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1.  

   In fact...

   

   Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), Sep 8th, 2006 @ 12:53pm

   
   

   They only got the patent for two sensing devices because I already have the patent for 3, 4, and 5 of the said devices. I just thought 2 was ridiculous!

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2.  

   when

   

   AJ, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 12:57pm

   
   

   I would like to see an article one day explaining that the patent office has realized how stupid their system is and see them post a detailed plan restoring said system to actually accomplish what it was designed to do. I know I may be dreaming, but eventually, with enough bashing, they've got to come to their senses. Or am I dreaming?

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3.  

   ?

   

   O yeah, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 12:59pm

   
   

   Mike, do you ever give these guys a chance to comment before running a story? I would love to see some comments from these guys when confronted with this crap, would make for some interesting reading..

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4.  

   I DID IT!

   

   Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:11pm

   
   

   I added a "Fix Bluescreen" key to the keyboard (ssshhhshshshsh! Its just a wire to the reset switch), where's my patent?

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5.  

   

   Marc, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:11pm

   
   

   One word: BULLSHIT.

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6.  

   re: when

   

   Alan, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:12pm

   
   

   Don't blame the patent office. Someone patented common sense years ago and they just don't have the budget to license a copy.

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7.  

   

   Levi, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:20pm

   
   

   So Apple's patented the Nintendo DS?

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8.  

   Re: re: when

   

   Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:22pm

   
   

   Common sense might not be patentable.. BUT
   
   "A team of indivuals evaluating submitted ideas for uniqueness with the aid of a computer system" is.
   
   If the patent holder refuses to license this "technology" to the patent office, then they can't use computers. Or at least, in the world according to the patent legislation.

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9.  

   

   mark, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:25pm

   
   

   It isn't that nobody else would think of it. It is to generate royalties from those that want to produce such an arrangement, or to dominate the market for such a device for as long as the patent runs. Not dumb at all, and something Mr. Gates understands all too well.

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10.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:27pm

    
    

    They finally want to make mice with more than one button?

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11.  

    

    A non-mouse Crowd, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:27pm

    
    

    The DS only has one touchscreen - the bottom one, and top only functions as a display screen. That's why Apple can patent the two touchscreen approach. Either way, it's bull. Also, there must be some device that has two touch sensors out there by now. Any takers on prior art???

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12.  

    Re: when

    

    Pope Ratzo, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:43pm

    
    

    Why don't we patent the idea of a complete overhaul of the patent system? Then we can all get rich. Or wait... I'm stupid!

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13.  

    Re: No, Mark, your comment is invalid

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:44pm

    
    

    Sorry, but Mr. Gates (or microsoft) has never sued anyone for absurd patent infringement. Mr. Gates and his Mike-Rowe Soft (just a joke, not a valid reference) have a tonne of absurd patents so they dont get sued for absurd violations of absurd patents.

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14.  

    

    Bubba, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:45pm

    
    

    My gf has two touchscreens on her "dashboard"! They are identical, perfect, and I utilize them daily!

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15.  

    

    Cantalwayswin, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:49pm

    
    

    In response to # 11
    http://www.mobilewhack.com/reviews/canova_dual_display_touch_screen_notebook_concept.html
    
    loo ks like that would compete, no?

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16.  

    

    me, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:52pm

    
    

    I have 2 17" touchscreens on my desk at work. Does that mean im getting sued by Apple

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17.  

    Apparently, people only read the title of a patent

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:59pm

    
    

    Have people actualy read the patent? The claim is not "has two touch screens". It rests a large part in identifying the user and configuring the device based on the user (see claim #34). It identifies which hand the user is using, which user it is and the settings for that user.
    
    Once again, this is not simply "two touch screens" being patented.

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18.  

    Re: Levi

    

    Nobody, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:00pm

    
    

    Uh, the DS has one touch sensing device, the bottom screen. The top screen is just a plain old screen.

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19.  

    Re: Levi's comment

    

    Me, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:01pm

    
    

    by Levi on Sep 8th, 2006 @ 1:20pm
    
    So Apple's patented the Nintendo DS?
    
    This was my thought exactly, now Nintendo is going to have to license this technology from Apple, and change the name to the iDS.

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20.  

    Re: when

    

    thisGuy, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:01pm

    
    

    This is a government office, asking them to think is too much. The war on drugs hasn't ever worked but they're still fighting "the good fight". I hate to say it, but our government can be much like a spoiled stuborn child, resistent to change.
    
    PS. Are we getting out of Iraq soon? Oh no, the government still thinks it was the right thing to do.

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21.  

    Re: Re: when

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:06pm

    
    

    PS. Are we getting out of Iraq soon? Oh no, the government still thinks it was the right thing to do
    
    Nononono, noone in the gov't thinks it was the right thing to do. Every one of them is well aware it was the perfectly wrong thing to do.
    
    But they can't actually admit that. Think of the worldwide repurcussions from that. People might actually respect us. We can't have that. We MUST continue to say that it was a good idea, but just "harder than we thought it would be".

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22.  

    

    GW, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:07pm

    
    

    It WAS the right thing to do!
    
    Fight them their - or fight them here - you decide which in November.

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23.  

    

    sean, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:15pm

    
    

    "Hand held electronic device with multiple touch sensing devices." When you press a button dose it no sense that it was touched? If it did not then It would not work. So there any device is hand held and has two or more buttons would fall under this patent.
    
    I can think of about 1000 things that will fall into this category.

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24.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:22pm

    
    

    Crap...so I guess my wireless Mouse it going to become an iMouse? or an iKeyboard? Crap....what about iLife? Is that going to be patented next?

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25.  

