IBM patents bullet dodging bionic armor

Your science fiction fantasy may be coming a reality, if IBM has anything to say about it. The company was recently granted a patent for bionic body armor, originally filed last March, that’s intended to bestow the wearer the power to dodge bullets. The device works by constantly emitting electromagnetic waves that bounce off any fast-moving projectiles, and it uses the data to calculate risky trajectories. If the object in question is determined to be a threat, muscle stimulators activate and cause the wearer’s body to contort in such way to avoid being hit. It works under the idea that a sniper typically fires from a distance, given the armor time to detect the oncoming bullet and react accordingly. Check out an image of from IBM’s filing after the break. Here’s hoping it can detect lasers, too.

[Via The Firearm Blog; thanks, Chris!]

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IBM patents bullet dodging bionic armor originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon patent application offers solution for Live View autofocus issues

Canon’s Live View implementation may not be a deal-breaker for most DSLR users, but there’s certainly plenty of room for improvement, and a recent Canon patent application suggests that the company could possibly be aiming to do just that. The short of it is that the company seems to have found a way to overcome the inherent problems of employing so-called phase-difference autofocus in Live View, which is caused in part by the physical limitations of the mirror and the AF sensor (hit up the read link for some more background). Canon’s solution, it seems, is to place the phase-difference AF sensor below the image sensor instead of above it, and make use of a semi-transparent mirror that’d allow for simultaneous transfer of light to the image sensor and the AF sensor. The average user would see the changes in the form of three new shooting modes, including a Standard Viewfinder Mode, a Fast AF Live View Mode, and a Full Live View mode, which each shift the position of the mirrors for the task at hand. What’s more, while the patent application doesn’t address it specifically, it would seem that this same method could also bring autofocus to DSLR video or, at the very least, video recorded via Live View.

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Canon patent application offers solution for Live View autofocus issues originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FUD alert: Apple allegedly scared Google out of using multitouch, 3.5mm jacks, batteries, displays, love

So we’ve been watching this sketchily-sourced piece from VentureBeat’s MG Siegler that claims Google was specifically asked to avoid implementing multitouch by Apple over patent concerns bounce its way around the web today, and while we didn’t want to contribute to the echo chamber effect without being able to lend any authority to the story, it’s starting to get stupid: John Gruber is chiming in that he’d additionally heard that Apple warned Google against including a 3.5mm headphone jack on the G1 after Cupertino was shown a prototype, which is ridiculous. Fine, we’re somewhat willing to accept the complete lack of multitouch on the G1 is a result of Apple’s influence, especially considering the huffy language Apple’s been using lately over its intellectual property, but the absence of a straight 3.5mm headphone jack can’t be chalked up to any patent issues, since Gruber’s source is probably pointing to an Apple patent that covers controlling music via a headphone jack, which in no way prevented HTC from slapping a regular 3.5mm jack on there — and hell, HTC makes breakout boxes for ExtUSB that expose both a jack and control capability anyway. Furthermore, it’s not even remotely clear why Google would be cruising around Infinite Loop with the G1 way ahead of release; as Gruber himself points out, Schmidt recuses himself from board meetings involving iPhone conversations, and we’d expect the courtesy to go both ways.

iTunes, iPod, music, your ears… we get it, Apple owns everything with a melody nowadays, but c’mon, now: at the time the G1 was designed — many moons ago — attitude toward the importance of 3.5mm jacks on phones was significantly different than it is today, and we can understand why HTC and Google could’ve reasonably thought that ExtUSB was good enough. Today, that attitude wouldn’t fly — indeed, HTC’s own Touch HD does a real jack, and going forward, we’d expect most Android hardware to have them, too. Talented engineers can usually design their way around patent issues, and we’re certain Google and HTC have both the legal and technical muscle to deal with Apple — so can we please all stop playing lawyer and get back to mocking up the Dream G2?

[Via Daring Fireball]

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FUD alert: Apple allegedly scared Google out of using multitouch, 3.5mm jacks, batteries, displays, love originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patent application reveals new display housing, mythical tablet nowhere to be found

Apple patent unveils new display housing, glowy logo, sadly no tablets

We’ve seen plenty of patent applications from Apple describing a tablet and its interface over the years, and this morning another has been making the rounds, purported by many to give a glimpse at that device’s internals. Sadly, after reading through the details, this “Display Housing for Computing Device” sounds like a plain ‘ol laptop case to us. It describes “a portable computer including a base and a lid, the lid being coupled to the base via a hinge, and wherein the housing corresponds to the housing of the lid or the housing of the base.” There are repeated mentions of a hinge and of the processor being separate from the display housing; one of the figures (included below) even shows a rather standard-looking — if button-deprived — laptop. So, sadly, we’re thinking this isn’t the super-slim keyboard-less Apple tablet/MID you’ve all been waiting for, more likely just a stiffer lid for a next-generation MacBook. One interesting note: the text spends quite a bit of time discussing means for a glowing logo on the back. Is this the beginning of another patent battle, this time with HP over its similarly illuminated dv5? We sure hope not.

