http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/ Engadget Comments for Apple applies for head tracking patent, Johnny Chung Lee says 'you're welcome' 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/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
PS I did my own version for WinMo :)]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Hey Engadget, the Source link is wrong. It should be:
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20090313584&OS=20090313584&RS=20090313584]]>Dec 17th 2009 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
I installed one of these on my Touch Pro that used just gyros to figure out and display a "realistic 3d" based on my viewpoint. Tracking the user is the next logical step, as evidenced by the almost 3 year old example in the Youtube video (and countless other researchers beforehand).

Apple likes to file patents, but they're usually not granted.]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Jeez, the tech has been available for at least two decades now in some form or another, and yes it has been combined with 3D graphics to match movements to the graphics. Get yer facts straight!!



]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Presumably this patent is for something more specific, otherwise it's total bulls**t. Actually, given that the important, original concept (above) is decades old - I can't imagine anything related that wouldn't be an obvious use of that existing technology, such as the one shown in that diagram, which means this patent is, whatever it's for, total bulls**t.]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Considering that the patent office won't grant Apple a patent for something that's already been patented, isn't it kind of completely blatantly obvious that whatever patent they're trying to get is for something more specific?

I mean come on. Common sense, people. Use it.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
This specific work was patented by Michael Deering starting as early as 1992:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=head+tracked&FIELD1=TI&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=ABTX&d=PTXT]]>Dec 17th 2009 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/seems that at some point the volume of patents is so large that that would be the only manageable system, because automatic search can do only so much, and nobody can memorize all patents.

Of course this case is rather simple, every fool realizes this was done before, and even putting special computer scenario limitations on it is not likely to work, but perhaps they should word it "a system where a users uses an apple computer running apple's OS.. blah blah.." to narrow the application field.]]>Dec 17th 2009 2:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 2:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
uh, lee works for project natal,
as one of the lead on the technical aspects team.
so well. this might start to get a little ugly.]]>Dec 17th 2009 7:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/It's a shame that most of the CAD programs I need run on Windows if Apple implement this... unless Rhino 3D & Solidworks jump ship to OSX (in anything other than Beta).]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/for day to day computing by the average folks, it would be overkill. then again, perhaps Apple is counting on making huge bank with royalities when all the Windows hardware companies want to add it to their machines as a hype point for why they are better than Macs (like they do with built in Blu-ray).
At least until Apple is ready to show the world how to do it 'the right way']]>Dec 17th 2009 11:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 9:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
No one is impressed because after watching some Natal demos, this is so... erm... six months ago. :D Seriously, head tracking? This gets a post on a cutting edge gadget site? If it wasn't Apple that was patenting this device, you wouldn't hear a thing from Engadget. ]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
The problem being that Apple filed this patent more than six months before Project Natal was just a flash in someone's eye.

If Apples patent stands, Microsoft will be paying them royalties in order to release Project Natal.
]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Project Natal wasn't just conceived one day and realised the next, I hope you understand. If my understanding is correct, then most of the Natal tech (at least the tracking technology) wasn't even done in-house by MS but rather by an Israeli company. Quite some time before Apple patented (or tried to) anything.

I'd love to see Apple trying to request royalties from Natal from MS. It's going to be like a Michael Bay movie.]]>Dec 17th 2009 12:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
This is just a huge example of how crazy IP law is here!!! I feel like the big arguments for patents were to protect inventors from big businesses, but now it seems like they are serving the purposes of big businesses shutting people down for trying to be innovative.

]]>Dec 17th 2009 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
First of all, your comma usage is all wrong. Secondly, if you're asking them them if they're serious, you might want to use a comma. It should be: "Wow Engadget, Really?"

Thirdly, we can't read minds and thus have no idea about what you are so offended.]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 8:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y//Sarcasm off]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Sarcasm only works if you're referring to something somebody actually did or said. Apple never claimed it was revolutionary. Thanks for playing, but you're going to have to find something else to bitch about.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
I bet Jack has an Apple tatoo]]>Dec 17th 2009 12:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 8:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
The point of head tracking is to change a screen from a flat image into a perceived virtual window.

Kind of like when you look out of a window and a nice girl walks by you get up to check her out as she goes out of view. So you change the position of you head in order to change your vantage point.

