February 28, 2000 - E-Pass Washington

E-PASS TECHNOLOGIES FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST


 3COM OVER PALM PILOT™ PATENT INFRINGEMENT

 

E-Pass Technologies, Inc. today filed a federal lawsuit against 3COM, Inc. alleging patent infringement by 3Com’s Palm Pilot™ family of personal digital assistants.  The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Founded by German entrepreneur Hartmut Hennige, E-Pass Technologies is a McLean, Virginia-based developer and marketer of “smart card” technology.  According to the company, 3Com’s popular Palm Pilot electronic organizers infringe on Hennige’s 1994 patent for a multifunction, credit card-sized computer that allows users to securely store a multitude of account numbers, PIN codes, access information and other data from multiple credit cards, check cards, identification cards and similar personal documents.

“Not only do 3Com’s products utilize the E-Pass patented technology, but 3Com advertises, promotes and sells its products with literature that instructs customers on how to use its products in ways described very specifically and in great detail in the 1994 patent,” said Stephen Weiss, an attorney for E-Pass with the New York firm of Moses & Singer.  “Our suit today seeks to stop 3Com from willfully infringing on the E-Pass patent and ensure that E-Pass and Mr. Hennige are compensated fairly for 3Com’s misappropriation of their intellectual property.”

 U.S. Patent No. 5,276,311 - Claim #20

Palm Pilot™
A device for selecting data from a plurality of data sources such as credit cards, check cards, customer cards, identity cards, documents, keys, access information and master keys comprising: The Palm Pilot it used to select data  from a plurality of sources such as phonebook, address book, datebook, to do list, memo pad, expense.
An electronic multifunction card, said card having storage means for storing a data set from each of the plurality of data sources, said card having at least one display area for displaying said stored data set; The Palm Pilot is in the shape of a “card” and has a non-volatile memory for storing sets of data for each application; the Palm Pilot also has a display area for displaying the stored data.
Input means for producing a secret code; The Palm Pilot has input means for receiving and recognizing characters, including a password;
activating means for activating said card for use; The Palm Pilot is password protected and has means to activate the device;
processing means responsive to said secret code for enabling said activating means; The Palm Pilot is activated in response to the password;
selection means for selecting a predetermined one of said stored data sets in said activated card; and The Palm Pilot has means for selecting one of the applications which, in turn, accesses a respective data set for that application, once the Palm Pilot is activated by the password; and
display means for displaying said selected data set on the card in said display area. The Palm Pilot displays the accessed data on the display thereof.