Apple secures 48 new patents, including inductive charging, in-cell touch panel
The United States Patent and Trademark office published 48 newly granted Apple patents on Tuesday, covering technologies ranging from inductive charging to bike-integrated iPods, as well as one property covering the touchscreen technology that enables the latest iOS devices to achieve their current slimness.
The patents granted today involve components and design elements for virtually all of Apple's product offerings.
AppleInsider was first to report on the '751 patent's application in September of 2012, noting that the IP could one day lead to "shake to charge" portable devices. The technology is akin to shake to charge flashlights that use induction to produce electric current which is stored in capacitors for later use. This type of system eschews the need for bulky batteries that must be plugged in for charging or replaced when depleted.
A similar technology is used in rival devices ? including the Google-LG-produced Nexus 4 and Nokia's Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 handsets ? which integrate inductive charging systems that use a wall charger to recharge built-in batteries, thus doing away with pesky electrical cords. Apple has yet to bring a competing technology to market. Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, rumors circulated that Apple would bring wireless charging to bear in that handset, but Apple marketing exec Phil Schiller said after the unveiling that the perceived convenience of such systems was questionable, since charging mats would still need to be plugged into an outlet.
In September, an Apple patent application emerged demonstrating a "realistic and practical approach to wireless power, providing over-the-air electricity to low-power devices within a distance of one meter.
Apple also was granted a patent on a design for "displays with touch sensing circuitry integrated into the display pixel stackup." This is a continuation of the in-cell touchscreen patent, granted in July of 2012, which made an appearance in the iPhone 5. The in-cell touch panel technology allows Apple to make its devices noticeably thinner, but initial yield rates for the panels were problematic, and Apple is said to be evaluating a newer technology using "touch-on" displays, averting some of the problems that came with in-cell touch panels.
Notably, the patent granted today gives a mobile phone, a media player, and a notebook computer as examples of where the technology could be implemented. Tim Cook famously dismissed touch-enabled PC form factors, saying they were like "[converging] a toaster and a refrigerator."
The application for the patent originally emerged in 2010. Technology such as that seen in the patent has yet to materialize in any Apple products, but it is in keeping with other fitness-related offerings, such as the Nike+ compatibility seen in iPods and iPhones.
Tuesday's patent haul covers many other technologies, including motion-based payment confirmation, beamforming antenna systems, device cooling mechanisms, and more. Among companies worldwide, Apple in 2012 ranked 21st for the total number of patents granted in 2012. Last year saw the Cupertino company granted 1,135 patents, just behind Google, which secured 1,151 patents.
The patents granted today involve components and design elements for virtually all of Apple's product offerings.
Inductive charging using printed coils
This patent, filed for in June of 2012, describes systems "for harnessing power through electromagnetic induction utilizing printed coils." Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,362,751 calls for one or more moveable magnets that, when traveling along the path of the printed coils, can power a device.AppleInsider was first to report on the '751 patent's application in September of 2012, noting that the IP could one day lead to "shake to charge" portable devices. The technology is akin to shake to charge flashlights that use induction to produce electric current which is stored in capacitors for later use. This type of system eschews the need for bulky batteries that must be plugged in for charging or replaced when depleted.
A similar technology is used in rival devices ? including the Google-LG-produced Nexus 4 and Nokia's Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 handsets ? which integrate inductive charging systems that use a wall charger to recharge built-in batteries, thus doing away with pesky electrical cords. Apple has yet to bring a competing technology to market. Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, rumors circulated that Apple would bring wireless charging to bear in that handset, but Apple marketing exec Phil Schiller said after the unveiling that the perceived convenience of such systems was questionable, since charging mats would still need to be plugged into an outlet.
In September, an Apple patent application emerged demonstrating a "realistic and practical approach to wireless power, providing over-the-air electricity to low-power devices within a distance of one meter.
Integrated touchscreen
Apple also was granted a patent on a design for "displays with touch sensing circuitry integrated into the display pixel stackup." This is a continuation of the in-cell touchscreen patent, granted in July of 2012, which made an appearance in the iPhone 5. The in-cell touch panel technology allows Apple to make its devices noticeably thinner, but initial yield rates for the panels were problematic, and Apple is said to be evaluating a newer technology using "touch-on" displays, averting some of the problems that came with in-cell touch panels.
Notably, the patent granted today gives a mobile phone, a media player, and a notebook computer as examples of where the technology could be implemented. Tim Cook famously dismissed touch-enabled PC form factors, saying they were like "[converging] a toaster and a refrigerator."
Integrating a portable electronic device with a bicycle
Also among the patents Apple secured today was a design for interfacing an electronic device with a bicycle. In the filing, the device receives output from sensors coupled to the bicycle, displaying riding characteristics and even communicating with other devices in order to allow cyclists to ride as a team and assist each other.The application for the patent originally emerged in 2010. Technology such as that seen in the patent has yet to materialize in any Apple products, but it is in keeping with other fitness-related offerings, such as the Nike+ compatibility seen in iPods and iPhones.
