Nearly two decades
of examination.
The 898 patent did not arrive quickly. It survived eighteen years of substantive examination, claim refinement, and adversarial review. That is what foundational patents look like.
A patent, told in years.
While the creator economy was being built around it, the 898 architecture moved through every level of substantive U.S. patent review.
Filing → issuance → defense.
Each phase tightened the claims. The patent that issued is narrower, harder, and more defensible than the application that was filed.
- 01Phase 01Application filed
Original specification filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, claiming advertising opportunities tied to digital content with predetermined inventory.
- 02Phase 02Substantive examination
Examiner review begins. Prior art search, claim mapping, statutory analysis.
- 03Phase 03Office actions
Multiple rounds of office actions and substantive rejections — the normal posture of a foundational application.
- 04Phase 04Amendments & evidence
Claim amendments narrowing scope, declarations, evidence of nonobviousness.
- 05Phase 05Examiner allowance
Allowance issued by the examiner after exhaustive review.
- 06Phase 06Issuance — Patent 11,416,898
Patent granted by the USPTO. Active and enforceable.
- 07Phase 07PTAB challenge
Post-grant proceedings initiated. Patents covering foundational digital infrastructure are routinely tested at the PTAB.
- 08Phase 08Oral hearing
Substantive oral argument presented before the Board.
- 09Phase 09Federal Circuit path
Appellate avenues available; record continues to develop.