Patently Mobile

Google's Patent Application for Indoor Mapping Comes to Light

Last week the US Patent & Trademark Office published Google's patent application relating to their indoor mapping invention. Our report provides you with a quick overview of their mapping invention along with a link to the patent so those that are technical minded could explore it further.

Microsoft Invents Gesture Controls for Future Keyboards

Apple was one of the first tech companies to design and sell a computer mouse with a housing that accepted gestures like pinch and zoom and scrolling without a scroll wheel. Since that time, their R&D team has filed for another patent relating to a keyboard that could understand in-air gestures. That particular idea apparently caught Microsoft's eye. Last week the US Patent Office published Microsoft's patent application for a gesture assisted keyboard. Their patent-pending invention reveals that Microsoft may use high-end technology to achieve in-air gestures over a keyboard or simplify some functionality by combining specific keyboard keys assigned to different gestures and quick hand gestures. In our cover graphic example, the user has pressed a specific keyboard key and by moving their finger over this key up or down, they're able to control webpage scrolling without the use of a notebook touchpad.

Samsung's Glass & Microsoft's Electronic Band Win Design Patents

In December Wired Magazine believed that wearables would be the computing trend to watch for in 2014 and believed it could be as big a market as smartphones. In fact it was the number one trend to emerge at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Since that time, Samsung has raced ahead in wearables with their Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit fitness band and Google has kick-started their Google Wear platform. Even Apple let it be known that there's a "Healthbook" App on the way which could strongly suggests that there could be a wearable device on their roadmap in the not too distant future. Today, The US Patent and Trademark Office granted Samsung a new design patent for Samsung Glass while granting Microsoft a design patent for an "Electronic Band." Yes, things are starting to get interesting.

Google's CEO Larry Page Talks about Project Loon & More at TED

One of Google's Moonshot projects is called Project Loon. It began with Google acquiring a company by the name of Space Data Corp who was working on a project to send balloons about 20 miles into the air in an effort to give truckers better connectivity to the net. It never got off the ground, but Google was determined to repurpose the project into bringing the internet to the two-thirds of the world that can't afford it and into areas where natural disasters have knocked out the net. The project officially launched as Project Loon in June 2013. Google's first patent application related to this project surfaced five months later which gave us a broad overview of the project. Earlier this month, Charlie Rose interviewed Google's CEO Larry Page at TED. One of the key segments of this interview touched on Page's love for Project Loon. Our report points you to new patents connected to Project Loon, presents two new photos of the project as well as the video interview with Page at TED.

Google Takes their Glass Vision to Smart Contact Lenses

Yesterday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that reveals a new multi-sensor contact lens computer system that may work with many future devices including Google Glass and/or other future wearable devices, an Android smartphone, a television, a gaming system, navigation and/or car stereo and beyond. If you're a die-hard Google fan, then this is a must read; because if you blink, you just might miss something great.

Google's Android Wear Related Patent Comes to Light

Earlier this month, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google regarding a graphical user interface for portables and wearables in particular. Google's patent application states that "A portable computer terminal, such as a wristwatch having a processor and memory, may be operatively coupled to a computing device, such as a smart phone, tablet, etc., using wireless communication via Bluetooth or NFC." The device is obviously touch based to control the UI. The inventors are all noted as coming from Zurich, Switzerland, home of the greatest watch brands in the world. Whether Google acquired the patent from these inventors or hired experts from Zurich to design a watch for them is unknown at this time.

Microsoft Invents a New Magnetics based Stylus System that delivers a new Friction Realism to a Pen, Pencil or Paintbrush

According to the US Patent Office, Microsoft has invented a physically-modulated friction stylus system and method for physically modulating friction between a styli tip and a surface of a computing device to emulate the "feel" of different types of writing instruments writing on different types of surfaces (such as pen on paper or a paintbrush on canvas). The actual friction between the stylus and the surface is modulated to produce the "feel." The friction is physically modulated "on the fly" meaning that friction can be modulated while the stylus tip is in contact with the surface and while the stylus is moving. The friction is modulated dependent on a location of the stylus on the surface and the posture and orientation of the stylus. In addition, the friction can be modulated based on a direction and a velocity that the stylus tip is moving across the surface. Audio may also be used to improve the emulation experience.

