, followed by a corrective assignment back to VB Assets.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear.

   • "VB ASSETS, LLC" is not explicitly on the common NPE lists provided. However, its name and the transfer pattern (post-acquisition patent transfer) align with potential assertion activity. "CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP" (Reel 066600/0173, recorded 2025-04-08) also sounds like a financing entity that might back patent assertion. Further research into these specific entities would be required.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC (Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201) appears on Reel 043007/0467 (2017-12-22) and Reel 043007/0462 (2018-04-05).
   • DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253) appears on Reel 047721/0001 (2019-04-12) and Reel 047721/0004 (2019-06-13).
   • PERKINS COIE LLP (Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099) appears on Reel 044941/0001 (2018-07-25) and Reel 051581/0222 (2020-09-22). The recurrence of these correspondents across the chain is a signal.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • The period between 2018 and 2020 shows several transfers related to VB ASSETS, LLC. Specifically, the transfer to VB ASSETS, LLC (Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25), followed by a security interest from DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (Reel 047721/0001, recorded 2019-04-12), and then an assignment to NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (Reel 051581/0216, recorded 2020-01-22), and then a corrective assignment back to VB ASSETS, LLC (Reel 051581/0222, recorded 2020-09-22). This sequence within a relatively short timeframe (less than 24 months) suggests a complex series of transactions.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

   • The Google Patents entry notes "Family has litigation," including cases filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2025. The most recent security interest to CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP was recorded 2025-04-08 (Reel 066600/0173). Without specific dates for the first infringement suit naming this patent, it's unclear if this transfer immediately preceded litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance, not dissolved in bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • While Nuance acquired VoiceBox, the transfer of this patent to VB Assets, LLC prior to Nuance's ownership, and then later a corrective assignment solidifying VB Assets, LLC's ownership, could indicate that VoiceBox's patent portfolio was partially spun off or managed by a separate entity for potential assertion. This is not definitively confirmed as privateering without more specific details on the agreements between VoiceBox/Nuance and VB Assets, LLC.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.

   • The current assignee is VB Assets, LLC, which does not appear to be a defensive aggregator. The security interest to Contingency Capital Fund A LP (Reel 066600/0173, recorded 2025-04-08) is also not indicative of a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The transfer from the operating company (VoiceBox Technologies Corporation) to "VB ASSETS, LLC" (Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25), the subsequent complex series of assignments and corrections involving VB Assets, LLC, and the recurring correspondents (ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, PERKINS COIE LLP) strongly indicate a shell entity involved in patent assertion. The current assignee, VB Assets LLC, and the security interest granted to Contingency Capital Fund A LP in 2025 (Reel 066600/0173) further support this, as these entities are not known for product development.

Verification: USPTO Assignment Center search for US8073681

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 8073681, I will focus on the references explicitly cited within the detailed description of US8073681 itself, as these are the ones the patent directly references as foundational or related technology. These citations typically indicate a direct relationship to the invention's components or methods.

The detailed description of US8073681 references the following three U.S. patent documents:

1. U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,409

   • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,409 B2, titled "Dynamic Speech Sharpening", issued December 15, 2009. The inventors are Michael Tjalve, Blane Ebersold, Chris Weider, Tom Freeman, and Larry Baldwin.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 31, 2006, and issued December 15, 2009.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes techniques for phonetic dictation to recognize a phoneme stream, which is used by the speech recognition engine (ASR 110) within the system of US8073681. It focuses on the underlying technology for converting spoken audio into preliminary textual interpretations.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US7634409 potentially anticipates the "speech recognition engine" component of US8073681's claims (e.g., in claims 1, 10, and 19), particularly the aspect of generating "preliminary interpretations of the utterance." However, US8073681's claims generally cover a broader system and method for a cooperative conversational interface that utilizes such a speech recognition engine, rather than inventing the engine itself. Therefore, while the mechanism for speech recognition may be anticipated, the novel combination of elements and the cooperative conversational aspects claimed in US8073681 are likely not fully anticipated by this reference.

