INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
ZONAR SUES SYNOVIA SOLUTIONS FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT ON STUDENT TRACKING SOLUTION
Z
onar Systems announced in May that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Synovia Solutions LLC to seek “all available remedies including injunc-
tive relief ” related to Zonar’s ZPass student tracking product. Zonar is accusing Synovia of infringing
on U.S. Patent No. 6,502,030, under which Zonar developed and deployed Z Pass. Te patent was granted to inventor Tom Hilleary on Dec. 31, 2002 for developing a Web- based vehicle tracking system with a passen- ger identification device that registers when a passenger boards or disembarks a vehicle. Mike King, Zonar’s general counsel, said it has since retained Hilleary as a consultant. “Zonar is the sole owner of U.S. Patent
Number 6,502,030, on which they have filed suit against Synovia for patent in- fringement,” added King. “Zonar developed the products which they offer for sale that practice the ‘030 patent from 2007 forward.” Te case was filed in California: E.D. Cal, 2:14-at-00591.
Synovia President and CEO Jon King said the company had no comment at this report as attorneys were still reviewing the suit. Meanwhile, Zonar announced at Te
ZONE 2014, the company’s second an- nual user conference held in April, that its next-generation ZPass 2.0 can now help school districts process Medicaid reimburse- ments for school bus riders with special needs. Matt Flaminio, president of Medicaid
billing firm Go Solutions Group, told attendees that ZPass 2.0 had been released for testing and is scheduled to launch by the coming school year. Te student-tracking program includes performance improve- ments that allow districts to more easily capture the necessary data to submit Medic- aid reimbursement claims. In addition, Brinton announced that
Zonar would introduce a new product by June to provide parents an IOS and Android app that predicts school bus arrival times.
FIVE CHILDREN DIE IN SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION- RELATED ACCIDENTS IN THREE WEEKS
O
n May 2, Seleny Crosby, 10, of South Jordan, Utah succumbed to injuries sustained after being hit by a school bus. On April 30 the Welby Elementary student exited her bus and attempted to cross the road when a second bus struck her. Te driver of the second bus did not see the girl, according to South Jordan police. Her driver had activated the bus’ four-way hazard flash- ers as the students were unloading, he said, but not the stop signs or flashing lights. In April, four children died in school
transportation–related accidents in one week. On April 15, a school bus driver in Univer- sal City, located near San Antonio, Texas, hit one of his student riders in front of her apartment building. Te Judson Independent School District
said 6-year-old Jada Craft was struck as she waited for her bus. Police said the first-grader may have been Ø Pg. 34
32 School Transportation News June 2014
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