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GEN-ERIC Patent News
Your Source for the Latest Patent Information
08/28/07
7,263,526 Method and apparatus for embedding chat functions in a web page  08/28/07
7,263,491 On-line degree and current enrollment verification system and method  08/28/07
7,263,378 Method and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event  08/28/07
Opponents of legislation that would overhaul the U.S. patent system have enlisted new allies who may cause majority Democrats in Congress to rethink their support of the proposals. Since late July, three labor unions -- the AFL-CIO, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and the United Steelworkers -- have sent letters to lawmakers saying they oppose two current patent reform bills. Patent reform opponents say they hope their alliance with organized labor, which has a long history of supporting Democrats, will stall the legislation. But representatives of large tech vendors that are pushing for patent reform say they're confident there will be support for the legislation when Congress returns from summer recess in early September. The committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives approved versions of a sweeping patent reform bill in July, and House leaders have targeted the patent reform bill for passage by the end of the year. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:07:21 am into the following categories: In The News08/28/07
Cincinnati-based P&G said it filed a patent infringement suit in federal court in San Francisco. P&G claims Kraft's new Maxwell House can infringes on the design of P&G's 4-year-old Folgers can. "In 2003, P&G introduced Folgers Coffee in a consumer-preferred plastic container," P&G said. "This innovation has grown the Folgers business for the past four years." The lawsuit seeks to stop Kraft Foods from selling the allegedly infringing Maxwell House Coffee package. It also seeks recovery of an undisclosed amount of damages. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:06:08 am into the following categories: In The News08/28/07
A Germantown inventor says he discovered the secret to keeping delicate whites white years ago, but now the country’s biggest bleach manufacturer is leaving him in the dark. Lawnie Taylor sued The Clorox Co. last week to prove that its UltimateCare Premium Bleach is just like his 2004 patented formula for GLEE, a liquid chlorine bleach that removes stains without damaging clothing. Taylor, a physicist and retired senior engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy, said he and his attorney spent several months in licensing and royalty talks with Clorox after the product was launched in May 2006. When those talks ended three or four months later, Taylor said he decided a new course of action was needed. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:05:22 am into the following categories: In The News08/28/07
A Georgia synthetic glove maker has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging Cardinal Health Inc. infringed on a patent. The company that filed the complaint, Menlo, Ga.-based Best Manufacturing Co., alleges the nitrile gloves Cardinal imports from its glove manufacturer in Malaysia infringe on a patent it owns. Best Manufacturing is requesting the trade commission issue a cease-and-desist order for the product that also would go to four other companies listed as respondents in the investigation. Cardinal spokeswoman Donna Gaidamak said the nitrile gloves the company imports from Malaysia and then distributes through its gloves group in McGaw Park, Ill., are among the many medical and surgical gloves it markets. Cardinal has been distributing gloves for more than 20 years. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:04:02 am into the following categories: In The News08/21/07
7,258,592 Santa Claus visit kit  08/21/07
7,260,192 Internet user finder  08/21/07
7,260,542 Method and system for the real time sale of sensor data  08/21/07
Medical device concern CytoLogix Corp. received a jury verdict of $10.7 million in damages in patent infringement claims against Ventana Medical Systems Inc., after a three-week long trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Boston-based CytoLogix Corp.s technologies contain slide-staining methods used by pathologists in the diagnosis of cancer and other diseases. Jack Pirozzolo and Vickie Henry of Foley Hoag LLP in Boston led the CytoLogix trial team. Litigation on the CytoLogix family of patents covering this diagnostic technology is expected to continue. Its competitor, Ventana Medical Systems Inc. is as Tucson, Arizona-based medical device company. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 02:36:52 am into the following categories: In The News08/21/07
SonoSite Inc. said it has expanded its patent lawsuit fight with General Electric Co. in a Wisconsin court. In July, the Bothell maker of hand-carried ultrasound machines filed a counterlawsuit after General Electric sued SonoSite in May, alleging that SonoSite ultrasound products infringed on GE products. In an Aug. 17 amendment to its July countersuit, SonoSite alleged that GE, of Fairfield, Conn., infringed on additional SonoSite patents. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 02:35:49 am into the following categories: In The News08/21/07