2. U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160

   • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160 B2, titled "Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance", issued December 29, 2009. The inventors are Thomas K. Freeman, Michael S. Tjalve, and Larry E. Baldwin.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 5, 2005, and issued December 29, 2009.
   • Brief Description: This patent details systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterances, specifically concerning how "one or more context domain agents compete to determine a most appropriate domain for a given utterance" to establish meaning within a conversation. US8073681 explicitly states that its context determination process (255) is "as described in" this patent.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given the explicit reference in US8073681, US7640160 very likely anticipates the "context determination process" element found in claims 1, 10, and 19 of US8073681, particularly the mechanism involving "competing context domain agents." The core method for identifying and disambiguating conversational context appears to be established by this prior art. However, US8073681 differentiates itself by building upon this context determination within a larger cooperative conversational model that incorporates short-term and long-term shared knowledge, intelligent hypothesis building, and adaptive responses to create a more human-like interaction experience.

3. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,693 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,204)

   • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,774,204 B2, titled "Mobile Systems and Methods of Supporting Natural Language Human-Machine Interactions", issued August 10, 2010. The inventors are Thomas K. Freeman, Michael S. Tjalve, and Larry E. Baldwin.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 26, 2005, and issued August 10, 2010.
   • Brief Description: US8073681 cites this application in conjunction with U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160, indicating its relevance to the "context determination process." Its title suggests a focus on natural language human-machine interactions specifically tailored for mobile systems. This likely involves methods for understanding and responding to natural language, with potential considerations for the constraints or capabilities inherent in mobile environments.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to US7640160, this patent application (now issued patent) also appears to anticipate aspects of US8073681's "context determination process." The emphasis on "mobile systems" suggests it could detail specific approaches for context management or natural language processing in portable devices, which could be relevant to how US8073681 gathers and uses environmental or user profile information as part of its shared knowledge. However, as with the other cited prior art, the broader scope of US8073681's claims, particularly its comprehensive cooperative conversational model that actively builds and leverages shared knowledge for adaptive responses and conversational flow correction, goes beyond the specific focus of this reference.

General Assessment of Anticipation:
A definitive determination of anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a detailed, element-by-element comparison of each claim in US8073681 against the complete disclosure (specification, claims, and drawings) of each prior art reference. Based on the titles, descriptions, and the context in which these patents/applications are cited within US8073681, these references primarily establish prior art for fundamental components like speech recognition and natural language context determination. US8073681 builds upon these foundations by integrating them into a more sophisticated "cooperative conversational model" that explicitly includes features such as:

• Leveraging both short-term and long-term shared knowledge.
• Generating intelligent hypotheses about user intent with varying degrees of certainty.
• Building adaptive responses that not only fulfill requests but also frame subsequent interactions to guide the user and correct conversational missteps.
• Modeling human-to-human conversational behavior, including tolerating imperfect speech and adapting to user expression variations.

Therefore, while individual elements or sub-processes described in US8073681 may find their roots in these cited prior art documents, the combination and synergistic operation of these features to achieve a "cooperative conversational voice user interface" (as claimed in US8073681) may represent a non-anticipated advancement.

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US Patent 8073681

To assess the obviousness of US Patent 8073681, titled "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface," under 35 U.S.C. § 103, we must consider whether the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art, at the time the invention was made (priority date: October 16, 2006), would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA).

The '681 patent describes a sophisticated voice user interface aimed at achieving "cooperative conversations" analogous to human-to-human interaction, overcoming the limitations of earlier "Command and Control" systems. Key aspects include understanding free-form speech, tolerating noise and imperfect utterances, determining context through competing agents, building hypotheses based on shared knowledge (short-term and long-term), and generating adaptive, conversational responses that guide the user and correct misrecognitions.

The patent itself identifies several relevant prior art references:

1. US Patent 7,634,409 (formerly Ser. No. 11/513,269): "Dynamic Speech Sharpening," filed August 31, 2006, issued December 15, 2009. This reference describes techniques for a speech recognition engine (ASR) to interpret utterances using phonetic dictation to recognize a phoneme stream.
2. "Enhancing the VUETM (Voce-User-Experience) Through Conversational Speech" by Tom Freeman and Larry Baldwin: This publication is directly cited in the '681 patent in relation to the conversational speech engine, context domain agents, and vocabularies. Notably, Tom Freeman and Larry Baldwin are also inventors of US8073681.
3. US Patent 7,640,160 (formerly Ser. No. 11/197,504): "Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance," filed August 5, 2005, issued December 29, 2009. This patent explicitly teaches context determination using competing context domain agents and inferring intended operations/context based on previous utterances, along with updating short-term and long-term shared knowledge.
4. US Patent Application Ser. No. 11/212,693: "Mobile Systems and Methods of Supporting Natural Language Human-Machine Interactions," filed August (incomplete citation in the provided text). While incompletely cited, its title indicates clear relevance to natural language human-machine interaction, particularly in mobile contexts.