Update: Actually, on a second read through the claims, we’d say this has even less to do with a supposed tablet — our guess is that this is a patent application for the unibody MacBooks.

[Via Electronic Pulp]

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Apple patent application reveals new display housing, mythical tablet nowhere to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Tablet Likely Described in Patent

Hidden within the usual litany of claims in a patent awarded this January—titled “Display Housing for Computing Device”, which covers their current portable displays—Apple describes a tablet display, with the display housing the computer device.

The patent describes several forms for these displays—most of them already in use in current Apple laptops—, describing displays attached to portable computers. However, one of the claims describes the display as a “housing for a computer device”, which would include the computer electronics within the display housing, sandwiched between front and back shells.

[0015]As a housing for a computer device, one embodiment of the invention includes: a front shell; a back shell coupled to said front shell to produce said housing, electrical components for the computer device being internal to said housing; and a foam stiffener provided internal to said housing to substantially fill unused space internal to said housing, thereby providing stiffness to said housing.

According to our patent expert R. Polk Wagner, Professor of patents law at University of Pennsylvania Law School:

What might be fair to say is that Apple’s patent is significant in that it shows something about the company’s thinking: that they are thinking about “portable computing devices” where the display (and/or keyboard) are larger than the volume required to house the components inside – thus allowing or even requiring a stiffener. Maybe this means Apple is thinking about tablets (i.e., “big iPhones”) or maybe they’re just thinking about further miniaturization of components / lighter weight in existing form factors. Hard to know.

So there you have it. To me, the patent claim quoted above leans clearly to a potential tablet device. In any case, remember that patents don’t have to materialize into products, but it’s always comforting to see Apple thinking about creating such a device. Or at least, contemplating the possibility seriously enough to cover all bets in a patent. [USPTO via Electronic Pulp]

Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis


Apple and Palm kicked a lot of dirt at each other last week — acting Apple CEO Tim Cook flatly told analysts that “We will not stand for people ripping off our IP” when asked specifically about competition like the Palm Pre, and Palm responded with a similarly-explicit “We have the tools necessary to defend ourselves.” At issue, of course, is that the Pre employs a multitouch screen and gestures almost exactly like those made famous on the iPhone — and if you’ll recall, Steve Jobs introduced multitouch on the iPhone with a slide reading “Patented!” To top it all off, the past few days have seen a number of media outlets proclaim that Apple’s been awarded a “multitouch patent” without so much as a shred of analysis, instead hyping up a supposed future conflict. That’s just not how we play it, so we enlisted Mathew Gavronski, a patent attorney in the Chicago office of Michael Best & Friedrich, to help us clear up some of the confusion and misinformation that’s out there — read on for more.

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Apple vs. Palm: the in-depth analysis originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Patent app for touchscreen printer from Sony Surfaces

Patent app for touch-screen printer from Sony surfaces

An interesting concept from Sony has come to light courtesy of the US Patent & Trademark Office, deftly titled: “Image forming device, having an ejection tray, and a display is mounted to a cover.” That’s a lot of words to describe what is basically a Surface-like touchscreen mounted onto a flat, clamshell printer (shown open after the break). The idea is for users to set their cameras down, view and manipulate images wirelessly, and then print them directly to honest to gosh paper. It appears to be quite a bit smaller than Microsoft’s uber-table, and a lot less likely to get Al Roker’s groove on too, but it also looks rather more practical and affordable; something you might actually expect to see in someone’s home in the next few years. But, don’t get too excited about the real-world prospects here — your guess is as good as ours about Sony’s plans for bringing this to market.

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Patent app for touchscreen printer from Sony Surfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer patent application reveals a MID-filled future

Now that the netbook sector is good and saturated, Acer is carving out a spot for itself in the entirely less crowded MID market. Or, at least that’s the impression we get from its most recent patent application. The image you see above is about it for details, though it’s fairly safe to assume that an Atom (or similar low-power CPU) will be housed within. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a peek of this critter for real at CeBIT — you can bet we’ll be looking.

[Thanks, Chris]

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Acer patent application reveals a MID-filled future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music

Ever walk through a crowd with your headphones on, only to find your music drowned out by the uproar? A recent Apple patent proposes dynamic volume adjustment based on your local surroundings. According to the filing, a sound sensor would be used to detect ambient noise and adapt accordingly. It says user volume controls are accounted for, so passing by a construction site likely won’t cause your jams to be pumped up to an ear-shattering 11. Although it sounds more likely than some of the company’s other patents, don’t get your hopes up for seeing this any time soon. Hit up the read link for more details.

[Via Electronista]

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Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft pay-as-you-go patent application rejected

Sorry folks — we know that you were looking forward to a future of “pay to play” computing, but it seems that Microsoft’s application has been soundly dissed by the patent office. Reasons for the decision include the company’s “occasional use of fuzzy terminology” and the fact that much of this stuff has already been patented. Of course, the decision can be appealed — but for the time being, if you still want to pay monthly for a computer AT&T has a netbook for you.

[Via Electronista]

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Microsoft pay-as-you-go patent application rejected originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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