Apple and Microsoft Face Touchpad Lawsuit
Apple, Microsoft, iriver and more are being sued over the touch technology used in their respective PMPs.
According to court documents filed, a small company called tsera is suing an array of companies for patent infringement. The Register cites the Texas-based company as saying it owns "all right, title and interest in" a patent for "Methods and apparatus for controlling a portable electronic device using a touchpad." As a result, Tsera says that a barrage of products on the market including Apple's iPod classic and nano, LG's Chocolate VX8500 and Microsoft's Zune utilize such technologies without its permission.
While there are roughly 20 companies named in the suit, it seems Tsera is focusing on Apple for "willful" infringement because it allegedly knew about the aforementioned patent infringement in 2004, a year after Tsera was awarded the patent. The company is seeking significant damages from Apple and royalties from everyone else named.
The patent includes MP3 players, portable radios, voice recorders and portable CD players. Tsera defines the touchpad technology as follows:
"A touchpad is mounted on the housing of the device, and a user enters commands by tracing patterns with his finger on a surface of the touchpad. No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced, and the user does not need to view the device to enter commands. A microcontroller within the device matches the pattern traced by the user against a plurality of preset patterns, each of which corresponds to a predefined function or command of the device. If the pattern traced by the user is a reasonably close match to any of the preset patterns, the device performs the predefined function corresponding to the matched pattern. The touchpad replaces the numerous buttons that are typically used to control portable electronic devices, thereby enhancing usability and reducing manufacturing costs."
The full patent is available here. So what's the verdict? Half-baked grabbing-attempt from Tsera or a genuine case for patent infringement? Let us know your thoughts below!

Probably right.
Ionno about Tsera but Rambus is what i like to call a pain in the ass version of a "research" center which basically goes out to make patents and holds them for money.
Yeah well I invented the air eveyone breaths. You all life lovers owe me 23 quadrillon billion dollars with interest
That is exactly why we have patents in the first place! I with no money can apply for a patent that is a REALLY great idea! I may not have the resources to make it but it is MY idea and I have a right to own it. If I didn't have this right, Apple, Microsoft, whoever could just start using it with never acknowledging me or compensating me on the work I had done prior to them stealing it.
This case points out one of the many flaws with the US Patent System, there are way to many for a single company or person to read through them to see if the idea they have is original. The patent office has curved this by making them serchable, but what I call dohiky may be sprocket to someone else.
My question is why didn't these major corporations try and patent the interface like they do EVERYTHING ELSE?! My guess is they tried but got turned down due to prior patent!
Not only that, most people would need to look at it to know what they are doing with the touch pad.
But as for the patent itself, it's way to broad and non-specific.