Samsung has been involved with numerous patent cases over the last year or so and of course the majority of them involve our favorite Cupertino company, Apple. We just got word of another case involving gesture recognition, but its not Apple. The company is called Flatworld Interactives, LLC and they specialize in commercialization of touchscreen technology.
Flatworld was founded by Dr. Salvko Milekic, a Professor of Cognitive Science & Digital Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Well he developed gesture recognition touch screens for children, which of course made it easier for them to interact with a computer. Flatworld alleges that Samsung’s Android smartphones, tablets, and their Galaxy Players infringe on U.S. Patent No. RE 43,318, which is titled, User Interface for Removing an Object From a Display.
Interestingly enough Apple is also a victim of Flatworld. A few months ago Flatworld hit them with this same infringement for all Apple touch devices including the iPhone, iPad, and Macs using a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. Hit the break because things get even more interesting.
This alleged patent was originally granted as Patent No. 6,920,619 on July 19, 2005. Supposedly Dr Milekic developed this gesture recognition back in 1998, but didn’t receive the patent until then. He didn’t start Flatworld until 2007, nearly two years after the patent was issued. It turns out that Dr. Milekic assigned the patent to Flatworld and it was reissued to Flatworld as Patent No. RE 43,318 this past April when they went after Apple.
Seriously folks, this patent stuff is just way out of control.
Full Press Release:
Hagens Berman Lawsuit Alleges Samsung Devices Infringe Touchscreen Patent
SEATTLE – Hagens Berman, a nationwide intellectual property law firm specializing in prosecution of infringement claims, today announced that it has filed a patent lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. (KSE: 005930.KS) alleging that the company’s line of Android-based smart phones and tablets infringe a patent covering the use of certain finger gestures on touchscreen devices.
The lawsuit, filed June 22, 2012, in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, was filed by Hagens Berman on behalf of Flatworld Interactives, LLC, a company specializing in commercialization of touchscreen technology. The company was founded by Dr. Slavko Milekic, a Professor of Cognitive Science & Digital Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Penn.
According to the complaint, Professor Milekic developed gesture recognition touch screens for use by children as an easier and more intuitive means of interacting with a computer.
The lawsuit alleges that Samsung’s Android-based smartphones and tablets, as well as its Samsung Galaxy media player, infringe U.S. Patent No. RE 43,318, entitled User Interface for Removing an Object From a Display, which is registered to Flatworld.
The patent allegedly covers the use of certain finger gestures commonly used on Samsung devices, including a “flick” of the finger used to remove images from the display.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling from the court affirming that Samsung has infringed the patent, an injunction enjoining Samsung from continued infringement, and an award of damages to compensate Flatworld.
Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP represents inventors, workers, whistleblowers, investors and consumers in complex litigation. The firm has offices in Boston, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
added source for additional background: pcworld
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