2014年11月26日 星期三

20年前的技術讓Apple判賠了2千3百萬美金 - 傳呼器的技術

這個訴訟關於目前蘋果行動產品內雙向交換資訊的技術被告侵害近20年前快過期的專利。

專利權人:Mobile Telecommunications Technologies LLC(背後是SkyTel network,SkyTel已經與美國傳訊公司AMS合併),從部分讓與資料來看,MTel公司顯然是一個專利控管公司,從讓與時間得知,為了要告Apple而組合這些專利,Apple Inc.也對專利提出IPR。
AMS(American Messaging Services, LLC)是個仍在運作過去傳呼器技術的公司,但是已經是運作在網頁、智慧型行動裝置上,甚至除了傳統文字傳呼外,還有影音內容。

侵權被告:Apple Inc.,產品為蘋果公司採用以Airport Wi-Fi技術傳訊的軟體,如iPhone、iPad、iPod touch中的iMessage、行事曆邀請功能、emoji(文字通訊的表情圖式)等功能。

系爭專利:
US5,809,428,這是一件在雙向傳訊的服務下處理未傳送的資訊數據的技術,也就是使用者傳送訊息後,伺服端會於一段時間內偵測接收端的情況,如果沒有接獲任何接收端的訊息,顯然是對方在關機或是沒有訊號的狀態,伺服端會記住這項訊息,直到接收端可以接受訊息時再以訊息通知。

1. A network operations center for transmitting and receiving messages to and from a wireless mobile unit comprising:
means for transmitting messages to the mobile unit;
means for receiving acknowledgment messages from the mobile unit;
means for determining whether an acknowledgment message is an acknowledgment to a data message or an acknowledgment to a probe message;
means for transmitting a probe message to the mobile unit if, after transmitting a data message to the mobile unit, no data acknowledgment message is received; and
means for marking a data message as undelivered and storing the undelivered data message if, after transmitting a probe message to the mobile unit, no probe acknowledgment message is received.

US5,754,946,這是優先權始自1992年的專利,揭露系統端基地台與使用者端裝置的通訊技術,可以在錯誤時讓使用者選擇(按鈕)重新傳送訊息。這時的行動端是指具有一個顯示螢幕的傳呼器(pager):

1. A mobile unit for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals to and from a communications network comprising:
means for receiving a radio frequency message from the network;
a display for displaying said message;
a switch actuatable to specify a portion of the displayed message for which a user desires retransmission from the communications network;
means for transmitting, only upon actuation of the switch, a signal to the communications network requesting retransmission of said specified portion of said message; and
means for receiving said specified portion retransmitted from the communications network and for displaying the received specified portion on the display.

US5,894,506,這就是兩個個人裝置(傳呼器)雙向通訊的技術,在這個client-server架構下傳訊技術中特別是提供「罐裝訊息(canned message)」,也就是系統提供預設訊息讓使用者選擇傳送。

1. A method of communicating messages between subscribers to an electronic messaging network, comprising the steps of:
maintaining, at a network operation center, a first file of canned messages and message codes respectively assigned to the canned messages;
maintaining at a first terminal of a first subscriber a second file of canned messages corresponding to the first file;
selecting an appropriate canned message from the second file for transmission to a second terminal of a designated second subscriber;
sending the message code assigned to the selected canned message to the network operation center;
retrieving the selected canned message from the first file using the message code received from the first terminal;
determining whether the second terminal can receive the canned message in a text form or message code form; and
communicating the selected canned message to the second terminal in either message code form or text code form in response to the determination.

