Welcome to Patent Bolt, a dedicated Intellectual Property news site that specializes in dissecting patent applications from leading industry players such as Microsoft, Google, Samsung and others. If you love to explore future inventions, you'll love our site.
Google introduced their new music streaming service at this week's I/O developer Conference. According to their website, "Google Play Music makes it easy to discover, play and share the music you love on Android and the web. With our new All Access service (US), you can play millions of songs on Google Play, listen to radio with no limits, and enjoy playlists handcrafted by our music experts." As if it was custom ordered, the US Patent and Trademark Office published Google's patent application regarding this new service less than 24 hours later. The focus of the patent surrounds a personal music collection start page.
In early 2013 the photo of Google's co-founder Sergey Brin riding New York's subway wearing the Company's upcoming Glass product went viral. Interestingly, Brin's subway ride was likely a planned prototyping test for their futuristic wearable computer. That was evident when reviewing one of Google's latest patent filings. The key example found in the patent describes a user wearing Glass on a subway and how the menus, icons and content seen in the Glass display would shift positioning automatically and remain centered in the display while the subway car was traveling and changing directions in real-time due to an advance eye-tracking system engineered into Glass.
Recently the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that revealed their vision of extending their "Glass" optical system technology far beyond their initial eyeglass styled wearable computer. Google envisions their technology being extended through to vehicle windshields, as shown in our cover graphic, and to telescopes and so much more. It's like when Apple starting with an iPhone and then followed through with their iPod touch and then finally to their iPad. Anytime a Company can take one idea and systematically and rapidly expand it to other segments of the market, the profit payoff is enormous. Our report presents you with a wide array of Google's formal examples of where they see their technology going along with a series of jumbo graphics for easy viewing.
Google is thinking of upgrading their Google TV and Buddy Box features by adding some sensory magic to them. The core of the patent is about extending controls beyond the TV's remote controller. For instance, Google wants your TV and/or TV box to be able to sense your presence as you enter a room so that it could automatically turn on your devices. As you exit your TV room, the devices will likewise know when to shut down for the evening, if you so choose that option. There are a few more tricks up Google's sleeve on this subject and you'll read about those in our report.
Just as Google Glass hits production, they win yet another design patent. Yesterday, the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Google a design patent for a "wearable display device." Although design patents are barren wastelands when it comes to actually delivering details about the particular design in question, the principle of what is actually patented is clear. Only what is within solid lines is patentable. Everything else is technically a sideshow. In this case, the wearable display device is relating directly to the arm that will likely connect to the frame of a future pair of prescription glasses. Updated at 3:45 PM MST Google Glass Unboxing Video has been added.
Google Play Music was launched in Europe in November. Google has now made music available through its online stores in Ireland, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Portugal yesterday morning, bringing the total number of countries that can access the main rival to Apple's iTunes store to 18. One of Google's patents regarding their Music platform was recently published and our report covers the basics. Whether Google legal is able to skirt Apple's many iTunes Store related patents or ignite another patent war is unknown at this time.
In March we pointed to a new camera position for future Google Glass products that will likely work with prescription glasses. In a new patent application filed from Google, we discover that Glass will support an autofocus camera. Today Google confirmed that the first version of Glass has been manufactured and is ready to Rock'n Roll. In context with today's patent filing revelation, Google's partially released specification sheet revealed that Glass will support a 5MP camera. Whether an autofocus camera will debut with first version of Glass is unknown at this time.
The US Patent & Trademark Office have recently published a patent application from Google that reveals their intention of upgrading Google Maps with a series of new user interface refinements including a new compass navigation control interface. If you're a fan of Google Maps' Street View feature like I am, then you'll be happy to know that turning corners will be made a lot easier whenever Google gets this upgrade out the door.
Earlier today we posted a report titled "Google Glass Advances with Superimposed Controls & More," which was all about superimposed controls and instructions for external devices such as a kitchen fridge, computer printers and controlling your garage door operations. In this afternoon's report, we point you to another Google patent application that is mainly focused on the key component that is Google Glass – the very Glass eyepiece itself.