Combination of Prior Art and Motivation for Obviousness

A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in speech recognition, natural language processing (NLP), and human-computer interaction, at the time of the invention (2006), would have been motivated to combine the teachings of US 7,634,409, US 7,640,160, and the "Enhancing the VUETM" publication to arrive at the claimed invention of US 8073681.

The primary motivation stems directly from the problems articulated in the Background of the Invention section of US 8073681 itself: existing Human-to-Machine interfaces failed to provide intuitive, cooperative interaction; speech interfaces required significant user learning; users were forced to "dumb down" requests; and there was no genuine dialogue capability. A POSITA would seek to address these known deficiencies to create a more natural and effective voice user interface.

Let's examine how the combination would render the independent claims (Claims 1, 10, and 19) obvious:

1. Foundational Speech Recognition

• US 7,634,409 (Dynamic Speech Sharpening) serves as the foundation for the speech recognition engine (ASR) in US 8073681. This patent teaches interpreting utterances using "phonetic dictation to recognize a phoneme stream." A POSITA would readily integrate a robust ASR system like that described in '409 into any advanced voice user interface to convert spoken input into preliminary interpretations.

2. Contextual Understanding and Shared Knowledge

• US 7,640,160 (Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance) provides core elements for contextual understanding. It explicitly teaches that "one or more context domain agents compete to determine a most appropriate domain for a given utterance." Furthermore, it discusses inferring "intended operations and/or context based on previous utterances and/or requests" and updating "short-term and long-term shared knowledge."
  • This directly addresses the '681 patent's context determination process, including the use of competing context domain agents, inferring intent from previous utterances, and the concept of accumulating "short-term and long-term shared knowledge." The motivation for a POSITA to incorporate these features would be to allow the system to maintain conversational memory, avoid repeating errors, and establish meaning within an ongoing dialogue, thereby making the interaction more natural and less prone to misinterpretations.

3. Free-Form Voice Search and Enhanced Conversationality

• "Enhancing the VUETM (Voce-User-Experience) Through Conversational Speech" by Freeman and Baldwin: This publication, explicitly referenced in US 8073681, directly relates to the conversational speech engine, context domain agents, and vocabularies used for interpreting utterances and generating responses. Given its title and the co-authorship by inventors of the '681 patent, it would plausibly disclose or strongly suggest the techniques for handling "free form human utterances" – including specialized jargon, slang, variations in word order, and verbalized pauses or stuttered speech – which are central to the '681 patent's free-form voice search module.
  • A POSITA, aware of the need to move beyond restrictive command-and-control interfaces (as highlighted in '681), would be motivated to integrate these advanced NLP techniques (from 'VUE' and general art) with the robust ASR ('409) and contextual framework ('640). The goal is to allow users to express themselves in a natural, day-to-day language.
  • The concept of inferring requests from "incomplete or ambiguous requests" or "contradictory or otherwise inaccurate information" is a natural extension of a context-aware NLU system. Given that '640 teaches inferring intent, a POSITA would readily apply known NLU techniques to handle these imperfections in speech, such as using heuristics like "a last criterion is most likely to be correct" for mid-utterance changes.

4. Robustness to Noise and Adaptive Responses

• The noise tolerance module of US 8073681, which discards meaningless words/noise and filters environmental/non-human noise (including from multiple microphones), represents well-known techniques in robust speech recognition. A POSITA would understand that combining these standard noise reduction methods with the context determination process (from '640) would enhance accuracy by filtering out words that do not fit into the identified context, thus reducing confusion. The idea of defining "performance benchmarks based on human criteria" for such modules, while a specific implementation detail, represents an obvious goal for improving user experience in challenging acoustic environments.
• The adaptive response building in US 8073681, which generates "syntactically, grammatically, and contextually sensitive 'intelligent responses'" that adapt to a user's speaking manner, frame responses to influence replies, and correct misrecognitions, would also be obvious. The "Enhancing the VUE" publication, focused on improving the "Voice-User-Experience" through conversational speech, would strongly motivate the development of such adaptive and natural-sounding responses. A POSITA would aim to overcome the "incongruous input and output" problem, where input is conversational but output is "computerese," by using techniques like statistically rating and randomizing responses for "natural variation" and modeling misrecognition responses as "clarifications, rather than errors."

