Patent

Apple files patent to prevent broken headphone connectors and iDevice damage

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 16, 2013

Yet more encouraging news that Apple is designing its devices for users, rather than engineers. The original designs of headphone connectors were brittle, permitting headphones to be inserted and removed at perfect right angles. However an Apple patent application published Thursday outlines flexible headphone connectors.

In other words, you'll likely be able to wrap plugged-in headphones around your favorite iDevice without harming the hardware. The invention doesn't come too soon - the headphone jack is seen as the one roadblock to creating thinner, more svelte iPhones...

Apple exploring NFC-based digital media gifting between iDevices

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 15, 2013

One of the hangups with Apple's iTunes is that currently there is no way for you to directly 'gift' digital media to a friend or family member. Though you can easily trade, re-sell or give away a music CD, you can't do that with movies, books any other digital content types offered on Apple's iTunes Store.

A patent application published Thursday could solve this dilemma, thanks to near-field communications (NFC) technology, which has yet to be deployed across Apple devices.

According to the filing published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, instead of a second party receiving an email from iTunes that a song or video has been purchased, an item could be gifted to a nearby iOS device simply with the press of a button...

Samsung posts bond with ITC, suggesting it continues to infringe on Apple patents

Cody Lee ∙ August 14, 2013

Last Friday, Samsung was dealt a huge blow as the ITC ruled that some of the company's mobile products infringe on two of Apple's patents. As a result of the ruling, those products will be banned from US import next month unless President Obama steps in.

Following the decision, Samsung released a statement saying that the order wouldn't affect product availability in the United States, indicating that it had developed a workaround. But the fact that it posted bond with the ITC today tells a much different story...

Apple wins ITC ban on Samsung products

Cody Lee ∙ August 9, 2013

Apple picked up another major victory in its ongoing patent battle with Samsung this afternoon. The International Trade Commission has just handed down a decision in the company's case against Samsung, finding the Korean tech giant guilty of infringement.

The final ruling on the complaint, which Apple first lodged in July 2011, finds several Samsung products guilty of infringing on two of Apple's patents. An import ban has been ordered on those products, and will take effect at the end of the 60-day Presidential review period...

Apple researching audio hyperlinks technology to control devices from podcasts

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 8, 2013

Remember the hokey demonstrations of hypnotism, where people are given commands to honk like a duck when a bell rings? Substitute podcasts for the hypnotists and a hyperlink for a duck quack and you've got Apple's latest patent application.

The application, published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, outlines a way to encode device commands in audio signals. While Apple uses the example of enhanced podcasts which embed commands to visit a webpage or view an image stored on your device, the technology is also seen as a way to include ads in the upcoming iTunes Radio service...

Apple wins appeal on dismissed ITC case against Motorola

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Good news for the Cupertino legal team this week. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has finally handed down its opinion on the company's appeal of the ITC's dismissal of its patent complaint against Motorola Mobility, and it's sided with Apple .

The ruling overturns a decision by the US International Trade Commission from March of last year, when the six-member panel exonerated Motorola from claims of infringement on certain Apple patents, thus allowing the company to pursue its complaint...

Apple files for patent on fused glass enclosures for use on TV sets and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Apple filed for an interesting new patent last week on methods for fusing glass pieces together to create various types of glass enclosures. The filing was published by the European Patent Office yesterday, which credits Jony Ive as one of its inventors.

More specifically, the patent application illustrates how the double-sided glass construction design of the iPhone 4/4S could be extended to the iPod, iPad, and various displays. Apple even points to a TV set being encased in glass using its fused process...

Patent troll VirnetX expands patent suit against Apple

Cody Lee ∙ August 6, 2013

If you're not familiar with the name VirnetX, you should be. The Internet security software and technology company (also known as a patent troll) has filed a patent infringement suit against every major tech company in the business, including Apple.

In fact, last fall Apple was ordered to pay VirnetX a staggering $368 million after a Texas jury found the iPad-maker guilty of infringing on its IP. And the battle is far from over, as the security firm just announced that it's been awarded two new patents...

Ban veto: Obama’s pro-Apple ruling cripples ITC as future patent weapon

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 5, 2013

What's the likely impact of the weekend decision to veto a proposed ban on sales and imports of Apple's older iPhones and iPads? Aside from the expected self-congratulations and condemnations, the action by the Obama administration puts in question the value of patents and the ability of rivals to knee-cap their competitors via ITC rulings.

The most immediate impact may be further delays in Apple's quest to ban imports of Samsung devices. The final ITC ruling is expected Friday on whether Samsung products the iPhone maker says infringes patents should be blocked from the US, according to a Monday report...

Get ready to rumble: Apple, Samsung face off in death match before ITC

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It's not exactly the thrilla' in manilla, but a heavyweight fight is set in the otherwise staid patent courts. Apple and Samsung, which both comprise most smartphone sales, are looking for a knockout, hoping to grab more market share and force rivals to pay up.

Over the next several days, both companies are set to argue why sales of each other's smartphones should be blocked as both companies continue to point fingers. What's in it for Apple? Potentially the loss of its most-popular handsets and throwing a roadblock in front of the Android express...

Apple patents OLED embedded sensors to improve iPhone display

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 1, 2013

OLED is all the rage in display technology (just ask Samsung). By emitting their own light, they serve the purpose of a LCD screen while permitting thinner, lighter devices. Naturally, Apple would be interested in such technology.

However, a new patent filed by Apple suggests the iPhone maker wants to tackle a couple issues with OLEDs, namely light-sensitivity and the persistence of images, which might fade over time.

In a patent application published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple's technology is entitled 'Organic light diode having photodiodes'. Using sensors arrayed alongside the OLEDs, Apple's invention hopes to save battery life while offering a number of other benefits...

Apple and Motorola drop 14 patents from upcoming Florida lawsuit

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 30, 2013

In a sign that tech companies have moved beyond the patent litigation stage of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, Apple and Google-owned Motorola Mobility Monday dropped more than a dozen patents in preparation for a Florida patent-infringement lawsuit.

The move signals both companies are seeking the strategic upper-hand in a case which has exasperated the presiding judge. In the case scheduled for August of 2014, Google-owned Motorola dismissed eight patents while Apple dropped six yesterday, after previously trimming two patents, according to a joint stipulation filed before the District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami...