Apple Patents Illuminated Hardware Cases
Apple has just been granted a patent that will be interesting to follow in the hardware community. Can you validate a patent for an illuminated computing device "housing" that was filed in July of 2009?
The patent goes back all the way to the original iMac in 1998 to describe a technology that enables a light source to be coordinated with certain computing events. The hardware foundation uses a light controller that is connected to the main CPU of the computer as well as a light source. In Apple's words, we are talking about: "computing device includes a housing having an illuminable portion. The computing device also includes a light device disposed inside the housing. The light device is configured to illuminate the illuminable portion."
Apple expands on this idea a bit further and notes that "the light source [is] configured to illuminate the reduced thickness portion in order to form an indicator image at an outer surface of the inner bezel" and that the "shape of the recess [produces] an indicator image of similar shape on the outer surface of the inner bezel."
Apple's idea comes down to the thought that the illumination of a computer housing can serve as an additional information source next to the display screen itself. For example, it would provide a different illumination when playing a DVD than when you are playing a video game. While it would be common to assume that Apple would be discussing different color ranges, the patent focuses on intensity and the brightness of the Illumination, which is controller via a light driver: "The light driver is configured to convert the light control signals into a stable continuous current for driving the light emitting diode. The magnitude of the current is based at least in part on the light control signal. The magnitude of the current affects the light intensity of the light emitting diode."
Apple patented the idea for any computing device, including "laptop computers, and handheld computing devices include personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones." There are 20 separate claims on 65 pages, which exhaustively describes and illustrates Apple's active case illumination idea.
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sigh...Apple's at it again, patenting the stupidest most common feature in the world. Every computer in the world, no matter the manufacturer has some form of LED lights. Even desktop computers have a yellow light by the power button to indicate it's on, computer monitors also have a light to indicate it's on or on standby.
Wow.....
Seriously.. this actually happened?
So in other words, it's exactly the same idea as having an LED on a smartphone change colors based on text/email/voicemail or Philips Ambilight tv's....
Groundbreaking.
Sounds like they're gearing up for another 10 years of patent trolling other companies.
...or we could strap on some LEDs and call it a day, instead of paying exorbitant prices for a picture of an apple and some approval from other hipsters.
Or better yet, why don't we just use a lamp? Much better for ocular health and has the added benefit of illuminating THE WHOLE DESK instead of just the case and half of the monitor.
It's not even "Apple" it's everyone. The whole patent system needs to be torn down at this point for sheer silliness. Patents can mostly work when they protect a very specific process to go about implementing something. Allowing patents on general concepts is beyond silly.
FFS Crapple do you want to patent my toilet handle mechanism too so I have to pay royalties each time I flush?
wow this is some real BS.
Another case of WTF is the patent office smoking.
Case lights for Power, hard drive activity, network activity have done this for 20+ years.
AIO computers (LED display is illuminable portion inside the housing) have been doing this for well over 5 years.
Screw you Apple...this is just getting dumber every freakin day!
That's it. My case infringes that patent
Go sue CM, Corsair, NZXT, Antec and others, stupid crApple... I hope all your lawyers drown in a toilet or something soon; I'm sick of this BS.
It's not even "Apple" it's everyone. The whole patent system needs to be torn down at this point for sheer silliness. Patents can mostly work when they protect a very specific process to go about implementing something. Allowing patents on general concepts is beyond silly.
+1
FFS Crapple do you want to patent my toilet handle mechanism too so I have to pay royalties each time I flush?
They'd love to, I assure you.
So in other words, it's exactly the same idea as having an LED on a smartphone change colors based on text/email/voicemail or Philips Ambilight tv's....Groundbreaking.Sounds like they're gearing up for another 10 years of patent trolling other companies.
In that case, Siemens should sue them - they had it on their phones since like what, 2002?
An LED on the Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z is configurable with at least 4 different settings, one of them being cpu activity. There's another LED on the board to show activity on the SATA controller. It's only visible on the board but it would be simple enough to position some optical cable over it, and run the other end to a monitor's bezel or some other more visible area of the case. I don't fully understand the patent because I'm an illiterate bastard, but is that it basically?
This is why i hate apple
Why did the patent office let them patent a glorified HDD activity light?
in other news.....patent office employees start their new jobs at Apple on monday.
Next thing you know, someone is going to try and patent nuts and bolts we have in every home...
