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Thomson Reuters Delves Inside the iPhone Patent Portfolio

post Wednesday September 12, 2012

Apple iPhone; from FreeDigitalPhotos

Just before the official launch of Apple’s iPhone 5, the Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading provider of information for businesses and professionals, released the results of its study of Apple, Inc.'s mobile technology patents. Thomson Reuters’ report “Inside the iPhone Patent Portfolio” provides detailed reviews of Apple’s published mobile technology patents since 2000, Apple’s active IP litigation statistics between 2008 and 2012, and the insight into possible future innovation of the iPhone.

The report presented the following key findings:

·     Top Technology Areas:Since 2000, Apple has filed 1,217 patents relating to mobile technologies. The vast majority of these patents have been filed following the launch of iPhone in 2007. The company filed 416 smartphone-related patents since 2007. Another 279 have been filed for mobile camera patents; 232 were filed for user interface technologies; 149 have been filed for image display; and 88 were filed for battery/power control. Antenna (75), calendar (31), contact management (15), and voice control (5) technology were also among the patent categories within Apple's portfolio.

·     Patents to Watch:Among Apple's mobile-related patents, individual technologies that stand out as key indicators of what future smartphone design may hold include a fuel cell system that will allow a portable device to stay charged for days or weeks, and an educational content display feature that allows users to interact with text to see images of what the word(s) mean.

·     Litigation -Behind the Scenes of the Patent Wars: To provide insight into the ongoing smartphone "patent wars," the report tracks all active IP litigation between 2008 and 2012, noting a rapid rise in Apple's recent IP litigation.  By June 2012, the company had already filed nearly as many patent suits as it did in 2010 and 2011 combined.

Finally based on the detailed review, it is predicted in the report that:

1.  Handset manufacturers like Apple will continue to push the bounds of innovation to bring faster, smarter, longer-lasting tools.

2. This ultra-competitive environment will continue to fuel IP-related litigation for the foreseeable future.

View the full Inside the iPhone Patent Portfoliopaper.


Source: Thomson Reuters

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Comments on 'Thomson Reuters Delves Inside the iPhone Patent Portfolio' (1)

Professor and Patent Specialist, Jain university,Bangalore,India

Apple can think of a device like a wrist watch which has a choice of using as a smart phone, BP ondicator,sugar level indicator and wrist analog watch

Geplaatst door Dr.S.Rama murthy op Saturday 15 September 2012