Tracking Patent in Tile Infringement Suit is Ruled to Be Abstract

The location tracking patent involved in an infringement lawsuit against Tile Inc. covers only an abstract idea, a California federal judge said in dismissing the complaint.

U.S. Patent No. 10,163,318 is drawn to the abstract idea of tracking or locating an object, and lacked in inventive concept, Judge James Donato in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said.

Covering a cloud-based system for finding an object with a wireless tag, the patent embodies the “time-honored concept” of using markers to avoid losing things, Donato said. He drew comparisons to placing an identification card in a wallet. ...