Apple Patents 'Chameleon' Computer Case 323
Dave B writes "The Register
has been fishing at the patent office again and found that Apple has a new patent for "a computing device [which] includes a housing having an illuminable portion. The computing device also includes a light device disposed inside the housing. The light device is configured to illuminate the illuminable portion".
While this gives us the exciting prospect of an iMac that is all five fruit flavors at once surely the original iMac with its glowing power button, or indeed a-thousand-and-one other electronic gizmos represent prior art?" Update a couple of users noticed this Slashdot Story from 2002 which looks familiar.
Prior Art? (Score:5, Informative)
I don't I've ever seen that.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:2)
Re:your CAR as prior art (Score:3, Insightful)
but a car is not a computing device - it's primary function is driving
Regardless, the description beyond that isn't even remotely close.
Headlamps and illuminated dashboards != LED-lit computer housing
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think it is more along the lines of "I'm feeling red today."
Click, click click... "Ahh, red illuminated case."
Blue? Click, click.
I like the idea.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Insightful)
Dave
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Second, someone (it could be me) will figure out how to goatse your case.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Funny)
...and if it's being /.'ed then it'd turn a rather nasty brown colour! ;-)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Interesting)
And it's a damn good idea. I wonder how programmable this is? Maybe the next xscreensaver will have options for controlling the case lights...
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Interesting)
Personally, I hope it's accessible via Applescript, and/or via a CLI command. There are a number of things I would like to use with this with involving AS: new IM? flash yellow! someone mentioned me in IRC? flash green! Somone's accessing my webserver? blue!
I'm excited
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:2, Interesting)
Isn't a color CRT a prior art thing? It has RGB illumation devices and a illuminating surface and can be controlled by sofware..
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Funny)
It helps raise your frag count at LAN parties... because everyone always forgets to bring sunglasses.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Insightful)
He doesn't explain how he did it but there's various pictures and a screenshot at the end of the thread of the software integrated into MBM.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Interesting)
So toyota can still make a new 4 cylinder engine and patent it, even though there are dozens of patented 4 cylinder engines.
Too bad they aren't as liberal with software.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Interesting)
It would be kinda cool for your windows machine to turn red when you get a virus or have the computer go blue when you get new email though.
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:4, Funny)
(yes, I know it's not quite analogous to the BSOD)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Interesting)
Obviousness of the patent is striking. I was in seventh grade I made (however, not invented) my first (and last) color music device, which, arguably is more complex than this hack, which implementation can be put into Reader's Excercises Section of 'Programming Serial Ports: 101'.
Hey, I already have a cool blue light tube in my modcase, I would suggest ThinkGeek start selling green and red ones:) Free advice guys, no strings attached (no responsibility for marketabil
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Informative)
Last time a discussion of this patent was raised, the iBook and eMac power light came up as fulfilling some what apple's described. The on-light is undetectable while the machine is off, lights up a small section of the case, and seems software controllable - it acts differently under OSX and OS9, depending on whether the machine is awake, the display is sleeping, or the entire machine is put to sleep. (it pulses in os9 when the machine's display is asleep, but not when the osx display sleeps, and pulses in a different manner when the whole machine is asleep). It looks like this when the emac is on [danamania.com]
What it ends up being in reality is just a white LED behind the translucent casing.
The Ambient Orb (Score:2)
Re:Prior Art? (Score:3, Informative)
At the very least, I would say this makes Apple's 'idea' a semi-obvious one, which might defeat its patent.
Not Prior Art (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Not Prior Art (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Not Prior Art (Score:5, Funny)
How do you think you come up with a patent for a colour changing "chameleon" computer case?
-- james
Re:Not Prior Art (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not Prior Art (Score:3, Insightful)
Isn't it funny how everytime a new patent application is filled in, Slashdoters are desperately trying to find prior art for it. Sometimes it's quite reasonable, but not always. This time the application looks quite unique. If you don't really know any prior art, don't pretend like you would.
Lasers? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Lasers? (Score:3, Interesting)
I gotta say, it will be pretty neat having the entire case give me information about CPU/memory usage.
shoot your eye out (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lasers? (Score:2, Funny)
I think they'll actually have little frick'n sharks with the frick'n lasers attached to their heads
Interactive Illumination (Score:5, Interesting)
Now, I'm not sure how a so-called "interactive illumination" is much different than LEDs you see on the mondo-cool multiprocessor boxes, but the patent does describe something a bit different than the run-of-the-mill case mod.
