Samsung Electronics received a patent lawsuit from Fat Statz, LLC, a healthcare company based in California, alleging the Samsung Health app which is preloaded in some of Samsung’s phones uses their patented technology.
Fat Statz is represented by Capshaw Derieux and the petition was filed in the Eastern District of Texas. The company formed in 2002 as BodySpex; the complaint says “its mission was to address the motivational needs of people with health and fitness goals.” The patent involved in the case is U.S. Patent No. 9,757,066 which was issued in 2017 and is currently owned by Fat Statz. The technology in the patent was allegedly developed by Fat Statz to provide immediate motivating feedback, giving a reward for diet or exercising. It allows a user to compare real-time data with others and places them into various ranks.
“The claims of the ‘066 patent … are directed to a system that includes a biometric device … with the capability to generate and utilize an actively defined data set, allows users to utilize specific filters that generate a filtered data subset based on a specific filter and provide changeable rankings and positions. The systems claimed in the ‘066 patent are further directed to a system that includes a biometric device, such as a pedometer, with hardware and software being a specific and substantial improvement over the prior art and generic computers,” the complaint says. Fat Statz claims the technology in the patent could help lower the number of adults in the United States who are overweight because it fills the need for a tangible motivational system. They also claim the inventions in the patent are unique and are an “inventive concept.”
Fat Statz says the Samsung Health App is found in the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy Note series, the Galaxy A series, the Galaxy Z series, and “wearables” including some Galaxy watches and Galaxy Fit. They allege Samsung has been selling these products which are embedded with the Health App which uses technology in claims 1 and 3 of the Fat Statz’s patent.
The complaint seeks a judgment in their favor and for Samsung to pay for damages. Samsung was served on April 15, and their answer is due on May 6th.
