We post on this blog every week about IP and learning about IP.
If you just want to access the blog page without signing up to our blog email list, go here.
We may provide more helpful, additional information when you sign up for our blog email list.
___________________________________________________________________________
Patents to Products
(Published in 2019)
"According to the latest estimates from IDC, Apple shipped 4.2 million Apple Watch units during the quarter ending in September (2018) for a 13.1% share of the global market. The figure, up 54% from 2.7 million units shipped during the same period last year, was good enough to put Apple in the No. 2 spot behind Xiaomi. Though Apple launched a redesigned Apple Watch Series 4 with larger display and advanced health monitoring features last quarter, it was the Series 3 that accounted for a majority of its wearable sales. A slate of new features delivered alongside watchOS 5 and a reduced price point stoked demand for the year-old smartwatch, IDC said." Apple Watch Series 4 is protected by patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We make no claim to these, and we are in no way associated with Apple Inc.
There are many patents on the Apple Watch. One patent (10,296,047; May 21, 2019; by Apple Inc.) details the following:"A case for an electronic device comprises a body defining an interior volume configured to receive the electronic device therein. The body comprises a user input region formed from a deformable material having an electrical resistance that decreases in response to a touch force on the deformable material. The body further comprises an electrode pair in contact with the deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the deformable material due to the touch force.
The body further comprises a connector configured to operatively couple the electrode pair to the electronic device. An electronic device comprises a display device forming a front surface of the electronic device, a sensing circuit, and a housing forming a back surface of the electronic device opposite to the front surface. The back surface comprises a user input region formed from a quantum tunneling material, where the sensing circuit is configured to detect a change in an electrical property of the quantum tunneling material in response to a deformation resulting from a touch force of a user input. A wearable electronic device comprises a housing, a processing unit within the housing, and a band coupled to the housing and configured to couple the wearable electronic device to a user. The band comprises an input region formed from a touch-sensitive material. The touch-sensitive material is operatively coupled to the processing unit, and the processing unit detects a deformation of the input region based on a change in an electrical characteristic of the touch-sensitive material. An input device for an electronic device comprises a first layer comprising a first touch-sensitive material, and a second layer comprising a second touch-sensitive material disposed below the first layer. An electrical resistance of the first and second layers changes differently in response to application of a force to the first layer."
The first claim of this patent (the words that embody the invention) includes: "1. A case for an electronic device, comprising: a body defining an interior volume configured to receive the electronic device therein; a user input region having an area comprising: a first layer of a first deformable material having a first hardness; and a second layer of a second deformable material positioned below the first layer and having a second hardness that is different from the first hardness, wherein a touch force on the user input region causes an electrical resistance of the first layer to change by a first amount and an electrical resistance of the second layer to change by a second amount different from the first amount; and a connector configured to operatively couple the user input region to the electronic device; a first electrode pair in contact with the first deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to a sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the first layer; and a second electrode pair in contact with the second deformable material and configured to be operatively coupled to the sensing circuit configured to detect a change to the electrical resistance of the second layer, wherein the user input region is at least partially surrounded by another area greater than the user input region area formed from the first or second deformable material."
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is more successful than expected in the US, with sales running around 10 percent better than the Galaxy S9 did, according to figures from Counterpoint Research. Counterpoint and Wave7 Research surveyed US carrier stores to find out how well phones are selling in this critical channel. According to Wave7, Apple's iPhones still have more than 50 percent sales share at all four carriers, although they've been dropping steadily over the past three months at AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
Samsung's overall percentages of sales over the past 30 days are now 28 percent at AT&T, 30 percent at Verizon, 38 percent at Sprint, and 35 percent at T-Mobile, with Galaxy S10+ units selling out quickly, Wave7 says. iPhone users switching to Samsung are more common this year, according to carrier reps.
There are many patents for the Samsung Galaxy S10. One fingerprint sensor patent (10,262,184;
April 16, 2019; by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) details the following:
"An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method of activating a fingerprint sensor
included in a display based on a pressure value sensed by a pressure sensor and of performing
various functions depending on a fingerprint verification result from the fingerprint sensor, and an
electronic device for performing the method.
In accordance with an aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic
device includes a housing including a first surface facing in a first direction, and a second
surface facing in a second direction opposite from the first direction, a touchscreen display
interposed between the first and second surfaces, and exposed through the first surface, a
pressure sensor interposed between the first and second surfaces, in which the pressure sensor
is positioned to sense pressure of an external object against the touchscreen display, a
fingerprint sensor interposed between the first and second surfaces and positioned to detect a
fingerprint on at least a portion of the touchscreen display, at least one processor positioned
inside the housing and electrically coupled to the touchscreen display, the pressure sensor, and
the fingerprint sensor, and a memory positioned inside the housing and electrically coupled to
the at least one processor, in which the memory stores at least one registered fingerprint.
The memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to sense pressure
of a user's finger against the touchscreen display using the pressure sensor, activate the
fingerprint sensor upon sensing of the pressure, detect a fingerprint of the user's finger using the
fingerprint sensor, determine whether the detected fingerprint is matched with a registered
fingerprint of the at least one registered fingerprint, and perform a preselected function without
further requiring authentication, when the detected fingerprint is matched with any registered
fingerprint of the at least one registered fingerprint."
From another website - "The Galaxy S10 and S10+ use an Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that is embedded into the screen. This uses soundwaves to create an intricate 3D map of your fingerprint."