It looks like Robot FX has run into a bigger obstacle than it's bargained for, with the company now facing not one but two lawsuits from iRobot over alleged patent infringement. Apparently, iRobot thinks that Robot FX's "Negotiator" robot is a little too similar to iRobot's popular Packbot, and it's asking for a permanent injunction to prevent Robot FX from selling any more of the bots, along with the usual damages. Adding further to the intrigue is the fact that Robot FX was founded by a former iRobot employee, who is specifically named in the second lawsuit claiming misappropriation and misuse of confidential information relating to the Packbot. Sadly, it seems that the whole matter will have to be settled in court, and not in a winner-take-all robot death match as we would have hoped. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 02:31:41 am into the following categories: In The News08/21/07
Pall Corp., which makes filters and purifiers, said late Thursday it received a favorable claim construction ruling in a patent infringement lawsuit against a 3M Co. division. The lawsuit claims Cuno Inc.'s Polypro XL and LifeAssure filters infringe two patents related to Pall's Ultipleat filters, which use a laid-over pleat design that allows more material to be packed into a smaller envelope. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert of the Eastern District of New York stated Wednesday in a memorandum and order that Pall's product "was a major breakthrough" when it was created, as it established a more efficient and long-lasting filter without increasing the size of the product. Pall is seek compensatory damages and a permanent injunction against Cuno selling the products named in the lawsuit. The court ruled in 2002 that an earlier Cuno product infringed on the same patents, Pall said. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 02:30:45 am into the following categories: In The News08/14/07
7,257,570 Geographical location extraction  08/14/07
7,255,277 Method of designating dating status  08/14/07
7,257,388 Pre-paid mobile phone with temporary voice mail  08/14/07
EchoStar Communications has gained some ground in defending its digital video-recording technology against patent-infringement claims, but a big case with giant Tivo is still pending. The Douglas County-based satellite- TV provider said Friday that it prevailed in a patent-infringement case filed by Forgent Network Inc. EchoStar said it won $90,000 in court costs after a Texas appellate judge upheld a jury verdict last spring that Forgent's patent claims were invalid. EchoStar, operator of Dish Network, also said this week that the federal patent office recently rejected all of the hardware-related claims asserted by Tivo. But the patent office affirmed Tivo's software claims related to a $90 million Texas court verdict against EchoStar last year. EchoStar reiterated in a regulatory filing this week that it does not believe it has infringed on any of Tivo's patents and that it will prevail on appeal. An appellate court has stayed an injunction prohibiting EchoStar from using the technology, pending appeal. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:04:02 am into the following categories: In The News08/14/07
On Monday, Apple was sued in Texas for violating the patent rights of a Michigan-based inventor. Attorney Joseph Zito of Washington, D.C.-based law firm Zito tlp filed the patent infringement lawsuit in a Texas federal court on behalf of Thomas Harvey, claiming that the Apple Portable Power Adapter violates two related patents granted to Harvey for an illuminated portable recharging device. Harvey "invented a power adapter with an illuminated connector end," the complaint says, citing a patent applied for in 2001 and granted in 2004. "...Apple manufactures and sells a device referred to as the 'Apple Portable Power Adapter.' The power adapter, in combination with an Apple notebook computer, has all the elements of the claims of [Harvey's patents], including: a portable electronic device recharger, a rechargeable battery, a battery compartment, a power adapter, an illuminated connector terminus." Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:03:03 am into the following categories: In The News08/14/07
Broadcom Corporation , a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced that a U.S. District Court judge in Santa Ana, Calif. has ordered Qualcomm Incorporated to pay double damages of $39.3 million for past infringement of three Broadcom patents. The judge also ordered Qualcomm to pay Broadcom's attorneys' fees in the litigation. An injunction hearing in the case, in which Broadcom is seeking to bar future infringement of the patents by Qualcomm, is scheduled to begin Tuesday. In May, a federal jury in Santa Ana found that Qualcomm had "willfully infringed" the three Broadcom patents, and awarded Broadcom $19.64 million in damages. The "willfulness" finding provided the judge with the discretion to increase the damages. In doubling the amount of damages initially awarded by the jury, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna reasoned, "There is a spectrum of improper conduct for determining the amount to award. That Qualcomm's conduct was not at the most egregious end of the spectrum does not mean that no enhanced award is due." He found awarding the attorneys' fees "appropriate for the same reasons as the damages enhancement. Broadcom has demonstrated that this case is exceptional by clear and convincing evidence." Judge Selna issued a tentative ruling on the awards August 9; today he made the order final. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:02:01 am into the following categories: In The News08/14/07
