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Posts Tagged ‘patent’

Nikon is the latest camera company sued by DigiMedia Tech over alleged patent infringement

01 Jul

DigiMedia Tech, LLC, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against yet another camera company, this time going after Nikon over its alleged infringement of three different US patents. This lawsuit follows similar infringement cases brought against Olympus, Fujifilm and JK Imaging, all of them also over the alleged infringement of digital camera technology patents.

DigiMedia Tech is a non-practicing entity (NPE) of IPInvestments Group, which received many US patents from Intellectual Ventures LLC in November 2019. Following the patent acquisition, DigiMedia Tech has filed lawsuits against several companies over their alleged infringement of these patents — in the latest one involving Nikon, the company claims infringement of US patents No. 6,914,635, No. 7,715,476 and No. 6,545,706.

The ‘635 patent was first filed in 2001 by Nokia Mobile Phones; it involves a microminiature zoom system designed for digital cameras. The ‘476 patent was first filed in 1999 and then again in 2005; it covers a ‘system, method and article of manufacture’ related to a digital camera’s ability to track a subject’s head. The third and final patent in the lawsuit, ‘706, was filed in 1999 and likewise covers head-tracking camera technology.

The infringement lawsuit specifically names Nikon’s Coolpix A1000 as a model that allegedly infringes the ‘635 patent and the Nikon P900RM ‘and similar products’ as allegedly infringing the ‘706 and ‘476 patents. Among other things, the DigiMedia Tech lawsuit wants Nikon to pay ‘damages in an amount to be determined at trial for Defendants’ infringement, which amount cannot be less than a reasonable royalty.’

It’s unclear how much this could amount to, financially speaking. Likewise, Nikon hasn’t yet commented on the infringement lawsuit.

DigiMedia Tech’s decision to sue Nikon isn’t surprising in light of its recent activity. On May 29, the NPE filed patent infringement lawsuits against Fujifilm and Olympus, alleging that both have used digital camera technologies in select camera models that infringe on its US patents. Following that, DigiMedia Tech filed the Nikon lawsuit referenced above, then a similar complaint against JK Imaging, the company behind Kodak PIXPRO cameras, on June 24 in California Central District Court.

A full list of DigiMedia Tech’s lawsuits, including related documents, can be found through the Unified Patents portal.

A summary of each of the lawsuits DigiMedia Tech, LLC currently has against a number of camera manufacturers.

The NPE practice of exploiting acquired patents has been heavily criticized for years. These companies oftentimes don’t actually practice the invention detailed by the patent and usually don’t sell processes or products related to them. These non-practicing entities instead enforce the patent rights against companies allegedly infringing them, doing so to obtain licensing payments or some other type of revenue, such as royalties or damages, on the acquired patents.

Though not all NPEs exploit acquired patents, there are those that do. Ones that operate aggressively and file large numbers of lawsuits in order to cast a wide net to see what they catch are colloquially referred to as ‘patent trolls.’

In 2011, the Hastings Science and Technology Law Journal published a large PDF document titled ‘Indirect Exploitation of Intellectual Property Rights by Corporations and Investors’ that details NPEs and the ways they may be used. The discussion is extensive and ideal for understanding the reasoning behind these lawsuits, stating in part that patent infringement lawsuits from NPEs may be, among other things, used by:

…a sponsoring entity against a competitor to achieve a corporate goal of the sponsor. A corporation or investor, by serving as the sponsor for an IP privateering engagement, can employ third-party IPRs as competitive tools. The privateer, a specialized form of non-practicing entity (NPE), asserts the IPRs against target companies selected by the sponsor. The sponsor’s benefits do not typically arise directly from the third party’s case against a target, but arise consequentially from the changed competitive environment brought about by the third party’s IPR assertion.

Of course, DigiMedia Tech’s own reasons for filing suits against these camera companies are unclear and it’s impossible to say whether there would be an indirect benefit for a competing company as a result of these allegations. As these cases are only days and weeks old, the outcome of each lawsuit is yet to be seen.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple patent shows how you may one day be able to capture ‘synthetic group selfies’

08 Jun

In the age of physical distancing, taking selfies with friends has become challenging to say the least, due to the worldwide suggestion to keep six feet apart to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. A recently-discovered patent from Apple, however, shows how we might one day be able to take a group selfie without needing to be next to each other — or even in the same room for that matter.

First discovered by Patently Apple, the ‘synthetic group selfie’ patent wasn’t created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was originally filed back in July 2018. However, its usefulness is more valuable than ever, as the desire to feel connected in an age of physical distancing is growing.

A pair of illustrations from the patent showing how the layers within the composited scene could be moved around to better frame people within the selfie.

