back to article TracBeam sues Apple over location

TracBeam, which earlier this year sued Google and Ericsson over location technology, has launched against Apple on the same grounds. The company's complaint alleges that Cupertino is infringing four of its patents covering using base station signals to estimate the location of mobile phones. The patents (listed in full at the …

  1. Chicken Marengo
    Trollface

    >>The case is being heard in the US District Court of the Eastern District of Texas.

    Of course it is.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Mac OS?

    I guess that is should be OSX.

    How does a desktop OS plus the fact that none of the Apple Hardware that uses OSX has built in Mobile Phone interface become liable to breach these patents?

    I can understand a device equipped with 2G/3G or 4G Phone interfaces but a laptop/desktop OS?

    It just has to be a Monday morning.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Mac OS?

      It's still got location detection, though I've only seen it used down to the country level in the date and time preferences.

    2. NumptyScrub

      Re: Mac OS?

      quote: "I can understand a device equipped with 2G/3G or 4G Phone interfaces but a laptop/desktop OS?"

      Desktops are unlikely to be able to leverage it, unless someone is using a 3G dongle on one. Some laptops models have 3G hardware built-in, and are more likely to have a 3G dongle plugged in (or be tethered to a phone) for data access on the move.

      Probably the plaintiffs just targeted everything that might infringe and are relying on Apple to prove that it actually doesn't, I believe that's SOP for patent trolling cases.

      Given the amount of patent trolling Apple inflict on their mobile competitors (especially Samsung), I'm finding it hard to muster any sympathy for them in this case. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", as it were; sometimes it comes back to bite you on the ass.

  3. Richard Jones 1
    WTF?

    WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

    I am no defender of Apple but give me a break. I cannot be bothered to look up all the details of using RDF for target location or the (suspect spelling alert) Lorenz beam or airport approach location methods or the location of clandestine transmissions.

    Talk about prior art in buckets, this is prior art in almost every conceivable form and quantity.

    When the heck will someone take the US PTO outside and shoot it to put us all out of our misery? Frankly their ability to cause me to laugh until my side ache for days is making life a restricted affair. Still stupid is as stupid does and money does not just talk, in the US it kidnaps reason, so no doubt the Texas court will have the Dambusters paying royalty fees to these chancers for pre using their art before it was patented. (I know the Dambusters used light beams but light is just a different frequency.)

    1. Diogenes

      Re: WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

      I am sure Hedley (oops Hedey) Lamar might have a claim but there is no prior art. I am sure the patents say "on a mobile device"

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

      " I cannot be bothered to look up"

      Yet you have an absolute opinion on the subject

      1. Richard Jones 1
        FAIL

        Re: WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

        Sorry if you fell asleep the critical bit was there was more to the sentence, in full it

        'I cannot be bothered to look up all the details of using RDF for target location'.

        Are you trying out for the USPTO?

    3. Ian Michael Gumby

      Re: WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

      Sorry but the Dam Busters is a totally different tech. You have two beams of light focused so that they intersect when you are X feet above the ground isn't the same.

      But to your point, using radio frequencies to triangulate the source of the transmission is something that has been around for a while.

      There are a couple of ways you could triangulate an object so its not clear if they should or should not have been granted a patent.

      The key question is how obvious is the solution before the solution is presented to you.

      Its not a clear cut issue which is why we have lawyers to argue the finer points of law.

      This is also why we have a rule that when the revolution comes, and it will, the first to be up in front of the wall are lawyers.

      1. Richard Jones 1

        Re: WWII TECH RECYCLED FOR PATENT PURPOSES

        I think you will find that triangulation techniques are involved in both cases. Yes the dambusters used lights with fixed angles, fixed distance apart - I said it used light to give an accurate 'fix' on their position relative to the ground.

        For a while until they were jammed, both sides flew down radio beams and when another beam 'came in' they were over the target,

  4. Crisp

    A US patent doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's printed on anymore

    See title.

    1. brooxta

      Re: A US patent doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's printed on anymore

      I think you'll find somebody has already patented that idea, as long as it's printed using a computer.

      1. John Robson Silver badge
        Trollface

        Re: A US patent doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's printed on anymore

        "I think you'll find somebody has already patented that idea, as long as it's printed using a computer."

        So I can patent it by adding "or mobile device" at the end?

        1. g e

          Re: A US patent doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's printed on anymore

          I'll see your 'mobile device' and raise you....

          "In a public lavatory"

          Drafting a C&D to George Michael as I click Submit...

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