Apple's iPhones do not violate Google patent, rules US trade commission

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Apple scored a win yesterday when the US International Trade Commission ruled that it did not violate a Google patent to make the popular iPhones.

Apple had initially been accused of infringing on six patents for iPhone-related technology covering everything from reducing signal noise to programming the device's touch screen so a user's head does not accidentally activate it while talking on the phone.

If Apple had been found guilty of violating the patent, its devices could have been banned from being imported into the United States.

Google can appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. "We're disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our options," the company said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment.

Another courtroom victory!

The smartphone industry has seen dozens of lawsuits on several continents as Apple vies for market share with companies that make smartphones that use Google's Android software.

Google acquired the patents in the case along with the lawsuit when it purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion last year, partly for its library of telecommunications patents.

Google's Android software, which the company lets handset makers use for free, has become the world's No. 1 smartphone operating system, ahead of the iOS software used on Apple iPhones.

The ITC, a U.S. trade panel that investigates patent infringement involving imported goods, is a popular venue for patent lawsuits because it can bar the importation of infringing products and because it issues decisions relatively quickly.

Motorola Mobility, which has since been acquired by Google, accused Apple in 2010 of infringing on six of its patents. Two were terminated from the case, and the ITC said last August that Apple was innocent of infringing three others.

But the commission had also asked its internal judge, Thomas Pender, to reconsider its finding that Apple did not violate a fourth patent, which is for a sensor to monitor the location of a user's head to keep it from maneuvering on the touch screen. Pender found that patent obvious in December, and the full ITC came to the same conclusion on Monday.

The case in the ITC is In the Matter of Certain Wireless Communication Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, Computers and Components Thereof, 337-745.

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ITC judge says Samsung infringes key part of Apple patent

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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd infringed a key portion of an Apple Inc patent by including a text-selection feature in its smartphones and tablets, an International Trade Commission judge said in a preliminary decision.

South Korean-based Samsung did not infringe portions of a second Apple patent that allows a device to detect if a microphone or other device is plugged into its microphone jack, the judge said in a decision that was issued on March 26 but kept confidential until late Thursday to allow the companies to redact sensitive business information.

The full commission must now decide if they will uphold it or overturn the judge's decision. A final decision is expected in August.

If it is upheld, the ITC can order any infringing device to be barred from importation into the United States. Apple has alleged that Samsung's Galaxy, Transform and Nexus devices, among others, were among those made with the infringing technology.

Apple had filed a complaint in mid-2011, accusing Samsung of infringing its patents in making a wide range of smartphones and tablet.

ITC Judge Thomas Pender said in a preliminary decision in October that Samsung infringed four Apple patents but did not violate two others listed in the complaint. There had been seven listed initially, but one was dropped during litigation.

The full commission then said it wanted the agency's judge to take a second look at portions of two patents where he had found that Samsung infringed. That remanded decision, issued in late March, was unsealed on Thursday.

Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker, while Apple is in second place, according to Gartner Inc, a technology research firm.

Apple is waging war on several fronts against Google Inc, whose Android software powers many Samsung devices. The legal battles between Apple and Samsung have taken place in some 10 countries as they vie for market share in the booming mobile industry.

Google's Android software, which Apple's late founder Steve Jobs denounced as a "stolen product," has become the world's No. 1 smartphone operating system. Apple's battle against Google's Android software has dragged in hardware vendors that use it, including Samsung and HTC.

Samsung is also a parts supplier to Apple, producing micro processors, flat screens and memory chips for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. Apple has reduced orders from Samsung for chips and screens.

The case at the International Trade Commission is No. 337-796.

Report by : Reuters

Apple applies for patent for headphones that turn into speakers

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After the launch of the new EarPods earlier this year, Apple seems to be working on new headphones that could double up as speakers. According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino-based company has presented an invention for a "dual-mode headphone" that can transform from a normal set of earbuds into a speaker system, in a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent application states: "Users typically listen to content on their portable devices using headphones, although there are speakers available that can be connected to the portable devices to enable multiple users to listen in at the same time. This approach, however, may require a user to carry both a headphone and speakers, or may require the user to rely on speakers built into the device, which may not be as powerful or have as high a sound quality as external speakers."

Apple has applied for a patent for headphones that turn into speakers (Image Credit: Apple Insider)

While headphones that can turn into speakers have been made before, the ones by Apple would potentially have the capability to automatically detect whether to be in headphone mode or speaker mode, resulting in fewer eardrums being destroyed.

The headphones will feature a design that let the earbud flip over by 90 degrees to turn into speakers. The headphones can also have any number of sensors, including IR sensors, ambient light sensors, and Hall effect sensor. A sensor that can detect the distance from a user's years is built into the headphones to prevent hearing damage. Users will also have the ability to manually activate speaker mode with physical buttons.

Back in October, Apple had unveiled the EarPods. A neat feature of these EarPods is that they are ergonomically designed and many Apple users had voiced their opinion in various forums claiming that the previous earphones were in desperate need of an upgrade. While Apple changed the design of the earphones, it also added a mic to it so that it can be used for hands-free calling or for making calls over FaceTime. It was later revealed that the new iPods were shipping with EarPods that did not have the mic. While the EarPods shipped with the iPod and iPhone are the same in other aspects, including sound quality, the iPod version lacks the mic, as well as a carrying case.

For those who missed out on the unveiling, Apple introduced the new line-up of the all-new iPod touch and the 7th generation iPod nano. The new iPod touch is the thinnest version ever and features a 4-inch Retina display, a 5 megapixel iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording, Apple’s A5 chip, Siri and iOS 6. The new iPod touch comes in a new ultra-thin and light anodized aluminium design, and for the first time ever, it comes in five vibrant colours.

The reinvented iPod nano is the thinnest iPod ever, at just 5mm, and features the largest display ever built into an iPod nano, allowing you to enjoy more of your music, photos and widescreen videos. It features a 2.5-inch Multi-Touch display to make navigating your music even easier; a home button to quickly get back to your home screen; and convenient buttons to easily control volume and quickly play, pause, or change songs without looking. The new iPod nano gives music lovers built-in Bluetooth for wireless listening with Bluetooth-enabled headphones, speakers and cars.

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Report by: by Shunal Doke

Samsung hits back, says iPhone 5 infringes 8 of its patents

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Samsung Electronics on Tuesday said that Apple's newest smartphone iPhone5 infringed eight of its patents, including two standard patents and six features patents.

Samsung added infringement claims about the iPhone 5 to the existing patent lawsuit against Apple at the US District Court of California.

In a separate patent lawsuit at the same court, the US federal court jury found on August 24 that Samsung infringed on six of Apple's patents, ordering the Galaxy phone maker to pay $1.05 billion in damages to the iPhone maker, reported Xinhua.

"We have always preferred to compete in the marketplace with our innovative products, rather than in courtrooms. However, Apple continues to take aggressive legal measures that will limit market competition. Under these circumstances, we have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Samsung won a court order lifting a ban on US sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer on Monday. US District Judge Lucy Koh rescinded the ban that she imposed in June, saying the sole basis for the June 26 preliminary injunction no longer exists as the jury found earlier that Samsung did not breach the D'889 design patent.

"We are pleased with the country's action today, which vindicates our position that there was no infringement of Apple's design patent and that an injunction was not called for," Samsung said.

Report by: IANS