Hasta La Gadget!

Siri’s managed to make it into several Apple devices now, so it doesn’t shock us to spy the company’s attempt to patent the polite (somewhat frosty) tones of its voice navigation system. A pretty deep patent application filed today describes an “intelligent Automated Assistant,” with the claims describing an application that is guided through the user’s speech — and all wrapped in a “conversational interface.” So far, so Siri. The filing elaborates on Apple’s earlier filings, explaining how this digital assistant furthers the users’ demands with additional requests for speech-based information — hopefully resulting in that map location or a movie booking you were after.

This “user intent” is then put to use, launching an additional app or performing the specified function, while non-speech input (presumably like the ability to correct your requests in text form) get a brief mention. We do get plenty of description on commands though, with some pretty thorough response tables and examples of “anchor text” — something that the automated assistant tries to pluck from your ramblings in order to make sense of them. The full version resides at the source below, if you’re looking for 51 verbose pages explaining Siri’s inner workings.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Apple files patent application for ‘intelligent automated assistant,’ sounds like Siri originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

The jury in the high-profile Apple–Samsung patent suit already award Apple a whopping $1.05 billion in damages, but now Apple is looking to have that amount bumped up a bit. In a motion filed Friday, the iPhone maker requested that Judge Lucy Koh make Samsung pay an additional $707 million in damages, which would bring the total amount Samsung has to pay Apple dangerously close to $2 billion. In its 43-page motion, Apple also requests a permanent sales ban on 26 Samsung smartphones and tablets.

Samsung’s response to all of this? It wants a new trial, or at the very least for its damages to be reduced. The Wall Street Journal reports on Samsung’s claim that a “reasonable jury” wouldn’t have reached the decision the jury in San Jose made, and that a new trial should be held so that each company has ample time to present their cases – Koh only gave each company 25 hours to convince the jury they were in the right. When it comes to award reduction, Samsung argued that the jury made some bum calculations in a few cases. If Samsung gets all of the reductions its asking for, the damages is has to pay could be reduced by $35 million – a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.05 billion the jury says it must pay.

The two are set to go before Judge Koh once again on December 6, and since the jury found that Samsung committed willful infringement, Judge Koh could potentially triple the damages owed to Apple. The $707 million extra Apple is looking for is based on Samsung’s willful infringement of its designs and utility patents, with a portion of that figure requested as supplemental damages. Regardless of whether or not these additional damages are awarded, Samsung will still need to pay out a lot of cash (provided Judge Koh doesn’t go along with the company’s request for an entirely new trial).

Samsung has other ways of biting back, though, as it has said multiple times that it plans to add the iPhone 5 to an upcoming case between the two tech giants. This new case focuses on more recent products and patents, but won’t go to trial until March 2014. That’s quite a ways down the road, so for now, we wait. As stated above, the two are scheduled to go before Judge Koh for her final decision on December 6, so it won’t be too much longer before we know which way Judge Koh will ultimately sway. Stay tuned.

Apple wants an additional $707 million in damages from Samsung is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last time Google found itself in court proceedings opposite Skyhook, it was facing anticompetitive and IP legal claims for forcing Android OEMs to use Google’s location services. Yesterday, Skyhook filed a new complaint alleging that Google is infringing nine of its patents. FOSS Patents reports that the IP in question is, like last time, all about geolocation technology. The patents cover various aspects of a WLAN-based positioning system, and all but one of them were granted after the prior lawsuit, hence the new legal action. We’ve yet to hear Google’s side of the story, but you can take a peek at Skyhook’s airing of grievances at the source below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Skyhook sues Google for patent infringement… again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FOSS Patents  |  Complaint (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

We’ve seen the concept of electromotive (movement-based) charging before, but it usually comes at the cost of either a clunky design or a limitation to very low-power devices like watches. Apple has been experimenting with a concept that could power gadgets as big as iPhones and iPods with that spring in your step — and without the bulk of any extra wires. A newly published patent application uses flat, printed coils to generate electromagnetic induction through movable magnets; as the device bounces around in your pocket, the magnets slide past the coils and run them through the magnetic fields they need to build electricity. It all sounds grand, but it’s hard to tell from the very recent June filing whether the technology is enough to keep devices completely powered or simply delays the inevitable. We’d still suggest getting back into shape, though, in the event that morning run can one day save you from hunting down a wall outlet.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video

Apple trying for patent on electromotive charging, could use that confident stride to charge iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Motorola and Microsoft are no strangers to the patent war tango, and today marks the third injunction against the Droid maker in the German court. Judge Dr. Guntz of the Munich I regional court ruled that Motorola infringes on a Microsoft patent for “soft input panel system and method,” granting Microsoft the ability to ban sales of some Motorola devices in the country. Essentially, the patent in question covers the software required to let applications flexibly receive input from different sources, such as the touchscreen keyboard and voice input.

As Florian Mueller of Foss Patents points out, the functionality covered by this patent is utilized by the vast majority of apps, and among Android device makers only Google-owned Motorola Mobility is not paying Microsoft a patent license for this feature. Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Howard issued a statement with a not-so-subtle dig at the company in question: “We will continue to enforce injunctions against Motorola products in Germany and hope Motorola will join other Android device makers by taking a license to Microsoft’s patented inventions.” Google can (and most certainly will) appeal the ruling, so the saga continues…

Filed under: Software

Microsoft wins injunction against Motorola in German court, aims to strike patent license deal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Foss Patents  | Email this | Comments