Re:Interactive Illumination (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Interactive Illumination (Score:4, Funny)
I wonder what will happen if it ever works out that it can behave like a chameleon and then it suddenly disappears....?
Re:Interactive Illumination (Score:3, Funny)
Are patents stifling or restricting? (Score:3, Interesting)
Cheers,
Erick
Re:Are patents stifling or restricting? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And... And... (Score:2)
Luckily, Apple acted on it first -- as usual.
Re:Are patents stifling or restricting? (Score:3, Interesting)
On the other hand, I'm sure several case-modders has done something similar to this before, unless I've gotten it all wrong.
Re:Are patents stifling or restricting? (Score:2)
This invention could not be protected by other intellectual property laws, such as copyright or trademark law. A patent is the only way, and an appropriate measure. The only basis I see for questioning this patent's validity is the presence of prior art. Aren't they basically patenting a LED display here?
Ah, the usual fallacies, eh (Score:5, Insightful)
But OK, let's play that game. Let's talk about paintings:
1. They'd more likely have to patent a device or method to make those paintings. So someone might have got a patent on something new like flinging colours at the canvas, but then someone else might just as well get the same result (or close enough) by using the old methods (using a brush). For which plenty of prior art existed.
(Just as this patent doesn't prevent you from having a lit case by other means than what Apple patented. You can still have your old cathodes or LED fans.)
2. For that matter, it might have stimulated someone to try more new stuff. So we might have 3-4 times more styles in the same period. Which is the whole purpose of patents: to stimulate researching _and_ publishing your research.
(And you could say the same about the situation at hand. We've had _years_ of noone even trying something more original than yet another LED fan or cathode behind acrylic window. By now every kiddie has one of those. So if it takes patents to get out of that loop and have a more original case, seems to me like a benefit of patents.)
3. Patents are not for ever. Copyrights amd trademarks do get extended. Patents expire no matter what.
I.e., if you talk about a 100 years interval, you may notice how the 20 years covered by a patent is only a fifth of it. I.e., combined with the previous point, we'd probably have a helluva lot more art choices after 100 years.
4. Patents encourage publishing your results, as opposed to keeping everything super-secret. Art is a bad example there. But there are a ton of technological processes that one could have kept secret. Or which _are_ being kept secret. Patents encourage companies to share this information with the rest of the world instead.
5. Patents get licensed all the time. I'm sure that if someone absolutely needed to do something impressionistic before the patent expired, they could have negotiated a license.
(And in this case, if IBM or MS absolutely needed to do their own lit cases, I'm sure they can persuade Apple.)
Re:Are patents stifling or restricting? (Score:2, Informative)
An equivilent phrasing would be "Listen, listen."
While it has come to be a cheer of assent, it is really an admonition to others to pay attention to what someone is saying.
KFG
This IS news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:This IS news! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This IS news! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:This IS news! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This IS news! (Score:3, Funny)
mac is built on that little thing... ah crap whats it called... its really big with all those computer science nerds. eu---eu.... eunuchs?
Re:This IS news! (Score:3, Insightful)
Nah if Dell had patented it there'd be a lot of us being treated for shock: "OMG Dell actually came up with something original- ARGH!".
But it'll never happen: Dell only innovate in making the cheapest, most crappy computers they can get some dumb schmucks to pay for.
Re:This IS news! (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple does, or at the very least does this much more frequently than Dell does.
Apple has the cool factor and are becoming very well known for making very cool/sleek hardware, so seeing a patent like this and what Apple could do with this is interesting. Hearing about it from Dell, who aren't known for any sort of cool factor in comparison to Apple, is not nearly as exciting.
I imagine a debate about how PC gaming l
Ghees... Nature is sloppy in patenting things... (Score:2, Funny)
I did not know mother Nature is this sloppy when it comes to patents. I thought the Chameleon would have been patented already.
Hum... (Score:3, Funny)
gah (Score:5, Insightful)
Again, infringing on my well known patents (Score:4, Funny)
Gimme my 699$ or suffer the litigatious consequnceses.
This isn't new. (Score:5, Informative)
Chameleon Computer Case (Score:5, Funny)
Prior art? (Score:5, Interesting)
Surely there is a computer inside that controls that case!
