Quantum strikes again, charging iPhone touchscreen infringement

It's not just Apple's ubiquitous click-wheel that Quantum Research is bothering Apple about these days, Quantum is also fussing about the iPhone's touchscreen technology. "We will be looking very carefully at the iPhone," says Duncan Bryan, licensing director at QR. And wouldn't you know: "The description of the iPhone suggests it uses a rear-surface touch screen, and has proximity sensing which can tell if it is held to the ear. That's a QR capability." No formal lawsuit has been filed yet, but based on Apple's complete denial and counterclaims of QR's December 2005 click-wheel allegations, we're guessing it won't be backing down on this one anytime soon. Apparently this "charge transfer capacitive sensing" stuff has been licensed to Motorola and was invented by QR's founder and CEO Hal Philipp. Usually we'd be content to sit back and watch, but all these Apple-related lawsuits and copycats are getting a little tried -- remember those good old fashioned RIM / NTP days?

[Via AppleInsider]

[Johan S @ Feb 20th 2007 6:59PM]

Apple claims to have over 200 patents on the iPhone, but I've seen most of the tech in other companies' products already (for example the screen landscape to portrait flipping was in myorigo). GPS in telenav based devices. They may have patents on multi touch in a phone.. but single touch gestures can substitute a lot of those. What Apple's always first to implement is a nice responsive UI before anyone else.

Now, I feel like all these other companies spend their money researching specific technologies and then Apple waits and puts all of the good ideas together into a product before other companies have time/resources to integrate everything.

[Javaflash @ Feb 20th 2007 7:17PM]

Don't be so quick to take on Quantum's side against Apple. Quantum is pretty much suing or billing anyone who produces devices with an antenna attached (figurative speaking). Their business model is closer to NTP than Research In Motion. The company probably employs more lawyers than engineers.

[craig @ Feb 20th 2007 7:40PM]

Don't cry for Apple, they're as aggressive with litigation as any. Don't forget their absurd patent on the iPod scroll wheel.

The iPhone is only a "reinvention" of the phone in Apple's mind. It, and the touchscreens used in it, are mature technologies. Apple brags about all the IP they've developed in the iPhone so let them pony up the cash for all the IP they infringe. What goes around comes around.

[MacVicta @ Feb 20th 2007 8:08PM]

"The iPhone is only a "reinvention" of the phone in Apple's mind. It, and the touchscreens used in it, are mature technologies."

Mature technologies? Since when is Multi-Touch a "mature technology"? Apple is the first to utilize a Multi-Touch touchscreen in any type of consumer device. I don't understand how they could have ripped it off when no other person or entity could figure out a way to implement it.

That's where the 200 patents are. Multi-Touch was a dream, talks of the future and demonstrations in videos and a weak implementation on FingerWorks devices, until Apple made that dream come true. It was not easy and it's far more complicated than simple-minded people like you make it seem.

[Augmentalist @ Feb 20th 2007 8:05PM]

There are vast hordes of companies that just launch patent lawsuits as their business model. For years it seemed that's all RamBus did. In the case of the iPhone, it seems
that the reason this device didn't get built years ago is that the wide range of features and technologies integrated into the iPhone step all over the patent landscape. Apple obviously has the market power to actually fight against many patent holders.

[craig @ Feb 21st 2007 10:15AM]

Multitouch is meaningless. In all Apple's demo's it was only used once to resize an image for a background (what an important feature for a phone!). Apple neither developed multitouch nor figured out how to make it valuable in a handheld device. It's you that has the simple mind here. Pay attention to what's really happening rather than just buying into what Jobs says.

[Big Ed @ Feb 20th 2007 8:24PM]

Hello, I am Big Ed from Menu Button inc. We are suing apple inc. for using a menu button on the iPhone. Hell, let's also sue them for using "inc." in their corporate name.

[KIFF @ Feb 20th 2007 8:28PM]

Only a Macbot would think that Multi-touch is a big deal. I have been using touch screen products for a decade and never had a problem with them.

