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Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

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Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#11

Post by camus2 »

throwawaykf wrote: post #5

Ugh, no. Yes the patent was upheld. Yes, all the claims survived intact. No, the claims are not on "touch typing, multitouch"; they cover a very specific use of a heuristic to differentiate between scrolling and panning. No, it's very unlikely that it will allow "ban on most Android" devices. I think Samsung (and probably most Android vendors) have already worked around the claims. As with all tech media discussion a…

Unlikely doesnt mean impossible. A Few month ago it was unlikely Apple's patents were upheld.

This could be a huge issue for any os that runs on a phone that uses the same multi-touch tech as the iphone.

MSFT striked a deal , Google screwed up big time.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#12

Post by Oletros »

camus2 wrote: post #11
throwawaykf wrote: post #5

Ugh, no. Yes the patent was upheld. Yes, all the claims survived intact. No, the claims are not on "touch typing, multitouch"; they cover a very specific use of a heuristic to differentiate between scrolling and panning. No, it's very unlikely that it will allow "ban on most Android" devices. I think Samsung (and probably most Android vendors) have already worked around the claims. As with all tech media discussion a…

Unlikely doesnt mean impossible. A Few month ago it was unlikely Apple's patents were upheld. This could be a huge issue for any os that runs on a phone that uses the same multi-touch tech as the iphone. MSFT striked a deal , Google screwed up big time.

Exactly why screwed up big time?

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#14

Post by jbogp »

Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #8
jbogp wrote: post #4

I swear every time I read one of those articles I die a little bit. I can't begin to apprehend the emptiness inside [insert patent trolling company] lawyers' souls after a day at work.

Not sure this is much to do with companies patent trolling. Apple developed the tech and use it, that's pretty different. You can disagree with the specific patent (and I think in this case there's a pretty good case for that) or with patents in general, but this isn't, by my understanding of the term, patent trolling.

Granted that's not patent trolling just yet, but that would definitely be a good first step towards it.

I mean given that this patent was granted on the basis that the tech already existed but on capacitor screens and not touch screen is laughable.

  Of course Apple didn't invent any of these things -- multitouch and heuristics for detected angular swipes were available on older resistive touch screens.  However, modern phones don't use resistive touch.  The current state of U.S. technology patents allows you to repatent virtually identical firmware on a new kind of hardware.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#15

Post by threeseed »

baldfat wrote: post #7

The idea that a keyboard used with a finger is even Patentable???? How is this even close to being something that needs to be protected? So the visualization of anything is a patent worthy idea? There has to be prior art in the hundreds of touch typing? It is so frustrating knowing the Prior work of Microsoft Surface before the iPhone with multi-touch and pinch to zoom. I would love all Android phones to just stop be…

Please understand what prior art means before talking about it again.

And Apple acquired these patents from Fingerworks who predated Microsoft Surface by nearly a decade.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#16

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

jbogp wrote: post #14
Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure this is much to do with companies patent trolling. Apple developed the tech and use it, that's pretty different. You can disagree with the specific patent (and I think in this case there's a pretty good case for that) or with patents in general, but this isn't, by my understanding of the term, patent trolling.

Granted that's not patent trolling just yet, but that would definitely be a good first step towards it. I mean given that this patent was granted on the basis that the tech already existed but on capacitor screens and not touch screen is laughable. Of course Apple didn't invent any of these things -- multitouch and heuristics for detected angular swipes were available on older resistive touch screens. However, modern…

I agree entirely that it's a suspect patent (even without the capacitive / resistive difference elements of it are hardly innovative) but that's still not trolling as Apple actively use the patent in their own products and registered the patent with that intention.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll

There are many reasons to dislike Apple but they're not patent trolls.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#17

Post by JulianMorrison »

Oletros wrote: post #13
JulianMorrison wrote: post #10

Patents shouldn't exist.

Software patents shouldn't exist

Hardware patents shouldn't exist. Business method patents shouldn't exist. Drug patents shouldn't exist. Gene patents shouldn't exist.

All patents are bad.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#18

Post by sp332 »

camus2 wrote: post #11
throwawaykf wrote: post #5

Ugh, no. Yes the patent was upheld. Yes, all the claims survived intact. No, the claims are not on "touch typing, multitouch"; they cover a very specific use of a heuristic to differentiate between scrolling and panning. No, it's very unlikely that it will allow "ban on most Android" devices. I think Samsung (and probably most Android vendors) have already worked around the claims. As with all tech media discussion a…

Unlikely doesnt mean impossible. A Few month ago it was unlikely Apple's patents were upheld. This could be a huge issue for any os that runs on a phone that uses the same multi-touch tech as the iphone. MSFT striked a deal , Google screwed up big time.

Devices weren't banned just for having rounded corners. They violated a design patent that covered interfaces which combined 5 specific design elements, one of which was rounded icons.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#19

Post by Oletros »

threeseed wrote: post #15
baldfat wrote: post #7

The idea that a keyboard used with a finger is even Patentable???? How is this even close to being something that needs to be protected? So the visualization of anything is a patent worthy idea? There has to be prior art in the hundreds of touch typing? It is so frustrating knowing the Prior work of Microsoft Surface before the iPhone with multi-touch and pinch to zoom. I would love all Android phones to just stop be…

Please understand what prior art means before talking about it again. And Apple acquired these patents from Fingerworks who predated Microsoft Surface by nearly a decade.

That patents has nothing to do with Fingerworks.

Re: Apple Patent on Touch Typing, Multitouch Upheld; Allows Ban on Most Androids

#20

Post by camus2 »

Oletros wrote: post #12
camus2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlikely doesnt mean impossible. A Few month ago it was unlikely Apple's patents were upheld. This could be a huge issue for any os that runs on a phone that uses the same multi-touch tech as the iphone. MSFT striked a deal , Google screwed up big time.

Exactly why screwed up big time?

Because it seems Android is becoming a risky "enterprise" for OEMs, after the MSFT tax on Android, OEMs are not willing to pay an Apple tax. Google should have cleared any potential issue, but they are too bold. They tried when they bought Motorola but this strategy is not working that well.
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