Samsung Video on the Value of ISOSCELL CMOS Image Technology

   

Google Patent Reveals use of Infra-Red Camera for Screen Unlock

Do you remember the embarrassing video showing how the new facial recognition unlocking screen process for Android's Ice Cream Sandwich miserably failed by simply using a still photo of the owner of the device? Ouch. Who trusted it after that? Well, Google went back to the drawing board on this problem and have come up with several new updates to this project regarding user authentication. The first proposed solution revealed a new fingerprint and facial scan combination process that we covered back in December. The second one was published just yesterday by the US Patent Office which covers a method that includes taking a second photo of the individual using infra-red so as to confirm that the entity before the device is in fact alive. Okay, that should do the trick … hopefully.

Google Patent Reveals New Radial Menu Design for Android

Google introduced a basic radial menu gesture in Android 3.0 Honeycomb for the browser in tablets and has played with it ever since. Yesterday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Google's patent application revealing the advancement of the radial menu. Samsung introduced their version of the radial menu known as "Air Command" with last year's roll out of the Galaxy Note 3. Google's new radial menu provides greater detail with a sub-menu feature.

Samsung Invents a New Wireless Charging System with a Twist

According to a new report by IHS, the global market for wireless charging hardware used for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets will surge to rise by almost fortyfold during the next five years. Revenue from shipments of wireless power transmitters and receivers will expand to $8.5 billion in 2018, up from just $216 million in 2013. Revenue this year will increase by 264 percent to reach $785 million. And just as this market is about to take off, a new Samsung wireless charging invention comes to light using Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) technology.

Google Invents Backside Keyboard functionality through Sensors

Last week the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that reveals a method of displaying a Graphic Keyboard. The twist to Google's invention is that it relates to providing mobile devices (smartphones & tablets) with backside sensors that act as keyboard keys for input on a virtual keyboard UI of the user's touch screen. The sensors are placed on both the right and left hand sides of the device as noted in our cover graphic above. Google states that there are front and backside sensors. Sensors 50A-D are frontal sensors and 50E-H are rear sensors. Google notes that "If the usage mode is a one-handed usage mode for a smartphone, a unitary graphical keyboard is displayed. If the usage mode is a two-handed usage mode for a tablet, a split graphical keyboard is displayed.

Samsung Reveals Possible Future Flex Display Form Factors

Last week the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office published a series of four new patent applications from Samsung Electronics that were concentrated on future flexible display products. The form factors and ideas were greatly varied. One displayed a new wraparound watch while another revealed a new dual display smartphone with a unique photo sharing application. Patent Bolt recently opened a new Samsung Flexible Display Archive to make it easier for you to research this area of technology that Samsung is excelling in.

Samsung invents a new Hybrid Notebook-Tablet Design without Committing to an OS

Last week the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Samsung which reveals a new hybrid notebook-table design that departs from their current Windows based ATIV Tab design. The new design is shown with two differing  methods of separating the display from the keyboard so that users will be able to use it as a standalone tablet. In one of the designs, a creative housing was created to store Samsung's digital pen that could be used when in tablet mode.

Microsoft Working on a Live Annotation Feature for Skype

Last week the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Microsoft that reveals that they'll be bringing live annotation capabilities to Skype over time. This is a feature that many enterprise users, legal professionals and students have wanted for some time. The new invention will also eventually extend to presenters who want to make changes to a slide in realtime. Microsoft hints that a laser pointer feature could one day be integrated into future Windows smartphones to accommodate this feature.

Samsung Introduces Music Streaming Service as we Predicted

Prior to the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona we revealed that Samsung had applied for three trademarks relating to Milk Music, a new music streaming service. Yesterday Samsung launched their new music streaming with that exact branding.

Microsoft Invents Mobile Devices with 3D Cameras

Prior to the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona every year, rumors abound as to what Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC and others will be launching during their respective keynote events. This year there was a lot of Buzz over rumors that the latest HTC smartphone would support dual backside cameras. The rumor mill got it wrong this time, as the surprise of the second aperture was in fact related to a backside fingerprint scanner. However not all is lost on this front because Microsoft has just revealed that dual backside cameras producing 3D imagery are on the drawing board for future smartphones and tablets. Another small company by the name of Google introduced project Tango recently and that'll result in bringing 3D cameras to smartphones sometime next year. In fact, prototypes for developers begin rolling out next Friday.

Adidas Patent Reveals New Fitness Monitoring System

The U.S. Patent Office recently revealed an Adidas patent application for a health monitoring system that both compliments and greatly advances their current miCoach line of products which includes a speed cell pod that fits in a runner, a heart rate monitor (using an old styled strap) and a sports watch. The new health monitoring system is a device that fits on the hip and can work with clothing that embeds sensors to monitor the heart without having to use a strap of any kind. The patent also describes a wider array of new health monitoring sensors and future capabilities that training athletes will appreciate. The system also includes a new docking station that will charge the system and send workout stats to your computer.