Callaway Golf Co. has filed two suits accusing TaylorMade Golf Co. of violating its patents on three golf clubs and a ball-covering material. The maker of Big Bertha and Steelhead brand clubs is seeking monetary damages and an order that all the infringing TaylorMade products be destroyed. The company also wants an order permanently blocking TaylorMade from using the disputed technology. The suits contend that the patent violations have caused Callaway "irreparable injury," according to court documents. Since the introduction of its oversize Big Bertha driver in 1991, Carlsbad, Calif.-based Callaway has led an arms race among professional golfers and weekend duffers. The company, whose sales topped $1.02 billion last year, sells a line of Big Bertha irons and drivers as well as the full range of golf clubs, balls and other equipment. TaylorMade, a unit of Adidas Group, also is headquartered in Carlsbad and its products are used by a number of professional golfers. The TaylorMade patents targeted in these suits include a polyurethane golf ball cover that produces a softer feel and increased ball spin along with a club head used for longer drives, court documents show. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:01:12 am into the following categories: In The News08/07/07
7,254,092 Method and system for swimmer denial  08/07/07
7,254,839 Secured access using a coordinate system  08/07/07
7,253,727 Security checkpoint  08/07/07
A U.S. judge on Monday threw out a record $1.5 billion verdict against Microsoft Corp, ruling the world's largest software had not infringed on audio technology patents held by France's Alcatel-Lucent. Microsoft said the reversal was a victory for other technology companies who could have been at risk to patent infringement charges if Alcatel won. A federal jury in San Diego ruled in February that Microsoft had violated two patents related to MP3 audio files and handed Alcatel-Lucent the largest-ever damages award in a U.S. patent case. MP3 is the standard digital music format, which allows audio to be compressed so that it can be easily played on computers, mobile phones or digital music players. The court heard a post-trial motion on July 25 and 26 when Microsoft asked for the verdict to be reversed, a new trial or dramatic reduction in damages. U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster said in a 43-page order that the jury's damages could not stand because Microsoft had not violated one of the two patents. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 03:19:13 am into the following categories: In The News08/07/07
Apple is the focus of a recently-filed lawsuit over the iPhone's touchscreen keyboard. A virtually unknown company called SP Technologies has filed a suit against Apple for infringement on a patent on for a touchscreen keyboard. The company is now demanding that the courts issue a permanent injunction against Apple and is asking for damages and attorney's fees. The patent, "Method and medium for computer readable keyboard display incapable of user termination," describes a software system that takes touch input on a virtual keyboard—a keyboard that cannot be minimized or closed and is therefore integral to the use of the device it's installed on, much like the iPhone's keyboard. The patent was filed in August of 2000 and awarded in August of 2004. SP Technologies claims that Apple has willfully and deliberately infringed on this patent by developing iPhone, and is apparently continuing to do so in a flagrantly in-your-face manner by having the gall to sell it. SP Technologies also makes a point of bringing up Apple's legal run-in with Creative, saying that Apple has been "repeatedly sued" in the past over patent infringement. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 03:17:54 am into the following categories: In The News08/07/07
In what could be a high-stakes battle between two of the biggest makers of liquid crystal displays, Sharp Corp. has sued Samsung Electronics Co., accusing its rival of infringing five of its patents on LCD technologies often used in televisions, computer monitors and cell phones. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, centers on patents related to various methods Sharp said it developed to improve the quality of LCD displays. The Japanese electronics company is seeking unspecified damages, a ban on infringing products and a jury trial. The lawsuit does not specify how many products are in question, but analysts say the scope will likely be in the millions, and the monetary stakes high. "We are currently in a cutthroat time in the industry, where prices of finished goods are falling so fast that any kind of technological edge one company has over the other is completely vital," said Eric Haruki, an analyst of TV technologies at market researcher IDC. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 03:16:08 am into the following categories: In The News08/07/07
RealNetworks, the company behind the digital media player, Real Player, has won a patent infringement lawsuit brought by San Francisco-based technology licensing company, Friskit. Frisket had been seeking damages of over US$70m (AUD$82m) against Real, but Judge William W. Schwarzer of the US District Court for the Northern District of California granted RealNetworks' motion for summary judgment invalidating the claims of four patents asserted by Friskit. In its motion, RealNetworks relied upon the recent legal decision in KSR vs Teleflex, in which the Supreme Court ruled on the proper standard for determining obviousness in patent cases. The Supreme Court rejected any "rigid" application of existing tests for obviousness in favour of the "expansive and flexible approach" set forth in the Supreme Court's earlier decisions. RealNetworks relied upon that analysis to argue that Friskit's patent claims relating to systems for enabling continuous streaming playback from internet sites were "obvious combinations of elements found in the prior art", including RealNetworks' own internet products. Posted by GEN-ERIC at 03:14:46 am into the following categories: In The News
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