Samsung Electronics wins a patent lawsuit against NuCurrent

 

Recently, Samsung Electronics won a patent lawsuit related to wireless charging technology against NuCurrent, showing the importance of its patent invalidation strategy.

                                                                  ▲ clipartkorea.co.kr

Why was Samsung Electronics attacked by NuCurrent?

NuCurrent was founded in 2009 by students from Northwestern University and is considered an early pioneer in wireless charging technology. Samsung Electronics had discussed technology alliances with NuCurrent since 2015. However, in 2018, NuCurrent filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics related to wireless charging technology applied to Galaxy S7 and S8. In response, Samsung Electronics argued that the patents were unpatentable that NuCurrent claimed infringement. In the end, PTAB accepted Samsung Electronics' objection and recognized the patent invalidity.

 A Korean Prior-Art that saved Samsung Electronics,

NuCurrent's patent, US9941729 B2 could be invalidated by citing the patent, KR 10-2013-0045307A of KthePower, a Korean small company. The KthePower’s patent filed in 2013 specifies a configuration of a coil structure related to wireless charging, so it was judged that NuCurrent's patent filed in 2015 was unpatentable. KthePower, a small company in Korea, was founded by former Vice Chairman Lee Ki-tae, who caused Samsung Electronics' "Anycall Myth". During PTAB trial, Samsung Electronics found out the KthePower’s patent and acquired the patent right, and the current right holder is Samsung Electronics.

 ▲ wipsglobal.com

 

The Strategy to Invalidate Patents,

About 29% of U.S. patent lawsuits are conducting PTAB Trials, of which 25% of Petitioner won (2012-2019 Lex Machina). In particular, the field of electronic communication technology, which is rapidly developing, has had the most filings recent years.
In PTAB Trials for IT technologies, more and more East Asian prior-art with high-technology are cited. Especially, Korea ranks first and second in the world in the ICT development index, and has many high-tech and high-quality patents.

Patents for improving the convenience of the disabled

 

People are concerned about rapidly developing technology and becoming an inhumane society. As new technologies are developed, human labor is replaced by machines, and children playing in the playground got stuck in digital.

 However, technology often comforts our hearts. They also become special and indispensable wings to some people.

Let's look at patents related to improving the convenience of the disabled.

wipsglobal.com
KR patent 10-1612010

Titled “Self-driving vehicle for handicapped person”

A patent designed to allow a disabled person in a wheelchair to conveniently ride and drive a vehicle alone.

wipsglobal.com
KR patent 10-1918399

Titled “Wearable Braille input device for blind people”

A patent designed to be worn as an accessory, so the visually impaired person can easily carry and access the mobile device.

wipsglobal.com
KR ​​10-2020-0118261

Titled “Robot to support independent activities for the disabled”

Patent designed to help people with physical disabilities who are inconvenient in activities through base module and mobile module.

wipsglobal.com
KR 10-1830908

Titled “Smart glass system for hearing-impaired communication”

A system that delivers the intention of the hearing impaired to the other party using augmented reality(AR) technology. A patent designed to enable free conversation between a hearing impaired person and a person who does not know sign language.

Trends in patent applications to improve the convenience of the disabled,

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), patent applications for assistive technology that help people with physical disabilities smooth their daily activities are increasing rapidly. Patent applications for assistive technology are growing at an annual rate of 17%, and the marketability is expanding through grafting with general medical devices and electronic devices.

The original post is written by LEE, Se-Bin and excerpted from the official blog of the KIPO.

Original source 

https://blog.naver.com/kipoworld2/222329103349

 

 

Can floor-noise be prevented with a patented method?

 

Increasing floor noise problem,

In Korea, it is common to have a quarrel or call the police over floor noise issues. It has become a serious social problem that goes beyond the inconvenience of neighbors to a tragedy. In particular, the conflict intensified as the time at home increased since COVID-19. According to an announcement by the Korea Environment Corporation, civil complaints on floor noise this year increased by more than 60% from last year.

clipartkorea.co.kr

Why can't we block the floor noise?

 The reason why floor noise cannot be blocked is due to structural problems of the house. Most apartments in Korea are wall Column Structures that support the load of the floor with walls. Because the noise in the house resonates through the wall, even a small sound is amplified as it crosses the wall, making it louder. Minimizing soundproof construction to reduce the cost is one of the reasons that cannot block the floor noise.

 Patent for construction technology to prevent floor noise

As the problem of floor noise increased, construction companies began to develop new construction methods. DL E&C has obtained a patent for the ‘Construction method of laying type buffer material and sound insulation structure in flooring using the same.' If the installation type buffer material is used, it can be quickly installed and makes excellent soundproofing effect.

