Adaptix’s LTE Patent in Lawsuit Against Apple

Adaptix sued Apple for patent infringement of Apple’s next version of its tablet, iPAD3 based on its patents US6947748 and US7454212. The lawsuit was about LTE technology adopted in iPAD3.

Adaptix’s patents US6947748 and US7454212 relate to channel evaluation method and adaptive modulation/coding scheme in OFDMA system utilizing reference signals (because Adaptix’s patents were aimed at WiMAX (802.11e) standards originally, they used the term pilot signals instead of reference signals).

Even though the channel evaluation method and adaptive modulation/coding scheme in OFDMA system utilizing reference signals are described in LTE standard specifications (TS36.211, 212, 213, 300, and 321), preliminary comparative research between claims in the patents and specifications shows that Adaptix’s patents US6947748 and US7454212 may not be essential for the implementation of iPAD3.

Further more, TechIPm’s intensive research of LTE patents essential for LTE devices implementation (LTE Essential Patent Candidates 3Q 2011: http://techipm-innovationfrontline.blogspot.com/2011/07/lte-essential-patent-candidates-2011-3q.html), indicates that Qualcomm’s LTE chipsets, which are used in of iPAD3, may be protected by Qualcomm’s LTE patent portfolio.


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Samsung’s LTE Patent War Against Apple.

S. Korea’s major IT news paper ETNEWS reported that Samsung started to investigate a possible patent infringement for LTE technology adopted in Apple’s next version of its tablet, iPAD3 (http://www.etnews.com/news/home_mobile/information/2568398_1483.html).

Because it is known that Apple’s iPAD3 uses Qualcomm’s LTE chipsets, in case that Samsung sues Apple for LTE patent infringement, it could be possible that Apple may defend using exhaustion theory. The defense base on exhaustion theory, however, will depend on the existence of a cross-licensing agreement between Samsung and Qualcomm.

Another possible defense strategy may be a counter attack utilizing the acquired Nortel’s LTE patents. Recent TechIPm’s intensive research of LTE patents essential for LTE devices implementation (LTE Essential Patent Candidates 3Q 2011: http://techipm-innovationfrontline.blogspot.com/2011/07/lte-essential-patent-candidates-2011-3q.html), however, indicates that Nortel’s LTE patent portfolio may not be strong enough for the counter attack.

TechIPm’s LTE patent research specifically focused on LTE mobile devices currently deployed in the US market (cf. the data in recent Article One’s LTE patent report is mixed with infrastructure equipments patent information for the future EU market).


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RFID Patent in Lawsuit

USRE41531, titled “Communications Systems For Radio Frequency Identification”, is one of key patents that is used to sue retail companies (Macy’s, Gap, J.C. Penney etc.) by Round Rock Research LLC. Round Rock Research LLC is founded by John Desmarais, a famous patent attorney for his won in a $1.52 billion verdict for Alcatel-Lucent against Microsoft in 2007.

Ref. RFID Patent Lawsuit Early Warning: http://techipm-innovationfrontline.blogspot.com/2010/06/rfid-patent-lawsuit-early-warning.html

USRE41531 relates to collision avoidance technology, which is essential in operating passive UHF RFID system (standardized as ISO 18000-6C & EPC Global Gen 2):

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: When the interrogator sends a message to a transponder device requesting a reply, there is a possibility that multiple transponder devices will attempt to respond simultaneously, causing a collision, and thus causing an erroneous message to be received by the interrogator. For example, if the interrogator sends out a command requesting that all devices within a communications range identity themselves, and gets a large number of simultaneously replies, the interrogator may not be able to interpret any of these replies. Thus, arbitration schemes are employed to permit communications free of collision.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: One aspect of the invention provides a method of establishing wireless communications between an interrogator and individual ones of multiple wireless identification devices. The method comprises utilizing a tree search method to establish communications without collision between the interrogator and individual ones of the multiple wireless identification devices. A search tree is defined for the tree search method. The tree has multiple levels respectively representing subgroups of the multiple wireless identification devices. The method further comprising starting the tree search at a selectable level of the search tree. In one aspect of the invention, the method further comprises determining the maximum possible number of wireless identification devices that could communicate with the interrogator, and selecting a level of the search tree based on the determined maximum possible number of wireless identification devices that could communicate with the interrogator. In another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises starting the tree search at a level determined by taking the base two logarithm of the determined maximum possible number, wherein the level of the tree containing all subgroups is considered level zero, and lower levels are numbered consecutively.

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Mobile Patents in Lawsuit: Nokia, Apple, Microunity, Smartphone Tech Cases

1. Smartphone Patent War

An Explosion of Mobile Patent Lawsuits: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/an-explosion-of-mobile-patent lawsuits/?scp=1&sq=An%20Explosion%20of%20Mobile%20Patent%20Lawsuits&st=cse

Nokia Sues Apple Over Patent Infringements: http://gigaom.com/2009/10/22/nokia-sues-apple-over-patent-infringements/

Apple Sues HTC for Patent Infringement: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/03/02patents.html

Microunity sues mobile giants for patent infringement Broad suit names 22 companies and 15 processor patents: http://www.hadronanalytics.com/blog/?p=389

SmartPhone Technologies LLC has filed a lawsuit against Apple, AT&T, Samsung, Sanyo, LG, and Motorola: http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=5627

Elan patent lawsuit threatens Apple: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/04/14/240893/elan-patent-lawsuit-threatens-apple-ipad.htm

2. Patents in Nokia’s patent-infringement complaint with the US District Court in Delaware

3. Patents in Apple’s patent-infringement complaint with the ITC

4. Patents in Microunity Systems’ patent-infringement complaint with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas

6. Patents in Smartphone Tech’s patent-infringement complaint with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas

7. Patents in Elan Microelectronics’s patent-infringement complaint with the ITC


Link: http://www.slideshare.net/alexglee/mobile-patents-in-lawsuit


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