2013年9月30日Gatekeeper Systems, Inc. (以下稱Gatekeeper)，於美國南加州地方法院(United States District Court, Southern District of California)向Carttronics LLC與Carttronics, Inc. (以下稱Carttronics)提起專利侵權訴訟，指控Carttronics侵害Gatekeeper所擁有的US8,463,540 (以下簡稱’540專利)與US8,417,445 (以下簡稱’445專利)兩篇美國專利。
Gatekeeper是一家高解析影像保全與安全系統與解決方案之供應商，提供具有同步化、即時、影音功能之感測系統軟體技術，作為安全與保全系統之分析與反應基準。其主要業務分為兩部份，其一為車輛移動視頻監控系統，另一方面則是軍事、石油、天然氣等極端環境之操作監控與分析系統。Gatekeeper控告Carttronics侵權之兩項系爭專利’540專利與’445專利，其專利名稱分別為「追蹤輪動車輛位置與狀態之雙向傳播系統(Two-way communication system for tracking locations and statuses of wheeled vehicles)」，以及「傳播人力驅動車輛移動監控系統(System for communicating with and monitoring movement of human-propelled vehicles)」，兩系爭專利皆是與商店購物推車防盜與商品防竊相關之技術。
被告Carttronics則是一家提供零售業者管理倉儲與展售產品、減少貨物偷竊之安全系統供應商。其提供之管理系統包括推車監控與管理系統CAPS與CIMS、防止商品被偷竊之PSPS系統以及遠端商店監控與保全系統Storeport等解決方案。
Gatekeeper於訴狀中指控Carttronics之CAPS、CIMS、PSPS與Storeport等系統所使用之技術與本案兩系爭專利相同，Carttronics未經Gatekeeper授權即製造、使用、銷售、進口與提供販售該等系統，已然直接侵害’540專利與’445專利。此外，Carttronics之客戶也由於購買與使用上述侵權產品，而產生直接侵權行為，因此Carttronics也成立幫助侵權與教唆侵權行為。Gatekeeper請求法院核發暫時與永久禁制令，排除Carttronics之侵權行為，且Carttronics需支付專利侵害損害賠償與訴訟相關費用。(1244字；表2)
表一、系爭專利為美國專利編號US8,463,540、US8,417,445
| 專利名稱 |
Two-way communication system for tracking locations and statuses of wheeled vehicles |
System for communicating with and monitoring movement of human-propelled vehicles |
| 公開號 |
US8,463,540 |
US8,417,445 |
| 出版類型 |
授權 |
授權 |
| 申請書編號 |
11/277,016 |
12/202,044 |
| 發佈日期 |
2013年6月11日 |
2013年4月09日 |
| 申請日期 |
2006年3月20日 |
2008年8月29日 |
| 優先權日期 |
無 |
無 |
| 其他專利公開號 |
無 |
無 |
| 發明人 |
Hannah; Stephen E., Carter; Scott J., James; Jesse M. |
Hannah; Stephen E., Carter; Scott J., James; Jesse M. |
| 原專利權人 |
Gatekeeper Systems, Inc. |
Gatekeeper Systems, Inc. |
| 圖示 |
 |
 |
Source: 科技政策研究與資訊中心 — 科技產業資訊室整理，2013/10
表二、請求項解析
| US8,417,445請求項1 |
| 1. A method of inhibiting theft of merchandise contained in a shopping cart, the method comprising: monitoring a location of a shopping cart in a store via bi-directional radio frequency communications with communication circuitry of the shopping cart; automatically determining whether the shopping cart is authorized to exit the store based, at least in part, on whether the shopping cart passed through a checkout zone before proceeding to an exit of the store, as determined from said monitoring, said checkout zone corresponding in location to a checkout area of the store, and being created via radio frequency transmissions from an antenna mounted at said checkout area, wherein the automatic determination of whether the shopping cart is authorized to exit the store is made without determining whether a payment transaction has actually occurred; and when the shopping cart is determined to not be authorized to exit the store, automatically taking an action to inhibit theft. |
1. 一種防止購物推車內商品被偷竊之方法，該方法包括：以購物推車之傳播電路傳播雙向射頻，以監測該手推車在商店內之位置；至少以該購物推車在離該該商店前先通過結帳區域之基礎，自動確認該購物推車是否是被授權離開，當從該監測中確認該結帳區域與商店之結帳區位置相同，且是經由該結帳區所配置之天線傳送之無線射頻所產生，該購物推車是否是被授權離開該商店之自動確認完成，而未確認付款交易是否實際發生；而當購物推車被確認為未獲得授權離開商店時，將自動採取避免竊盜之行動。
|
| US8,463,540請求項1 |
| 1. A system for use on a shopping cart to enable movement of the shopping cart to be monitored and controlled, the system comprising: a shopping cart wheel; a braking mechanism configured to inhibit movement of the shopping cart; and electronic circuitry coupled to the braking mechanism, said electronic circuitry configured to detect signals that reflect a current location of the shopping cart wheel, and to transmit status messages via a wireless radio frequency (RF) link, including status messages reflective of said signals detected by the electronic circuitry, said electronic circuitry comprising: a Very Low Frequency (VLF) receiver configured to detect VLF signals transmitted by a VLF transmitter; an RF transceiver configured to communicate bi-directionally over the wireless RF link in a frequency band that falls substantially higher than a VLF frequency band; and a controller coupled to the VLF receiver, the RF transceiver, and the braking mechanism, said controller configured to control the braking mechanism; wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to determine, based at least in part on messages received over the RF link with the RF transceiver, whether to respond to detection of a VLF signal by the VLF receiver by activating the braking mechanism. |
1.一種用在購物推車上，可監視與控制購物推車之系統，該系統包括：一購物推車車輪；一制動機制，用以禁止該購物推車移動；以及偶合到該制動機制之電子電路，該電子電路可偵測反應該購物推車車輪現在位置之訊號，並經由無線射頻傳送狀態訊息，包括反應該藉由電子電路偵測到的訊號之狀態訊號，該電子電路包括：一極低頻接收器，用以偵測經由極低頻發射器所傳送之極低頻訊號；一射頻傳送器，可在一頻寬中，雙向傳播聯通無線射頻，該頻寬高於一超低頻之頻寬；以及一耦合至該超低頻接受器、射頻傳送器與該制動機制之控制器，該控制器用以控制該制動機制；該電子電路以至少部份經由射頻連接之射頻傳送器所接受到之訊號，決定是否對於一經由超低頻接受器所偵測到的超低頻訊號做出啟動制動裝置之反應。
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表三、專利訴訟案件基本資料：
| 訴訟名稱 |
Gatekeeper Systems, Inc. V. Carttronics Llc, Carttronics, Inc. |
| 提告日期 |
2013年10月21日 |
| 原告 |
Gatekeeper Systems, Inc. |
| 被告 |
Carttronics LLC, Carttronics, Inc. |
| 案號 |
'13CV2531 BEN JMA |
| 訴訟法院 |
United States District Court, Southern District of California |
| 系爭專利 |
US8,463,540、US8,417,445 |
| 系爭產品 |
CAPS、CIMS、PSPS與Storeport等系統 |
| 訴狀下載 |
 |
Source: 科技政策研究與資訊中心 — 科技產業資訊室整理，2013/10
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