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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today granted a patent application that details a remote control device for a marine vessel, a concept that Steve Jobs was originally credited the inventor of (via PatentlyApple).

The patent, titled "Remote motion control using a wireless mobile device", was filed in 2013 and has just been granted, now registered under Apple and Savant Systems. Savant is a manufacturer of luxury home automation systems and worked with Jobs on the late Apple co-founder's super yacht, named the Venus.

yacht-patent-2.jpg

The patent describes a general-purpose device with a touchscreen, similar to an iPhone, which executes an application that remotely controls a vehicle (e.g. a marine vessel, such as a yacht).

The device communicates wirelessly with an interface linked to the vessel's electronic control system, which collects environmental and system status information like wind speed and water depth from a series of sensors.

yacht-patent-1.jpg

The control system also transmits and receives signals to the vessel's subsystems, such as throttle controllers, transmission, and rudders, enabling it to maneuver the vehicle remotely over the wireless network.

The patent goes on to describe the application's packet delivery and user interface module, as well as a network health monitor that enables and disables functional control. The touchscreen displays status information for the vessel and shows which controls are engaged, among other subsystem data.

Jobs' super yacht was designed by Philippe Starck's design company Ubik and built by Headship. Jobs died in October 2011, while the yacht was unveiled a year later at a cost of more than $112 million.

Article Link: Patent Granted: Steve Jobs' Remote Control App For a Yacht
 
Fascinating. A patent for a remote control app for a boat. Controlling a boat remotely while not necessarily being at the helm could provide some interesting news stories and potentially some unfortunate tragedies I would expect.
 
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The Yacht Autopilot.

No wait! I mean The Yacht control panel - requires attention of sober adult at all times.
 
I dont really get how these patents get granted because these system already exists and have existed for years and years, i have been on a yacht where the captain, bosun and engineer had access to such a system. The captain never used it though because the regular controls in the helm and the side controls when docking was far superior and the bosun and engineer only used it for logging and stats.

Even the ****** Simon2 app can view alot of data, maybe not control the boat but alot of sensory data on the yacht.

Also, http://www.redmondpie.com/this-15-million-dollars-super-yacht-is-controlled-using-an-ipad-images/

"According to a report in the Daily Mail, the boat comes complete with a remote control that works up to 50 meters away and, most importantly, that remote control is actually an Apple iPad, yes, the tablet device which we all love."

So, how can someone patent stuff that already exist and some other patents are only a combination of 2 readily available system, so is combining 2 existing system into 1 enough to warrant a patent?
 
"Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water and my job is to get the ship pointed in the right direction", so that's why he wanted a yacht app.
 
Steve Jobs couldn't have designed that remote. His remote would or at least should have been much more simple. All those details on the remote could have been handled by Siri. Siri could have even been the interface for more complex tasks like "Siri: Dock". "Siri: Go fish." "Siri: Find me a nice fishing spot". "Siri: Take me home". "Siri: Go to maximum Knots and play my theme soundtrack".
 
And once again the USPTO demonstrates what an ass it is. I say good luck to the patent tolls when the system of IP protection is so blatently, idiotically broken. A more counter-enterprise system is hard to imagine.
 
So a patent was issued for a remote? A freaking remote. :oops: smh

My guess would be that this (and others like it) are design patents, rather than what we would normally consider a patent (i.e., a novel method of doing something). IIRC (and IANAL), not all countries support the notion of design patents.
 
My guess would be that this (and others like it) are design patents, rather than what we would normally consider a patent (i.e., a novel method of doing something). IIRC (and IANAL), not all countries support the notion of design patents.
I'm going to differ with ya a bit. Based on the description in the OP, this seems more like a utility patent. Regardless if it's design or utility, it's a patent for a remote app. A. remote. app.
 
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