This week, the newsmakers were in full force, as Apple unveils new education technology, LG finds itself in a spot of trouble and Facebook faces some competition in the virtual reality ring.
It seems like each week brings all-new rumblings from the world of patents, IP, and potential patent infringement. This week, we’ve got a little bit of all three.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
Samsung Has Filed for a Patent for a Secondary Rim Display…On a Smartwatch
In some exciting news from the world of tech patents, Patently Apple has discovered a patent application submitted by Samsung that details methods for a secondary rim display on a smartwatch.
The illustration that accompanied the patent shows a clearly denoted strip display outside of the smartwatch’s face. According to Patently Apple, the secondary display will show information like the weather, the date and the time. It could also aid in preserving battery life and alerting smartwatch users when they have notifications on social media or email.
Additionally, this new patent could indicate another step towards a smartphone-smartwatch hybrid, and it has many tech fans eagerly anticipating more news on its development.
Apple Is Moving Quickly On New Inventions for Students
The start of the 2017-2018 school year is just over a month away, and Apple has apparently been stepping up their education-related research and development.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has received two different patents from Apple that specify methods for improving students’ educational experience while using Apple products in the classroom.
According to Patently Apple, the patents cover an “educational mode on a portable computing device,” such as an Apple tablet, which functions as a sort of digital organizer for multiple students’ encrypted data, files, and downloads, without putting a kink in network speeds.
It also covers methods for managing log-in/log-off time tables and allowing students’ data to save entirely, without preventing new students from logging onto the same device while that save is taking place.
The method is essentially a single-user system that is used in succession by multiple users, without a delay in network speeds or loss of saved data.
Facebook Slashes VR Headset Prices Significantly, In Face Of Heated Summer Competition
Last March, Facebook debuted its virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift, at a price of $599. HTC followed with the Vive VR headset in April, but at a considerably higher price of $799. While both developed their own respective fan bases, both also required a powerful PC to even run in the first place.
The Oculus in particular experienced some intense early criticism from users. Many consumers complained about the lack of high-quality immersive content and games and hated that the Oculus didn’t offer touch controllers (which the Vive did). Others decried the roadblock of needing to purchase a powerful PC to even use the Oculus at all.
All of this led to the HTC outselling the Oculus pretty steadily throughout 2016—and continuing that trend into this year.
Now, Facebook has slashed the price of the Oculus by a significant margin—the system will be sold for just $399 for a limited time this summer.
This is the second time in 2017 that Facebook has cut the headset’s price tag—just this past March, Facebook decided to reduce the VR headset to just $499, down 15% from its original price.
Observers have noted that competition from other VR headset makers has pushed Facebook to offer a more attractive price to consumers.
Sony’s PlayStation VR set, for instance, requires only a PlayStation 4 or PS4 Pro to run—plus, it has been priced at a relatively-attainable $399 since coming to market last October. According to the latest reports, the PlayStation VR has sold 1 million units since it launched, nearly 4 times as many units as the Oculus.
When Facebook purchased Oculus Rift VR for $2 billion in 2014, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the VR headset wouldn’t be profitable for a long time, but still claimed that virtual reality would become “a part of daily life” for billions of people around the world.
It appears that right now, only the first part of the statement is ringing true.
The company may have a bright future, however, as Oculus VR has submitted several patents in the past two months alone.
Facebook also announced plans to unleash a $200 wireless Oculus set in 2018—we’ll keep you posted on whether or not those plans come to fruition.
LG Accused of Patent Infringement By Chicago Company
A Chicago-based company, Ironworks Patents LLC, has filed suit against LG Electronics, alleging patent infringement.
In the complaint, Ironworks claims that the five patents in question were originally assigned to Nokia Mobile Phones LTD and Sony Corps, and that LG currently sells multiple mobile devices that infringe on them. Ironworks Patents LLC requested a trial by jury and is seeking costs, damages and other financial compensation in the suit.
Qualcomm Files Suit Against Apple for Patent Infringement on 6 Different Non-SEP Inventions
Wrapping up this week’s patent news is Qualcomm’s suit against Apple for patent infringement, which they brought to the U.S. International Trade Commission on July 7.
Want more insight on this story? Check out our full report.
Why did they bring the suit to the ITC? To halt the sale of Apple devices in the U.S. that utilize Qualcomm’s patented inventions in their hardware.
According to CNBC, Qualcomm’s suit references six different patents that extend battery life and provide richer graphics, among other things. Qualcomm claims Apple is using these technologies in a number of its mobile devices. Qualcomm also claims that Apple has instructed its contracted electronic manufacturers (who build the iPhone) not to pay them.
In an infographic Qualcomm released along with the July 6 press release, the company insisted that the patents Apple is infringing upon are not standards-essential patents.
Check out the infographic below, and check back here for ongoing information on this legal battle.
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