Touchpad Patent Holder Tsera Sues Just About Everyone

eldavojohn writes "Okay, well, maybe not everyone but more than twenty companies (including Apple, Qualcomm, Motorola and Microsoft) are being sued for a generic patent that reads: 'Apparatus and methods for controlling a portable electronic device, such as an MP3 player; portable radio, voice recorder, or portable CD player are disclosed. A touchpad is mounted on the housing of the device, and a user enters commands by tracing patterns with his finger on a surface of the touchpad. No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced, and the user does not need to view the device to enter commands.' Sounds like their may be a few companies using that technology. The suit was filed on July 15th in the favoritest place ever to file patent claim lawsuits: Texas Eastern District Court. It's a pretty classic patent troll; they've been holding this patent since 2003 and they just noticed now that everyone and his dog are using touchpads to control portable electronic devices."

Visual Feedback

[daenris]

I haven't used an iPhone or iPod Touch for more than a few seconds, but are there touch commands that don't provide feedback? I mean, if you're scrolling, or zooming an image or whatnot immediate visual feedback is provided and ongoing while you're performing the command, which would seem to contradict the patents claim: "No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced"

Previous ART, 1999, National Semiconductor -WebPad

[tvlinux]

I was programming a "touch screen" in the year 2000. I still have the device, it was made to demonstrate the NSC Geode chip. The name of it was "WebPad" I can find out the manufacturer when I get home.

PDA

[HoosierPeschke]

Um, I know in 2003 I had a palm pilot which had a touchscreen in which I entered commands, possible with my finger if I lost my stylus. I'm sure PDAs have been around for a few years prior to 2003 if I had one in 2003. I could record voice, play music, and perform other functions covered by the broad definition of a portable electronic device (remote control was awesome for messing with people).

Re:Even if

[iamhassi]

And your mouse is not a portable electronic device.... oh, wait...

"Apparatus and methods for controlling a portable electronic device, such as an MP3 player; portable radio, voice recorder, or portable CD player are disclosed. A touchpad is mounted on the housing of the device, and a user enters commands by tracing patterns with his finger on a surface of the touchpad. No immediate visual feedback is provided as a command pattern is traced, and the user does not need to view the device to enter commands."

In 1999 the Diamond Rio existed but not the iPod, but this seems to cover all portable electronic devices with a touchpad. It goes on to give examples of devices that play music, but it's trying to patent every portable electronic device. It's vague enough that it you could lump laptops in with the mix, after all a laptop is a portable electronic device and you trace patterns with your finger on a surface of a touchpad.

Think it could be fought, but it'd probably be cheaper to throw them 100 grand then to fight it.

Re:Patents are Unsane

[BasilBrush]

"efficiency of capitalism". You mention efficiency as if it is necessarily a good thing. But when it actually means raping the earth's non-renewable resources at an ever faster pace, then it's not a good thing at all.

Capitalism requires continual growth. Yet continual growth is incompatible with a finite world. Imaginative thoughts about moving beyond this planet and raping other planets aside, capitalism is not sustainable. It must reach an end, and that end will be grim.

Re:Patents are Unsane

[Rakishi]

Capitalism doesn't require anything, all it does is allocate resources. Don't blame capitalism for people's and society's indifference to long term consequences. If you want efficient products then either convince people to pay more for them or take the easier way out and have the government tax things appropriately. Worked for Europe and gasoline usage.

Look at China, they're got a vaguely communist oligarchy and they're currently the number one planet rapist around. The pollution there would probably topple governments if it happened in the west. Not capitalism but sheer human short term interest and greed.

Of course that's not what you want to hear. You want a magical scapegoat that somehow is responsible for all of man's problems and whose removal will usher in a magical utopian age. In reality, the alternatives are even worse.

Re:For heaven's sake, it's the CLAIMS that matter!

[Anonymous Coward]

From Claim 1 (often, but not always the broadest claim in the patent)

the command pattern being traced without requiring the user to view the portable electronic device,

This is an unusual negative limitation which will cause all kinds of problems during litigation and/or reexamination. Of course, absolutely anything is possible in E.D.TX.

Re:Patents are Unsane

[BasilBrush]

Capitalism doesn't require anything, all it does is allocate resources.

Wrong. Capitalism requires investment, unless that investment grows year on year, people won't make it. Which means the expectation of growth is necessary for capitalism.

Capitalism has nothing to do with allocation of resources. You're thinking of free market trade.

And there are not only two political systems. Lack of capitalism does not imply communism. Whilst communism unlike capitalism doesn't require growth, leaders of such systems normally believe in growth in order to improve the lot of everyone. So again pointing out that capitalism will fail on growth grounds doesn't imply arguing for communism.

Personally I'm not arguing for any particular political system here. Just agreeing with the problems with capitalism, and pointing out that it's not sustainable and will fail in the future.