Korea Land and Housing Corporation acquired a patent for the “Noise Absorption Structure of Slab Concrete Using Impact Mitigation Part”. By creating an empty space between the wall, the inter-floor noise is absorbed by the wall rather than passing directly over it.

wipsglobal.com
KR 10-2214059 "Noise absorption structure of slab concrete using impact mitigation part"

 Floor noise, I have to be careful first,

Even if a new construction method is developed to build a building, the already built building is vulnerable to floor noise. To prevent this problem, Daewoo E&C acquired a patent for “Apparatus and Method for Reducing Interlayer Noise”. This technology is a device that self-measures the noise generated in the house and informs you to control the noise yourself. It is expected to be helpful in disputes between neighbors as it is inexpensive to install and can manage noise by itself.

 

wipsglobal.com
KR 10-2185163 "Apparatus and method for reducing interlayer noise"

 With the prolonged COVID-19, the level of stress is getting higher. Hopefully that we can get through this difficult time well.

Top 10 inventions that have preserved human health

 

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced the “Top 10 Inventions that Protected Human Health,” selected by Facebook friends of the KIPO in celebration of the “April Health Month” in Korea.

Vaccines were selected as the best invention, followed by antibiotics, refrigerators, masks, and soaps. In addition, air purifiers, endoscopes, anti-inflammatory analgesics, anesthetics, and flush toilets were selected as inventions that gained a lot of support.

 Looking at the results of the investigation,

Comments on the vaccine, which accounted for 17.5% of the effective responses and was selected as the best invention, were 'No. 1 public confidence to protect humanity from infectious diseases', 'I'm really scared if there was no vaccine in this corona virus times', 'The vaccines for the corona virus has been invented and now, the eradication seems to be coming soon'.

 Antibiotics, ranked second, accounted for 11.4% of the effective responses, and there were opinions such as “innovation in the medical field” and “it’s made dramatic increase to human lifespan.”

 Refrigerators, which were selected in the 3rd place, accounted for 9.4% of the effective responses, and supportive opinions are, ``refrigerator is also the way to store vaccines and medicines,'' and ``I lived without a refrigerator for two weeks because the refrigerator broke down, and the quality of life was poor”., and so forth.

Below are the results and explanations of the 10 inventions.

Rank	Inventions	(%)	Contents
1	Vaccines	17.5	In 1796, the British doctor Edward Jenner injected the pus, which is from a cowpox patient into a boy’s arm who hadn’t been infected by smallpox.  After an experiment. in 1798, the medical community announced, and in 1853 the Congress made it mandatory to use vaccinia using cowpox.
2	Antibiotics	11.4	In 1928, chemist Alexander Fleming discovered that a green mold made staphylococcus stop to grow. After that, two professors, Florey and Chain, continued their research on the chemical substance (penicillin) obtained from the green mold, and succeeded in mass production of penicillin, the first antibiotic in 1942.
3	Refrigerator	9.4	In 1922, von Platen and Munters attending the KTH Royal Technical School in Stockholm, Sweden. invented a gas-absorbing cooling cabinet for preserving food. This refrigerator was produced in 1923 by a company called AB Arctic, but it was not popular.
4	Mask	8.6	Pliny, the ancient Roman natural philosopher, devised a mask using the bladder of an animal to protect the miners' respirator from asbestos. This is the first dust mask. In the Middle Ages, masks in the shape of a bird beak were used to prevent the Black Death.
5	Soap	6.3	Around 25000 B.C., the Sumerians of Mesopotamia boiled goat oil and wood ash and used it. This is the origin of soap. In 1790, when French chemist Nicolas Leblanc invented a method of mass-producing soda from sea salt and rock salt as raw materials, soap began to spread to the general public.
6	Air purifier	5.7	It is first known in 1830 that a device consisting of a copper helmet with a flexible collar and clothing was granted a patent to Charles Anthony Deane. In the form of a helmet, a long leather hose at the back was used to supply air, and the air inhaled through a short pipe was blown out.
7	Endoscope	4.3	The inventor of the modern endoscope was Basil Hirschowitz of America in 1958. He looked at his hair and came up with an idea, inventing an endoscope called a Fiberscope that used optical fibers. More than 100,000 optical fibers with 10-20 microns in diameter were bundled, and a camera was connected to the end of the fiber so that the inside of the human body could be observed through a screen.
8	anti-inflammatory analgesics	4.0	Dr. Felix Hoffman, who worked at Bayer in Germany, created a substance called acetylsalicylic acid and named it aspirin while researching a way to improve the drug resistance of sodium salicylate, which his father was taking to relieve the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
9	Anesthetic	3.9	The effect of anesthetic, diethyl ether, that is to say nitrous oxide, which appeared only in the mid-19th century, was discovered in 1800 by British chemist and inventor Humphry Davy. It was the first time that ether was used as a general anesthetic in an operation to remove a molar tooth on a patient named Abbott by William Morton, an American dentist, on October 16, 1846.
10	Flush toilet	3.3	The first inventor was John Harrington, a British nobleman in 1596, but it was Alexander Cumming, a British watchmaker in 1775, who applied for the world's first patent for a flush toilet. His flush toilet succeeded John Harrington in many ways but it’s built an innovative system called, 'S- trap'.

