Sony Licenses VIZIO Digital TV Patents

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Sony and Vizio have been fighting in court over patent disputes for a while now. Today Vizio has announced that Sony has licensed its patent portfolio for use. Vizio claims it is continuing to expand its patent portfolio.

"We are pleased with the result of our patent licensing efforts. It further demonstrates the technical strength and value of VIZIO's patent portfolio," said Rob Brinkman, VIZIO V.P. of Operations and Administration. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Full Hand Multi-touch Patent Filed By Apple

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Today Multi-touch means you can use multiple fingers at the same time for gesture input on a touchscreen or touchpanel. Apple has filed a patent application detailing how you can use your compete hands including your palms.

To use your full hands for inputs allows much more combinations and possibly a more natural input experience. Read more

Posted on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 01:37:55 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Discovery Communications Files for Patent on eBook Reader

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Last week information on a patent application filed by Discovery Communications -- the company behind TV stations like BBC America, Discovery Channel, and others -- turned up. The patent application was for more than a Kindle fighting eBook reader.

Also tucked away in the application was a method that would allow public libraries to loan out digital readers with electronic copies of books installed. The readers themselves have line in and line out jacks along with coaxial in and out jacks. Read more

Posted on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

TiVo Files Patent Infringement Against AT&T and Verizon

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A judge in the Eastern District of Texas, United States District Court has opened the floodgates for patent infringement suits. This same judge has awarded damages to patent holders against Nintendo and other major companies in the several months.

TiVo has decided to take its chances in the courtroom and has filed a patent infringement suit against AT&T and Verizon over patents having to do with DVR functionality. The patents in question are numbers 6,233,389 B1 ("Multimedia Time Warping System"), 7,529,465 B2 ("System for Time Shifting Multimedia Content Streams"), and 7,493,015 B1 ("Automatic Playback Overshoot Correction System"). Read more

Posted on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

New Apple iPhone nano Patent Filing surfaces

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For all you fans of a tiny iPhone, a new Apple patent surfaced that is about an iPhone nano. Apple imagines a small devices with user interface controls on both sides.

The iPhone nano rumor has been alive since before the first iPhone got released. Apple always said no to an iPhone nano. Read more

Posted on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:43:05 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Apple files new Motion Controller Patents

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3D Motion controller are the future in gaming and also for interacting with other computer software. Made popular by Nintendo in the Wii console it is now on the plate for other major computer and video game makers. Microsoft showed Project Natal at the E3 and Sony also showed their motion controller future.
Apple is apparentely also working on motion controller hardware and software as new patent filings appeared according to AppleInsider. Read more

Posted on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:52:39 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Acer Joins WiMax Open Patent Alliance

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WiMax is not that strong in America, but in other countries, the 4G service is popular and enjoys a decent install base. Acer has announced that it will be joining the WiMax open patent alliance to allow it to integrate WiMax technology into its computers shipping around the world.

Acer offers several computer models globally that offer WiMax including machines in its Aspire and TravelMate lines. The Open Patent Alliance was formed in June 2008 to help make WiMax technology cheaper to integrate and foster the adoption of WiMax globally. Read more

Posted on Tue, 12 May 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Ennova Biometric Flash Drive Receives Patent

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Ennova has announced that it has been granted a patent on a new USB flash drive with a retractable USB connector. The flash drive features an OLED screen that acts as a fingerprint scanner for data security and has a retractable flip cover that keeps the screen safe and retracts the USB connector.

The OLED screen is interactive as well as being a fingerprint reader and allows the user to choose specific files from the drive to access. Ennova Direct says that it plans to launch the flash drive under its ION Technologies brand in Q1 2010. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Apple files Patents for Future iPhone Features

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Apple is giving a glimpse of what features future iPhones could have with some patents they have filed recently. MacRumors reports that Apple has filed two patents that deal with motion and gesture user interface possibilities.

Gestures like shaking are already present in the iPhone. Shaking is for instance used to shuffle songs. Apple imagines more gestures like that make it easier to interact with the iPhone. Read more

Posted on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:38:35 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft sues TomTom over Patents

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Microsoft announced that they have filed Patent Infringement Action against GPS device maker TomTom.
Microsoft says that they have tried to engage in licensing discussions with TomTom over a year with no success.
Microsoft's Horacio Gutierrez says: "We have an established intellectual property licensing program, and the patents involved in this case, relating to innovations in car navigation technology and other computing functionality, have been licensed by many others.
In situations such as this, when a reasonable business agreement cannot be reached, we have no choice but to pursue legal action to protect our innovations and our partners who license them. Other companies that utilize Microsoft patents have licensed and we are asking TomTom to do the same. Read more

Posted on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:32:59 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Vizio Asks FCC to Stop Unreasonable Funai Patent Enforcement

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Vizio recently announced that it had become the second largest shipper of HDTVs in America after a big Q4 2008. The firm released a statement last week announcing it had asked the FCC to stop what Vizio calls unreasonable patent enforcement policies by Funai Electronics Co., Ltd.