Re:Prior art? (Score:2)
It is a peripheral device, but yes the point is that it is controlled by events occuring on a computing device like email arriving etc.
Any lawyers have any insight on this?
Old news? (Score:2)
Not new (Score:5, Informative)
This story was posted on slashdot two years ago [slashdot.org]
No, Apple does not have a patent (Score:5, Informative)
LOL. Slashdot and obviously the Register don't seem to be able to determine what a patent is. THIS IS AN APPLICATION, not an actual patent.
It was filed in Feb 2004 and PUBLISHED, not GRANTED on Aug 12. 20040156192 is the application number, not the patent number. Patent numbers are serial and are in the 6 million range.
Talk about egg on face.
Wurlitzer was first (Score:5, Insightful)
IP has run amuck! (Score:2, Insightful)
ACHTUNG! (Score:3, Funny)
Das machine control is nicht fur gerfinger-poken und mittengrabben. Oderwise is easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowen fuse, und poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Der machine is diggen by experten only. Is nicht fur geverken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseenen keepen das cotten picken hands in das pockets, so relaxen und watchen das blinkenlights.
Apple Protecting An Advantage (Score:5, Insightful)
The question with patents is always: if this patent were not granted, would companies still have the incentive to innovate in this area with the same intensity? To the extent that this patent is original and non-obvious, I think the answer here is that the patent is justified. Apple has proven that they can innovate in this area, and they should be rewarded for this.
Irony: Previous RGB light patent (Score:3, Insightful)
Glowing keyboard for Mac desktops? (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if this means that Apple will implement the same glowing keys feature that is present in the 15" and 17" Powerbooks on their desktop models. That's a great feature for allowing the use of a computer in the dark. In this case, the whole computer can light up when the lights go down. Great for getting that "computer tan".
Useful? Yup. (Score:5, Insightful)
I've got new mail. How do I know? The Mac's pulsating yellow. Device 3 on that RAID's getting sick - it's turned a nasty shade of puce. We need to tweak our load-balancing: that server's green, but that one's red.
Shit. They've all gone red. Start blocking links from slashdot.
On board camera could make it invisible (Score:3, Funny)
Conspiracy! (Score:3, Funny)
The really interesting thing is... (Score:3, Interesting)
And as mentioned, this is a published application not an issued patent. I love that the Reg uses "finally" in describing the "granting" of the patent. A typical prosecution time is a couple years, not a couple months. Having a patent granted in 7 months would kick ass. But again, this is just an application.
And for those crying "prior art!" note that the application claims priority back to 2001. I dunno what case modders were doing three years ago, or if the glowing orb thing on thinkgeek was around, but it makes your prior art case harder (though still not that weak of course).
-truth
PS if everything is so obvious, why haven't you patented it? People here are like Nostradamus fans: everything is obvious (predictions are accurate) after the fact.
Practical Uses? (Score:5, Insightful)
There are many ways color could be put to use.
In a computer lab situation, all students are taking a quiz. The color reflects the student's "questions per second" rate of progress through the quiz. Blue = Quick Pace, Green = Average Pace, Red = Slow Pace. (or any sort of gradients between these). Blue might be indicative of a really sharp student or one who's cheating. Red might indicate a dumb student or one held up by technical problem.
Again in a school lab, but where the students are given free research time to roam the web. The case may show green for sites on an approved "white list", some form of amber on an off-site list based on a computed content rating, a red color for black listed sites or ones with highly offensive content rating.
A boot up progress bar? As the machine starts up the colors fill the neutral body color from grey to blue from bottom to top and the whole case seems like it's being filled with water as it indicates where it is in the boot process. (Aqua?)
A mode (initiated from the server) that would turn all the machines cases to indicate 802.11 signal strength for a period of 10 seconds. Allowing you to adjust the base station's antenna or position to give good signal strength to everyone in the room.
An accessibility feature for deaf users (or an option for computers in mute) to strobe to the would-be sound strength being generated by the computer with color indicative of volume. While you won't be able to make out the content of what's being said, you could distinguish between a system beep when played over the sound of your game of risk. All without interfering with the real screen's content area.
Any other thoughts?
Re:Practical Uses? (Score:3, Interesting)
My idea for this is to have it be a generalized system monitor; i.e. monitor everything (cpu load, network usage, number of programs, number of iChat buddies online, unread mail, etc) in different areas of the case.
