In Apple's R&D Playbook this week we learned that Apple is working on a more sophisticated unlocking screen mechanism and e-Commerce security feature using biometrics. We also learned about new writing techniques for signatures and taking notes on iDevices and even about a cool fabric carrying case for an iPhone. To close out this week's discoveries, we see that Apple revealed another of their new LTE related patents specifically relating to managing connections between an iPhone and a plurality of wireless networks such as 3GPP LTE and 3GPP2 CDMA 2000. The remaining Apple goodies that were published by the US Patent and Trademark Office today could only be loved by the super geeks and engineers amongst us. But if you like this kind of stuff, then we provide you with all of the necessary links to get you to geek heaven.
On October 11, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published two patent applications from Apple that reveal their ongoing work related to handwriting on iDevices such as the iPad and iPhone. One filing covers new active writing regions for applications such as Notes while the other filing deals with new writing techniques for signatures. The latter is a needed feature in an enterprise environment or other working environments such as delivery services which require a signature to confirm receipt of goods.
On Tuesday Apple was granted a patent for a two-step unlock screen feature that has yet to be implemented. Today, Apple introduces us to an all-new unlock screen feature that utilizes higher integrated security features via biometrics that could also be used in e-Commerce transactions. In late September we reported on Intel's big push into building biometrics into future Wintel devices – and so it comes as no surprise that we now find that Apple has been refining next wave e-Commerce security features using highly sophisticated biometrics. To accelerate their biometric projects Apple recently acquired AuthenTec in July. The race is definitely on to get consumers ready for the next wave of e-Commerce transactions and to ensure that they're processed securely.
The World Intellectual Property Office revealed late last week that Apple had filed for a patent to protect one of their latest inventions relating to an all-new iPhone carrying case that's made from a combination of fabric and a plurality of polymer-based films. Apple's process will also use unbelievably accurate lasers to imprint their logo onto the fabric case with consistent impeccable quality.
The Korean Times reported late yesterday that David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer (CLO), said that the company would continue to defend the Android ecosystem amid the rising tension in global patent disputes. While this is Google's standing good-guy routine in the public, the fact is that the Department of Justice, FTC and International Telecommunication Union don't seem to agree with them. In fact an international Patent Roundtable event being held today will be highlighting Google's practices in an attempt to find a remedy to halt damaging essential patent tactics being employed today that could harm the smartphone industry as a whole. Apple will be in attendance at this event and didn't release a pre-event statement.
Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to a Point-of-Sale System. Apple's invention covers methods and systems for scanning two or more images visually encoded to have different types of codes encoded therein, in a single scanning operation, and processing the codes. In some embodiments, the present technology is particularly useful in the retail environment, wherein some products now have multiple barcodes which must be scanned to complete the transaction. To round off our report we present you with the links to the remaining 9 granted patents of the day which covers chroma noise reduction for cameras and much more.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-seven newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first granted patent report of the day we cover a newly detailed single and multi-touch centric patent along with another which covers screen locking based on dual sliders. We close out our report by presenting you with 3 new Apple design patents and a list of 11 granted utility patents which touch on such things as Apple TV and parallel computing on multiple processors.
Since 2006, Apple has reportedly been sued by patent trolls 135 times and in that same timeframe has launched a small number of focused lawsuits against competitors who have copied the iPhone. In Fairview Research's 2011 top 50 US Patent Assignees' list, Apple came in thirty-ninth place with 676 patents while Samsung clocked in at the number two position with 4,894 patent filings. Yet despite Apple's ranking and right to sue those who are allegedly copying their high profile iPhone, a recent article by The New York Times titled "The Patent, Used as a Sword," definitely takes a calculated swing at Apple by allowing a clearly biased expert to taint one of Apple's key patents in the public's eye. Yet with that said, the New York Times article covers a lot of very interesting ground including a wrenching case where an up and coming company with Siri related technology died by the hand of their very sophisticated competitor, Nuance, even though they actually won their case in court. Today's report focuses on a few of the segments found in the NY Times article that directly relate to Apple.
While Bloomberg was reporting on Friday that Samsung had reported a record operating profit jumping to 91 percent, I was reading a scathing report titled "Samsung Factory Exploiting Child Labor," which made me wonder: did Samsung's huge leap in profits come off the backs of child laborers? Members of China Labor Watch (CWL) who were responsible for the report stated that they "were stunned by the results of the investigation of HEG Electronics, which showed that the practice of hiring child labor is prevalent in this factory." HEG Electronics is an important partner of South Korea's Samsung, processing such products as mobile phones, DVDs, stereo equipment and MP3s for Samsung.
It's being reported on this morning that Foxconn Technology Group workers onan assembly line that makes Apple's iPhone 5 walked off their jobs yesterday, said advocacy group China Labor Watch. Three to four thousand production employees only returned to work today after management threatened to fire them for failure to show up for work.
Last week Patently Apple broke the news about an Apple invention describing a new laminate notebook with a hidden display in its lid. The basic idea behind this concept had been around for some time and Intel actually presented a prototype of it at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in January. Intel's Ultrabook prototype, dubbed "Nikiski," featured a "transparent mouse-pad spanning the width of the device. When closed, the pad made it possible to continue to view the top-third of the device's screen, with the pad acting as a touch-screen interface, enabling the user to view and interact with a custom Metro UI app for quick access to social media and important information without the need to open up the Ultrabook." Coincidentally or not, this just happens to be a page right out of one of Apple's recent patent applications filed for years ago. Today we'll review the highlights of this patent that interestingly provides us with a few twists along the way.
The late Steve Jobs was one of the greatest CEO's of our time. Though for my generation, he was so much more. He was an inspirational force, a rebel with a cause, and definitely one of the "craziest ones" of our time who indeed made a difference in how we use computers and mobile devices in our daily lives today. On this day, we respectfully remember the late, great Steve Jobs.
