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Apple Multitouch patent finally awarded: IP battle not over yet
SlashGear —
Apple exec Tim Cook’s recent posturing over touchscreen and multitouch patents during the company’s financial conference call surprised many by how unexpected and direct it was. Now, it looks like we might know why the COO was quite so forthright: what Cook knew - and at that point most of us didn’t - was that Apple had finally been granted their infamous “Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics” patent, number 7,479,949, which had been languishing in review at the patent office for more than two years.
“A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts ...
Apple's new weapon: awarded iPhone multi-touch patent
PalmAddicts —
... "Let the lawsuits begin!" That's probably what Apple's sharks (read: lawyers) have shouted with big smiles on their faces when on January 20, 2009; the US Patent Office awarded Apple, Inc. patent number 7,479,949, titled "Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics". ...
Android News Roundup
Android Phone Fans —
Yesterday you met the still unnamed Phandroid Robot in our Site Redesign post. With all the drama and complications of bringing our new look live, we admittedly fell a step behind on the news beat. We want to catch everyone up to speed in one fell swoop so we can get back to your regularly scheduled and newly sexified phandroid news! Here are some of the stories we missed:
G1 Available In All T-Mobile Retail Stores
Its not a surprise that T-Mobile started off selling the G1 in areas with 3G coverage. Afterall, we love ourselves some 3G and it does make a difference. But why should areas with measley 2G network speeds be locked out of owning a G1?
Well… they weren’t. They could buy it online or order it in-store. But this past weekend T-Mobile began selling the G1 ...
Apple awarded multi-touch patent- end game for everyone else?
jkOnTheRun —
A sharp reader on jkOnTheRun points us to an article discussing the awarding of the multi-touch patent to Apple just a few days ago. This is the patent they filed last year that covers how they have implemented multi-touch on the iPhone and the new MacBooks using the trackpad. The big question with this patent award is if this ends the multi-touch game for everyone else, including the upcoming Palm Pre smartphone. Several netbooks also implement multi-touch using the touchpad and that seems to be in violation of this patent. Apple could license this technology but it’s been their practice to keep it for themselves in the past and this could get pretty ugly very fast.
The patent assignment covers all of the gestures used in the iPhone including window scrolling, both ...
Apple Gets Patent for Multi-Touch
I4U News —
... gestures for scrolling, zooming and more. Think pinching to zoom in and swiping a finger to move pages on an iPhone. This patent could have some major ramifications in the computer industry. There are lots of notebooks and netbooks coming to market that feature multi-touch track pads. Many of the latest netbooks from Asus do this. With the patent being granted on January 20, 2009 we could see Apple soon going after all other devices that use multi-touch and gesture control. Via USPTO Posted on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:37:06 CST | by Shane McGlaun ...
Apple Successfully Patents Multitouch, Palm Cringes
IntoMobile - Cell Phone News, Information, and Analysis —
The other day Palm snarled back at Apple for suggesting they were ripping off iPhone IP, but now Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is armed with a big fat multitouch and swipe gestire patent which could smack Palm (NSDQ: PALM) right in the face. The new Palm Pre, announced at CES a few weeks ago, featured some very familiar looking pinching gestures which drew audible swooning from the crowds, but had plenty of folks glancing at their iPhone at the same time. Assuming Apple has an iron grip on the patent and it isn’t disputed or worked around, the best scenario is if Palm forks over licensing fees to Apple so their last ditch at survival isn’t totally snuffed out. To see the specifics of Apple’s patent, hit up the US Patent Office.
[via World of ...
Apple Locks In Multi-Touch Patent
GEARFUSE —
multitouch_patent26109 Palm and other smartphone manufacturers are super-fucked right now . “Why?” you ask? It’s quite simple, really. See, Steve Jobs and his crew at Apple designed and invented multi-touch gesturing on a device. Don’t believe me? Might want to check out United States Patent Number 7,479,949, which states:“Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics .” Yeah. Well. Shit. If I worked for Palm right now, I’d pretty much fucking quit . How you going to beat that shit? Huh? Resistance is futile . Take a bite of the Apple already, ’cause that iPhone sure is tasty. Link [ via ]
Apple’s multi-touch patent sets up a legal battle with Palm
The Apple Core —
January 27th, 2009 Apple’s multi-touch patent sets up a legal battle with Palm Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:48 am Categories: Legal , Patent , iPhone , iPod touch Tags: Patent , Multi-touch , Palm Inc. , Apple Inc. , Jason D. O'Grady [image] In what could be a game changer for the smartphone industry, Apple was awarded a patent for its multi-touch interface for the iPhone and iPod touch. Patent number 7,479,949 was filed on 11 April 2008 and was approved on January 20, 2009 and covers multi-touch and all associated gestures such as pinch, swipe and rotation. The initial patent abstract is as follows: A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting ...
Apple secures a patent for a multitouch methodology
Betanews —
Apple secures a patent for a multitouch methodology by Tim Conneally The US Patent Office has granted "Jobs, et al " a patent for multitouch techniques. The patent is entitled "Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics." Heuristics is a commonly used term in computer science, and here refers to a set of loosely-defined parameters that can be applied to numerous situations, and the important thing to note here is that it's not the commands themselves being patented, rather the device and its associated GUI and methods for recognizing those commands. "A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, ...