Head tracking mimics this and I guess it could also be combined with 3D glasses to combine both effects.]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Thanks for clarifying with a very good example, and to point out the possibility to combine head tracking with 3D glasses I didn't think about that.
]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://nixarn.infa.fi/index.php?id=home&startYear=2008&startMonth=5 ]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Doesn't that make them a patent troll?]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
yes it does, i was coming her to post the exact same thing. something needs to be done about this.]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Of course it does. I really hope this doesn't end up on Macs because we won't hear the end of it from Mac fanbois and how Apple "invented" head tracking. And then MS stole it from them.

]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Second, patent trolls don't necessarily patent something someone else invented, they often do invent something themselves, it's just that it's really trivial.

So no, this isn't patent trolling.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Are you really stupid enough to believe the patent office is going to grant a patent to Apple if somebody else has already patented it? Wait, don't answer that, I already know you are stupid enough to believe that.

If you had half a brain, you would realize that Apple is applying for a patent for something that HASN'T been patented yet. And where did this "only to prevent others from using it" BS come from? Instead of hyperbole, how about you show some proof of that? Or do you think Apple doesn't use and implement things it patents?

Wait, don't answer that either. You're stupid enough to believe that too.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Settle down dude.
This is a patent application. Not a patent. Which actually means very little. Something around 50% of patent applications are approved. Which actually doesn't mean a great deal, either. Let's suppose that that this application passes the 3 general concepts that are applied on patents: 1) novelty, 2) non-obviousness, 3) "useful". A patent doesn't grant someone freedom-to-operate (i.e. is there a series of other patents that would be required in order to use this?), which is arguably the most important thing of all. Finally, whether people like it or not, "stopping other people from using it" is legal and virtually all companies will employ "defensive" IP.
Bottom line: if you had the money, you could go apply for a patent tomorrow and, in all likelihood, get a published application. This means virtually nothing. ]]>Dec 17th 2009 2:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Troll don't have engineering dept. Apple does, so that makes it a whore (making up niche cases to make the general idea unique) as it hoarding patents. Any idea should be patented....

Trolls on the other hand create patents out of thin air or just buy them.]]>Dec 17th 2009 4:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Apple is the bad guy...
illustration - big kid holds bottle but infant(apple) takes bottle and hits big kid(other company) with bottle and big kid gets disciplined for taking bottle away by parents who did not see the action

- maybe not so good an analogy ]]>Dec 17th 2009 10:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
It is ridiculous that this blog focuses mainly in patents from Apple. It's like... like... you are biased. Other companies also patent things and we never see it here...

And the line about the "fortunate" Steve Jobs comment will come back to haunt this site...

Not cool guys, not cool...]]>Dec 17th 2009 8:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
yeah, what a shame....something tells me Dell and their 'supply chain management' patents just don't get the clicks they used to.]]>Dec 17th 2009 10:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/So Apple patented something again they do it so when people like us and other companies get wind of what they are doing it's not copied "helllllo".
Some of you may say "microsoft is doing NATEL" but thats not computer integration... that is for gaming.

and Engadget and other sites post Apple patents because there one company that puts products out like twice a year unlike pc's which are made by several people and come out all the time.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Wrong. Natal is coming to Windows.]]>Dec 17th 2009 12:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
"Secondly, if you're asking them them if they're serious"

Funny when one correct another in an unnecessary manner and fails in the process.]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 9:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
See Rule 4: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
"correction fail"

Big time.]]>Dec 17th 2009 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/Dec 17th 2009 9:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
This could be a technology blocking moving maybe until they figure out what they can use it for. Head tracking has been around for a while but hasn't been put to good use. It is a one user technology and that doesn't translate to mass marketability.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZY6iRYL7MQ]]>Dec 17th 2009 10:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
personally if it lacks focus tracking I don't think much of it (natal included).

Patents are lame, we all think stuff up but patents don't reward thought or invention rather they reward having the money to afford a patent. Ideas have become a privelege not a right.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/apple-applies-for-head-tracking-patent-johnny-chung-lee-says-y/
Read the patent 1st! and also do not take away anything from the guy Apple and anyone will benefit what he showed people. Yea he didn't invent it but he made it a lot easier.]]>Dec 17th 2009 11:10AM