Apple appears to be casting an eye out to new shores, judging by the latest of its patent applications to go public. Filed in September 2008, this primarily relates to adding bonus digital content to event tickets, whereby swiping your entry pass to, say, a concert or a sports event into an electronic device would result in you gaining access to related goodies from
"an online digital content service." Additional claims describe the use of an electronic device (read: iPhone or iPod touch) as the carrier of the (digitized) ticket, allowing the user access to the event itself as well as "at least one other event-related benefit." The whole thing is focused on the use of
near-field communications as the data transfer method of choice, something that Apple's hardware is not yet equipped to handle. Then again, NFC interaction is also referenced in a separate patent application (from August 2009, see WIPO link below) for peer-to-peer payments, suggesting that Cupertino might have more than a passing interest in the contactless transfer tech. What do you think, will you be buying your Steelers tickets with a side order of iTunes?
posted April 16th 2010 9:13AM
does this mean you have to own an apple product in order to watch live nfc?
gonna be a crowd of geeks watching then.......
@stoney1973 I have news for you: The non-geeks outnumber the geeks when it comes to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
@stoney1973 by geek you mean the millions and millions of iPhone users moron
@aubreyq - Ah but does your comment come from the outside looking in, or from the inside looking out? Let's see...
1) Do you know what "roll 2d20" means?
2) If I said NCC1701-D to you would you know what that meant?
3) Do you visit and feel the need to comment on articles in a technology and gadget website.
If you can answer any two of these questions, or just question 3 then I'm sorry to break this to you but....GEEK!!!!!
@Howzer
Apple makes me hate using an iPhone because of shit like this.
@Jean Marc
as in geeks, moron
@aubreyq
hey, im a geek, im not saying it as an insult. but only us 'geeks' get a device for what it does, not just because it looks 'pretty'
@Howzer
also, if people come to YOU to help fix/sort out their gadgets, then you are a geek.
anyone know of a geeky jeff foxworthy?
to hell with the redneck jokes, lets get the geek jokes going
@stoney1973 are there people who get an iPhone because its the cool phone of course. But I would be willing to say 70 percent get it fir the apps like this one.
You mean a crowd of hipsters.
@DeFlanko
Why? Would it not be more convenient to be able to get concert tickets this way? And I'm going to assume you're misunderstanding this too - Apple is not trying to patent all e-ticketing technology. They're only trying to patent THEIR system. You would still be free to get any kind of e-tickets from any other source.
@Howzer
And if you don't know any of those you are a dumb blonde.
@stoney1973 Comprehension FAIL! NFC = Near-Field Communications
And with a jailbroken iPhone, we'll all be having free tickets...
@TheGaslight
sounds good.....
@TheGaslight Whats 36? a forward facing camera for ichat perhaps?
AFC > NFC
@NHAnimator
Eh. Futbol > "football"
@whySoSerious Eh. Futbol > "football"
not in America it isn't. oh. and yes, AFC > NFC
@whySoSerious
I'm sorry.... I thought this was America
@whySoSerious
I know it is much more popular worldwide, but I'll watch futbol when grown men who weren't even touched stop rolling on the ground like they just had their kneecaps shattered. I'll concede the point that the NFL has too many stoppages, but other than LT, most players suck it up and play through pain.
If you want non-stop action AND viciousness, try Aussie rules.
@whySoSerious
You might be in "America" but I'm in "America F&$* Yea". There's a subtle difference.
@Boh
What does that have to do with anything? He didn't say AFC > NFC in America. I didn't say Futbol > football in America. He expressed an opinion and I expressed a counter opinion.
Thanks for telling me what country you live in, though. That was nice.
@whySoSerious
I guess they don't have South Park internationally either....
@NHAnimator
Non-stop action AND viciousness... try RUGBY actually.
@NHAnimator football is the best sport period but your example sucks, that whimpering tom Brady just cries all game when people accidently look at. Him.
BTW patriots suck
@whySoSerious and they were just being polite and telling you your opinion is wrong.
@Jean Marc
Oh, I completely agree about the Patriots sucking. They sucked particularly hard on February 3, 2002; February 1, 2004 and February 1, 2004.
And I have no doubt that Mr. Brady does cry all game. That explains his less than stellar career - what with playing through tears in his eyes and all. Must make it difficult for him to find his NFL MVP trophy at night. Oh wait! There it is behind his trophy wife!
@NHAnimator
(and February 6, 2005). Sorry, I just enjoyed the second one a little too much.
@meeit
.. in America. Right.
@Boh
No it's just.. most people stopped watching it back in 2002...
@NHAnimator football is a team game that crybaby just tagged a long for the ride
Sounds neato....that iPhone HD will be a BEAST.
Can't wait till we get daily articles on it. Let the hype begin!
I've already bought myself a very cheap back up phone for AT&T and I'll be selling my 3GS soon so I can use that money to buy the new iPhone in June.
Seriously you can patent anything
@Jean Marc Sorry you can't say that, the application of that phrase was patented by apple last year.
@lookseehear ha ha ha great point my good man
Sounds like Microsoft Smart Tagging to me. There is even a MS app in the iPhone app store to support it.
This is patentable how? This has been done with movie tickets, concert tickets, etc... Go to a concert, take ticket home, enter code, get goodies, This is just using a mobile platform to do the same thing. Someone might want to remind Apple about prior art AND common sense.
@Darkseider
Are you stupid or something? This is for Apple's IMPLEMENTATION of it. This is only for Apple's system - not for e-tickets in general. Seriously, how hard is it to understand?
@Jack
So you're telling me if HTC offered something similar, they couldn't be sued?
@daytripper - just ignore Jack. Acording to His Royal Doucheness everybody but him is an idiot. Just [-] and go on with your life :)
@daytripper
Would HTC be offering anything that accessed the iTunes store, like this patent describes? Seriously, do you people not ever read the actual words in the articles?
What is with the collective stupidity of the Apple haters on this board?
How does this differ from any other scannable coupon? This isn't anything new.
@dfreeindy
"this isn't new" is the worst argument you could possibly make.
Breaking News: Apple files patent for patent filing and sues anyone that tries to file a patent.
@JamesR I lol'd. +1 . These patent filings are gettin ridiculous!!!
@JamesR
You should be careful. Just after "Breaking News:" and before "files patent.." you typed word which could get you sued by Apple.... of fukc .... see what have you done!!! Now I'm on the line too...
I wonder if they'll get this, I do some contract work for Verizon Wireless and they've done this as far back as 2008 (only for in-house events AFAIK). Then again, this is a company that has a habit of filing AND obtaining patents for shit they didn't come up with.
The wider potential of this technology is enormous.
The London Underground has contactless ticket option.
The phone has the potential to become ticket/wallet/keys all in one.
C.