US5,590,403,揭露在雙向傳訊的技術下能夠透過訊號重疊的區域動態設定,傳訊時,伺服端先傳送系統資訊到各個傳訊的基地台,系統不斷地發出偵測訊號以得到接收端的位置,以根據各基地台所涵蓋區域動態調整訊號邊界,達到最佳且有效率傳送訊息的目的。

10. A method of communicating messages between a plurality of base transmitters and mobile receivers within a region of space divided into a plurality of zones with each zone having at least one base transmitter assigned thereto, the communication method comprising the steps of:
(a) transmitting substantially simultaneously a first information signal and a second information signal to communicate messages to the mobile receivers, the first information signal being transmitted in simulcast by a first set of base transmitters assigned to a first zone, and the second information signal being transmitted in simulcast by a second set of base transmitters assigned to a second zone;
(b) dynamically reassigning one or more of the base transmitters in the first set of base transmitter assigned to the first zone to the second set of base transmitters assigned to the second zone as a function of the messages to be communicated in an area, thereby creating an updated first set of base transmitters and an updated second set of base transmitters; and
(c) transmitting substantially simultaneously a third information signal and a fourth information signal, the third information signal being transmitted in simulcast by the updated first set of base transmitters, and the fourth information signal being transmitted in simulcast by the updated second set of base transmitters to communicate additional messages to said mobile receivers.

US5,659,891,揭露在有線頻寬的通道上的多載波技術,這是一個多載波的基礎傳訊技術,透過調整頻率偏差、比特率、載波頻率等得到較佳的傳訊品質,這個情況發生在一個區域內同時有多個傳輸的訊息。

1. A method of operating a plurality of paging carriers in a single mask-defined, bandlimited channel comprising the step of transmitting said carriers from the same location with said carriers having center frequencies within said channel such that the frequency difference between the center frequency of the outer most of said carriers and the band edge of the mask defining said channel is more than half the frequency difference between the center frequencies of each adjacent carrier.

US5,915,210,揭露同時處理多個載波的技術,技術在於系統端的基地台控制方法。

10. In a multi-carrier simulcast transmission system, a method for transmitting in a desired frequency band a! at least one message contained in an information signal, the method comprising the steps of:
generating a first plurality of carrier signals within the desired frequency band, each of the first plurality of carrier signals representing a portion of the information signal substantially not represented by others of the first pluarlity of carrier signals;
generating a second plurality of carrier signals within the desired frequency band, each of the second plurality of carrier signals corresponding to and representing substantially the same information as a respective carrier signal of the first plurality of carrier signals;
transmitting the first plurality of carrier signals from a first transmitter;
transmitting the second plurality of carrier signals from a second transmitter in simulcast with transmission of the first plurality of carrier signals from the first transmitter.

US5,786,748,揭露一種通知快遞送達的技術,將快遞訊息(ID)結合傳呼器號碼遞、預計送達時間交給傳呼器業者,透過傳呼器通知使用者送達的技術,訊息包括已送達與無法送達等。

1. A method for providing notification of an express mail delivery to an addressee thereof, comprising the steps of:
sending to an express mail tracking service an ID number assigned to an express mailing and a page number of a delivery notification recipient;
relaying the ID, page number, and an appointed time to a paging operations center;
providing a first indication to the paging operations center that the express mailing has been delivered to the addressee;
providing a second indication to the paging operations center that the express mailing has not been delivered to the addressee by the appointed time;
transmitting, responsive to the first indication, a wireless page message to the recipient as notification of the express mailing delivery; and
transmitting, responsive to the second indication, a wireless page message to the recipient notifying recipient that the express mailing has not been delivered by the appointed time.

由上述各專利的簡單描述可知,這些都是過去傳呼器的技術,不幸的是,這些至今還沒有超過20年,驚!但也差不多剩一、兩年,這個初步訴訟結果證明這些專利還有剩餘價值。

Case No. 2:14-cv-01057

專利權人(2013-4-2)提交的訴狀:
http://ia801407.us.archive.org/4/items/gov.uscourts.txed.143577/gov.uscourts.txed.143577.1.0.pdf

在11/17/2014東德州地方法院的判決中,陪審團裁定Apple的iOS7作業系統以及相關硬體裝置"蓄意"侵害以上專利,應賠償2千3百萬美金。

Mtel算是一類patent troll頗具侵略性,對ZTE, Samsung, hTC, RIM等公司都有提告,專利組合大約就用對Apple的其中之部分,主要如US5,809,428US5,754,946不太一樣就是了!


新聞來源:
http://www.cultofmac.com/303576/apple-slapped-23-6-million-fine-infringing-90s-beeper-patents/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-18/apple-told-to-pay-23-6-million-over-pager-technology.html

Ron

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