According to the patent, you could create a ‘synthetic group selfie’ by inviting friends and family to a shared photo session. The group selfie mode would then place those invited to the session next to one another in the image to give the appearance that everyone is right there in the frame. The patent also notes this mode could be used for video and livestreaming options with other options for changing the arrangement of people within the frame.

An illustration from the patent showing how the composition process would work.

As with all patents, it’s unclear if we’ll ever see this option in a forthcoming iOS update. But it would be a convenient option now more than ever, making virtual interactions more social while still staying distanced.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DJI scores a victory in the latest round of a patent battle with Autel

29 May
DJI’s Mavic 2 Pro is one of the products that could potentially become unavailable in the U.S., as early as July, on account of Autel’s claims.

With close to an 80% share in the U.S. consumer drone market, DJI holds a substantial lead over its competitors. News arose, several weeks ago, that some of its best-selling models plus accessories could be banned from being sold and imported into the U.S., as early as July, on account of a preliminary Autel Robotics victory.

DJI and its law firm, Finnegan, recently responded to Autel’s claims and secured their own victory in the latest round of an ongoing, years-long patent battle. For perspective, DJI filed a patent infringement complaint against Autel, who currently holds an 0.8% share of the U.S. drone manufacturers market, back in 2016. DJI alleged that Autel copied the ‘look and feel’ of its Phantom UAVs with its X-Star Premium drone.

DJI filed a patent infringement complaint. They claim the Autel X-Star Premium copies the ‘look and feel’ of their Phantom series.

On August 30, 2018, Autel mounted its own offense by requesting the International Trade Commission (ITC) investigate DJI, pursuant to Section 337, for selling drones infringing on Autel’s US Patent No. 9, 260,184. Months later, on October 2nd, the ITC set its investigation in motion based on Autel’s assertion of the following 3 patents:

  • ’174 patent – obstacle avoidance
  • ’184 patent – rotor blades
  • ’013 patent – batteries that clamp onto the drones

The ITC’s chief administrative law judge (CALJ) issued a favorable initial determination (ID) to DJI on March 2nd of this year, according to Finnegan. CAL Judge Bullock found that ’174 patent claims, involving obstacle avoidance technology, were not infringed as they were not practiced by any domestic industry product and therefore invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101. He declared that many of the accused DJI products also did not infringe on the ‘184 patent involving rotor blades. The ‘013 patent claim on batteries that clamp into the drone was also declared invalid.

‘Ultimately the Commission may decide that Autel deserves no remedy at all, but at a minimum, the Commission is unlikely to enforce any exclusion order or cease-and-desist order based on the three invalid patents.’

Finnegan’s post also claims a win for DJI with the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB). On May 13th – 21st of this year, the PTAB found all 3 patents (‘174, ‘184, ‘013) declared in Autel’s ITC proceeding unpatentable. ‘The Commission is currently deciding whether to review the CALJ’s ID. Ultimately the Commission may decide that Autel deserves no remedy at all, but at a minimum, the Commission is unlikely to enforce any exclusion order or cease-and-desist order based on the three invalid patents. DJI’s sales in the U.S., therefore, will not be affected by Autel’s claims,’ DJI’s legal team concludes.

The entire IP update from DJI’s law firm can be viewed here. Representatives from the drone manufacturer declined to comment.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Judge rules DJI infringed patent, recommends ceasing sales and imports of most DJI drones

18 May

On March 2nd, Steptoe, a leading international law firm, secured a major trial victory for Autel Robotics USA at the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s chief administrative law judge found that SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of consumer drones, and 7 related entities collectively known as ‘DJI,’ violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. DJI has been importing and selling drones that infringe on Autel’s US Patent No. 9, 260,184.

The ITC’s chief administrative law judge recommended barring the following DJI products from importation into the United States: the Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro Platinum, Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic Air, and Spark. The judge also recommended a cease and desist order prohibiting DJI from selling any of these products that are already in the U.S. when the exclusion order issues. If upheld, all of these products could be removed from the U.S. market as early as July.

Autel scored another victory with the ITC. DJI was forced to post a 9.9% bond during the 60-day presidential review period following the exclusion order. Autel also filed a petition to prevent other DJI products from being sold including the Phantom 4 and Inspire series of drones. It is worth noting that DJI’s Inspire 1 and most of its Phantom 4 line has been discontinued, with the exception of the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. The Spark and original Mavic Pro models are also no longer produced.

Representatives from DJI declined to comment on the matter at this time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Shoot now, focus later: multi-view E-mount lens patent is Sony’s latest foray in to light field photography

23 Apr

According to Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony has filed a patent for an interchangeable E-mount lens that will allow users to adjust focus after the shot has been recorded. The lens appears to contain a number of lenses arranged next to each other to record multiple individual images on the camera’s sensor that can be combined later presumably to control focus and depth-of-field.