According to Vizio Funai is not complying with patent license agreements that the FCC adopted for digital TV standards for America. Vizio is trying to get the FCC to stop Funai from unreasonable and discriminatory patent enforcement policies while the FCC is considering a petition for declaratory ruling on the topic. Read more

Posted on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Microsoft got its 10,000th Patent

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Microsoft announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded Microsoft Corp. its 10,000th U.S. patent.
The Microsoft invention, U.S. Patent No. 7,479,950, applies to surface computing technology and outlines how users can place real objects on the computer’s tablelike display and the computer will automatically identify the objects and track their position, orientation and motion.
Even for a company of the size of Microsoft 10,000 patents is a big milestone. Of course they are not beating the king of patents IBM. Their site says that they hold currently 40,000 patents world-wide. Read more

Posted on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:49:14 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Apple iPhone versus Palm Pre - a Look at a fictive Patent Battle

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As reported Apple and Palm drummed up (or got drummed by the media) some attention to a potential patent lawsuit show-down.
Engadget published an in-depth report on what the potential patent disputes between the iPhone and the upcoming Palm Pre might be. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Palm Not Scared of Apple Multi-touch Patent

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Yesterday I talked about the patent that Apple had been issued for multi-touch and gesture based control of phones and computers. At the time I figured that Asus and other computer makers would be looking at suits over new track pads that support multi-touch and gesture navigation.

What I didn’t think about was the new Palm Pre that was such a hit at CES. One of the core technologies behind the Pre is multi-touch and gesture navigation. Laptop magazine has talked to Palm and it seems that Palm isn’t scared of Apple's new patent. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:43:06 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Apple Gets Patent for Multi-Touch

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Apple has been granted US patent number 7,479,949 for multi-touch interfaces. The patent describes a computer-implemented method to be used in conjunction with a computing device featuring a touch screen display that is capable of detecting more than one finger.

The patent is wordy and rather vague (as you expect a patent application to be). However, it appears to cover gestures for scrolling, zooming and more. Think pinching to zoom in and swiping a finger to move pages on an iPhone. Read more

Posted on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:37:06 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Apple Files Patent on Method for Automatic Volume Control

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Apple is always looking to innovate more for its products with new methods to make them better and easier to use. A new patent filing from the company outlines a method that will automatically adjust the volume of Mac computers and the iPhone depending on how loud the environment is.

The patent application points to problems with users having to constantly change the ringer volume on their phone or the speaker volume of their notebooks to suit the environment. What Apple is proposing is a system that uses a sound sensor, likely the mic for a webcam, to determine the ambient sound level of a room and change the volume to suit the conditions. Read more

Posted on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

O2 Micro Gets Patent for PC/PDA Architecture

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O2 Micro has announced that it has been granted a patent on a new PC Integrated with a PDA architecture. The patent number in question is 7,424,623. The patent is for enabling a notebook or desktop computer with a traditional PDA interface.

Highlights of the patent are the interdependencies of the systems for PC and PDA functions as they relate to audio, storage, and other shared subsystems. O2 Micro VP Max Huang said that the architecture allows a notebook PC to offer an ancillary display that can provide access to digital content including music, calendar, and instant messages. Read more

Posted on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:40:38 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Sony lost PSP Patent Infringement Case

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Sony lost a patent infringement case involving the Sony PSP. The company has been ordered to pay $18.5m in damages to a small company called Agere Systems, now part of LSI Systems.

The patent case surrounded an audio protocol and labeling system that Sony apparently also uses in other products like the Walkman and mylo. Read more

Posted on Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:00:00 CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

Microsoft and Pioneer Enter Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement

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Microsoft and Pioneer Electronics announced today that they have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement that will help develop both companies' product lines. The agreement covers a broad range of consumer products according to the firms.

Products covered include Pioneers auto navigation products and TVs along with Microsoft software products. It's easy to imagine that Pioneer will get some flavor of Windows for its GPS devices, Microsoft will get to build its new TV platform, and media center software into TVs. Read more

Posted on Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:36:03 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Microsoft and Nikon enter into Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement

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Microsoft and Nikon have signed a patent cross-licensing agreement to further the development of each company’s current and future product lines.
The agreement covers digital cameras made by Nikon as wells as a broad range of other consumer products each company manufactures and sells.

Microsoft and Nikon have a long history of collaborating to bring high quality and cutting edge consumer products to the market, including wireless camera and RAW processing technologies. The companies believe that this patent cross license agreement will have substantial benefits for consumers and customers of consumer products including digital cameras. Both parties will be able to innovate openly with each others’ technologies, enabling new features and products to come to market. Read more

Posted on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:29:52 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Judge Finds SiRF Infringed Six Broadcom GPS Patents

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Broadcom announced that a Judge from the international Trade Commission has ruled that SiRF Technology Holdings has infringed on six Broadcom patents that relate to GPS processing and sensitivity. Global Locate, a Broadcom subsidiary, holds the patents in question.

The SiRF products infringing upon the patents include the SiRFstarIII and SiRFInstant GPS architectures. Broadcom says that a final ruling by the full six-person ITC panel is expected in December. Read more

Posted on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:14:10 CDT | by Shane McGlaun