News tagged ‘патент’
Apple patents ambidextrous mouse
New Apple’s patent tells us about an ambidextrous mouse capable recognizing whether you are holding the thing with your right or your left hand.
Motorola sues Apple. Now every mobile company is suing every other company.
Recently Motorola announced that it has filed suit against Apple over alleged infringement of a number of patents by a range of Apple products, such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and certain Mac computers.
Supplier Denies Shipping iMac Touchscreens to Apple
DigiTimes reports that Sintek Photronics has denied claims from late last week that the company has shipped samples of touchscreen panels to Apple for testing in a touch-capable iMac. Barry Wu, VP and spokesperson of Sintek Photronics has denied reports that the company is sampling projected capacitive touch panels for Apple's iMac. Rumors appeared after new Apple patent application, which suggested that the company is at least toying with the idea of a touch-capable iMac. It has been suggested that the company could instead a fully touch-capable Mac OS X offer iOS as layer on top of Mac OS X, allowing both operating systems to coexist on the same machine.
New Apple TV's Component Cost Pegged at $64
Research firm iSuppli estimated the component costs for the new Apple TV at under $64, representing a 35% margin on the new device before accounting for such expenses as research and development, software, patent royalties, marketing costs. The most expensive components in the new Apple TV are the A4 processor that powers the device ($16.55) and the 8 GB NAND flash memory chip ($14.00). It is worthwhile to say that Intel’s Pentium Chip ($40) plus the chipset ($28) on the previous model alone cost more than the whole new AppleTV today ($99 new vs. $299 old).
Apple Granted Patent For iDevice Which Recognizes Users’ Hands
As Engadget reports, Apple has recently been granted a patent for a pretty clever concept. It’s a “handheld device” which can recognize different users just from the way they hold it. Once the device knows its user’s identity, it can then personalize button areas that match whichever fanboy is currently gripping it.
Apple Patents: iPad with Landscape Docking, Smart Bezel Feature
Patently Apple does what they do and this morning they uncovered some patents that provide a peak into the future of the iPad. The first is a second 30-pin dock connector port on the left side of the iPad for landscape/horizontal docking.
Control iPhone Apps With Your BRAIN (video)
You could argue that the iPhone's biggest UI leap was turning the user's finger into a stylus. Now, with the PLX XWave headest, you can turn your BRAIN into the stylus.
The XWave is an external device that is supposed to control Apple iDevices just by using your mind.
Patent suit challenges motion-based input with Apple's iPhone 4
A new lawsuit takes aim at the accelerometer- and gyroscope-powered abilities of Apple's iPhone 4, alleging that the interactive, three-dimensional input methods are in violation of a U.S. patent. The lawsuit, filed this week by Triton Tech of Texas, names both Apple and Nintendo as defendants. Triton is the owner of U.S. Patent No. 5,181,181, entitled "Computer Apparatus Input Device for Three-Dimensional Information."
That patent describes a handheld device that includes multiple accelerometers and angular rate sensors for detecting positioning and motion. By interpreting acceleration, velocity and relative position of the device, it can allow users to interact with a computer or other device with six degrees of motion in a three-dimensional space.
Triton's lawsuit only specifically singles out the iPhone 4 from Apple as an infringing device, though it implies that other devices could be in violation. Apple's iPod touch and iPad also include accelerometers that are used for input.
Owner of location-based advertising patent targets Apple's iAds
Apple and its iAds mobile advertising service are the target of a new lawsuit from a company that owns a patent related to location-based ads. Apple was named in the lawsuit from StreetSpace, along with Quattro Wireless, which is now being phased out in favor of iAds. Other defendants include Google, AdMob, Nokia, Navteq, Millenial Media and Jumptap.
StreetSpace is the creator of a remote Internet terminal the Web Station. Users can walk up to one of these terminals to access the Internet, and are delivered targeted advertisements in the process. The suit alleges that iAds service, launched on July 1, is in violation of StreetSpace patent because it delivers personalized advertisements based on a user's location, profile and usage history.
Related to that invention is U.S. Patent No. 6,847,969, which StreetSpace has alleged Apple is in violation of. Named "Method and System for Providing Personalized Online Services and Advertisements in Public Spaces," it was granted on Jan. 25, 2005.
Microsoft Co-Founder Sues 11 companies, including Apple
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and owner of a patent licensing company Interval Licensing, has filed a suit against 11 companies, including Apple, over several patents related to Web search technologies and e-commerce.
Apple files a New Patent for iMac Touch
Recently we’ve talked about the rumors that Apple is planning to release a new iMac with multitouch display, which will run on iOS 4 over OS X to use sensory capabilities. It seems that we’ll finally see the touchscreen computer from Apple. A new interesting patent has just been spoken about, which shows the iMac with multitouch display called "Apple iMac Touch".
Now Apple says nothing about this device, yet it is only a patent, so we do not know exactly how much time it will need to start producing it.
Apple Discloses Methods for Transitioning Between Mouse-Based and Touch Interfaces
Apple could be planning to introduce touchscreens to the iMac by way of a hybrid interface, a recently discovered patent application suggests. The company notes that despite the usefulness of a touch slide off-screen interface, a mouse- and keyboard-based one is still better in some circumstances. To switch between the two, Apple proposes a design in which a computer's display would be upright for the mouse interface, but slanted down and back for touch.
To make the transition possible an iMac would need a flexible display stand, and a sensor to determine when to change. For the latter Apple proposes several options, such as an accelerometer, a rotation sensor in the stand, and/or a special touch sensor at the place people would want to grip the display. Past a certain input limit, a computer would automatically switch between interfaces.
Notably, elements of Mac OS X such as the Menu Bar, the Dock and the mouse cursor could be made to slide off-screen during the handover. Apple has not specified what the touch interface would be, but it could be iOS.
Future iPhones, iPads could recognize individual users
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed a patent application from Apple entitled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device." The invention describes methods to identify users through a picture, the sound of their voice, or even their heartbeat.
"The photograph, recording, or heartbeat can be compared to a photograph, recording or heartbeat of authorized users of the electronic device to determine whether they match," the application reads. "If they do not match, the current user can be detected as an unauthorized user."
If an unauthorized user were to attempt to access an iPhone or another device, the owner of the handset could be notified via a phone call, text message or e-mail. It could send the owner - or the police - a picture of the unauthorized user, or other information specific to the potential thief.
The handset could recognize an unauthorized user if they do certain uncharacteristic activities with the phone, such as hacking, jailbreaking, unlocking, or removing a SIM card.
A Telephonic MacBook from Apple
Among the downsides that the present Apple’s MacBooks have lies in the fact that there is no possibility of 4G, 3G or LTE network connection without using a USB modem (or some other devices).
According to the Apple’s patent filings we may state that the company has some ideas and is working on their fulfillment. It goes about a telephonic MacBook that will have a magnetically coupled antenna.
It is said that the company is planning to use the wireless communication circuitry in MacBooks. Thus, users can get data communications in some communication bands and cellular telephone communications in several frequency bands.
Let’s wait what actions Apple is going to take with such fancy patent ideas for their future line of MacBooks, but we think that users won’t be disappointed.
Apple Is Accused In Illegal Using of VPN Technologies In iPhone
This Wednesday VirnetX filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the latter in violation of patent No. 6,502,135. NEC, Cisco and Aastra are also named as the defendants.
The patent No. 6,502,135 is titled «Agile network protocol for secure communications with assured system availability" and describes technologies that are used in creating and managing VPN-connection. VirNetX is assured that these technologies are illegally used in all iPhones, iPod touches and an iPads.