Sony gave up on FED displays a few weeks ago, practically burying the technology that was supposed to become a competitor for the OLED standard. But there is also SED, surface-conduction electron-emitter displays, which has been around for a while and mostly flew under the radar since. But now Canon seems to step up research efforts to further develop SED technology. → Read More
Apple was recently granted a gigantic patent covering everything that is the iPhone and a closer look reveals that serious video capabilities might be coming in the next iPhone. Apparently video recording is mentioned frequently throughout the entire document but a few images and sections explain a video conferencing capable phone. → Read More
Nokia’s latest USPTO application for a “Pivot Display” provides possible insight into a future mobile form-factor. Manufacturers, on a never-ending quest in search of the mobile holy grail (i.e. combining maximum screen real-estate and a tactile QWERTY keypad in a pocket-size device), continue to push the (patent) boundaries. Read the rest of this entry » → Read More
What do we have here, kiddies. Was Apple trying to slip one past us by submitting this tasty patent for a liquid cooled portable on Thanksgiving? This patent that may, or may not, see production describes two separate cooling processes involving liquid. → Read More
This year the US beat Japan in patent application filing for the first time since 1963, but Nippon is prepared to bounce back. In fear of falling back in international competitiveness in the future, the Japan Patent Office introduced a new system to accelerate examinations of patents on a trial basis October 1 (“to become the world’s most advanced IP-based nation”). → Read More
A patent filing by Apple shows some sort of strange gaze/touch combination designed to add voice and gaze detection to a standard UI. This looks like it works best for media interaction – you can touch both ends of a photo, for example, and expand and contract the image as needed. You can then pick another one with your eyes and then change the image, add text, or modify colors just by… → Read More
Looks like Nikon is set to pile up another advantage over arch-rival Canon pretty soon. It’s recently taken the lead in the DSLR world with the extremely popular D40 and D300 and is now setting its sights on the prosumer range where Canon’s full-frame 5D has been so popular. And if it keeps adding features like this one, the 5D’s time is short. Essentially it’s a… → Read More
Samsung has filed a patent for a phone that is operated with only your hands, but not on the phone. The idea is that you move you hand around and form gestures in the air to control the phone. The patent states that the hand movements would be captured in the phones camera and then translated into instructions for the phone. As interesting as this technology is, it is only a patent, so who knows… → Read More
We haven’t covered patents in quite some time, simply because companies patent everything and that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll ever produce them, but this patent filed by RIM seems to hold some water. This basically means we’ll have bigger screen BBs (duh) that are possibly touchscreen as well. It retains the trackball, which I’m ok with, but it’s the rest… → Read More
A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Sprint ordered Vonage to cough up almost $70 million plus 5 percent of future revenue for patent infringement damages. Today the fiasco has been settled for $80 million, straight up and Sprint has agreed to license Vonage some of its VOIP technology in return. For a company like Vonage that’s been hemmoraging money due to legal misunderstandings… → Read More
A recently published patent filed by Apple shows that the next iPod or iPhone may have a new way of displaying song lyrics. The patents shows that text displayed would be highlighted in some way, whether it be color, an underline, or box around the text. This could be used for karaoke or following along with an audiobook. So far it sounds like a smart idea for the Cupertino-based company. One… → Read More
I really wanted to use the title “Big Trouble In Little China” but this showdown is taking place in both South Korea and the US. LG has filed suit in Texas against television-manufacturer Hitachi, claiming that the company is violating patents LG holds. LG is seeking the big bucks and an injunction to halt the sale and production of any television sets that violate patents. The dispute… → Read More
Another day, another Vonage store. It seems that there are some workarounds that Vonage is planning on using to let users call landlines over VoIP. For those not in the know, Verizon has been hounding Vonage for infringing on a number of patents dealing with VoIP call transfers. The updates/improvements should be software based and sufficiently obtuse enough to ensure that judges become confused… → Read More
There’s an old episode of The Simpsons where the designers of Barbie stand-in Malibu Stacy are gathered in their smoky room trying to come up with a killer app to take on a new competitor on the block. Their idea: stick a hat on the old doll. The ever-wise Lisa, who sees through such marketing shenanigans, says something along the lines of: “It’s still the same old doll, they just… → Read More
Donkey Kong – Post-It Note Edition iRobot Plunges Into the Depths (of Your Backyard Pool) History of Spy-Cam Watches DiscEraser: One Swipe For Total CD/DVD Data Destruction Patent Monkey: Olympus Wearable Displays for Real Life Gaming → Read More
This week, Ericsson received a wireless printer-pen patent that can transfer hand writing to electronic text to send emails and receives content and can print it to special paper taking into account the position of the pen on the paper. With all this typing, is there still room for writing instrument innovation? After a few seconds of thinking, our answer is yes. → Read More
Can’t get to your cell phone when playing College Hoops 2K7? This new feature would allow you to use your game controller, PS3 and flat panel TV to see who’s calling and answer it. Sony Ericsson recently received a patent covering the process of wirelessly transferring content or cell phone calls to and controlling them using a remote control or PS3 controller. → Read More
Highlighted yesterday in the Washington Post, as well as covered more extensively by IP blogger Dennis Crouch at Patently-O, is the forthcoming new prototype of an open patent review process for patent applications. To build a sustainable solution for the growing web/tech community’s patent concerns, Beth Noveck and the NY Law School’s Do-Tank created the Peer-to-Patent Project as an… → Read More
and is the focus of our IP-Review… → Read More
We’ve all seen an old movie where a burglar breaks into a home or store by cutting a window with a diamond. Thus, we should all know by now that diamonds are tough as hell. Nokia knows this and is putting the valuable gem to good use by developing a casing material similar to that of a diamond. Found in a patent Nokia filed, the casing uses coal and is smooth to the touch. From New Scientist… → Read More
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