Auto Tech Company Wins Eligibility Challenge to Rival’s Patent

A Tennessee district court judge invalidated a patent covering an inventory management system, delivering a win to Procon Analytics LLC in a dispute with a rival automotive telematics company.

Judge Jon McCalla in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee dismissed the case after finding Spireon Inc.’s U.S. Patent No. 10,089,598 is invalid because it covers only an abstract idea.

“The ’598 Patent is directed to tasks inherent to the business practice and process of vehicle inventory management that have been available as long as the existence of car dealerships,” McCalla wrote in a Tuesday order. ...