Sci Fi Channel Changing to Syfy

The Sci Fi Channel has recently announced that it is planning to change its name to “Syfy.”  As reported on Lawdit Reading Room, the change is part of the channel’s rebranding effort, and an attempt to end confusion on how to capitalize and style the name.  Network officials have stated that “Sci Fi” is a genre, and changing to “Syfy” will make their name more marketable and secure trademark registration and protection.

Will the name change really be that significant?  The name “Sci-Fi” name is so well known, it’ll take some time before the name change reaches everyone.  Thus, the change may initially hinder the success of the channel, rather than helping it.  Furthermore, securing a registered trademark for the change in spelling may not be as straightforward as it seems.

According to the USPTO, a misspelling of a word will not turn a descriptive or generic word into a non-descriptive mark.  One example is how the trade mark C-THRU is the equivalent of “see-through.”  Its possible that an examining attorney will hold Syfy to be the equivalent of Sci-Fi, and therefore merely descriptive of the science fiction television channel.  While there are ways around this rule, the channel will still have to actually use the mark in commerce before the USPTO will register the mark.

The official name change to “Syfy” will take place on July, 7, 2009.

Sony to Patent Robot Accessories

A new patent has recently surfaced that details the possibility of a robot being used with a video gaming system.  The patent was filed last June by Sony Computer Entertainment, and it shows a robot with a camera that will enable the machine to decipher the surrounding environment.  Kotaku.com also reports that the robot would have a microphone, giving it the ability to determine orders and react to sounds.

Some are wondering what Sony could do with a robot for video games, and there aren’t many details of how this robot could be used.  Yet, the patent details an information processing system which lets the robot respond to commands even though the player’s viewpoint is different than the robot’s.

If this robot is ever manufactured, it will not be until Sony receives an influx of cash.  Sony recently froze their company wages in an effort to cut company loses.

Flurry of New Apple Patents

Those at Apple had plenty to celebrate yesterday.  Besides it being St. Patrick’s Day, the company was also granted five new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

According to iPodNN, one of the new patents is for an iPod dock to fit in a car’s cup holder.  This patent would create a solid mount in a car for the iPod, while also having the ability to charge the device.  The patent was filed in 2005, and there seems to be many different iPod chargers that resemble this filing, making it unlikely that this patent will end up on the market.

The company also patented two industrial designs already in use, one for the outdated iPod shuffle as well as a USB connector cable to iPods and iPhones.  Lastly, Apple was also granted a patent that describes special circuitry in a power supply.  This device would  be used to control the deliver of power to other devices, and trigger a shutdown in case of any serious errors.

New Controller for Playstation?

A recent patent filing by Sony Computer Entertainment hints at a possible new remote to be used in video games.  The device, unnamed in the patent, contains a LED on the front and an external power supply.  The emitted light is captured by an inexpensive camera, and translated into user input data, reports Siliconera.

For those thinking that such a device may imitate the Wiimote, a diagram on the application shows that the game controller device may not be wand.  Instead, the controller could fit on a finger, radiating light from multiple LEDs.  Also, the program produces one or more colors of light, allowing it to be played in differently lit rooms.

It’s not assured that this patent will result in a new controller, but it’s fun to think that the future of video games could include finger ring controllers.

Apple Hints at Wii-Inspired Remote

In a recent patent filing, Apple has again revealed their idea for a Wiimote-like controller for the Apple TV.  As reported by Endgadget, this patent shows a “remote wand” being used to control everything on the Apple TV.  The remote would not have any buttons, and it would be twisted and turned to flip through music, rotate pictures, or control the cursor on the screen.

This new patent application mirrors a similar one filed in November 2006.  That application also saw a Wiimote-like remote which had a similar accelerometer and positioning setup to the Wii system.  But unlike the most recent patent, this remote idea included some buttons and controls.

However, because Apple seems to patent almost any idea that comes to mind, there is a chance that this type of remote may never see the light of day.  But, I’m sure those Apple and Nintendo fans wish this idea will eventually come to fruition.

Worlds.com Receives 3rd Patent

Worlds.com is currently tied up in a lawsuit with NCSoft over a virtual reality patent.  That hasn’t slowed Worlds.com, however, as the Brookline-based company has just been awarded its third patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  According to a press release, the new patent is titled “System and Method for Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space.”

