Electronics giant Sony is facing a patent infringement lawsuit over its Xperia XZ3 cell phone’s adaptive battery. Syclone IP LLC alleged that Sony appropriated its adaptive battery management system that tailors battery levels from users’ charging habits. The case is being held in the Southern District of New York before Judge Ronnie Abrams. Syclone is represented by The Law Office of Nicholas Loaknauth.
The patent-in-suit is U.S. Patent No. 8,941,363 (the ‘363 patent). Titled “Device Battery Management,” the patented invention “comprises a system and method for providing battery management for a device.” Sony’s Xperia XZ3 is accused of infringing upon the ‘363 patent by “determining a device battery top-off charge trigger associated with the device” and its battery. This means that the mobile phone learns a user’s charging habits and approximates when the device will be disconnected from its charger.
According to a chart in the complaint, keeping a mobile device perpetually charged to 100% can damage its battery, so it is optimal to keep the charge at 90% over longer periods of time (like when a user is asleep). The Xperia XZ3 phone learns a user’s charging habits to determine when to keep the battery level at 90% and when to provide a full charge. Syclone accused Sony’s phone of including “a machine readable non-transitory medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to provide battery management for the device.”
As a result of Sony’s alleged patent infringement, Syclone seeks an award of compensatory damages and an order permanently enjoining the company from further violations.
