EXCLUSIVE: FotoIN receives patent for mobile media and data capturing system

Interview with Sly and Danielle Barisic in San Diego at MCAA 2017. 

After working on the application process for over four years, enterprise tech company FotoIN received a US patent covering mobile media and data capturing management systems on Tuesday, May 16, 2017.

FotoIN solely focuses their technology around visual documentation on mobile devices. Through their (now legally patented) systems and methods, users can automatically capture contextual data with photos from the job site and leverage that data for automated filing and other workflows.

As one can expect, CEO and founder Sly Barisic is thrilled about what this patent means for FotoIN and its customers. “In field-heavy industries like construction and insurance, there is a growing competition with continuous introduction of new field and productivity technologies. Proprietary and legally protected intellectual property will give FotoIN’s customers the assurances they are looking for in buying new technology and provide FotoIN’s products with long-term market exclusivity,” said Barisic.

A couple of those customers Barisic refers to are AEC giants AECOM and ATI Restoration, and they seem to benefit from using FotoIN. “We are saving time retrieving photos thanks to the automated sync to our SalesForce and Egnyte services,” said Vice president of IT at ATI Restoration, John Mourani. “All the data within the photos is searchable, making them easier to find. FotoIN allows us to improve field and office productivity, and better serve our clients.”

What does FotoIN receiving this patent mean for other companies leveraging visual field reporting platforms? According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, one could be sued for infringement. “Patent infringement is the act of making, using, selling, or offering to sell a patented invention … A person ‘infringes’ a patent by practicing each element of a patent claim with respect to one of these acts.”

Some US patents cover just one element of a technology, such as one feature or function. This one, however, protects the intellectual property of “FotoIN as a system — as a mobile media and data capturing management method and system,” explained Barisic.

“Using smart devices and photos to capture actionable information in construction and other field-heavy industries is going to be even more prevalent and ubiquitous now.” And with the newly issued patent, Barisic believes FotoIN “will be the leading technology provider of end-to-end, automated systems for easy mobile photo documentation and reporting in the field.”