Last November, a federal jury ordered Apple to pay patent holding firm VirnetX $368 million in a patent lawsuit. The court found the iPad-maker guilty of infringing on its networking patents with its FaceTime video chat feature.
Today, Judge Leonard Davis upheld the ruling, denying Apple's request for a new trial. This means that it's about to have to dole out one of the largest court-mandated settlements in its history to, what is essentially, a patent troll...
Wouldn't it be great if your iPhone could learn your behavior, noting you hold your handset with both hands when texting and always use a 45-degree angle when making calls?
That's essentially the purpose of a newly-discovered Apple patent covering an "intuitive portable electronic device."
The patent, filed in 2011, polls an array of sensors onboard your smartphone, permitting an iPhone to adjust its behavior without you making the adjustments. Imagine your usually annoying ringtone changing to a bit of Brahms when the phone detects your bedroom's lower light levels...
Samsung has taken another hit in its patent war with Apple today.A Mannheim Regional Court in Germany ordered a stay of its infringement suit against the Cupertino company, pending a validity challenge on the patent-in-suit.
On the surface, this case looks just like any other Apple-Samsung court battle. But it's grabbing a significant amount of attention this morning due to Samsung's patent in question, as it's used in the iPhone's VoiceOver feature...
Ok, well if reports from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg didn't convince you that the rumored 'iWatch' project is real, maybe this will. A new Apple patent filing has surfaced for a wearable accessory with a flexible display.
Apple first filed its "Bi-stable spring with flexible display" patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office back in August of 2011. And it describes a slap bracelet (remember those?)-like accessory with a full-length flexible touchscreen...
The use of haptic feedback in smartphones is increasingly commonplace, however until now Apple has shied away from using the technology in its multitouch devices, such as the iPhone and iPad. However, the prospect is now open for a multitouch keyboard that provides consumers a tactile response, according to an Apple patent grant by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Apple first applied a filing for the invention back in 2009 to solve the problem of multiple haptic signals interfering with each other, thereby confusing users. Apple outlined a way to localize the haptic feedback by using secondary sensors which cancel-out the confusing signals. In this way, when an iPhone owner hits the 'L' key, he won't also receive a vibration under the 'K' key of a virtual keyboard...
Don't you wish you could avoid the usual routine after taking photos with your iPhone: sifting through shots to eliminate the ones where your thumb is perfectly exposed - but your special someone is blurred beyond recognition. Your worries may be over, as a new patent reveals Apple wants to make you a better camera phone photographer. The camera Apple outlined in the filing is designed to continuously capture and store images in a buffer until you release the shutter.
Your mobile device takes from there to automatically scan the buffer, rate the pictures just taken using a number of parameters and present you with the best image...
Have you followed the talk of a possible iWatch from Apple, an all-glass iOS device supposedly putting a smartphone on your wrist? That would be small potatoes compared to a whole network of sensors turning your body into a walking, talking Apple device.
In an 84-page filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the iPhone and iPad maker describes what it calls a "Personal items network." Covering you head-to-toe, sensors would detect movement, temperature - even track how fast your heart beat when watching certain television shows, according to a Tuesday report...
Good news for those of you who have a strong disdain for remembering and entering in passwords. It looks like Apple is again exploring alternatives to the traditional text and number-based authentication method.
An interesting patent application fro the Cupertino company has recently surfaced that depicts an iPhone being unlocked by a user verbally (or using touch-based input) identifying a person, pet or object in a photo...
When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone back in 2007, he had a blast showing off the handset to the Macworld audience. And one feature he particularly enjoyed demonstrating was the phone’s 'slide-to-unlock' unlocking mechanism.
Apple has since been extremely protective of the feature, going after both Motorola and Samsung for using similar unlock methods. And it's just strengthened its IP portfolio regarding the feature, with a newly granted design patent...
By now, you've all likely heard about Kodak's patent sale. The one-time photography giant filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, so it was forced to sell off a large chunk of its intellectual property to a consortium of companies to help pay off its debts.
The sale, which included over 1,100 digital imaging patents, was approved earlier this month by Judge Allan Gropper. And this week, Kodak announced that it had completed the deal, and it plans to exit bankruptcy within the next six months...
This is kind of interesting. Maya-Systems, which describes itself as a knowledge management technology provider, announced today that a transaction took place between it and Apple in the third quarter of last year. It seems the Cupertino company acquired 18 patents from them "relating to innovative axis-based user interface technology."
Well, lookie what we have here... The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) yesterday published an Apple patent which at first blush appears to outline a device seemingly resembling what the rumored elusive budget iPhone is supposed to be.
An aspect that particularly piqued our interest: unlike Apple's iOS devices, this one has no home button on its face. There's also a rear-facing camera - interestingly, it has no cam out the front for making video calls - and the entire thing is encased in a "clear plastic body"..