Hasta La Gadget!

Apparently Nokia’s interested in Microsoft’s tablet cover slash keyboard market, filing a patent application today with the US Patent and Trade Organization for an “apparatus cover with keyboard.” The description is what gives us that distinctly Surface feeling, which calls the “apparatus” a “cover” with two sections, one of which “has a keyboard thereon.” Said cover is “pivotally connected” to a “display” (read: tablet device).

The concept is a bit different visually — at least in drawings, as seen above — than where your brain may be going. It seems to be more of a stand device than just a cover, and it apparently includes a stylus as well. Of course, all of this is still very much in concept-ville, as it’s just a patent application and not even the granting thereof. So keep your salt shakers nearby and all that — this could end up never materializing.

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablets, Mobile, Nokia

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Source: USPTO

One of the most popular companies in the world that has a rather tight sway on how they have made consumer electronics devices extremely sexy would be Apple, and they have successfully licensed a bunch of patents from Acces in a US$10 million deal which will include technologies from the lies of Palm, Bell Communications Research, and Geoworks. This particular deal will most likely assist Apple in shoring up its mobile device patent portfolio, and apart from that, also to avoid the possibility of legal fights that could brew due to infringement claims.

Just in case Access rings a bell in your mind, you would most probably have a little bit of insight on Palm’s history. Access was formerly known as PalmSource, which was the company that Palm spun off a fair number of years ago in order to develop Palm OS, the operating system for their range of handheld personal digital assistant devices. No idea on what Apple is going to do with the licensed patents, but perhaps they are taking a pre-emptive step in protecting themselves from lawsuits that could head their way eventually. $10 million is chump change to a company of Apple’s size, so you can say that this is money well spent.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: SimCity Headed To Mac On June 11; Will Be Free For PC Owners, Alleged Fifth-Gen iPad Front Panel Leaked, Shows Off Narrower Bezels,

Patent filings, we don’t take so seriously. One of Japan’s richest men, with the potential to call on an army of lawyers to defend what he claims is his invention, we probably ought to. Masayoshi Son, the billionaire (and philanthropic) CEO of SoftBank, has given a two-hour speech to his shareholders about his technological predictions for the next 30 years, and about halfway through he describes a familiar idea: augmented reality glasses that can understand what a person is saying and provide subtitles as a visual overlay. At one point, he specifically mentions protecting the concept:

“By the way, we’ve already taken out a patent on this — translation glasses with captions.” (1:22:49 in the video at the source link.)

We think we may have found the patent application in question, submitted in 2010 by SoftBank Mobile Corp. It does show a translation function similar — but not totally identical — to what’s been shown off in a recent Project Glass promo video, in which a guy translated his own words using Google’s specs. In any case, the whole patent system is so esoteric that it’s impossible to predict what ideas will clash and what won’t, but it’s worth bearing in mind how Masayoshi Son first became rich: he sold a translation device patent to Sharp for $1 million. What are the odds on that?

Filed under: Wearables, Mobile

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Via: DVICE, Ubergizmo

Source: SoftBank, Ekouhou patent filing (Japenese)

We had hoped that the dispute between Samsung and LG over their OLED tech would be resolved soon but recent developments suggest that may not be the case. Bloomberg reports Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigators entered the Samsung Display HQ in Asan as they look into the possibility that LG partners may have leaked secrets of its technology. A Samsung spokesperson denied any involvement, and an LG spokesperson is quoted saying the police made the allegation themselves. This comes after Yonhap News reported last month that LG accused Samsung of illegally using its patented technology and demanded Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics pay for the rights. While these two continue to duke it out legally, we have yet to see an OLED HDTV from either arrive in the US and it seems like it may be quite some time until that happens.

Filed under: Displays, HD, Samsung, LG

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Source: Bloomberg

Tired of all the patent-related stories? Especially the ones that seem like they are more about financial gain than fairness? We thought so. We’d imagine it’s even more of a frustration if you’re one of the companies regularly involved. No surprise then that some firms — such as Google, BlackBerry, EarthLink and Red Hat — have decided to do something about it, taking the fight directly to the FTC and DoJ. In a recent blog post, Google explains that — along with its collaborators — it has submitted comments to the aforementioned agencies, detailing the impact that “patent trolls” have on the economy.

While the financial cost to the US taxpayer is said to be nearly $30 billion, the four companies also point out how such behavior hurts consumers even further, suggesting that when start-ups and small businesses are strong-armed, innovation and competition suffer. Some specific practices such as “patent priveteering” — when a company sells patents to trolls who don’t manufacture anything and therefore can’t be countersued — also come under direct criticism. The cynical might assume this all comes back to the bottom line, but with the collaborative extending an invitation to other companies to help develop revised, cooperative licensing agreements, they are the very least making it difficult for them to engage in similar behavior in the future. At least until the FTC and DoJ respond.

Filed under: Misc, Google, Blackberry

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google Public Policy (blog)