Icontrol says it is victor in patent fight with Alarm.com

Icontrol Networks says it has won its patent fight with Alarm.com. Alarm.com says the solution to the "fight" was the result of a settlement with icontrol dated Jan. 1, 2014.

In the latest activity, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this month canceled claims to Alarm.com's claims to a patent about the use of a mobile app in smart home systems, saying the system was developed instead by icontrol.

Icontrol has been issued a new patent, covering methods and systems for interacting and synchronizing with home security and automation systems using mobile applications, according to icontrol.

“Recognition of icontrol as the inventor of this key mobile application technology for home control is a testament to the strength of our intellectual property, “ Richard Mosher, icontol's general counsel, said in a prepared statement. “Early investments in developing our intellectual property portfolio have resulted in some of the earliest patent awards for cloud- and mobile-connected home solutions.”

The new icontol patent defines the mechanisms needed to deliver a mobile application that synchronizes with a premise security system, presents security system state information to the user and enables the user to in some way control the system.

“We focused on delivering home automation and remote control for mobile and cloud long before they were technology buzzwords, and we're happy to see the USPTO recognizes our early leadership,” Bob Hagerty, icontrol CEO said in the statement.

Icontrol, contacted by Security Systems News, declined to comment further on the ruling beyond its prepared statement.

Alarm.com announced in 2014 that it had and settled and dismissed all patent infringement lawsuits between the two companies, including litigation involving Telular Corp. and FrontPoint Security.

"As part of the agreement, Alarm.com and iControl each retain all ownership and rights to their respective patents and have also expanded their respective portfolios of licensed intellectual property via certain cross-licensing agreements. The patents included in the cross-license agreement represent some of the earliest, seminal intellectual property for Connected Home technology today. The respective CEOs of each company commented that they were pleased to reach resolution around these serious intellectual property matters and each company is looking forward to refocusing on its customer's deployments," Alarm.com said in the prepared statement.

Alarm.com declined to comment further.