[MacVicta @ Feb 20th 2007 9:09PM]

"I have been using touch screen products for a decade and never had a problem with them."

Spoken like a lazy Microsoft employee. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." LOL, just because you have no personal problems with something means the idea can't be perfected?

I hate to tell you this, KIFF, but there are many people who have given up on the idea of touchscreens because they're NOT fine with them. They suck in their current form for the most part.

Do some research on Multi-Touch before your fingertips strike that keyboard again. The possibilities of multiple input touchscreens versus single input are limitless. They will begin showing up in all types of products very soon and Apple will make the first revolutionary step.

Pull your head out of your ass so you can see it's not just "Macbots." This is far bigger than the iPhone.

http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18079/

http://www.asktog.com/columns/070iPhoneFirstLook.html

[010111 @ Feb 20th 2007 9:29PM]

"Only a Macbot would think that Multi-touch is a big deal. I have been using touch screen products for a decade and never had a problem with them."


i would love links to the products you used in 1996 that include multi-point touchscreens. i would find it fascinating.

the first-generation US Robotics PalmPilot was released in 1996... don't recall that feature being present however.

Windows CE didn't even exist in a PDA version until a few years *after* 1996.

but sure. 10 years. i bet.

[Gadget Chick @ Feb 20th 2007 8:32PM]

i guess everyone wants a piece of apple pie

[Javaflash @ Feb 20th 2007 9:17PM]

Oops! I screwed/mixed up. I was talking about Qualcomm.

A sincere apology goes to everyone.

[Cameron @ Feb 20th 2007 9:32PM]

He has time travel.

It's part of Vista.

[Johnny iPod @ Feb 20th 2007 9:51PM]

Let's agree on a few things:

1. Touchscreens in their current form
suck. They are slower and much more annoying to use than normal
buttons.

2. Apple is great at what it does and makes a lot of money.

3.Many smart companies develop great technology but suck at marketing.

4.People take what they can get.

This is the current state of affairs. I doubt Jobs loses any sleep over this type of litigation. High profits mean a lot of people want some of the action. Fair or unfair that's business.

Johnny
http://ipodsecretdownloads.com/blog

[js @ Feb 20th 2007 9:58PM]

APPLE FANBOTS... TO YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jorge @ Feb 20th 2007 10:29PM]

seems like its a perfect time to be one of apple's laywers.

[Alex Cormier @ Feb 20th 2007 10:41PM]

This whole ordeal is quite amusing. I can't wait for WSJ when Gates and Jobs fight to the technological death.... or the blue screen in this case.

[craig @ Feb 21st 2007 10:23AM]

"Spoken like a lazy Microsoft employee. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." LOL, just because you have no personal problems with something means the idea can't be perfected?

I hate to tell you this, KIFF, but there are many people who have given up on the idea of touchscreens because they're NOT fine with them. They suck in their current form for the most part."

So removing the stylus and requiring fat fingers instead on a 3.5" screen is your idea of perfection? What a laugh. The iPhone and it's lame touchscreen keyboard will make a terrible texting device. We already know that from prior devices and, no, multitouch is not used to improve the onscreen keyboard. Watch the demo's.

"i would love links to the products you used in 1996 that include multi-point touchscreens. i would find it fascinating. "

Multitouch is irrelevant. It isn't being used to advantage in the iPhone, it hasn't proven itself useful in any application so far, and it's demo's are always on huge tablets showing useless lavalamp apps and photo manipulations. None of the activities produce useful work nor are they applicable to small devices. Multitouch is buzz, that's all.

"Pull your head out of your ass so you can see it's not just "Macbots." This is far bigger than the iPhone. "

Same to you.

[Lebeu @ Feb 21st 2007 12:13PM]

Seems like there is already a multi-touch consumer product - with a better usage of the multi-touch feature imho: Lemur http://www.jazzmutant.com/workshop.php

And i have to agree that iPhone doesn't really take advantage of the feature very well...although the device itself doesn't warrant that many possibilities.