http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/ Engadget Comments for Second Apple patent filing du jour http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 9:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 9:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 9:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 9:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 9:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.ipodhub.net/330/2006/9/04/ipod-movies-unveiled/]]>Sep 7th 2006 9:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
In this patent Apple is describing the logical mobile counterpart to the desktop computer. The device described will make mobile computing practical and powerful on a whole new level.

This type of device can morph into many and do it well because it's interface isn't set in stone or plastic. I've spent more than my share on smartphones, pdas, cameras, ipods, gps navigators, etc...

I have a feeling Apple's universal widget device is going to finally allow me to leave my other gadgets at home.]]>Sep 7th 2006 10:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 10:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 8th 2006 6:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/It's the future calling, your iPhone is ready!]]>Sep 7th 2006 10:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
I an imagining a square touchpad gridded with numbers, with the "5" a separate center button for help in orienting fingers when dialing by tactile feel only, which switches to a rotational mode like the current iPods, except with a square form factor.]]>Sep 7th 2006 10:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 7th 2006 11:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/]]>Sep 7th 2006 11:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/> I mean, if Creative can get $100 mil for patenting a
>> hierarchical menu interface (like prior art didn't
>> exist there!)

It didn't. Hierchical file system? Yes. Hierarchical musical library? No. The former is not anticipatory prior art to the latter. You have no idea what you are talking about. Please stop.

-p-]]>Sep 8th 2006 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/part_1_apple_files_proximity_detector_in_handheld_device_patent_application/

http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/07/apple-patents-bluetooth-remote-with-touch-screen/
]]>Sep 9th 2006 12:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 8th 2006 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
"As always, the patent lays out in explicit and excruciating detail what Apple has in the pipeline." That statement is of course total nonsense. Companies file a lot of patents, and very few of them have anything to do with actual product plans. I have about 20 patents with my former employer (a leading producer of mobile phones) and not one of them was directly connected to a plan to actually release a product with that technology.

Most of my patents were about protecting the company from other company's patents and about simply having a strong patent portfolio that you can use in exchange for licenses for other company's patents instead of having to pay money for licensing.]]>Sep 8th 2006 2:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
One example: a certain breast cancer gene is patented in such way that you cannot test women for (that peculiar type of) breast cancer without paying a shitload of money to the patenting company.
As a consequence, no hospital in Belgium still tests this because they can’t pay it. Do note that it is not the test that is patented but the gene itself, you cannot test the gene, even with a test of own design.
And we have one of the best and well-funded public healthcare systems in the world.

I’ll patent “the concept of progress” and "the original idea" and sue them all
(Except Georgie boy of course, he doesn't have a clue)
]]>Sep 8th 2006 4:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 8th 2006 6:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 8th 2006 8:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
"As always, the patent lays out in explicit and excruciating detail what Apple has in the pipeline."

It's sarcasm, you robot...
]]>Sep 8th 2006 11:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
1. A hand-held electronic device, comprising: a multi-touch input surface; and a processing unit operatively connected to said multi-touch input surface, said processing unit capable of receiving a plurality of concurrent touch inputs from a user via said multi-touch input surface and discriminating a user requested action from the touch inputs; and a display device operatively coupled to the processing unit and configured to present a user interface.

This is an application for the multi-touch screen input device, where the device can then have multiple roles.

Of course devices with multiple roles have been around for a long time, you couldn't patent that anymore. Whether you switch between the roles with a switch or a main screen (as also found in the patent application) or whatever really makes no difference.]]>Sep 8th 2006 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/
]]>Sep 8th 2006 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/Sep 8th 2006 7:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/http://announcements.engadget.com/2006/09/07/second-apple-patent-filing-du-jour/. I wanted to suggest adding www.freepatentsonline.com to the page. This web site has free PDF downloading (instead of having to page through TIFFs like at the US PTO). It is by far the best free patent searching site.]]>Mar 4th 2007 2:05PM