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.
Groundbreaking.
Sounds like they're gearing up for another 10 years of patent trolling other companies.
Seriously.. this actually happened?
Groundbreaking.
Sounds like they're gearing up for another 10 years of patent trolling other companies.
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.
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.
+1
They'd love to, I assure you.
In that case, Siemens should sue them - they had it on their phones since like what, 2002?
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.
During boot up they send signals which illuminate the case.
A
Load
Of
SHIT
...
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.