Mar 18
Many problems with the patent system—from the explosion in patent trolling to the wasteful smartphone wars—can be traced to the flood of software patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
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Nov 21
Most large tech companies are either making wearable devices, or at least showing an interest in them. Sony’s got a smartwatch, sure, but it’s bored of such “in-the-box” thinking. Either that, or someone at Sony’s been hitting the pipe, as the company’s trying to patent what it calls a “SmartWig” (yeah, seriously). The application describes a standard wig that could “be made from horse hair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair or any kind of synthetic material,” with a circuit board hidden among those luscious locks. That board can talk to a “second computing device” wirelessly — such as a phone or even a pair of smartglasses — and actuators embedded in the hairpiece could “provide tactile feedback to the user.” In other words, the wig could vibrate when you receive emails and the like. The wig-chip could also include GPS and an ultrasound transducer, with different regions buzzing to give navigation cues. If all that doesn’t sound ludicrous enough, how about an integrated camera? Or, get this, a laser pointer.
The filing goes on to claim a wig is the perfect hiding place for delicate electronics, as humans tend to “instinctively protect their heads more than other body parts.” While its potential utility for guiding the blind is mentioned, Sony’s apparently tested the SmartWig in a far less meaningful scenario: giving presentations. Switching slides by “touching side burns” is expected to be of some merit, as is an ability to sense facial gestures like the raising of eyebrows. It may be the wearable device Doctor Evil has been dreaming of, but for some reason, we doubt SmartWig could ever make it mainstream.
Source: USPTO
Sep 19
The phrase “virtual book club” may not conjure romantic visions of low-lit rooms and vintage wines, but you don’t necessarily need those things to throw fancy words around. Amazon-owned Goodreads hosts user-created online clubs, but a Google patent application that’s surfaced today imagines a different way of bringing bookworms together. It describes a system that automatically prompts the buyer of a new title, presumably acquired through Google Books, to join a club. To make this virtual version a little more like the real thing, it’ll suggest specific groups based on your age, location, interests, preferred club size, reading speed and literary tastes. Furthermore, you’ll only be coupled with those who’ve bought the work recently, so your new-found chums aren’t on page 400 before you’ve even started.
It’ll all be managed through a social network, of course (we hear Google has one of those), and members will be able to fill specific roles within the club hierarchy. They’ll also be able to schedule “activities,” which we assume is patentese for Hangouts and the like to foster discussion. The patent filing also talks of financial rewards to tempt participation, which sounds like the perfect strategy for building millions of inactive G+ pages.
Source: USPTO
Aug 29
These days, wearable tech is a beast that cannot be stopped, even if we wanted to (we don’t). We recently got wind of an application Motorola submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (initially filed in February of 2012 and published today) for an electronic device designed “to enfold about an appendage of a user.” While “appendage” could mean a great many things, let’s go wild and call this gadget a smartwatch. The application specifies a few interesting features, including gaze detection, touchscreen controls and a hinged dual display system. Motorola is no stranger to this territory; its MOTOACTV has enough features (like Twitter and Facebook) to be considered a fitness-oriented smartwatch. This newly proposed device includes functions similarly geared towards health-conscious consumers, like vital sign and exercise monitoring. While not all patents materialize into the finished products we might expect, it’s interesting to know that Motorola is actively pursuing one such as this. The application can be read in full at the source link below.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: US Patent and Trademark Office
Aug 27
Headphone parties, or silent discos, seldom translate well to mobile devices — the likelihood that every listener has the same songs is rather slim. If Apple implements a newly granted patent, however, it could be easy to start those private gigs. The technique shares the tempo of a master track with other devices invited to a party; those gadgets automatically pick similarly paced tunes and sync their playback. Participants could be part of an ad hoc local network, but the approach would also work when people are miles apart. Apple even proposes a social networking element that lets aspiring DJs share avatars and other identifiers. While there’s no guarantees that the patent will reach shipping products, we wouldn’t be surprised to see iPhone owners grooving in unison at some point in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile, Apple
Source: USPTO
Aug 13
Proximity-based content sharing systems for mobile tend to focus on one-at-a-time transfers — see Android Beam and Apple’s upcoming AirDrop as examples. Google, however, has just patented an interface that would simplify sharing content with nearby groups. Users would only have to drag private items into a public space to share them with everyone inside of a certain range; the reverse would hide those items once again. The approach wouldn’t be limited to files, either, as it could be used for invitations to chat sessions or events. Google won’t necessarily take advantage of its sharing patent, but the concept is simple enough that we wouldn’t be surprised to find it in future apps or Android revisions.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: USPTO
Aug 13
Google already has a patent that would let Glass and other eyewear identify what’s in front of you. However, it just received a new patent for a method that could follow your exact gaze. The proposed system would include both forward-facing and eye-tracking cameras, correlating both to determine what’s grabbing your attention. It could gauge emotional responses to objects by watching for pupil dilation, and it could be used to charge advertisers based on how long wearers stare at a given ad. Google may also have an eyepiece upgrade to go along with its gaze detection, we’d note — the company just received a patent for a quantum dot-based eye display. There’s no evidence that Google will use either of these new inventions anytime soon, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they represent what Glass could look like a few generations from now.
Aug 08
If you get a lot of work-related email, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the misuse of priority tags — potluck dinners are suddenly as vital as company-wide meetings. It’s with a sense of dread, then, that we learned that Microsoft has applied for a patent on prioritizing phone calls. The approach would let callers choose an urgency level that flashes alerts, sends messages and otherwise signals that a call can’t wait. It would simultaneously foil telemarketers and other cold callers by requiring a passcode or encrypted authentication. If granted, the patent could be useful for on-call workers and worried parents. That said, we won’t mind if Microsoft declines to use it; we don’t need high-priority calls to refill the office coffee pot.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: USPTO
Aug 06
When you set up your Android phone with a secure unlock mode, it often means giving up app shortcuts. You won’t have to make that sacrifice if Google implements a newly granted US patent, however. The technique lets device owners complement a basic pattern unlock with multiple customizable patterns that launch specific apps, such as the camera or dialer. It’s a simple concept. The question is whether or not Google will ever use it — when Android 4.3 still relies on a conventional pattern unlock, it’s clear that the company isn’t in a big rush.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Source: USPTO
Aug 05
The evidence keeps piling up for a Samsung smartwatch that has yet to materialize. Most recently, Dutch site Galaxy Club uncovered a US trademark filing for “Samsung Galaxy Gear” that was published at the end of July. Though a separate application for “Samsung Gear” was submitted in late June, the latest paperwork manages to be a bit more concise and potentially revealing. The documents submitted to Uncle Sam describe an object using the “Gear” moniker as such:
Wearable digital electronic devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or bangle capable of providing access to the Internet and for sending and receiving phone calls, electronic mails and messages; wearable electronic handheld devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or bangle for the wireless receipt, storage and/or transmission of data and messages and for keeping track of or managing personal information; smart phones; tablet computers; portable computers
Sure, the language focuses largely on a high-tech, wrist-worn device, but hardware bearing the “Gear” name could just as likely be a phone or tablet. Of course, JK Shin and Co. could even be staking claim to the alias without concrete plans for a particular product. Maybe we’ll be able to put all this guessing behind us after the South Korean manufacturer’s September 4th event — but we wouldn’t bet on it.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Boy Genius Report
Source: Galaxy Club (Netherlands), USPTO
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