back to article Apple land-grabs iThingy feature management patent

The world’s change-rooms and fitness clubs might get that little bit more private, if Apple actually implements its latest patent, to enforce a shut-down of a phone’s camera in “a sensitive area”. Of course, it’s just as likely that if this patent ever makes its way to a product, it could also be used by copyright-holders to …

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  1. Mark Simon

    Alternative Strategy

    So, because this is patented technology, if somebody wants to circumvent these restrictions, they need only defect to the Dark Side, such as Android, or, God Help Us, Windows?

    1. LarsG
      Meh

      Thought

      Thats what the off button is for?

      Great I have an idea... Patent the Off Button!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      That might have stopped those naughty Prince Harry pictures?

      Naaaaaah.

    3. TeeCee Gold badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Alternative Strategy

      Or buy a camera.

      Then you can get really good pictures of everything that the iSheep aren't allowed to photograph.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is one patent that Samsung would be glad to avoid in their products. Now if this Apples attempt at forcing a V chip like device on every camera phone on the the planet so they can collect royalties then I hope their stock prices drop to zero.

  3. E 2

    This is not worthy of a patent.

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      that hasn't mattered so far.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Now THAT would take me off Apple's client list

    If there is one thing I will not permit, it's some random entity playing God over my life - especially since the reverse will be true as well. Imagine your phone taking pictures without you being in control. Or the phone shutting down comms and you need to call emergency services (which need not be of the 3-digit variety).

    Patent all you like, Apple, but avoid using it. So far, I liked your kit, but there are lines you do not cross.

    1. dotdavid
      Go

      Re: Now THAT would take me off Apple's client list

      Or a phone stopping you from installing an app because it hasn't come from a certain store?

      OK, sorry, I couldn't help but be snarky there ;-)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Now THAT would take me off Apple's client list

        Or a phone stopping you from copying files to and from it because it doesn't act as a mass storage USB device?

        That's how Apple lost phone sales to myself and a number of my acquaintances.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Now THAT would take me off Apple's client list

          That's odd, since my non-Apple laptop recognizes my iPhone 4 as a mass storage device and I've pulled video from it without an issue. No different than the Nokia I previously owned. While I don't like certain locked features (30 pin connector being one), this may be a user created problem that you're describing. This wouldn't be allowed in the U.S. anyways. We can't legally (actively) jam cell phone calls from prisons, much less movie theaters and it would affect a minority of cell phone users if it were implemented.

  5. Bob Vistakin
    Linux

    You're holding it wrong

    And in the wrong place too

  6. JaitcH
    WTF?

    The world’s change-rooms and fitness clubs might get that little bit more private,

    Once more the puritanical Apple is out to save it's users sensibilities.

    The trouble is that what's banned in California, isn't necessarily banned elsewhere. In 1991 toplessness as an indecent act was challenged by Gwen Jacob in Guelph, Ontario, who removed her shirt, and bra, and was charged with indecency.. She prevailed citing as men can do, so can women.

    So Apples new feature would be 22 years out of date in the bigger country north of the USA.

    This is the biggest reason why I prefer Android over Apple, the freedom to do what I wish, with what I own.

    1. A J Stiles
      Headmaster

      Re: The world’s change-rooms and fitness clubs might get that little bit more private,

      California has the Unruh Act, which is supposed to guarantee equal protections. One of its provisions is that clothing which would constitute Proper Attire on a member of one sex is deemed to constitute Proper Attire on a member of the other sex.

      So it must either be legal for a woman to be topless in CA, or illegal for a man to be topless.

      Oh, and in Britain, we form compound nouns using gerunds, not infinitives; so that would be "changing rooms". You'll be saying "Girl swim team" and treating them as a singular entity next.

      1. Eddy Ito
        Thumb Up

        Re: The world’s change-rooms and fitness clubs might get that little bit more private,

        "Oh, and in Britain, we form compound nouns using gerunds, not infinitives; so that would be "changing rooms"."

        Interesting, as this was the first time I've seen "change-rooms" on the west side of the pond I had thought the reverse. Nice to know our language isn't that different.