Tuesday's patent haul covers many other technologies, including motion-based payment confirmation, beamforming antenna systems, device cooling mechanisms, and more. Among companies worldwide, Apple in 2012 ranked 21st for the total number of patents granted in 2012. Last year saw the Cupertino company granted 1,135 patents, just behind Google, which secured 1,151 patents.
Comments
Inductive charging please, please, please. I don't know why plugging and unplugging are so bad, but they just are. It would be cool if they added this to the macbook pro, so I could just rest my phone on/near it
Who cares.
Some other stupid part of this agency could invalidate any/all in the next years.
I like the iCycle
Originally Posted by ifij775
Inductive charging please, please, please. I don't know why plugging and unplugging are so bad, but they just are. It would be cool if they added this to the macbook pro, so I could just rest my phone on/near it
Massive power wasting gimmick. Please please please, no.
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
Who cares.
Some other stupid part of this agency could invalidate any/all in the next years.
I worry that there will be a measurable decrease in actual innovation due to the recent inability to protect anything that you do.
Oh, I'm sure a lot of patents, Apple's and others, are holding their ground just fine... the problem, IMHO, is not about REAL patents being in jeopardy. The problem is about silly patents being granted in the first place.
Not to mention that inductive charging shouldn't be patentable, since current induction and the knowledge thereof is as old as the discovery of electricity itself; oh, and MY TOOTHBRUSH ALREADY DOES IT. And yes, it's a massive waste of energy to inductively charge from any significant distance.
I don't see why you'd worry that invalidation of the worst patents would cause a measurable decrease in innovation, since it can be clearly shown that the excesses of the patent system have already caused a massive decrease in actual innovation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frood
I like the iCycle
Samsung will follow with the UniCycle. Comes with complementary clown shoes and horn. *honk*
Yes! And from the image it even looks like they'll create a cadence meter.
I'd rather have my dock back.
No, no, a thousand times no.
It wastes energy and doesn't work all that well. The ones with reasonable energy efficiency take longer to align than it takes to plug them in.
We don't need silly stuff like that wasting energy just because foolish people think it saves them a tenth of a second per day.
Irrelevant.
It is possible to get a patent on a technology even if it is based on something truly ancient - if you have a new twist on it. I didn't read it in detail, but even just skimming it makes it clear that Apple didn't patent inductive charging, but rather their own specific implementation.
I would also ad some servos and gyros to the iCycle and interconnect it to my iPhone, so that whenever I feel lazy, I can let my iCycle have a run on it's own. I am sure there will be an App for that!
The patent for Inductive Charging isn't patenting Faraday's Law. It's an implementation on applying Faraday's Law. There are plenty of induction patents because each one has a unique implementation scenario.
I'm sure they'll step on something
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Massive power wasting gimmick. Please please please, no.
I worry that there will be a measurable decrease in actual innovation due to the recent inability to protect anything that you do.
You're talking about Power Efficiency? Seriously? The average automobile wastes around 82% of it's Energy [Fuel] every time it is operated and converts it into waste and heat loss.Electromagnetics is far superior to fossil fuel cycles. With shielding there is a much higher efficiency and sequestering capacity reducing power loss. The mechanical systems for both scenarios can vastly improve with different materials used thus allowing a higher heat without losing it outside the system to reduced friction and much more.
The impediment is business, not the laws of physics and engineering. The auto industry has produced 90mpg vehicles since 1990 and never shipped one. The DoE had a requirements project of 90mpg [fondly remember it during my M.E. undergrad days] and all the major automobile manufacturers produced solutions. None of them are sold on the open market. They aren't required to do so, so they don't. The kicking and screaming about new standards in 2015 is an example of how business is the greatest inertial force of them all. They lobbied the hell out of that never coming to light. It's happening and suddenly a miracle is happening: they can meet the deadline, but not first producing as many gas guzzlers as possible.
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
You're talking about Power Efficiency? Seriously? The average automobile wastes around 82% of it's Energy [Fuel] every time it is operated and converts it into waste and heat loss.Electromagnetics is far superior to fossil fuel cycles.
We're not talking about that, though. Everyone deserves a free pass because one market paid off the government? No.
The impediment is business, not the laws of physics and engineering. The auto industry has produced 90mpg vehicles since 1990 and never shipped one. The DoE had a requirements project of 90mpg [fondly remember it during my M.E. undergrad days] and all the major automobile manufacturers produced solutions. None of them are sold on the open market. They aren't required to do so, so they don't.
I dunno; I don't buy this. Is there any information for it anywhere? I sort of refuse to believe that regular people would just let something like this slide.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer
Huge month for Apple: 171 Patents granted.
Absolutely. All the tech players are filing patents as fast and wide as they can. Right now it's a war. Microsoft received another 220 themselves. Even the Goog was granted 120 new patents this month.
The fact that vehicles waste energy is no excuse for wasting energy somewhere else.