Patents and trade secrets
The BlueFox products are protected by five patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Other patents are in process. The granted patents are listed here:
| Title | Title Application Number | Filing Date | Patent Number | Issue Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOBILE DEVICE DETECTION AND TRACKING | 15/006,057 | 2016-01-25 | 9,769,625 | 2017-09-19 |
| MOBILE DEVICE DETECTION AND TRACKING | 15/426,945 | 2017-02-0 | 9,936,357 | 2018-04-03 |
| MOBILE DEVICE DETECTION AND TRACKING | 15/426,953 | 2017-02-07 | 10,395,278 | 2019-08-27 |
| MOBILE DEVICE DETECTION AND TRACKING | 15/681,076 | 2017-08-18 | 10,156,167 | 2018-12-18 |
| PASSIVE AND ACTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR PEOPLE-COUNTING | 15/823,478 | 2017-11-27 | 10,440,505 | 2019-10-08 |
One capability protected by our patents that is clearly differentiated is measurement of unique visitors in a manner consistent with GDPR certification. Measurement of unique visitors is especially valuable in many use cases because it permits individual behavior to be characterized in aggregate. For example, in out-of-home advertising the number of consumer “impressions” is a useful measurement. These impressions can be measured using Wi-Fi or using cameras. However, unlike cameras, BlueFox can also measure unique visitors and unique visitor recurrence which is a separate and useful dimension for advertisers.
A feature of patents is that the invention must be described in detail. Because small companies rarely have the financial resources to defend patents in court, BlueFox’s most valuable intellectual property is protected as trade secrets.