The site doesn’t tell us where the patent information was seen so we can’t read it for ourselves, but some diagrams are provided that we are told are part of the application.

The Light L16 light field camera from Light Labs Inc

Sony investigating light field technology is nothing new, as in the past it has filed patents for a light field sensor and has a partnership to supply sensors to Light Labs Inc, the manufacturer of the Light L16 camera that was announced in 2015. The draw of the technology is obvious as it can allow multiple focal lengths to be used for full-resolution zooming and/or focus and depth-of-field selection after the event.

We have seen a few attempts at harnessing the idea in commercial camera products in the past, including the Lytro Illum, Nokia’s 9 PureView and to some extent a number of other multi-lens and multi-sensor smartphones. It is hard to tell from the available information exactly what these lenses will used for in this patented idea, and whether they will be to collect distance information or be used to expand the range of tones that can be recorded in a single shot – or both.

Either way, such a lens will need a camera with an extremely powerful processor or the ability to simply record the images for processing in software later – as with Sony’s Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode that requires images are processed in the company’s Imaging Edge desktop application.

As we have all noticed in the past though, exciting patent applications don’t always result in a product that comes to market. If genuine however this does at least demonstrate Sony is still pursuing ideas in this area.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple patent shows its working on panoramic light field capture technology

04 Apr

A newly-published Apple patent, filed back in September 2019, details a light field panorama camera system seemingly intended for use in future iPhone and iPad devices. The technology would enable the average consumer to capture large light field panoramas of a particular scene by moving their device using gestures. The resulting content could be rendered and viewed on the device or using some type of head-mounted display (HMD), including VR headsets.

According to Patently Apple, which first spied the patent, Apple details technology that would build upon its current AR efforts by enabling its consumer devices to capture complex 3D scenes. To do this, the user would need to move their light field-equipped iPhone or iPad in a gesture, such as moving the device in a swooping infinity symbol, to capture light field images of the environment from multiple angles.

A flow-chart provided within the patent filing that shows the process of capturing, processing and viewing the resulting imagery.

A rendering engine would process the individual images into a 3D panorama with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) made possible using the light field technology. As a result, the viewer would have the ability to look above and behind objects, zoom in on areas of the scene and view different angles of the environment. The patent follows Google’s acquisition of light field camera technology company Lytro in 2018.

Unlike conventional cameras, a light field camera system captures both the intensity of the light from a scene and the direction the light rays are traveling in space. The additional data gathered by light field camera systems enable new types of experiences, including the one detailed by Apple.

The patent indicates that Apple’s system may use the sensors in the iPhone and iPad to capture position, motion and other similar metadata alongside the images, the combination of which would contribute to the final light field panorama. The combination of captured images and metadata could then be used to render different views of the same 3D scene, according to the patent, ultimately giving the user six degrees of freedom for exploring the panorama using an HMD like a VR headset.

This would differ substantially from a traditional 360-degree panorama, which is captured from a single point, only allowing the viewer to move their head around within the rendered 3D scene. Light field panoramas will appear more realistic, keeping objects in their correct positions as the user moves around within the scene, which could realistically render from different angles as the user has a look around.

It’s no secret that Apple has been heavily focusing on augmented reality technologies; its most recent iPad Pro model underscores this effort with the inclusion of a LIDAR sensor.

Just a few of the possible movements you could use to capture the scenery using your Apple mobile device.

In its announcement of the 2020 iPad Pro last month, Apple said the new LIDAR sensor ‘delivers cutting-edge depth-sensing capabilities, opening up more pro workflows and supporting pro photo and video apps,’ specifically with augmented reality in mind. The sensor works by measuring the distance of objects that are as far as 5m (16ft) away.

Apple went on to explain:

‘New depth frameworks in iPadOS combine depth points measured by the LiDAR Scanner, data from both cameras and motion sensors, and is enhanced by computer vision algorithms on the A12Z Bionic for a more detailed understanding of a scene. The tight integration of these elements enables a whole new class of AR experiences on iPad Pro.’

The future expansion of these capabilities using light field technology wouldn’t be surprising, particularly in light of ongoing rumors Apple is working on AR/VR gear. With that said, and as with any patent, it is possible we’ll never see this technology make its way into a consumer product. Per usual, Apple has not commented on the patent.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi patent shows pop-up camera with up to seven lenses

18 Jan

Pop-up front cameras are an established design to avoid large bezels, ‘punch holes’ or notches on smartphone fronts. If Xiaomi’s latest patent filing is anything to go by the concept could soon be taken to another level, though.

