SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Can some explain this patent owned by Apple?

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

Not sure what this patent means. But it almost sounds like Apple has patented search algorithms that use tags as a means of bringing up results?

The reason I'm asking is because Apple's saying Samsungs new Galaxy Nexus violates this patent and is using this as reason to keep up a court issued ban on the Nexus sales.

Story here
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-demands-apples-galaxy-nexus-ban-be-frozen-01236623/

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Jul 01 2012 06:57 pm

Apple is claiming another company is using an invention they own and control. They've sued over it and a judge has granted a preliminary injunction to halt sales of the phone (it isn't a ruling, it's a request for a court order to halt sales of an infringing product while the trial is going on).

I haven't got a clue as to what exactly the patents (there are four) cover, but that's the reason they asked for the injunction.

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

I know why they asked for the sales to be halted, I was more curious as to what the patents entitle them to

Though you did clear up a few things I was confused on, so thanks for that.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Jul 01 2012 09:39 pm

Hacker wrote:

I know why they asked for the sales to be halted, I was more curious as to what the patents entitle them to

I don't have a clue. Ask a patent lawyer. Ask 10, actually, and you will get 10 different answers. That's kind of why the court system exists.

I can't make any sense of the patent application there myself.

Joined: Jun 27 2012 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 8

It looks like Apple is making claim to a patent that is over-zealous, and that the particular lines of code (for voice actions/searches) are common and have been used by several other companies for their products before Apple patented it, and even was used by others before Samsung. The judge is also someone who has been on Apple's side before, and has made at least one significant ruling that helped apple out, and this judge has almost no technical experience to base her ruling off of. The US Patent Office is run by idiots taking bribes mostly, and these days, they give out patents based on who pays them the most, and/or if the person trying to get the patent is the first person to try.

So, here are the failing points in this issue;
1. US Patent Office needs to stop taking bribes and review patent applications very critically before approval. The entire system probably needs to be rebuilt, because there are several other controversies with similar circumstances.
2. The ruling Judge, Lucy Koh, needs to stop taking bribes and/or organize a team of engineers to help understand and then rule on the issue.
3. Clearer and more fair guidelines for what can and cannot be patented need to be made. Where we are at now, if Apple wins this, they could start suing individual consumers who are using products that contain these certain patented lines of code for Copyright Infridgement. For a current example of this behavior, look into Monsanto and Seed Saving issues.
4. Apple is attempting to gain a monopoly through non-competitive means, and that is obviously unfair and even dangerous.

Posted: Jul 30 2012 05:21 am

Ah ha! I knew you'd eventually post.

Nerd.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Jul 30 2012 11:35 am

...do you have any evidence that Apple is overstepping their boundries besides "I don't like Apple"?

...do you have any proof that a Federal judge is taking bribes aside from "I just felt like committing libel today"?

...are you aware that Judge Koh has plenty of experience with IP cases, both as a lawyer and on the bench, and has made significant rulings against Apple as well as for them?

...in fact, do you actually have any clue whatsoever how intellectual property law works, and that you have to zealously defend your patents, otherwise they are lost?

...sorry, but I really can't think of anything else to add, though 20 minutes later I've still got a WTF look on my face about that post. When your point starts with "The patent office is taking bribes" and doesn't get better, you're hard to take seriously.

Joined: Jun 27 2012 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 8

I sure would love to hear your interpretation of everything, Satsui.

Posted: Jul 30 2012 02:24 pm

Is it too late to post just to say "I don't like Apple" ?

Because I don't and I'll be damned if I'm going to add shit to a discussion I know less than nothing about.

Posted: Jul 30 2012 03:55 pm

LowEndLem wrote:

Is it too late to post just to say "I don't like Apple" ?

Because I don't and I'll be damned if I'm going to add shit to a discussion I know less than nothing about.

This is basically how I feel about it. Surprised

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

Cameron wrote:

LowEndLem wrote:

Is it too late to post just to say "I don't like Apple" ?

Because I don't and I'll be damned if I'm going to add shit to a discussion I know less than nothing about.

This is basically how I feel about it. Surprised

In the same boat here.

UsaSatsui's Youtube Channel · Posted: Jul 30 2012 07:58 pm

Marvel wrote:

I sure would love to hear your interpretation of everything, Satsui.

It was already earlier in the thread. "I don't know what's going on, that's why we have court cases". It's a lawsuit, and a judge is gonna find the truth out. That's all there is. About the only thing I could give as opinion is that I don't think Apple is overstepping their bounds in taking this to court.

But I'm probably taking money from Apple to say this, so can I be trusted?

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

UsaSatsui wrote:

But I'm probably taking money from Apple to say this, so can I be trusted?

That depends, do we get to cash in along with you when the world is taken over by Apple?

Banned Joined: Sep 13 2008 Posts: 3129

The hipster cult following Apple gets bugs me. I can stand Apple itself, Steve Jobs was a great man, some of their products are really amazing.
Also some of Apple's OS' bug me. Like their touch tablet and iPhone OS bug me, it feels so restricted in ways. I like having a certain amount of control over my computers, and Apple doesn't make me feel like I have that control.

Joined: Jun 08 2010 Location: Termina Field Posts: 1541

Hacker wrote:

The hipster cult following Apple gets bugs me. I can stand Apple itself, Steve Jobs was a great man, some of their products are really amazing.
Also some of Apple's OS' bug me. Like their touch tablet and iPhone OS bug me, it feels so restricted in ways. I like having a certain amount of control over my computers, and Apple doesn't make me feel like I have that control.

I personally think that the locked down aspect of iOS is a good thing. For one, you can only get apps from the one App Store, which makes iOS, unlike Android, a completely unfragmented smartphone OS. It also gives iOS greater protection from malware. I'm not saying that iOS is completely safe from malware-- there has been a few proof-of-concept pieces of malware for the platform, one of these that slipped into the App Store for a short time, but it's much better than the numerous stores for Android, which most likely let anyone distribute their applications without checking them for these kinds of things. Also, the regulations of the Apple App Store give it quality-over-quantity. which to me is a big plus. And if you don't agree with iOS being locked down, you could always jailbreak, allowing you to use any app from both the App Store and apps/themes/mods/whatever from Cydia at the cost of some security. But I have never gotten any kind of malware on any of my iOS devices, jailbroken or not.

For OS X, apart from the fact that Apple tries it's hardest to make sure you cannot run it on non-Apple hardware (but if you are willing, you can get past that, like I did), and the interface not being very customizable, the OS is very open and accessible. A lot of stuff it uses is open-source (Apache HTTPD for it's webserver, Samba SMB for sharing files, etc.), which makes it arguably more open than even Windows. The OS currently doesn't restrict where you can get stuff from (Mountain Lion has Gatekeeper, but that can be easily turned off without hacking), and you can compile source code from anywhere and run the resulting application.

And on the topic about patent BS, I am fucking tired of Android users I know in person doing the whole song and dance on how Apple are 'evil' for suing the shit out of Android phones makers to stifle competition, ignoring the fact that Apple aren't the only ones who are/have done stuff like this before. If you really need something to hate, it's the patent system that allows this.

Also, am I the only one who thinks Samsung were asking for a lawsuit with their Galaxy SIII's 'S Voice' feature?

TL;DR: Lockdown on iOS is good, and you can jailbreak to remove that anyway. OS X isn't locked down. Apple aren't the only ones who are/have done anticompetitive things. Samsung is totally asking for a lawsuit.