This patent relates to computer architecture for a 3D multi-user interactive virtual world system.  It can be utilized in massive multi-player online games, which provide a graphical representation of the player’s character.  The movement of that character then changes what the character views.

According to General Patent Corportation, which manages Worlds.com’s patent portfolio, Worlds.com has a patent continuation for this patent currently filed with the USPTO.  The company also has two more continuations filed in regards to the patent at the center of the NCSoft infringement lawsuit.

New Geotargeting Patents from Google

Three recent Google patents have surfaced, and they seem to give insight into some search engine results.  The three patents are titled: “Ordering of search results based on language and/or country of the search results;” “System and method for providing preferred country biasing of search results;” and “System and method of providing preferred language ordering of search results.”

According to HuoMah, the first patent reorders to factor in the the lanuage of the user.  Google accomplishes this task by receiving the search term, identifying languages for the results, then adjusting the order based on determined languages and presenting it to the user.  But it should be noted that regional languages also count as a factor in the search results.  As the application states:

Acceptable languages include languages specified by the user, as well as other acceptable languages. For instance, a French-preferring user might also accept search results in English. Acceptable languages can also include related languages and dialects. For example, Portuguese search results might be acceptable to a user who generally prefers Spanish.

The other patents give weight to a user’s country as well, by performing the same tasks but factoring in one’s country before displaying the results.

It’s interesting to note that the application also made a reference to  classical dead languages, as well as psuedo-languages such as Klingon.  While the amount of people looking to search the web in Klingon is probably small, its nice that the option is still out there.

Another Odd Patent from IBM

IBM recently filed a patent that has left many scratching their heads.  The patent is titled “Methodology and Process for Suppressing De-Focusing Activities During Selective Scheduled Meetings,” and it is directed towards preventing people from using IBM’s software products during important meetings.

As reported on DailyTech, IBM stated the following on their patent application:

Within exemplary embodiments of the present invention repeating calendar event scheduling application options are implemented to support the implementation of a distraction-free meeting event. This aspect is accomplished by the calendar event invitation specifically stating that the meeting is expected to be distraction free, and as such, the acceptance of a meeting invitation would require that the meeting invitee submit to the computing system suspension requirements that are necessitated to initiate a distraction-free meeting. This meeting policy is enforced by the calendar event scheduling application being configured to effectively suspend the local activity of a computing system or incoming and outgoing communication requests that are received at the computing system.

Besides the fact that this patent is extremely broad, it’s odd to see a patent application from IBM that could block people from using their own software.  However, IBM has applied for some odd patents in the past, such as one application that evenly split a restaurant bill between a group of people.

Global Economy Decreasing Trademark Filings

The current economic recession isn’t just impacting patent and trademark filings in the United States, new data has surfaced that shows its slowing the rest of the world’s trademark filings as well.  According to Forbes.com, international filings with the World Intellectual Property Organization increased 5.3% last year.  But, there was a marked slow down in the second half of 2008.

The U.N. intellectual property’s director-general, Francis Gurry, said the following:

Trademarks in general concern new products or new enterprises and in conditions of economic recession you get less of both those two things.  We are experiencing the continuation of that slowdown in the course of this year.

Some more facts from the U.N. intellectual property agency reveal that German companies filed the most trademarks last year, increasing their applications by 2%.  French companies came in second, while U.S. firms came in third even though filings were down 1.5% from the previous year.

Biodiesel Patent Filed in Several Countries

HyPower Fuel has decided to file several patent applications for their new Biofuel process.  This process is a “next generation” biodiesel technology, since Hypower claims that its environmental footprint is significantly reduced since it uses no catalysts or water.  HyPower has filed patent applications in North America, Asia, and India.

Douglas Bender, the President of Hypower Fuel, stated the following in a press release:

Ultimately, as with our other patents and patent applications, we wish to file this patent application in every large, industrial jurisdiction. We intend to pursue a patent in every country that produces and sells a large volume of biodiesel. This is a key asset component of our biodiesel marketing program in North America and Asia and is another step forward enabling us to complete a sale or license in those lucrative jurisdictions.

HyPower is currently developing hydrogen insertion and production technologies in addition to their biodiesel technology.

« Previous Page — Next Page »