  7. Old Handle

    The sad (or hilarious) part about this patent is that it pretty much makes itself worthless. How? Because Apple only hoards patents rather than licensing them. That means only iPhone can ever implement this "feature", and who's going to bother setting up some kind of privacy zone that only works against one particular brand of phone?

    1. SuccessCase

      Of course it makes a nice headline, but companies file for patents all the time they have no intention of using. When you are a big company like Apple, you think if a new idea or solution, you ask yourself if patents are available, if they aren't you apply for the patent. I very much doubt Apple would implement anything from this unilaterally, it's simply not in their interest. This is a company obsessive about user focus, so The Register's suggestion they would use it for regional blackout of video camera use at sporting events is just The Register seeding mischief as they like to do. But if legislation comes along insisting on something technically similar (such as that wireless can be forcefully shut of before take-off on a plane), then Apple have the patent and are in a good position re licensing and leverage. So there is nothing sad about it.

  8. Richard Jones 1
    Unhappy

    Or Are Apple Users Perverts?

    Perhaps Apple users are so sad that Apple feels that it needs to protect their unfortunate users from their baser actions? I do not know what such ideas are, having never been or wanted to be such a sad 'devoid of a real life' case.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Or Are Apple Users Perverts?

      One of the Top Selling Androids apps... Spy camera.....

  9. Mondo the Magnificent
    Meh

    Ah.. but...

    Think back a few months when someone slipped into Google UK's new head office armed with a camera phone and took snaps a plenty, even though the signage and contractors' policy clearly stated cameras were forbidden on site

    These photos were then leaked to ElReg and published.

    I guess it's the commerical and 'secretive' governmental industries that would take advantage of this "feature" if it's ever implemented.

    Let's make it a little more real world and perhaps enable it at nursery schools to prevent sickos like Vanessa George taking snaps of toddlers etc..

    A technology like this does have its merits if it is justified in a certain environment, but rest assured if it is ever introduced to the real world, other handset manufacturers could also offer this feature too..

    1. .stu
      Facepalm

      Re: Ah.. but...

      Won't somebody think of the children??

  10. Scarborough Dave

    The Lords of the Rounded Corner

    Thanks made me chuckle!

    1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      Re: The Lords of the Rounded Corner

      Also known as the Bendy-Angled Ones. Which no one seems to be using, so I hereby patent it...

      Having said that, the reference seems to be not as widely understood as I'd expect: it seems in fact that gigantic demonic "Many-Angled Ones" only appear in comics called "Zenith" and "The Thanos Imperative", respectively about characters named Zenith and Thanos. On the other hand, that probably includes a lot of readers here, and indeed the editorial staff - hi! Cén fáth nach bhfuil tú post a fháil! (Google Translate thinks that means "Why don't you get Jobs" in "Irish". I thinwk it sounds kind of Lovecraft-ish, or looks it anyway. How it sounds, I have no idea.)

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looking to the future

    I can't see any user benefit to this, so I doubt that Apple expect to be applying this technology yet.

    Looking at the way the wind is blowing across the world, it is easy to see a future where the presence of such technology is mandated by various governments, and I expect Apple see profit there - either because their phones will be the only allowable ones or, more likely, they will profit from licensing the technologies to all the other maufacturers.

  12. Fuzz

    enterprise devices

    For all those who can't see a use for this, I think it's more aimed at enterprises who want to be able to restrict certain features of their staff devices in certain areas of the business.

    Only thing is I thought you could do this already based on wifi connections. I'm sure I've seen the option on some device management software.

  13. Growly Snuffle Bunny
    WTF?

    There's a patent??

    Not so much obvious as so bloody simple even a monkey could have thought of this one!

    Who amongst us in the years that mobiles have been available has not been in a cinema (or other location) and thought that there must be a way to turn phones off or mute them during the feature?

    Well I for one won't be buying a phone with this tech in it.

    1. Ivan Headache

      Re: There's a patent??

      We've all had the same idea but the patent is about how to do it.

      Ideas are not patentable but methodology is (in my world anyway).

      1. Growly Snuffle Bunny

        Re: Ideas are not patentable but methodology is.

