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Apple Seeks Patent on Fused Glass Enclosures for Use on iPhones, iPads, iPods, Displays, and Televisions
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Because it's one thing to take an iPad or MBP to an ASP or send it to Apple for "repair". It's quite another when we're talking about something like a 60" television. Yes, this presumes that Apple gets into that hardware game but it's looking more likely all the time.
As for why I bother to complain it's because I buy, or more accurately I stomach, Apple's hardware design decisions because I prefer their platform. That doesn't mean that I have to be happy about it.
You're totally right - because if another company is being an *******, we should applaud Apple when they sink to the same lows!
So next time Coke poisons a water supply in India does that mean we're all cool for Apple to just dump some heavy metal in the Chinese drinking water? Because you know, other companies are doing it.....
We need to be adults and realise that just because we like Apple as a whole and the great stuff it does, we don't have to defend everything it does.
We can hate the bad stuff Apple does and still be an Apple supporter.
In fact, if you truly want Apple to continue to improve as a company, that's exactly what you should do.
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I agree. But as long as that's the way the patent system works, why shouldn't they - just like any other company - go ahead and apply the legal usage to it?
Confused what this would be used for.
a clear phone/tablet like in the movies (Iron Man 3/Prometheus)
Anyone else look thru all of the sketches on the patent? It looks like apple has hired a bunch of Elementary students to make their patent drawings. I'd think Apple would at least make the sketches look a little more professional, but then again I don't know much about the Patent Process. Maybe the Patent officers only understand cartoon sketches, which is why they approve garbage most of the time.
Yep....
But granted, if this is really only for use with a TV (or monitor), I can understand. Honestly, when's the last time most people you know took apart their LCD display or TV set to do repairs to it?
Generally, they come with a 3 year warranty and they perform just fine throughout that period of time. By the time one is 4+ years old, technology has progressed far enough that you're almost happy to see it fail, to give you an excuse to upgrade to something much better.
(I still have a 6 year old NEC 15" LCD panel, for example. Works fine, but who wants a 15" screen these days? I leave it on a server that could do just fine without any display attached, just for convenience and to give the thing a reason to stay "useful". But imagine if it died? Would I want to disassemble it and fix anything in it? Uh, nope!)
But granted, if this is really only for use with a TV (or monitor), I can understand. Honestly, when's the last time most people you know took apart their LCD display or TV set to do repairs to it?
Generally, they come with a 3 year warranty and they perform just fine throughout that period of time. By the time one is 4+ years old, technology has progressed far enough that you're almost happy to see it fail, to give you an excuse to upgrade to something much better.
(I still have a 6 year old NEC 15" LCD panel, for example. Works fine, but who wants a 15" screen these days? I leave it on a server that could do just fine without any display attached, just for convenience and to give the thing a reason to stay "useful". But imagine if it died? Would I want to disassemble it and fix anything in it? Uh, nope!)
You're not the only one but what you're missing is the process of reading the actual patent application itself. It comprises 22 claims, many of them building on the previous claim. The idea is that as with all patent claims Apple are claiming every element of the invention to see which ones stick. So basically they start with a glass box and through 21 other steps refine the idea until the patent clerk decides they've come up with something original. The first few steps will get thrown out, something from about step 16 or so may make it. It's just the way its done.
Could you tell me how to build it? If not, then it's not an invention. I know it's trendy to bash the patent system, but without actual knowledge of how it works, it just comes off as whining about nothing.
Apple not being content with the back and front of your phone smashing with the slightest of drops, now wants to ensure your entire phone obliterates into a thousand shards when dropped
And yeah what's with the patent for a friggin idea? Perhaps the next time my 12 year old nephew draws a rocket ship with missiles I should file a patent as it was his 'idea' rather then actually existing.
A glass cased TV? Yeah right.....
And yeah what's with the patent for a friggin idea? Perhaps the next time my 12 year old nephew draws a rocket ship with missiles I should file a patent as it was his 'idea' rather then actually existing.
