Vringo Strengthens Patent Portfolio with the Issuance of Third U.S. Patent
Vringo’s Growing Mobile Patent Portfolio Now Includes 3 Issued U.S. Patents and Over 20 Patent Applications in the U.S. and Around the World
NEW YORK — October 19, 2011 — Vringo, Inc. (NYSE Amex: VRNG), a provider of software platforms for mobile social and video applications, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has issued the Company a new patent covering aspects of its mobile video and mobile personalization technologies.
Vringo’s newly issued patent expands upon the intellectual property surrounding Vringo’s first patent, which was awarded in June 2010. The patent specifically relates to core features of Vringo’s video ringtone sharing technology, which enables a user to select media content to be played on a friend’s mobile device and vice versa. While both patents relate to this same functionality, the newly issued patent achieves the same result on newer, more capable smartphones at the same time that the device is handling the complexity of an incoming call.
“We are extremely pleased to have received our third U.S. patent,” said Jon Medved, Chief Executive Officer of Vringo. “We believe this patent provides additional protection for our video ringtone service and our broader applications for personalizing the mobile experience for users around the globe. Although mobile apps weren’t widely known when we first filed this patent in 2007, they now represent a significant revenue source in the mobile phone economy. Vringo’s technology seeks to significantly enhance the core functionality that people tend to forget is at the heart of all cell phones – the phone call itself.”
“The issuance of this patent provides us with a competitive advantage as we continue to expand our core mobile video technology into new areas such as our increasingly popular Facetones product, which integrates with Facebook,” said Andrew Perlman, Vringo’s President. “For a small company, we have produced a significant amount of intellectual property and we intend to continue expanding our patent portfolio to protect our core technologies. The ability to play video on a mobile device based on a friend’s preferences has broad utility in the growing world of mobile apps, and involves a complex process since it’s done during the intensive time that a phone is simultaneously receiving an incoming call.”
The USPTO issued Vringo U.S. Patent No. 8,041,401 entitled “Personalization Content Sharing System and Method” on October 18, 2011, which will expire no earlier than February 2027. This is the third of Vringo’s patent applications to be issued by the USPTO. Vringo also has over 20 active patent applications in the U.S. and around the world, including one U.S. provisional application and five patent applications filed in other countries that are pending.
Vringo’s two previously issued patents are U.S. Patent No. 7,761,816, issued on July 20, 2010, and U.S. Patent No. 7,877,746, issued on January 25, 2011. These patents cover the core features of Vringo’s video ringtone sharing capabilities, and the personalization of standard compiled and signed software application downloads, respectively.
About Vringo
Vringo (NYSE Amex: VRNG) is a provider of software platforms for mobile social and mobile video services. With its award-winning video ringtone application and other mobile software platforms – including Facetones™, Video Remix and Fan Loyalty – Vringo transforms the basic act of making and receiving mobile phone calls into a highly visual, social experience. Vringo’s video ringtone service enables users to create or take video, images and slideshows from virtually anywhere and turn it into their visual call signature. In a first for the mobile industry, Vringo has introduced its patented VringForward technology, which allows users to share video clips with friends with a simple call. Vringo’s Facetones™ product creates an automated video slideshow using friends’ photos from social media web sites, which is played each time a user makes or receives a mobile call. Vringo’s Video ReMix application, in partnership with music artists and brands, allows users to create their own music video by tapping on a Smartphone or tablet. Lastly, Fan Loyalty is a platform that lets users interact, vote and communicate with contestants in reality TV series that it partners with, as well as downloading and setting clips from such shows as video ringtones. Vringo’s video ringtone application has been heralded by The New York Times as “the next big thing in ringtones” and USA Today said it has “to be seen to be believed.” For more information, visit: www.vringo.com
For comprehensive investor relations material, including fact sheets, white papers, conference calls and video regarding Vringo and its applications, please follow the appropriate link: Investor Portal, White Paper, Overview Video and Facetones Video.
Contacts:
Company Contact:
Vringo, Inc.
Aaron Godfrey, Director of Communications
646-525-4319 x 2547
Email: agodfrey@vringo.com
Skype: agodfrey_vringo
Twitter: @vringo
Financial Communications:
Trilogy Capital Partners, Inc.
Darren Minton, President
Toll-free: 800-592-6067
info@trilogy-capital.com
