Tag: patent
Ford’s self-repossessing car patent is a nightmare of the connected-car future
The electric and digital transformation of the car industry comes with a lot of promises for a better tomorrow. Electric vehicles could dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector; connected cars will give us access to services and features we don’t currently enjoy; over-the-air software updates could eliminate high repair costs; and automated vehicles may make driving significantly safer.
But it’s worth remembering that, at the end of the day, car companies are just out to make a buck, not make the world a better place.
This week, it was revealed that Ford applied for a patent on a system that would use connected car technology to better aid in vehicle repossession. News of the patent’s publication was first r…
Ocean Biomedical co-founder Jake Kurtis gets new patent for novel malaria vaccine target
Ocean Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCEA) on Tuesday said its scientific co-founder Dr. Jonathan Kurtis received a new patent for his discovery related to malaria. The patent award could be a […]
The post Ocean Biomedical co-founder Jake Kurtis gets new patent for novel malaria vaccine target first appeared on AlphaStreet.
Apple receives patent for color-changing Apple Watch bands
Apple has been granted a patent for color-changing Apple Watch band that would be controlled with an app.
According to Patently Apple, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple the patent on Tuesday.
The filing, which is publicly available on the government website, details how the technology would work. The band “includes electrochromic features that provide adjustable color control based on an applied voltage to offer a variety of colors and color combinations to be displayed by a single band.” Through a system, presumably an Apple Watch or iPhone interface, users can “control, select, and/or adjust colors of the watch band.”
Credit: Apple
Electrochromic material is best known as the technology behind anti-glare mirrors in cars and smart glass windows that regulate heat and become tinted or opaque. The patent describes how the filaments or fibers of the band can include conductors and electrochromic layers that that respond when voltage is applied. The filaments are then woven into fabric like any normal cloth band. Diagrams show three stripes of fabric that can independently show different colors.
The patent also explains how the color can be manually changed by the user or adjust automatically based on time, date, text, icons, and notifications. So your watch band might turn a different color if you get a new text or your alarm goes off. So, kind of like a highly sophisticated mood ring.
It’s a pretty remarkable achievement to weave this technology — that’s used mostly in glass — into fabric. But it’s worth noting that a color-changing Apple Watch band might never come to market.
Apple and other big tech companies have moonshot research and development programs that often file patents that never come to fruition. Plus, interchangeable bands for Apple Watch are lucrative for Apple and provide opportunities for brand collaborations.
That said, Apple recently received a patent for a built-in smartwatch camera, so these patents might be the seeds of some major changes to come with Apple Watch.
New Apple patent conceptualizes a foldable iPhone with touch sensors covering its entire chassis
The first illustration Cupertino designers provided with the patent application appears to be a foldable iPhone. The patent proposes layering a flexible membrane containing touch sensors over the entire phone. The idea here would be that a user could still interact with the device without flipping it open, making it…
AbbVie sees near-term slowdown; looks prepared to tackle patent expiration
AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) has delivered yet another quarter of strong top-line and earnings performance but issued cautious guidance for fiscal 2023 citing an estimated drop in sales due to […]
The post AbbVie sees near-term slowdown; looks prepared to tackle patent expiration first appeared on AlphaStreet.
Apple’s new patent hints at plans of adding a camera to the Apple Watch
Exelixis has mixed ruling in Cabometyx patent trial, wins on 2026, loses on 2030 (update)
Apple Watch Patent Infringement Confirmed, As Masimo Seeks Import Ban
The battle between the two companies has a long history. Back in 2013, Apple reportedly contacted Masimo to discuss a potential collaboration between the two companies. Instead, claims Masimo, Apple used the meetings to identify staff it wanted to poach. Masimo later called the meetings a “targeted effort to obtain information and expertise.” Apple did indeed hire a number of Masimo staff, including the company’s chief medical officer, ahead of the launch of the Apple Watch. Masimo CEO Joe Kiano later expressed concern that Apple may have been trying to steal the company’s blood oxygen sensor technology. The company describes itself as “the inventors of modern pulse oximeters,” and its tech is used in many hospitals.
In 2020, the company sued Apple for stealing trade secrets and infringing 10 Masimo patents. The lawsuit asked for an injunction on the sale of the Apple Watch. Apple has consistently denied the claims, and recently hit back with a counterclaim of its own, alleging that Masimo’s own W1 Advanced Health Tracking Watch infringes multiple Apple patents. Reuters reports that a US court has ruled against Apple on one of the patent claims.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.