The patent is not on haptic feedback. The patent is on a very specific means of implementing haptic feedback using ferrofluids and electromagnetic actuators that it is claimed (and Apple deemed it good enough to copy, so presumably truly) allows for both a smaller implementation than typical mechanical haptic feedback (i.e. the off-balance-flywheel approach of phones of old), while also allowing for low- or zero- noise compared to “speaker or piezo” based haptic feedback.
There are a lot of shit patents in the world, but on a surface reading at least this seems sufficiently novel that I don’t see why it should be invalid. One also presumes that if Apple had any grounds to invalidate it on prior-art they would have done so.
They have one headphone license for one model from crossair, that is worth less money that what they spent on lawyers for this trial. They are a patent troll.
How is this good news? Haptic feedback has existed since the 1970s. This patent should be invalid.The patent is not on haptic feedback. The patent is on a very specific means of implementing haptic feedback using ferrofluids and electromagnetic actuators that it is claimed (and Apple deemed it good enough to copy, so presumably truly) allows for both a smaller implementation than typical mechanical haptic feedback (i.e. the off-balance-flywheel approach of phones of old), while also allowing for low- or zero- noise compared to “speaker or piezo” based haptic feedback.
There are a lot of shit patents in the world, but on a surface reading at least this seems sufficiently novel that I don’t see why it should be invalid. One also presumes that if Apple had any grounds to invalidate it on prior-art they would have done so.
So I looked into this and you are right and I am wrong. Deleting my previous posts since there’s more to this case than just haptics.
Well, all credit to you!
Sometimes Lemmy can be surprising in a good way :^).
Even if it’s like catching Al capone on tax fraud, it’s still good to get the baddie.
Rewarding a patent troll is never a good thing. It just means no one will be able to use haptic feedback without paying a toll.Are they really a patent troll though? It’s apparently a headphone company.
They have one headphone license for one model from crossair, that is worth less money that what they spent on lawyers for this trial. They are a patent troll.