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News tagged ‘patent’
Google And Apple Joined Separate Alliances In Bidding For Kodak Patents
Apple and Google again competing against each other in bidding for a large collection of patents owned by a camera giant Kodak. The Wall Street Journal that two separate groups have formed in order to bid for the collection of patents owned by a Kodak that is currently in bankruptcy.
Microsoft, Apple and patent-aggregation company Intellectual Ventures have teamed up, while Samsung, LG, Google, RPC Corp and HTC have formed a second consortium.
Google: Apple Inventories That Are Commercially Essential Should Be Treated As Standards
CEO of Apple Tim Cook has said that he think other companies should “invent their own stuff” instead of copying inventions created by Apple.
Kent Walker, General Counsel of Google disagrees, and this month send a letter to Judiciary Committee of US Senate saying that commercial inventions that influence “consumer welfare” should be treated the same way as technical patents.
Photos Of Earliest iPad Prototype Surfaced In Ongoing Patent Dispute
Network World’s iOnApple issued a on a recently-revealed deposition that was given by Apple’s head of design Jonathan Ive in the patent dispute between Samsung and Apple. During the deposition, Ive was shown photos of the earliest iPad mockups, which apparently were taken at some point between 2002 and 2004. From Jonathan Ive’s testimony:
“My recollection of first seeing it is very hazy, but it was, I'm guessing, sometime between 2002 and 2004, some but it was I remember seeing this and perhaps models similar to this when we were first exploring tablet designs that ultimately became the iPad”.
Apple Patent Application Reveals Integrated Charging Contacts in iPod Nano Clip
Appleinsider has found a very interesting Apple’s patent that was originally filed in January 2011 and reveals the company’s interest in using the iPod nano's clip as a charging and docking mechanism. Apple wants to eliminate the need for a dedicated docking port on the bottom edge of the device.
By incorporating electrical contacts into the clip and using a dock adapter to provide compatibility with Apple's current docking stations, the clamping action of the iPod nano's clip could hold the device in position for charging purposes.
Amazon Is Working On Its Own Smartphone To Compete With Android And iOS
Today Bloomberg that Amazon is developing its own smartphone that will be able to compete with Android-based smartphones and iPhone. Amazon is reportedly cooperating with Foxconn to develop the smartphone, the same manufacturer that produces a number of Apple’s handsets, including iPad and iPhone.
Google And Samsung Plan To Join Their Efforts In Legal Battle Against Apple
It’s no secret that Apple aggressively attacks any company involved with mobile OS Android, including filing lots of patent suits against such companies as Samsung and HTC. One of the biggest victories for Apple came last week as the company won preliminary injunctions against Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Apple working to improve iPhone autocorrect
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published three patent applications filled by Apple and confirming that the company continues to research technologies that would contribute to improved accuracy of the autocorrect feature on the iPhone.
Application No. 12/976834, titled "Combining timing and geometry information for typing correction," describes a process for using keystroke geometry and timing to better detect a user's intended input. Any typed string could be analyzed for use in either autocorrection or autocompletion.
Apple interested in swappable iPhone camera lenses
Apple offers a new concept of an improved iPhone camera system that would allow users to reconfigure or replace camera lenses. The details of Apple’s new invention were published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday.
The filing notes that as the quality of digital images taken with highly compact devices increases, users seek even more sophisticated features typically only found with high-end digital cameras. Features such as supplementary lenses and filters, optical zoom, and optical image stabilization are not typically found in multifunction devices that include a camera.
Future iPhones could broadcast preferred communication mode, network status
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices published on Thursday an Apple patent filing which details a system that could notify other users of preferred methods of communication based on their current network status and relative signal strength. Determining which methods of communication are available, the system simplifies the decision whether to call, text message, FaceTime or iMessage another user.
Apple MacBook Air design patent could disrupt Ultrabook rollouts
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued on Tuesday Apple Design Patent No. D661,296 which covers the asymmetrical wedge-like or so-called "teardrop" shape first introduced in the company's MacBook Air line of computers. Such patent may cause problems for Ultrabook manufactures, replicating the MacBook Air's look.
Despite the fact that the patent describes design details, it gives also schematic illustrations that provide an exhaustive look at how the MacBook Air's body differs from existing thin-and-light PCs.
Apple wants to reduce Bluetooth power consumption in portable devices
Apple is still interested in improving Bluetooth power consumption in its portable devices when converting streaming media to a compatible format. This week AppleInsider discovered a patent application filed in December of 2008. The application is entitled "Data Format Conversion for Electronic Devices" and notes that converting data to a new format can be a power-hungry process.
"The format conversion performed by the portable electronic device may quickly drain the energy stored in its battery," Apple's filing reads. "Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an energy-efficient technique for converting data to a Bluetooth-compatible format."
Apple Researching Stylus Concepts with Optical Tracking and Haptic Feedback
Back in 2007, then the first-generation iPhone was launched, Steve Jobs offered an idea of a stylus for the iPhone. And it seems that Apple is still researching his ideas for stylus-based input. Unwired View has recently posted Apple patent applications filed in late 2010, highlighting optical and haptic stylus concepts. However, there is no evidence that Apple is seriously looking at incorporating a stylus into its products, but it remains clear that the company is thinking about how such pen-based input could be used in novel ways.
Apple's optical stylus is based on a tiny camera on the tip of the pen, allowing it to track patterns on a device's screen that is invisible to the user's eye.
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Vote On The Nano-SIM Card Standard Is Currently Underway
In May of last year, Apple submitted a proposal for its nano-SIM card design that would replace the current micro-SIM. However, as of couple months ago, the company was fighting with rival mobile phone makers which were pushing their own standards for SIM cards. In an effort to convince other companies to support its design, Apple has even said that they will offer royalty-free patent license to its SIM-card design.
Apple, Samsung drop 'impressive' number of patent claims against each other
Apple and Samsung have greatly reduced the number of patent infringement claims against one another in their California lawsuit. Late on Monday, Apple made a filing in the suit that roughly cut the number of patent infringement, and five hours after Apple reduced the scope of its complaint, Samsung responded in kind, and offered to drop five of its 12 asserted patents.
But these actions were caused by the court order. The Judge Lucy Koh last week ordered the companies to cut down the number of claims they are making against each other. "I think that's cruel and unusual punishment to a jury, so I'm not willing to do it," Koh said of the multitude of patents and products included in the case. "If you're going to trial in July, this is not going to be acceptable”.
Samsung accuses Apple of violating 8 patents in latest US filing
Samsung continues to escalate the fight with Apple and has filed recently a counterclaim against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of violating eight patents.
The accusations by Samsung were officially filed in the Northern District California this week in response to a complaint filed by Apple in February. Apple's original complaint accused Samsung of violating 8 patents, and named 17 specific Samsung products that the company felt were infringing upon its own inventions.