So, here’s my idea how to solve this whole patent mess. Any company can use any patent and technology available without prior authorization. But if they do, they agree to turn over 30% of their revenue generated by the product they created to the patenting agency.
The patenting agency will make a public announcement regarding the new products and the fact that it received the funds. The patent holders will line up and get the appropriate portion of their money correlating with how crucial and important their patent was.
The important thing to note is that the company that created the product should be given immunity from any law suits unless they falsify the numbers and pay less than 30%. All the disputes should be taken up in court with the patenting agency, thus effectively removing the burden from the patent using company.
This new policy would promote innovation and cut down on the number of ridiculous patents like the one above. All this while people who patent something really amazing will still be rewarded for their inventions.
Mainboards have LEDs
During boot up they send signals which illuminate the case.
I'm thinking about patenting, "Bite Me" I'll make tons of money off all the people who want to send this message to Apple.
Oh crap! I have lights inside my case that indicate when the computer is turned on! With recent changes in patent law that grant patents based on time of filing and not time of conception, I may have to remove them. I wonder if I can sue Apple for causing me undue stress in that I have to reconfigure my entire computer system because of their patent placing restrictions on my preexisting configuration?
Great. Now all the laptop manufacturers have to pay up Apple for illuminated desktop and laptop cases? Typical crapple.
You patent items, you copywrite words.
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I have heard some crappy patents but this one takes the biscuit, I recently passed some very respectful comments about Steve Jobs regarding his tragic passing away but I think it was not his battle with pancreatic cancer, he must have seen this item on the weekly report of patent submissions and just straight out died of SHAME.
"the light source [is] configured to illuminate the reduced thickness portion in order to form an indicator image at an outer surface of the inner bezel" and that the "shape of the recess [produces] an..."
If it's noted in the patent, thn why do you have to fill in missing words?
This just in. Apple sues God for patent infringement of the apple shape. More news at 11.
What
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I have heard some crappy patents but this one takes the biscuit, I recently passed some very respectful comments about Steve Jobs regarding his tragic passing away but I think it was not his battle with pancreatic cancer, he must have seen this item on the weekly report of patent submissions and just straight out died of SHAME.
He died of shame, but it was because of iPhone 4S reveal
ARe they serious, I have led indicator lights in my case right now!!!!! Audi, illuminates, it's entire care in teh A8 with 1 led light source, it's actually pretty amazing.
The patent people should be shot. The new patent laws should be independent experts in each field not judges or even the patent office.
Geez people...use your heads! This isn't about blinky HDD or power lights!
Looking at the diagram, the intent appears to be a system to create different effects based on information sent by the CPU i.e. coordination of WHAT the processor is doing with regards to the context of what information is being processed. They are trying to patent a hardware system that will/can utilize programming instruction to create and control lighting effects within the case of a PC.
This is actually a clever idea, having your case change colors/illumination based on the context of what program you are running. Think about playing a game where your case actually provides you with in-game information, changing color to indicate certain events or as a warning system. It might be pretty neat!
But it also might be dumb, and just a patent move. Still, remember to keep an open mind!
And... this IS what JOBS left us to remind him by.
Geez people...use your heads! This isn't about blinky HDD or power lights!Looking at the diagram, the intent appears to be a system to create different effects based on information sent by the CPU i.e. coordination of WHAT the processor is doing with regards to the context of what information is being processed. They are trying to patent a hardware system that will/can utilize programming instruction to create and control lighting effects within the case of a PC.This is actually a clever idea, having your case change colors/illumination based on the context of what program you are running. Think about playing a game where your case actually provides you with in-game information, changing color to indicate certain events or as a warning system. It might be pretty neat!But it also might be dumb, and just a patent move. Still, remember to keep an open mind!
Being realistic isn't as much fun. OK to the game idea. Your monitor's bezel is illuminated with a low intensity white or blue color. As you lose health it changes to red and the lower the health gets the more intense or bright the light becomes.
That's a novel idea. However, as a gamer, I'd much rather see the bezel disappear completely. Why can't Apple patent that? I might actually buy an Apple branded monitor if it had no bezel as opposed to a light show.
Now as far as the color telling me that I'm watching a blu-ray or dvd movie? I think I would have figured that out by the time I pressed "play".
I have been doing this well before 1998. Its as simple as taping into a power source on a device and routing it through and LED and some plexiglass. You can even write a simple program to activate specific USB pins when an application is detected.
Sounds like Apple is setting itself up for another challenge based on "prior art."
Next they'll be trying to patent case colors.