Patent

Apple to Enter Nortel’s Auction of Over 5000 Wireless Patents

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Over the last couple of years, Nortel has been selling off its wireless network business. Though most of their assets have gone to Sweden-based Ericsson, a treasure chest of the company's wireless patents are slated to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a few weeks.

The sell-off was actually scheduled for earlier this month, but has since been delayed due to significant interest from major tech companies. Intel, RIM and yes -- even Apple, have been pegged as participants in the June 27th bidding...

Future iMacs and MacBooks to Charge Your iPhone Wirelessly?

Cody Lee ∙ June 18, 2011

In last week's iOS 5 announcement, there seemed to be an emphasis on "cutting the cord." With new iCloud and Wi-Fi sync services, users will no longer have to depend on tethering their iDevices to their computers for syncs and backups.

From the looks of this Apple patent that surfaced earlier this month, it seems that Apple has been researching methods to do away with the infamous white USB cord completely. The filing is titled, "Wireless power utilization in a local computing environment..."

Charge Your iPhone With a Campfire

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 17, 2017

Camping is a national pastime here in the states. Every summer, thousands of tourists flock to national parks and other campgrounds to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather.

For some folks, camping is a getaway from technology, so they're not looking for a way to charge their iPhone out in the wilderness. But for iDevice users who insist that their gadgets must accompany them into the woods, here's the Hatsuden-Nabe USB charger...

Apple Files Response to Samsung’s Request to See the Next iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ June 15, 2011

Now that the Nokia and Apple dispute has been settled, the tech world can turn its attention back to the Samsung "copycat case." Apple filed the lawsuit back in April of this year, claiming that Samsung copied several iDevice design elements in their products.

The Cupertino company submitted another filing shortly after that, asking to see some of Samsung's upcoming products in relation to the complaint. In turn, Samsung likewise submitted a Motion to Compel, asking to see Apple's new iPad 3 and iPhone 5 models. How did Steve Jobs and company respond?

Nokia Wins Apple Patent Dispute, Apple is Now a Nokia Licensee

Cody Lee ∙ June 14, 2011

This particular court battle between Nokia and Apple has been a doozy. Nokia originally filed suit against the Cupertino company back in 2010, citing their use of data transmission and certain antenna technologies as patent infringement.

Earlier this year, an ITC judge ruled in favor of Apple, claiming that he saw no evidence of infringement in their products. Just days after the court's decision, Nokia launched a 2nd lawsuit against the iPhone makers which appears to have been much more successful...

Apple Movie App May Let You Purchase Tickets on Your iPhone

Guest Author ∙ June 9, 2011

One feature that didn't make its way into iOS 5, but may soon appear in the App Store, is an Apple app for movie-goers. A newly discovered patent published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today illustrates an iOS application that could make it easier than ever to browse movie showtimes and buy tickets on your iPhone.

The app will also provide a link to Apple's iTunes Movie Trailers service, which will allow users to watch trailers and view additional information on movies they're interested in. However, that's not the most impressive feature...

Location Aware Calendar Alerts Shown in Apple Patent

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 3, 2011

Upcoming iPhone software could take GPS data and information from the internet to provide location and situation-aware calendar events and notifications, if a recently released patent application from Apple ever comes to fruition.

Discovered by AppleInsider, and entitled "Dynamic Alerts for Calendar Events" the patent was first applied for back in 2009 but Apple haven't put it to any useful use. Yet...

Future iPhone Cameras to Use Infrared Technology

Guest Author ∙ June 2, 2011

A newly discovered Apple patent reveals that future iPhones could use infrared technology to provide sophisticated cameras that communicate with the objects around them. The system works by picking up infrared signals that contain encoded data and decoding them to display related information to the user or modify the operation of their device.

The patent suggests the feature could be used to disable an iPhone's camera in a place where image capturing is illegal, or it could turn iOS devices into tour guides that enable a user to interact with objects around them...

Patent Troll Won’t Stay In Its Cave, Lodsys Continues to Sue iOS Develepors

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

In case you haven't heard, a patent troll by the name of "Lodsys" threatened to sue App Store developers for allegedly infringing on the Lodsys patent of in-app upgrades. Apple responded by saying that Lodsys had no right to prosecute based on this patent that Apple licensed years ago.

iOS develepors were very relived that Apple stood up against Lodsys, and the assumption was that the patent troll would back off when faced with the looming, Cupertino giant. It appears that Lodsys won't take no for an answer. The patent troll has filed lawsuits against seven App Store developers...

Samsung Boss Weighs in on Apple Copycat Lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ May 30, 2011

Over a month ago we started covering the legal battle between Apple and Samsung. The Cupertino company filed a trademark infringement suit against Samsung, claiming that the Korean company copied the hardware and software design of some of their mobile products.

Since then, Samsung has counter-sued the iPhone makers, also citing patent infringement. Now that the 2 companies have played 'if you show me yours, I'll show you mine' for the past week, Samsung's J.K. Shin tells the WSJ his thoughts on the lawsuit...

Apple Looking to Improve Outdoor Screen Visibility?

Cody Lee ∙ May 26, 2011

Have you ever tried to look at your screen through a pair of sunglasses, only to find yourself staring at a black or distorted display? Most mobile devices suffer from this problem, which can make them nearly unusable in broad daylight.

While product innovation and screen protectors have improved screen visibility, it's still an issue. AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has done some serious investigating, and might have a solution to the "glaring" problem...