2010年1月29日 星期五

Reissue的策略

再領證(Re-issue)是個厲害的工具,可以在過了許多年後,還能修改權利範圍,獲得更好的保護!

年初有個Apple專利RE41,088(01.06.2010)才核准領證,此案揭露一種「轉動影像方向的裝置與方法(Apparatus and method for rotating the display orientation of a captured image )」,這就對應到現在有很多數位裝置因為安裝有利用陀螺儀(gyroscope, orientation sensor)原理的方向儀,可以判斷裝置的上下左右轉向,而能自動調整影像顯示方向,才剛發表的蘋果iPad也把這個技術發揮到淋漓盡致,宣稱iPad沒有指定使用的方向!

這個RE41,088,前案是1996年01.16申請的母案(專利號6,011,585 ),過了多年,蘋果於2005再提出再領證程序,適當地修正了權利範圍



參考US6,011,585的主要範圍:
1. An apparatus for rotating a display orientation of captured image data representative of an object, the apparatus comprising:
an image sensor, for generating said captured image data;
an orientation sensor coupled to said image sensor, for generating a signal corresponding to the position of the image sensor relative to said object;
a memory, having an auto-rotate unit comprising program instructions for selectively transforming said captured image data into rotated image data in response to said position signal, said memory coupled to said image sensor and to said orientation sensor; and
an image processing unit coupled to said memory for executing program instructions stored in said memory;
wherein (a) said image processing unit processes an i-by-j array of said captured image data and said image sensor generates an i+1-by-j+1 array of said image data, or (b) an image capture unit generates an additional row and column of pixels for said captured image data from said image sensor.
簡單來說,一個影像的畫素可視為一個矩陣,偵測到轉向後,簡單地執行矩陣轉換,應該不會損失畫質,只是個座標轉換而已!

Reissue案並未修改多數主要範圍,母案中主要範圍皆為裝置範圍,而在Reissue案則新增了方法範圍,包括擷取影像、並偵測出影像的方向,進行轉向,再將轉向後的影像儲存起來!力求保護完整的權利。個人感覺這項範圍頗廣,數位裝置日新月異,可能內部裝置也愈來不同,或許蘋果此舉是要讓更多相同的方式都能落入該範圍內!

RE41,088主要範圍為:


Ron
可參看:http://enpan.blogspot.com/2008/12/251-reissue.html

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