Thoughts on the Apple multi-touch patent- look out Microsoft
jkOnTheRun —
The tech world is buzzing over Apple’s being awarded a patent covering the multi-touch gesturing. We knew Apple had applied for a patent but reality sets in when one is awarded, thus giving Apple some teeth to go after those who dare to “infringe” on the technology.
Discussions are already popping up trying to lay claims that others besides Apple have produced multi-touch technology first and thus negating the fact that Apple has the patent. This is a moot point with the patent having been awarded to Apple and let’s be fair they did produce the iPhone with multi-touch, the first actual product to have the technology. What remains to be seen is how Apple chooses to protect this technology from “abuse”.
Many (myself ...
Apple secures multitouch technology patent
Macworld —
by Dan Moren , Macworld.com We just discussed the saber-rattling from Palm and Apple , but here’s another data point to throw into the mix. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office—which we’re going to go out on a limb and call a trustworthy source —Apple has been awarded a patent on multitouch technology . Well, we call it multitouch—they call it “A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command.” Just kind of trips off the tongue, don’t it? Patent 7,479,949 was filed on April 11, 2008 and ...
Apple secures multitouch technology patent
iPhone Central —
by Dan Moren , Macworld.com We just discussed the saber-rattling from Palm and Apple , but here’s another data point to throw into the mix. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office—which we’re going to go out on a limb and call a trustworthy source —Apple has been awarded a patent on multitouch technology . Well, we call it multitouch—they call it “A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command.” Just kind of trips off the tongue, don’t it? Patent 7,479,949 was filed on April 11, 2008 and ...
Apple can now swing +6 mace of multitouch at enemies
(Obsolete Feed) —
When COO Tim Cook told analysts last week that Apple would "not stand for having our IP ripped off," he was likely referring to the company's all-encompassing iPhone patent. The patent, titled "Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics," was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week and assigned patent number 7,479,949.
The abstract describes a "computing device, comprising: a touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs" and specifically mentions a variety of methods and heuristics for interpreting the touch input and translating it to commands for scrolling, flipping from page to page in the SpringBoard, zooming webpages, and other ...
Apple awarded multi-touch patent, could mean trouble for the Palm Pre
Obsessable News Feed —
The patent covers the multi-touch user interface and gestures used on the iPhone, making it so they can't be used in other devices. Apple has been awarded a patent that covers the majority of the iPhone’s multitouch user interface. The patent, which covers things such as the pinch-to-zoom, swipe-to-scroll, and web browsing methods on the phone, was filed in April and was officially awarded to the company last Tuesday.
Palm currently has plans to launch the Palm Pre, a touchscreen smartphone similar to the iPhone, in the first part of this year. In an earnings call last Thursday Apple COO Tim Cook made comments that appeared to be directed at Palm, indicating that Apple “will not stand for having our IP ripped off, and we will ...
Apple Gets iPhone Patent
InformationWeek - All Stories And Blogs —
... Touch, giving the company more legal muscle against Palm and other rivals launching similar devices. Apple's patent application was approved Jan. 20 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Patent 7,479,949 was filed April 11, 2008. The patent could present a problem to competitors like Palm, which unveiled its upcoming ...
Apple patenta los gestos en pantallas multitáctiles
Gizmología —
Ya es definitivo en EE.UU., la semana pasada, el 20 de Enero de 2009, Apple consiguió una de esas patentes que te dan miedo por privatizar algo tan aparentemente “universal”. En este caso no han patentado las pantallas multitáctiles, pero si algo muy relacionada con ellas.
La patente número 7,479,949 se describe como:
Dispositivo de pantalla táctil, método e interfaz gráfico para determinados comandos por aplicación heurística. (traducción libre)
Esto quiere decir que en realidad han patentado la interpretación de gestos dentro de las pantallas táctiles, como por ejemplo el gesto que se hace en la pantalla para hacer scroll, este tipo de gestos que indican una acción o gestos con dos el uso de dos dedos. ...
Apple patents ‘multitouch methodology’
D' Technology Weblog —
US Patent Office granted “Jobs, et al” a patent for multitouch techniques to Apple. The patent is entitled “Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics.” Heuristics is a commonly used term in computer science, and here refers to a set of loosely-defined parameters that can be applied to numerous situations, and the important thing to note here is that it’s not the commands themselves being patented, rather the device and its associated GUI and methods for recognizing those commands.
Source:→ BetaNews ...
Get up to speed with our Palm Pre extended executive summary
The Next Web —
There’s no way you yet don’t know about today’s Palm Pre smartphone launch.
We thought we might provide you with a summary of everything you need to understand to take an active part in Palm Pre discussions that will very likely start everywhere beginning this Monday.
We are not going to repeat all that has been said elsewhere, but provide you with links to the important stuff.
We hope you find this overview helpful.
A little bit of history
Back in 1996 Palm Computing, a division of US Robotics, rolled out the first two generations of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) knwon as PalmPilots and pioneered the field of personal mobile computers. In 2000, Palm Computing formed Palm Incorporated which later ...