    Mice

    

    Proxy318, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:26pm

    
    

    Apple makes mice with more than one button. Sort of. The "mighty mouse", which is just an un-ergonomic as their previous mice, has right and left sensors that can be configured to right and left click (though by default they're both configured for left click. You know, so as not to confuse people). And it only costs 3x what a normal 2 button + scroll wheel mouse costs.

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26.  

    Read the Patent

    

    Susheel M. Daswani, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:29pm

    
    

    Neither Mike nor the "Anonymous Coward" above gives whole story. One of the claims (#1) is for a device with two touchscreens, whereas another (#34) claims determing users based on how the two screens are touched. The first claim is definitely too broad - expect it to get rejected. I am not sure about the second claim though - I'd need to look at the disclosure more fully to get a better idea of its legitimacy.
    
    But Mike is right - the PTO has not done a good job with patent quality, so inventors will try to claim as broadly as possible in order to get a strong property right. Then again, it is the job of any good patent prosecutor to try to claim as much as possible for their client.

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27.  

    leave offtopic out

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 2:37pm

    
    

    you guys (namely 20 + 21) could we leave the "no iraq" crap outta this? whether you are for or against it, can we for once keep to the topic on hand (apple dual SENSOR (not screen) touch device patent)???

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28.  

    Re: Read the Patent

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 3:00pm

    
    

    Read #34 through #47 and you will see that this patent is much more than two touchscreens.

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29.  

    touch sensors

    

    Patent Happy, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 3:34pm

    
    

    I have th patent for ten sensors, one for each finger.

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30.  

    

    Jacob Buck, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 3:35pm

    
    

    I'm going to patent the patent office

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31.  

    Oh please.

    

    Colin Lemahieu, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 4:00pm

    
    

    Don't try to insult our intelligence by reading the patent abstract to us and claiming it's obvious.

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32.  

    I'm not sure, but it is hard...

    

    Mark Hopkins, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 4:05pm

    
    

    I'm not sure if it's patentable, but it is extremely difficult to do with off the shelf os's and hardware.
    
    I recently designed a handheld last year designed to work with mutiple touch-sensors and touch screens, and it was a PAIN IN THE ASS getting them to work with any OS at all.
    
    If it had been my idea, and didn't belong to the company I contracted for, I might have been inclined to patent my technique. It's not an obvious thing to be able to do. It requires a good deal of engineering. Trust me.

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33.  

    i'm sure they learned from creative ...

    

    kwanbis, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 4:33pm

    
    

    i think now companies would try to patent anything, so they don't get in 5 years sued, cause somebody patented something as stupid as a nested-menu, as creative did

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34.  

    Arrggg Defending Apple

    

    Fallen, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 5:00pm

    
    

    As Much as i hate to do it apple is not patenting two touch screens i believe the original plan as it was layed out about a year ago was to have access on a touch screen say a tablet PC so you could touch one point and then move another by touching another spot at the same much like the desk in the movie "the Island" where he moves stuff around at two points on the desk at the same time.

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35.  

    Ever Heard of an iPAQ

    

    bpruett, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 5:06pm

    
    

    The iPAQ hx4700 has a mouse like touch pad and a touch screen. Can you say prior art.

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36.  

    Re: I'm not sure, but it is hard...

    

    Brad, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 5:22pm

    
    

    This isn't that hard to do. Windows handles it just fine.
    
    I can run up to 8 seporate monitors (with suitable graphics cards and multiplexers) and the standard touchkit software package supports each independantly, or with a slight tweak they can be used in conjunction.
    
    I outfitted a car with two computers and six monitors, four of which were touch screens. The drivers had absolutely no difficulty understanding the multiple screens.
    
    Doing it on a small, embedded device is different, but some of the images in that patent seem downright laptop sized.
    
    As an aside: I agree with the request to keep mild political gripes (and off-topic jabs at unrealted companies) off the boards. We're talking about Apple and it's use (and enforcement) of absurd patents. What's that got to do with Bill Gates, who runs neither MS nor it's patent arm? Learn first, speak second.

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37.  

    First Strike

    

    Ensign Pike, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 6:54pm

    
    

    The problem here is that if Apple didn't do this, then they are risking that someone else will before they get their product out. Cheaper to get the patent first (if it's gettable, if not it doesn't matter)
    
    This is a failure of the PO, not APPL.

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38.  

    Re: I DID IT!

    

    Mawt, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 8:43pm

    
    

    I LOLed. I'd buy that in a heartbeat. Just for props.
    
    But yeah, might as well just patent the idea of having ideas.
    You'll probably have to be extremely specific or completely left field thinking to make anything that -doesn't- go against patents. e_e

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39.  

    forced to patent the ridiculous

    

    bc, Sep 8th, 2006 @ 11:11pm

    
    

    I agree with the first strike, If you don't patent everthing and anything then some bozo will and try to sue you for it. Apple is a big target for patent trolls. I have yet to hear of them sueing over a baseless patent, But they have gotten bit in the arse a few times by them!
    A Stupid system!

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40.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Sep 9th, 2006 @ 10:18am

    
    

    #37 and #39 are what I was thinking. Just look at how many times apple has been sued for the iPod and the ammount of times they settled on other bad patents. Apple probably has to make sure every new concept is patetened by them, so thier continues sucess does not continue to be the 'backup buisness plan' of failing buisnesses with broad patents.

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41.  

    Re: when

    

    tom, Sep 10th, 2006 @ 12:06pm

    
    

    Seriously, that's all you hear now a days. Someone patents this, and the legal battles that are spawned because of it.

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42.  

    My revolutionary idea!

    

    DrinkySmurf, Sep 10th, 2006 @ 5:36pm

    
    

    A disposable razor with 7 blades!
    Brilliant!!

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