Inventor sues tech companies over speech recognition tech

Mimzi, a company representing inventor Jim Geer’s IP, is suing multiple technology companies including Acer, HTC and Asustek Computer Inc.

The company claims the company’s devices, which use versions of Google Android and Microsoft Windows operating systems, infringe Mimzi’s patent for “phone assisted photographic memory”. According to the suits, Geer is the sole inventor of the patent.

The  complaints, all filed on Friday, February 8 in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, allege that the companies have infringed Mimzi’s patented technology which includes speech recognition technology in mobile devices.

Mimzi was granted the patent (US number 9,128,981) in July 2015 by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The patent covers systems for providing information in response to mobile device users’ spoken requests. According to the complaints, this technology was “neither routine nor conventional” until after the filing of the patent in 2008.

In the suits, Mimzi claimed that the defendants have since included new features in their products which infringe the patent, such as the Google voice assist function, and Microsoft’s voice assistant Cortana.

The company claimed that products such as mobile phones, computers and tablets which use Windows 10 and Windows Phone 8.1 operating systems infringe the patent since its registration in 2015.

The patent also covers speech recognition technology present in Google’s Android 4.1 mobile operating system and all later versions, the suit claimed.

According to the suit, the ‘981 patent covers the ability of a mobile device to identify the user’s location in response to a spoken request. All phones using Android 4.1 or later updates, which are configured to identify a user’s location using GPS, infringe Mimzi’s IP, the complaint said.

Mimzi is seeking judgment that the companies have infringed the ‘981 patent, as well as costs and damages.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.

Today's top stories:

Chris Aire in ‘Red Gold’ infringement case against Richemont

HBO fails to kill ‘Game of Stones’ ale TM

Universal Music targets Australian politician in copyright infringement suit