        Until a device is actually built, all the methodology in the world is only an idea, surely?

        I've certainly thought about how it could be done (automatically silencing 'phones while not affecting emergency calls or SMS), many times over many years, as idiots use their mobiles in the cinema and restaurant annoying me no end. Turning off cameras etc. is just an obvious extension. It's not rocket science, and certainly IMHO not worth a patent...

  14. Steve the Cynic

    Strikes me...

    That for many applications of this, GPS will be a poor choice for determining the sensitive location, seeing as how many of the obvious candidates for "sensitive location" are indoors. Well, unless they've done something to make GPS work better indoors...

  15. thesykes

    Already been done?

    There are Android apps that can do something similar ... doesn't Tasker allow a user to set profiles affecting virtually all hardware settings, based on the current location?

    Ah... I see the difference... Tasker allows users to decide what to do when and where... in the walled garden, Apple are in charge of your phone.

    1. ratbert

      Re: Already been done?

      I use Llama, cos it's free. It's based on phone masts, rather than Wifi, but works a treat, putting my phone on silent when i get to work, disabling wifi when i'm not in range of a known hotspot, etc.

      Shame the Apple patent was filed back to 2008 - it probably means that Llama (and Tasker) are now in violation and will get sued off the market. The patent, though, seems only to refer to WLAN, GPS and bluetooth as location methods - surely most people disable these to conserve power anyway, which would make the whole idea a bit unworkable?

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Prior art?

    Some of this sort of functionality is already present in Android apps that use GPS location, base station or wifi id's to decide where you are and control what features on a phone are enabled ... intention was to enable you to define places where you had wifi access so that wifi was turned off to save battery when you were elsewhere or to define areas where you wanted to phone to automatically mute itself etc.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So....

    Is required to use GPS, Cell towers, or WIFI to ID location to detect private areas.

    What about flight mode ?

    Or would they have a seperate detector for this function. or turn off cameras and similar in flight mode. ?

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Chapeau!

    I normally find that the cute little nicknames bandied about on the reg reek of tabloid laddishness, stale beer, and sniggering at tits, but I have to say that "The Lords of the Rounded Corner" is really rather good :)

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    and for the next iteration...

    "Get your kids the Apple Jonny-phone®! Jonny can't msg his mate after 9pm, 'cos that's when Apple have decided it's Jonny's bed-time"

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apple-Jonny-Phone? Surely that would be the safe sex incarnation...

  21. vic 4

    Area of patent

    As mush as I dislike this idea and think it is far too obvious* to patent the examples of prior art do not cover what I interpret the main thrust of the patent. Where this differs is the application of policies enforced onto a device by 'whoever' is deemed to be an authority. There idea of triggering events causing consequences when a device matches some state, e.g. being in a physical location is nothing new but not come across anything that pushes those onto a phone, at least as phone features are concerned. Pretty sure cameras in Japan must have a photo snap noise made when a photo is taken but that is obviously explicitly done in software/hardware.

    Not got time to read the details so can't comment on all possible issue with this, however referring to a previous comment, there are also legal considerations that would still have to be complied with, e.g. I doubt anyone would be able to prevent emergency phone calls.

    * I think its obvious as given the need to implement this, this appears to be the solution that would immediately jump to most peoples find.

  22. Wize

    Let Apple patent it...

    ...so no one else can do it, only iPhones.

    I don't want a device that blocks me from doing something in a particular area.

    What if a gunman walks into a cinema with no masks, no one can take his picture. OK, poor example as most would be hiding behind seats/fat people and running for an exit, but you understand the principal. Besides a nice covert camera hidden in a lapel wont be connected to a smart phone.

    I do understand the need for people to turn their bloody phone off in the cinema, but surely having someone up the back ready to throw out persistent offenders is a better way.

  23. Ivan Headache

    If a gunman walked into my local cinema without a mask

    he would be recorded on the anti-piracy video that monitors the audience.

    I would be on the floor.

  24. Mectron

    iControl

    This is one feature that will cost Apple a lot of customers.... maybe they decided it is time to kill the iphone?

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