A glass cased TV? Yeah right.....
Why?
What if all internals are attached to the top or bottom "caps" and by removing a few screws you slide the internals out of the oval glass enclosure and have complete access to all parts and no annoying back panel that everything is soldered or attached to. This could be a step up in ease of serviceability.
For many years i've seen apple tooling aluminium and think that liquid metal is the way forward to reduce costs and make better products.
I don't think that the entire enclosure of say a TV will be bonded inside a glass case that is not what this is about. I think it's the idea of the LED/LCD panel having no bezel or edge kind of like the lamination process on ipads etc. Doing the entire panel in glass could open up some interesting design choices for a Watches, TVs, iphones etc.
You can make fun of such a patent but apple is still the only tech company that seems to be doing R&D these days, and you have to patent every still idea because one idea alone doesn't make a ground breaking new product.
I don't think that the entire enclosure of say a TV will be bonded inside a glass case that is not what this is about. I think it's the idea of the LED/LCD panel having no bezel or edge kind of like the lamination process on ipads etc. Doing the entire panel in glass could open up some interesting design choices for a Watches, TVs, iphones etc.
You can make fun of such a patent but apple is still the only tech company that seems to be doing R&D these days, and you have to patent every still idea because one idea alone doesn't make a ground breaking new product.
My wife has a glass kiln, so I assume it's just a trivial matter of cutting the glass apart using a glass cutting tool, replacing the part, and then sticking the device into the 1600-degree kiln to fuse the glass back together.
iFixit rating: 10
"A method of producing a propulsion drive device, comprising: the production of a force of equal strength to an encountered gravitational field; directing this produced force in a direction that directly opposes the encountered gravitational force, balancing out the sum of the forces acting upon the device; and varying this produced propellant force in order to increase or decrease the overall forces acting on the system, to impart an accelerative or retardation effect on the device.
Not specific enough?
But I guess this is okay:
"A method of forming an electronic device, comprising: polishing a planar glass member; fusing a peripheral glass member to at least part of an edge portion of the planar glass member to thicken the planar glass member at the edge portion; and attaching the planar glass member and fused peripheral glass member to a housing structure."
Because that explains exactly how they'll polish. Or fuse. Or attach....
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Oh, and yes, I have read the whole patent. I'm not sure where the poster below got 27 pages from - it's a lot more than that.
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I have applied for a patent in the past, actually. It's a painfully slow and antiquated system that needs to be heavily revised and streamlined. It also has a nasty side-effect, as it brings your invention to the attention of thieves.
You then have the problem of enforcing that patent - not so easy when the people copying you are 10,000 miles away, and couldn't give two hoots about a patent anyway.
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Specificity is the least of your problems with your patent idea. I don't think you quite understand. You can't reduce your anti-gravity device to practice. Spitting out theories on what you think a device might be isn't a patent. THAT's an idea.
You seem to have the misconception that Apple just throws out patents for ideas it comes up with. That's not the case. Somewhere on Apple's campus, this has been invented. It may not ever release, it may look significantly different. They may have to file a new patent for the final product. But somewhere in Cupertino, the subject of this patent was worked on and created in some prototype form.
apple is really good at seeking patents, they're always first in the line, the bad side is that they take too long to bring their patents to life. this patent is a great idea, can prove to be a big advantage if apple brings it out in time.
hoping to see this in the iphone 6.
hoping to see this in the iphone 6.
Don't fool yourself. Samsung is already in the process of making flexible/wearable displays. You know stuff that might actually benefit mankind. Glass box on the other hand, sounds rather silly.
They are patenting the process. 3M has a process by which they apply glue to paper using a roller that gets treated with a liquid glue and contacts the paper. Anyone else who wants to make a Post-It note style pad has to do it by spraying the glue or run the risk of patent infringement. Spraying glue creates a number of issues, but can be done.
In like manner, Apple may have devised a process to make something you may not feel is impressive, but WHEN their competitors try to make something similar, they will have to utilize a different process to achieve the same result.