Tech | March 30, 2009 | 12 comments

Apple Reportedly Files Patent for Safer Touch Screen Nav System

source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/26/apple_filing_details_safe_touch_screen_navigat...

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Navigation systems have become ubiquitous in vehicles ranging from $100,000 luxury cars to $16,000 compacts. The auto industry has been grappling with the best way to safely navigation, with some companies going to touchscreen units, while others opting for a joystick solution like BMW's iDrive. Either way, you're still taking your eye off the road, making nav use a potentially dangerous endeavor.

Apple may have other plans, however, as Cupertino has filed a patent for a safer touchscreen system. According to the filing, Apple's ideas include voice-activated directions; a detachable, iPhone-like device that can also be used as a still or video camera; and navigation that can only be accessed by the front seat passenger when the vehicle is moving.

The 11-page document also includes mention of wireless communication subsystems, such as 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, CDMA, GSM and EDGE. The wireless communications would enable the nav system to sync up with an iPhone to load information already stored on the latter before entering the car. The proposed Apple system sounds like SYNC on steroids, but the road from the patent office to the dashboard can be a long one. Hit the read link below for more info on Apple's extensive patent filing.
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12 comments // Apple Reportedly Files Patent for Safer Touch Screen Nav System

  • thewarnerla
    • 0
      thewarnerla  

    • apple needs to work on getting AT&T to have better coverage so my calls don't drop vs this patent that won't be useful for quite awhile.

    • 3 years ago
  • Jacques_of_Spades
  • cybexg
    • 0
      cybexg  

    • The real interesting aspect is the cross industry targeting of Apple's innovation. This cross industry targeting was unheard of years ago. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the small wave of older (in years) though new (in terms of experience) IP lawyers entering the market. In fact, I can't understand why anyone (corporate or private) would trust their IP to any lawyer who hasn't 1) previously owned his own business AND 2) worked in industry in various capacities for years AND 3) have at least helped to create a new technology or innovation before becoming a lawyer.

    • 3 years ago
  • current_nando
    • 0
      current_nando  

    • Patent for a "touch screen"? Wow this people have a way of introducing "already done" concepts like if they were something new. Just like when they first introduced the mp3 player (I mean the I-pod), and then when they introduced a cellphone with INTERNET!! and now a TOUCHSCREEN... what would be next? Text Messaging?

    • 3 years ago
  • motief1386
    • 0
      motief1386  

    • all i can think of is an "Onion" bit where apple comes out with a keyless keyboard. I have an ipod an it's great in all (although i know it's not built to last), but i've never really been sold on their laptops, always kind of considered them like sports cars for guys with small junk. So, initially when I hear of them going for another new medium, i automatically meet it with a discerning eye especially nav systems. I feel if people could navigate ocean or cross the country with just maps and know-how then modern-day man should be able to navigate grid-pattern cities and idiot proof highways, but i'm just sayin.

    • 3 years ago
  • kcfoxie
    • 0
      kcfoxie  
    • motief1386:

      In our world, people know what a dipstick tube is, its function, and the universal laws that would apply to it. This is common knowledge, passed from generation to generation.

      In the world we live in, people are not only too ignorant to understand they pride themselves on that ignorance and happily pay a professional to operate the dipstick for them.

      I like our world better. I never want to see Apple enter into the automobile market, just stick to becoming the next Sony records.

    • 3 years ago
  • Anyother
  • Mikeysfake1
  • Varex_Sythe
  • kcfoxie
    • 0
      kcfoxie  
    • Mikeysfake1:

      It'll be the rebirth of the Ford-owned Jaguar. An $80,000 Taurus that takes special parts and will be scrapped, like iPods, in 3 years time when the new model roles out. More waste. Apple wouldn't design a smart vehicle they'd design something akin to what GM throws out with a high profit margin. Think about it for a second; and their hardware is hardly better than the rest of the industry. Their standards have severely slipped.

    • 3 years ago
  • Mikeysfake1
  • RepressThis
    • 0
      RepressThis  

    • The 11-page filing starts off by noting that the use of a conventional navigation system in a moving vehicle often raises safety concerns, particularly if the driver of the vehicle is attempting to operate the navigation system while simultaneously operating the vehicle.

      "Many navigation systems use knobs and pushbuttons for entering destination and other information for use in determining driving directions," Apple says. "The accurate use of such input devices may force the driver to take her eyes off the road, resulting in a potentially hazardous condition."

    • 3 years ago
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