Apple patent hints at solar charging integrated in the touchscreen

3. Mxyzptlk posted on 05 Feb 2013, 09:19 11 27

Yes. iPhone is already efficient when it comes to battery life.

20. loyals posted on 05 Feb 2013, 12:07 1 1

iphone is very efficient with its 1450mah battery but not great. it lasts for a day like other smartphones , with this tech it may last for like 2 days with normal day light n possibilies are many , including automatic brighness in sunlight with no extra juice from battery. I wounder how they can achieve retina display using this kinda tech !!

23. cripton805 posted on 05 Feb 2013, 12:50 10 0

Maybe it's the small screen?
Oh wait. I know it is -_-

It's really obvious.

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25. wendygarett (limited) 2 days ago posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:08 3 2

It's an environmental friendly creation, but why must apple patent it?

45. quakan posted on 05 Feb 2013, 19:14 0 0

Protecting intellectual property.

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26. andro. posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:17 2 2

From day to day experience with customers the iphones battery life can be considered only average,alot of customers comment the battery life isnt great,many even charging twice a day. Almost every customer who buys an iphone off us has come back for a car charger simply because of the high need of mid day charge

37. bucky posted on 05 Feb 2013, 14:42 1 2

Imagine if they used android...

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38. andro. posted on 05 Feb 2013, 14:49 1 0

Currently they'd be better off,most s3 and note 2 users can borderline get 2 days out of their handsets. Many motorola rarz maxx users no doubt would concur,many android handsets with 2100+ batteries now last quite long. Lower level handsets might not but then at half the cost they are not meant to.

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46. jroc74 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 06:41 0 0

Since I have a Maxx HD, I would say they could be better off depending on what phone they choose.

Or if they got a phone with a removable battery.

Isn't choice great?

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39. OptimusOne posted on 05 Feb 2013, 15:11 0 0

imagine, if apple kept the same battery efficiency in the Iphone 5, but then doubled the battery capacity. that would be a legit selling point

4. Bilpocalypse posted on 05 Feb 2013, 09:21 13 3

If it were a real thing, maybe. The point of the article is that Apple is patenting the "idea" right now so if someone else comes out with it, they get paid. Its moves like these that help spur my dislike for Apple.

12. tedkord posted on 05 Feb 2013, 10:50 0 0

Or, if a competitor congress out with it, they can sue to ban.

28. stealthd posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:22 1 0

That's not really how patents work. Patents have to be demonstratable. You can't just patent ideas.

47. Bilpocalypse posted on 06 Feb 2013, 10:14 0 0

You don't need a demonstratable device, just a blueprint that explains how it would work. Basically, you could slap a blueprint together in a matter of hours, and drive to the patent office same day.

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22. picka_vi_materina posted on 05 Feb 2013, 12:35 1 1

Nokia tried this out a decade ago and saw it as a wasted effort. Apple just tries to patent everything.

27. andro. posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:20 2 2

Apple patents it now knowing quite well they won't be at the technolgical level to incoporate into the iphone for a years to come,this patent is to stop the likes of top android oems introducing in 2014 onwards!

36. stealthd posted on 05 Feb 2013, 14:05 1 0

Sense. You make none. Filing a patent is pretty much a declaration of being at a "technological level to incorporate". Whether they want to based on economic or competetive factors is another story.

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41. downphoenix posted on 05 Feb 2013, 15:27 0 0

They probably CAN incorporate it, it may just be a bit too costly for them to do it.

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6. bachelorrn0121 posted on 05 Feb 2013, 09:48 15 0

where is the prototype? I don't like the patent office granting patent because you have an idea for it. At least you have a prototype before you patent something and claim it as your own.

19. InspectorGadget80 posted on 05 Feb 2013, 11:53 14 4

Apple don't make prototypes just like their dumb patent EYE PATCH they patent put it away THEN SUE anyone trying to say oh look u copy us SUE U FOR A MILLION DOLLARS. please greedy fruit

30. stealthd posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:25 0 0

You cannot just patent ideas. This is just a patent filing, the patent filing itself does not say whether or not a prototype exists, and it's not like Apple wants their competition or anyone else seeing prototypes.

31. rusticguy posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:29 2 0

Nicely drawn sketch on a piece of paper backed by a team of attorneys and a check is a patentable PROTOTYPE in America. The idea is let someone do the real prototype and we will make money out of doing nothing .... this is becoming a typical American Business Model.

48. cezarepc posted on 06 Feb 2013, 11:17 0 0

As much as I hate Apple for patenting almost everything, I have to agree that you can patent ideas even without prototypes.

This is very helpful to individuals who can't produce prototypes but have ideas for something great. Imagine a self-funded scientist having an idea about a spacecraft that can use gravity to power the propulsion system. He knows how it's going to be done, what's needed, etc but can't build a prototype because of financial limits.

But yeah Apple's a b**** for abusing this.

10. rusticguy posted on 05 Feb 2013, 10:33 15 0

They will soon be patenting trousers with zippers on back side.

13. tedkord posted on 05 Feb 2013, 10:52 14 1

Did you read the article? They didn't come up with it. As always, they took someone else's idea and patented it. This is such an Apple move its starting to be known as the Jobs Grab.

32. stealthd posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:31 1 11

Did YOU read the article? The article mentions putting a solar layer on top of a touchscreen already existed. The patent is for integrating solar charging right into the display without a separate layer. They're not the same thing, and it's not at all patenting someone else's idea. If you can't comprehend the subtle differences between the two concepts you really shouldn't be taking part in patent discussions.

43. tedkord posted on 05 Feb 2013, 17:58 10 1

I did read the article. Do you understand the threshold for being patentable? Unique and non -obvious. If someone has already made an overlay solar panel for a touchscreen, the obvious next step is to incorporate it into the screen.

Like I said, Apple should be able to patent a specific implementation of this, a novel way of manufacturing it, but not the overall concept.

And, it sounds like you shouldn't be participating in president discussions, because you don't seem to comprehend the legal threshold an idea is supposed to cross to be patentable. (hint: the threshold isn't, "Apple filled for it. " Sorry.)

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34. Berzerk000 posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:47 0 0

I agree, but how about you make sure no one has made something similar and make a prototype of it yourself before patenting? Or else it gives you the power to sue just about anyone unjustly.

9. Nathan_ingx posted on 05 Feb 2013, 10:22 1 1

The thing to take note here is that solar panels don't always necessarily need the heat from the sun to charge. You'll get juice from the sunlight as well...which means you can place the panel below indirect sunlight and it'll still be charging.

14. tedkord posted on 05 Feb 2013, 10:56 3 0

If Apple found a specific, unique way of doing it, then it should be patentable. Just the concept should not be patentable. First, its obvious. Someone already had the concept (and implementation) of layer of solar cells over three screen. The logical next step is integration.

Next, as you pointed out, its already on the table from others.

33. rusticguy posted on 05 Feb 2013, 13:35 9 0

Samsung Guru has a < $40 phone that has solar charging since 2009 i guess and was aimed primarily at rural India clients ... where there's always uncertainty wrt electricity availability

44. shuaibhere posted on 05 Feb 2013, 19:11 0 0

There are many models in guru series...i dunno which you are talking about????