Conclusion

Based on the foregoing, a POSITA, motivated by the clear need for more intuitive and cooperative human-to-machine voice interfaces, would have been logically driven to combine the teachings of US Patent 7,634,409, US Patent 7,640,160, and the "Enhancing the VUETM (Voce-User-Experience) Through Conversational Speech" publication. This combination would encompass all the essential elements of the independent claims of US 8073681: a robust speech recognition front-end, a system for determining and maintaining conversational context using shared knowledge and competing domain agents, advanced natural language processing for understanding free-form and imperfect speech, and methods for generating adaptive, human-like responses that facilitate cooperative dialogue and correct conversational missteps. Therefore, the claimed invention in US Patent 8073681 would be rendered obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103.

For US patent 8073681, here's a detailed breakdown of its patent term adjustments, extensions, related applications, and projected expiration date based on the available information:

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA)

US patent 8073681 received a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) of 1217 days. This adjustment is granted to compensate patent holders for delays caused by the USPTO during the patent prosecution process, ensuring the patentee receives a full 20-year term from the earliest filing date.

Patent Term Extension (PTE)

There is no indication in the provided information that US patent 8073681 has received a Patent Term Extension (PTE). PTEs are typically granted for patents covering pharmaceutical products, medical devices, food additives, or color additives to compensate for time lost during premarket regulatory review by agencies like the FDA.

Continuation Applications

US patent 8073681 has at least one identified continuation application:

• US13/251,712: Filed on October 3, 2011, and titled "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface," this application claims priority from the same priority date as US8073681 (October 16, 2006). This application later issued as US Patent No. 8,515,765.

The Google Patents entry also lists several other applications with priority dates related to US8073681, which could be continuations, continuations-in-part, or divisionals, though their specific relationship to US8073681 (e.g., direct continuation) isn't always explicitly detailed as such in the provided snippets:

• US13/987,645 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2013-08-19)
• US14/691,445 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2015-04-20)
• US16/416,884 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2019-05-20)
• US16/417,178 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2019-05-20)
• US16/417,173 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2019-05-20)
• US16/555,125 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2019-08-29)
• US17/000,502 (Priority to US11/580,926: 2006-10-16, Priority to US13/251,712: 2011-10-03, Filing date: 2020-08-24)

Divisional Applications

The provided information does not explicitly identify any divisional applications for US patent 8073681. Divisional applications typically arise when an applicant elects to pursue different inventions disclosed in an original application in separate patents.

Related Family Members

US8073681 is related to a patent family that includes international applications and other US patents. Some of these family members, or patents that claim priority from the same foundational application (US11/580,926), include:

• US20080091406A1: The original publication of the application for US8073681.
• EP20070873538 (priority date 2007-10-16)
• PCT/US2007/081481 (priority date 2007-10-16)
• CN2007800423150A (priority date 2007-10-16)
• US Pat. No. 7,634,409: Cited within US8073681 as related to speech recognition techniques.
• US Pat. No. 7,640,160: Cited within US8073681 as related to context determination.
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,693 (which issued as US Pat. No. 7,774,204): Cited within US8073681 as related to mobile systems and natural language human-machine interactions.
• US Pat. No. 8,515,765: A continuation of US8073681's application.
• Other applications listed under the "Priority to US11/580,926" and "Priority to US13/251,712" sections in Google Patents are also related family members, indicating the patent owner's strategy to maintain a broad portfolio around this core invention.

Projected Expiration Date

The original patent term for US patent 8073681 would have been 20 years from its filing date of October 16, 2006, which would be October 16, 2026.

However, due to the 1217 days of Patent Term Adjustment, the adjusted expiration date for US8073681 is February 14, 2030.