Plaintiff Tactus Technologies filed a complaint against Samsung for patent infringement. The suit is filed in the Texas Eastern District Court. Tactus is represented by Bragalone Conroy.
The patent-in-suit is U.S. Patent No. 9,696,847 (the ’847 patent), entitled, “User-Defined Gesture Enablement Protocols for Touch Input Device.” The patent “relate[s] to a new and novel user interface method for unlocking an electronic device, such as a smartphone, via a pattern.” The patented technology fixes weaknesses in the previous way this was done.
Tactus Technologies alleged that Samsung has directly and willfully infringed, as well as inducing consumers to indirectly infringe on its patent. For example, Samsung infringes on Claim 13 of the patent by “testing…the pattern lock feature in its smartphones with Pattern Lock functionality.” The complaint stated that Samsung told users how to use the Pattern Lock technology in user guides and on its website, thus causing consumers to indirectly infringe on the patent. Tactus Technologies explained that one of its patents calls for a method “defining an enablement protocol for a function of an electronic device, said enablement protocol comprising a user-defined gesture for touch input…displaying at least two visual indicators on the touch-sensitive area of the display screen indicative of a plurality of different possible gestures.” Samsung’s option to swipe with no password or pattern, or to use a pattern, pin, or password illustrate that there are multiple options for users, as described in the language of the patent; Tactus Technologies believes this demonstrates Samsung’s infringement.
As a result of this alleged infringement and Samsung’s failure to act to repair the situation by changing the infringing products, Tactus Technologies seeks an award for damages and any additional relief.
This is not the only recent patent case concerning a core smartphone technology. NavBlazer sued a number of cell phone manufacturers over their use of mapping applications.
