Apple Files for OLED Keyboard Patent

pegdhcp writes to mention that Apple has applied for a patent on a 'dynamically controlled keyboard' with OLED keys. This may seem remarkably familiar, since an OLED keyboard has been bandied about by Art Lebedev studios for quite a while now. "while the Optimus Maximus is a bit expensive, Apple could certainly mass-produce something similar for less money, perhaps bringing the price into reality for most users. Lebedev has, however, apparently applied for several patents for the Optimus, so it's unclear just what Apple is up to, or what would happen if the company were ever to release such a product."

Comments

Patent Fight *or* License from Art. Lebedev?

[Zymergy]

IANAL, but it seems that Art. Lebedev Studio could just negotiate a fat licensing fee for the technology/idea with Apple and both would win from the collaboration...?
Surely that beats a costly Patent fight?
What about Prior Art?
Re: Optimus Keyboard With OLED Display Keys http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/14/1335215
Re: Optimus OLED Keyboard Pre-Orders Start Dec. 12 http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/19/1911235

I would love to see this technology in an affordable Laptop/Notebook keyboard. (Particularly one that has open source GPL'd base drivers.)

Apple and IBM

[NickCatal]

Apple and IBM own enough patents to patent every square inch of my kitchen if they wanted... it is called R&D... most of this stuff won't make it to market

Watch the "prior art" screaming start

[Infonaut]

Until you've read the actual claims in a patent, it is impossible to know what Apple is actually attempting to patent. The fact that the description is of an OLED keyboard doesn't mean that prior art will negate the claims any more than the existence of LCD screens would necessarily invalidate a patent on an LCD screen.

Now to settle in and watch the ill-informed rants about patent law multiply like rodents. Anyone have any popcorn?

Re:Watch the "prior art" screaming start

[makomk]

I've read the claims, and it seems to be a patent application for exactly what people are saying it's a patent application for - keyboards with OLED displays on the keyboard, like the Optimus Maximus. (Actually, it covers slightly more than that - claim 1 is for any computer peripheral with one or more keys containing more than one LED that can be switched on or off. It's not narrowed down to just things like the Optimus Maximus until claim 4.)

Re:apple fanboys

[MACC]

15 years ago you could buy keyboards with an lcd display in each and
every keycap.

Now please tell me the difference to that.

This is not old but ancient stuff.

G!
MACC

What about Prior Art

[Udo Schmitz]

Yeah, what about Prior Art? You think Lebedev was first? Check the Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard which has links to http://www.unitedkeys.com/ and http://lcd-keys.com/english/history.htm

That one takes a 5 minute patent search....

[originalhack]

This 1984 patent kills their first 12 claims and this product shipping in 2005 kills their remaining 13 claims unless you believe that the product had a wiring harness going from an lcd driver not on the keytop down up to the keytop.

That's all 25 claims dead right there.

Process Patents

[AHumbleOpinion]

about the only thing in the patent that may be innovative [that is that hasn't already been done] is claim 25 about their new manufacturing process [or not, it could be obvious in of its self, who knows] other than that, why hasn't this been thrown out yet due to prior art?

One family of patents is the process patent. The invention is the manufacturing process, not the item. Whether or not the items manufactured are ordinary is irrelevant.

Re:apple fanboys

[Kymermosst]

Well, I just found this, but there is still no mention of a mass produced keyboard that someone could buy that had an "lcd display in each and every keycap" as the grandparent poster said.

Re:apple fanboys

[MACC]

Thanks for the link: http://lcd-keys.com/english/history.htm

1984! , even earlier than I remembered.

The first image from the top
          http://www.e3-keys.com/images/image012.jpg
is the one I had in mind.

G!
MACC

Re:context specfic layouts

[kimvette]

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/

Check it out. They even show right on the web site the profiles for Adobe CS programs.

Also, check out the demo page:

http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/demo/

The images can and do change on the fly as needed.

Apple is attempting to patent prior art.