Apple Patents the Ultra Wide Touchpad for Notebooks
Apple was granted a patent for a wide area touchpad for its notebooks more than seven years after its original filing in August of 2004.
The document describes a technology that uses an image sensor to detect a user's hand location relative to a touch sensitive surface, which extends to the left and right of an existing trackpad, and the keyboard.
Apple envisioned the wide-trackpad to be a solution to make data input on notebooks much more user friendly and create intelligent palm-rest areas that can differentiate between scenarios in which a hand is simply "resting" and when it is applied to control objects on the screen. While the size of touchpads was traditionally minimized to prevent unintended data input, Apple went the other way and searched for ways to extend it.
The wide-area trackpad never went into production and we have no information and suspicion that this will happen anytime soon. The actual benefits of a much wider trackpad may not have been substantial enough to justify the expense of commercializing the idea, even if the move to 3D and previous patent filings that indicate that Apple could be using light beams for object detection above the keyboard could change that stance. In scenarios that rely on touch input, the identification of "accidental contact when a user does not intend to activate the touchpad" is rather tricky.
Luckily, I own the patent for raising the middle finger. They can not patent that, but as a consolation prize, they get that gesture every day.
No?
Then, they should STFU.
Luckily, I own the patent for raising the middle finger. They can not patent that, but as a consolation prize, they get that gesture every day.
And then they'll declare war on all button-kind.
Steve Jobs hated buttons with a passion and I bet Apple is still on a crusade to eliminate as many buttons as possible.
btw: Apple trackpads are really good, but I doubt anyone could get an "ultra wide touchpad" to actually work.
No software is smart enough to eliminate all accidental inputs.
Oh god, I could imagine Apple patenting the touchscreen, no-click mouse.
Thankfully for Apple they can still fill out the form for the "sleep on the dog house" patent.
Next up: Apple to patent patenting things.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lenovo+w500&view=detail&id=6764946DD956CDF6DC8060930485E0518C1F23FA&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR
people patenting stuff already done should be void and free general technology. If Lenovo thinkpad didn't patent that out already.
You don't know how the patent process works do you?
Oh you don't?
Then you should STFU.
Apple patent patents?
lol.. House.. he means that even if you have an idea you can patent that.. not just if you make the idea into a product..
If you look at the last one...the Intel Nikiski.....isn't this already invented!?!!?