The documentation which was recently authorized by CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) shows a pop-up camera that comes with a lot more camera/lens modules than anything we’ve seen up to now.

The patent includes three versions, with the most simple one featuring dual-cameras at front and back. The most advanced variant comes with a dual-cam at the front and five modules on the front.

To accommodate all this the pop-up mechanism is wider than on most other smartphones with pop-up cameras but still, image sensors would likely have to be smaller than on more conventional camera setups. As usual, there is no way of knowing if this patent will ever be turned into a final product but it’s good to see manufacturers looking at new ways of designing smartphone cameras.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Oppo patent shows camera module that pops out of the side of a smartphone

04 Jan

Smartphone manufacturers have come up with a variety of solutions to maximize the screen surface to size ration on smartphones, including hole-punch front cameras, camera notches and pop-up mechanisms of various kinds.

In a patent filing found in the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) database Oppo is now adding a new variant: the sideways pop-out front camera.

In the reference images, we can see a motorized camera module placed on the right-hand side of the phone on roughly the same height as the rear camera. The power button is located on the same side of the phone while volume rockers and SIM-tray can be found on the left. The speaker and USB-C connectors are at the bottom.

As usual, there is no way of knowing if this idea ever makes it into an actual production device but it’s good to see manufacturers are looking into new ways of optimizing space in the thin bodies of modern smartphones.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple loses patent lawsuit, will have to pay RED royalties for ProRes RAW format

13 Nov

Apple has failed in an attempt to over-throw patents held by RED that govern methods for compressing Raw video, leaving the company open to paying royalties on its ProRes RAW file format. Apple had tried to show that the technology RED patented around its RedCode codec was obvious and shouldn’t have been granted protection, but the court rejected the claim leaving RED secure to license the lossless compression technique to camera, software and accessories manufacturers.

It seems that Apple had wanted to avoid paying royalties on the ProRes RAW format it introduced via Final Cut Pro last year, and which is used in some DJI drones, some Atomos recorders and a few other products. The problem is that RED claims ProRes RAW uses technology it owns for compressing those RAW files to make them manageable to work with. RedCode allows Raw video to be captured and compressed in-camera in much the same way that stills cameras do, allowing data directly from the sensor to be recorded and made available for very flexible post-production manipulation.

RED’s technology allows files to be compressed by ratios of up to 22:1, though it says 3:1 is mathematically lossless and 8:1 is visually lossless. The value of this is not only that it allows video files to be reduced in size, but also that for the same size file videographers can record in higher resolutions to provide the means for heavy cropping and frame splitting in post-production.

RED President Jarred Land posted on the RED User forum that he was glad the company’s technology remained protected but that the dispute between RED and Apple was just a means to finding where each stood technology-wise so they could continue to work together. He wrote:

‘We are pleased to see our REDCODE patents withstand another challenge.

To be clear, as I mentioned before, this never really was Apple vs. RED. It has always been APPLE + RED, and this was all part of the process defining how we work together in the future.

RED integration with Apple’s METAL framework for realtime R3D playback is coming along well and the work that the two teams are doing together is exceeding expectations. We are very excited for the new Mac Pro and the new XDR pro display and the power they bring to the entire RED workflow.’

The ‘another challenge’ refers to a similar attempt made by Sony in 2013.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Xiaomi patent hints at future smartphone with pop-up selfie camera and 8K recording

08 Nov

A new patent belonging to Chinese company Xiaomi has surfaced revealing a new camera design that includes a pop-up selfie camera and a rear square zoom lens. The patent was first spotted by Dutch website Let’s Go Digital, which notes that the patent was recently registered by the Hague International Design System.

The Xiaomi patent covers a mobile phone that features a vertical array of cameras on the back of the handset; the top square lens is believed to possibly be a zoom lens, whereas the lower three circles potentially include another camera, an LED flash, and a third sensor of some type.

The pop-up illustration below shows how the company will handle offering a front-facing camera that doesn’t blemish the model’s bezel-less display.

The patent was granted on August 9, about a month before XDA Developers revealed the existence of a new Xiaomi smartphone featuring a camera with 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom. The discovery was made in the beta version of a Xiaomi software update, which itself came shortly before the official unveiling of its new Mi Note 10.

The Mi Note 10 features five cameras, including one with 50x digital zoom and one with 5x optical zoom. It’s unclear whether XDA’s discovery was ultimately pointing toward the Mi Note 10 or a future Xiaomi model, which may have been teased in the newly-published mobile phone patent.

The details uncovered in the software update indicated that the related Xiaomi phone would include 8K/30fps video recording capabilities. In that case, the combination of a newly granted patent and the beta software details make the case for there being another major Xiaomi smartphone in the pipeline, one that may be introduced in 2020.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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