Design patents (Score:5, Informative)
A design patent protects a particular aesthetic or functional design, not any process or underlying technology.
So, it's quite reasonable that Apple would get a design patent, I'm sure they have a great many of them already. Design patents are also not particularly strong- all you have to do to get around it is make a significant alteration and you're generally all right.
Hackers will love this. (Score:3, Funny)
Where Can I get one? (Score:3, Insightful)
While Apples all in ones have made them a bundle of cash they need to look forward and offer at least some upgrade potential to the machines. At least an upgrade to the video card and one PCI slot for expansion. Even with the cool color changing feature I would not buy another Mac that could not have the video card updated and at least one PCI slot.
Re:Picard (Score:5, Funny)
are
four LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!
Re:Well... (Score:5, Funny)
The term prior art is mainly used in the patent field.
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Making a wind-up radio is liable to fall foul of Trevor Bayliss's patent. Sticking a Freeplay logo on the front will be breaching his copyright.
Re:Well... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What's new? (Score:2)
maybe it's a refinement of that earlier patent, to actually show a way how to do it(software controllable RGB leds ie. ONE PIXEL MONITOR..)
Re:Quite interesting (Score:4, Informative)
It's a reference to the original fruit flavored iMacs; Apple had trouble keeping the stock numbers right due to varied demand for the five colors; Blueberry sold much better than Tangerine for instance. This was a problem because Apple demanded their resellers stock equal amounts of all five colors.
This dispute led some resellers (notably Best Buy) to stop selling iMacs.
Re:THIS gets a patent? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:THIS gets a patent? (Score:4, Interesting)
But how do you prevent the hot steam from raising the ambient temperature of the sub and killing everybody inside?
Through innovative cooling techniques that are not immediately obvious, that take a lot of thought, testing and research.
This is why patents are for SPECIFIC implementations. If Apple had just tried to patent coloured lights on cases, they'd have had no enforceable patent there. So they patented coloured lights, a system to get the light to the outside of the case, creating patterns, and software to control all this. Anybody who thinks a green neon tube is prior art for alternating coloured tiger stripes down the side of a case has a pretty imaginative definition of "non obvious."
Re:THIS gets a patent? (Score:3, Informative)
I think it's clear that you haven't read the book. It's really a great read, well worth the entrance fee, so even if you don't care about patent abuse I highly recommend it. Seriously: I think everyone should read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman at least once... it
Re:Let's look at the bigger picture... (Score:2)
Why must you assume that anything which looks good isn't up to spec?
Re:Let's look at the bigger picture... (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, considering that Mac sales are up 14%, I hardly call that a 'slide', but I'll give you that one because I'm just feeling nice. In any case:
This is unlikely to be the killer feature of the new iMac - it's not as if Apple's released a massive press release about it - but is another example of how Apple value new and innovative design. Consider the previous two designs of the iMac - the first, the all-in-one CRT model, sold well because of its case. Never mind the specs inside (which weren't top of the
Re:Let's look at the bigger picture... (Score:3, Insightful)
Also, Apple isn't going to give up on the desktop anytime soon. The iPod may beat it in growth and units sold, but computers still provide far more revenue in absolute terms.
Umm... (Score:5, Insightful)
Did I mention that many of the statistical people that monitor such things have said it (the iMac) is the best selling computer of all time? Perhaps style matters more than how many billion times per second it can process a NOP while you are reading Slashdot.
Re:Same old, same old (Score:2, Interesting)
Give Apple props for putting out well designed (technically and asthetically) consumer devices. Now if they could just give me a low power g5 powerbook, while ins
Re:You people are forgetting Slashdot Rule #1 (Score:3, Insightful)
Never step back and use common sense.
Microsoft is a company that uses its monopoly to bully around competition and stifle competition. They've given us buggy software, a shitty OS, and bloatware.
Apple is a bit of an underdog that has brought us OS X, the iPod, the iTMS, etc.
Although Apple has done some things in the past that are pretty ruthless, they still don't compare to the shit that MS has done, and will do again.
So yes, in comparison to the Goliath that is MS, Apple is a good co
Re:What's with the 11-digit (!) patent number? (Score:3, Informative)
The register didn't bother to do any research before green lighting this story.