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UC Santa Barbara sues Amazon and IKEA over LED lighting
UC Santa Barbara has had enough of retailers selling its patented LED light bulb technology without authorization. This week, the university filed a lawsuit charging Amazon, IKEA, Walmart, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond with infringing its patents. According to Nixon Peabody, the law firm representing UC Santa Barbara, this is the "first-of-its-kind direct patent enforcement campaign against an entire industry."
Samsung may develop foldable augmented reality glasses
Samsung is exploring the possibility of developing augmented reality glasses, based on one of its latest patent applications first spotted by Patently Apple. The documentation the tech giant submitted to the US Patent & Trademark Office shows foldable device that looks more like a typical pair of glasses -- with much thicker frames to accommodate its electronic components -- than the Samsung Gear VR. While the final product could end up being vastly different, the current design is an eyepiece that automatically switches on whenever it's unfolded.
Apple once envisioned retractable bumpers for its self-driving cars
Apple once dreamed of self-driving cars with retractable bumpers. In 2015, the company filed a patent for "extendable bumpers" with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent was published this morning, but even if Apple were once serious about adding inflatable bumpers to its vehicles, the company has since pivoted and scaled back its Project Titan self-driving vehicle efforts.
Apple patents watch band with adjustable built-in camera
Companies have tried smartwatches with cameras built into their bands before (hello Galaxy Gear), but the fixed position usually leads to you contorting your wrist to get a good shot -- and you can forget about video chats. Apple might have a solution to the problem. The company just received a patent for an Apple Watch band whose built-in camera is designed to be positioned almost any way you like. It looks like one of the company's loop bands, but includes an extended segment with at least one camera on the end. You'd just have to pull, retract and twist this section to capture your ideal shot.
Huawei trademarks its own mobile OS following US ban
Huawei is making moves to sidestep the Trump administration's de facto ban by trademarking its own operating system. The OS, which has reportedly been in the works for years, was named in trademark applications filed in Peru under the name "Hongmeng," for use within nine countries and Europe (although it's been filed under the name "Ark OS" on the continent). The company has previously suggested the system could roll out as early as this fall, but it only seems likely to do so if it is permanently denied access to Android. However, while launching its own OS is one way Huawei could continue operations in the face of its US ban, there are concerns about such a system's security, as software is not the company's strongest area.
Amazon considered letting Alexa listen to you without a wake word
A patent made public today and filed by Amazon would allow the company's voice assistant Alexa to start recording audio before users say a "wake word." According to the patent, it would allow users to more naturally communicate with their devices, saying phrases like "Play some music, Alexa" rather than starting each command with "Alexa" or another chosen wake word. Currently, the voice assistant is unable to listen to or understand commands until the user utters the wake word.
Federal judge rules Qualcomm violated antitrust rules
Roughly five months after the Federal Trade Commission and Qualcomm entered the courtroom over charges that Qualcomm engaged in anti-competitive behavior, a federal judge has sided with the FTC. In a decision shared Tuesday night, US District Judge Lucy Koh stated that Qualcomm violated antitrust laws, The Wall Street Journal reports. In her decision, Koh said the company charged unreasonably high royalties for its patents and eliminated cell phone chip competitors.
A generic HIV prevention drug should arrive in 2021
Pharmaceutical giant Gilead has agreed to release its exclusive patent to manufacture and sell the HIV-prevention drug Truvada. This means we could see a generic version of the pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) on the market earlier than expected. The news is seen as a win for individuals who may be at a greater risk of contracting HIV.
Microsoft designs an Xbox controller with Braille
Microsoft is clearly invested in adaptive gaming controllers. Its Xbox Adaptive Controller for Xbox One and PC was the star of its latest Super Bowl ad. The company spent more than a year designing accessible packaging, and it recently teamed up with the Department of Veterans Affairs to bring Xbox Adaptive Controllers to rehabilitation centers across the US. Now, it looks like Microsoft could be working on a controller for blind and visually-impaired gamers. The company filed a patent application for a controller with Braille inputs and outputs.
Samsung imagines a wraparound smartphone display
If that whole folding smartphone thing doesn't work out, Samsung has lot of other ideas cooking. It recently received patent approval for a continuous display that covers the front, while folding around the top and part of the rear of the phone, as spotted by Let's Go Digital. That would make for some interesting applications, like letting subjects see how they look before you take a photo or showing live language translations on the rear display.
