Dot 23 Technologies, which is a non-practicing body situated in Texas, is targeting Apple to hearing for using Siri into iPhones. Allegedly, a practical assistant's voice dialing and geolocation capabilities transgress on the 3 patents.
According to Apple Insider, Dot 23's '903 patent is somewhat diverse from Apple in a sense that it covers an information service, which is suitable for serving up "geographic-related" data on demand. The IP describes a system by which users can query an automated service to discover points of interest in specific areas, for instance, in a "Chinese restaurant in Northern California." Geolocation hardware may not be mentioned, as the patent relies on cell tower data.
So when comparing that to Apple's modern implementation, Siri is capable to survey a user's location through GPS and related means. It may also query an Internet-based POI database, pull up directions in Maps and guide users to many options of destination. Apple has been targeted in a patent infringement complaint centering on its voice recognition technology Siri.
The complaint, compiled in Scribd, is filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for Apple. Dot 23 Technologies, a Texas-based company is accusing Apple of infringing their three patents. The patents which they claimed infringed are US numbers 6,917,802; 7,245,903; and 6,405,029. They all relate to "among other things, and voice control of wireless telephones", according to the complaint, filed on January 20, 2016. Among the Apple products directly named in the lawsuit are the iPhone 4, 5 and 6.
"These products infringe at least one claim of the [patents], at least by providing the capability to use voice recognition to program the operation of the voice recognition and voice dialing aspects of an iPhone 6 with Siri," the complaint suggested as claimed by WIPR. But the lawsuit does not submit evidence claiming Apple had previous knowledge of the patents being questioned. Apple has noted that the filing itself serves as notification of infringement.
Meanwhile, Dot 23 is seeking damages with interest and fees from Apple. And as of the moment, the lawsuit has not yet been assigned a judge.
