Autonomous Systems Without Governance

AMRs, industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, and surgical platforms increasingly execute real-world physical actions — moving, altering trajectory, displacing objects — without any standardized mediation layer between AI inference and actuation.

2013

Priority Date

Predates the commercial AMR boom by ~5 years

$158M

Brokered Market

Total 2024 patent transactions (Richardson Oliver)

13

Independent Claims

Across 2 granted patents, 4+ family filings

The Patent Architecture — Two Granted Grants

US12086834B2 — Parent Patent

Granted Sep 10, 2024 · Expires Apr 19, 2034 · 20 claims (3 independent)

Core architecture: Sensing + Metadata + Action → Real-World Effect. Claim 1 defines a sensing network, a sensed-event processing system encapsulating events with rich metadata (time, location, threat level, human danger level), and a decision support system generating user-selectable action options that "actuate and effect an action in the real-world external to the system."

US12340395B2 — Child Patent

Granted Jun 24, 2025 · Expires Nov 8, 2033 · 23 claims (3 independent)

Three independent claims span apparatus, system, and method. Claim 1 covers a "robotic user... notification processing system... communicate selectable action options... such that the selection... would cause the machine to move, alter its movement, or move or physically alter an object external to the vehicle."

Claim 19 (Method) covers sensing, encapsulating, communicating action options, and effecting machine movement — method claims can survive product design-arounds.

20

Claims

Parent

23

Claims

Child

2013

Priority Date

Parent patent priority

Investment Thesis, Risk Register & IP Transaction Partners

Portfolio Strengths

2013 Priority Date

Predates the commercial AMR boom. Amazon, Locus, and MiR deployments from 2018 onward are potential infringement targets.

Robotics-Specific Claims

"Robotic user," "vehicle controlled by a computer," "alters movement/trajectory/position" — not a general notification patent stretched to fit robotics.

Method Claim (Claim 19)

Covers sensing, encapsulating, communicating action options, and effecting machine movement. Survives product design-arounds.

User = Software Intelligence

Explicit definition in US12086834B2 extends reach to fully autonomous AI-controlled systems without human-in-the-loop.

Continuation Strategy Available

Family is alive with continuation potential to draft narrower claims targeting specific competitor architectures.

Defining the category of Deterministic Runtime Governance™ for Autonomous AI.