Jury decides Apple violated three Qualcomm patents in iPhones
Following a two-week trial, a jury has determined that Apple violated three Qualcomm patents in some iPhones. The jury awarded Qualcomm $31 million, the full amount it was seeking, though Apple had won a ruling to limit the potential payout.
Google shows how it could make a cloud-savvy game controller
If Google ever makes hardware to go along with its rumored game streaming service, you might have an idea as to how it will work. Yanko Design has spotted a recently published Google patent application for an internet-connected game controller that would be independent of any one host device. It could receive notifications for chat, play invitations and other content, and could launch the relevant app on any relevant device -- you could jump into a multiplayer match on your tablet if the TV is in use, for instance.
Harman patented flying robotic speakers
Imagine you're using a VR headset and as a car races past, you hear it whip from left to right. Only the sound literally moves from left to right because it's coming from a robotic speaker that zips across the room. From the looks of a new patent, audio company Harman is dreaming up speakers that would do just that.
Apple quietly bought Lighthouse's AI home security camera patents
When Lighthouse's intelligent security camera finally went on sale just over a year ago, the company believed that with AI recognition and 3D sensing technology, it offered something truly unique over its rivals. However, the promise of automatic face detection didn't really resonate with consumers, and the hardware maker shut down less than 10 months later. While the company slipped quietly into the night, its technology didn't, with none other than Apple ghosting in to acquire its innovations.
Apple worked on biometric unlock for cars
Unlocking your car with a key is so passé. If you've got the right car, you can already use your smartphone as a car key, and Hyundai is slated to release a vehicle that can be unlocked with a fingerprint later this year. Now, it seems that Apple is working on a system that also let drivers gain access to their vehicles via biometrics.
Someone at Samsung thinks a stylus with a camera is a good idea
Samsung already jacked up its Galaxy Note 9 stylus with the addition of Bluetooth, now it could be plotting a camera for it too. An S-Pen with an integrated snapper that lets you wirelessly send images to your phone or tablet is laid out in a newly-granted patent, spotted by Patently Mobile. But it won't just be any old camera. The upgraded stylus would boast optical zoom, a feature that most phones tend to skip nowadays in order to stay trim (remember the bulky Galaxy S4 Zoom?). Of course, Samsung also has to think of the privacy implications: chances are, people won't take kindly to users secretly capturing close-ups of them.
Motorola patent teases a RAZR-like phone with a foldable display
A newly-discovered Motorola patent may be our first look at Lenovo's rumoured RAZR foldable phone. Unearthed by 91 Mobiles, the filing contains several illustrations that seem to show a handset with a folding screen on the inside and a second, smaller screen on the outside.
Mystery company buys Meta's augmented reality tech
After a promising start, AR startup Meta's assets have been sold to an unknown buyer, reports TechCrunch and other sites. Meta fell on hard times in September after a promised $20 million investment from a Chinese company fell through over trade tensions between the US and China. The company has promised that its current products, mainly its latest Meta 2 AR headset, will continue to be supported.
Microsoft patent suggests you inhale whisper to your voice assistants
While voice assistants have grown in popularity over recent years, many people still hesitate to use them in public spaces, and that's a problem Microsoft is looking to tackle. In a patent filing, the company notes that for a number of reasons -- not wanting to disturb those nearby, not wanting to share private information around strangers -- people often avoid issuing voice commands when in public. "Although performance of voice input has been greatly improved, the voice input is still rarely used in public spaces, such as office or even homes," says the patent filing. "These are not technical issues but social issues. Hence there is no easy fix even if voice recognition system performance is greatly improved."
Apple will update iPhones in China due to Qualcomm's patent claim
Now that a Chinese court has granted Qualcomm an injunction against Apple that could block the sales of several older iPhone models (6S through X), Apple says it can fix things with a software update. When the ruling came down Apple said only devices running pre-iOS 12 software were in violation. All of the phones listed are capable of updating further, however Apple China told Reuters that "Early next week we will deliver a software update for iPhone users in China addressing the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case." We'll see if that update is enough to keep its older phones available for sale in the country, and if it holds up on newer XR and XS models that Qualcomm is also trying to ban. One thing is for sure -- the struggle over technology, licensing fees and lawsuits between the two giants isn't over yet.