 

▲ clipartkorea.co.kr

This article is excerpted from the blog of Korea Intellectual Property Office.

Original source

https://blog.naver.com/kipoworld2/222310703352

Patents for the elderly to prepare for the super aging society

 

As the aging population increases, the proportion of the population who suffers from various physical disorders increases including degenerative diseases that occur naturally with age. Accordingly, the need for rehabilitation aids for them is also increasing.

In the case of Korea, according to statistics from the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), patent applications for rehabilitation aids for the last five years (2014-2018) have increased by 69% over the past five years (2009-2013), and the number of patent filings for rehabilitation aids for the elderly is 151 from 64 cases, it has more than doubled, accounting for 22% of the total period in the last five years. Looking at patent applications by technology field, 51% of applications related to muscle strength, 32% of applications related to nerve function such as balance, and 11% of applications related to skeletal relaxation.

In this post, we’re going to introduce the patented technologies on rehabilitation aids for the elderly.

Rehabilitation aids and its patents

⚫ A stroke

▲ wipsglobal.com
KR 10-1916414
"Hemiparesis rehabilitation training system and method for driving the same"

Stroke is a brain disease in which blood vessels in the brain are blocked or ruptured, causing bleeding. Face or body parts may be paralyzed, and speech problems may arise. The patent of the above picture is a technology that helps for those situation. This is a device that enables rehabilitation by symmetrical movement of the paralyzed side by measuring the position of the glove with a 3D sensor when the patient wears a glove on the non-paralyzed side and moves the joint when the body is partially paralyzed. It is a useful patented technology that helps rehabilitation through symmetrical exercises.

⚫ Parkinson's disease

▲ wipsglobal.com
KR 10-1800557
"A Walking Auxiliary Equipment for Parkinson's disease patient"

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system in which the limbs and the body tremble and stiff. The head is pushed forward, the torso and knees are bent, and walking with a small stride. The above patent is a driving aid for Parkinson's disease patients, and when a Parkinson's disease patient with reduced walking ability wears a head-mounted walking aid, the surrounding environment including obstacles is provided in front of their eyes in augmented reality. The next foot position for walking is visually guided through a laser.

⚫ Gait rehabilitation training

▲ wipsglobal.com
KR 10-2014162
"Monitoring system of walking balance for lower limb rehabilitation"

The above patent is a technology related to a gait balance monitoring system that can be usefully used in rehabilitation treatment. It is a walking balance monitoring device that allows a user wearing a gait assisting means to measure whether the balance is maintained while walking on a treadmill and transmit it to a display device to recognize whether the walking balance is maintained or deviated in real time. The rehabilitation patient can directly monitor whether the gait balance is maintained in real time and correct the posture by themselves, thereby increasing the effectiveness of rehabilitation training. Physical therapists can also provide improved training programs because they can easily monitor and check the training results.

⚫ Dementia

▲ wipsglobal.com
KR 10-1956152
"Rehabilitation training system using pegboard"

Dementia is a disease in which intelligence, will, and memory are persistently and essentially lost due to damage to cerebral nerve cells. It is mainly seen in the elderly population. The above patented technology evaluates the time, accuracy, pattern memory, etc. by inserting a stick into a board in which a plurality of light sources, which are sequentially output. It is a rehabilitation training system that sets the training mode, outputs a light source of a specific color on the board, inserts a peg that matches the shape or size of the hole, detects it with a sensor module that detects it, and evaluates memory and cognitive abilities.

Hope that the era of rehabilitation aids specialized for the elderly population will be active, and many useful patents will be developed to reduce physical pain caused by diseases, so that the age of life can be more healthy and happy.

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(source)

This content is an excerpt from the Korean articles by reporter Soo-jin Choi, Reporter of Intellectual Property Policy of the Korea Intellectual Property Office.

https://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=kipoworld2&logNo=222155367417&parentCategoryNo=&categoryNo=33&viewDate=&isShowPopularPosts=false&from=postList

 

AirDome shelter in Pohang, South Korea raising patent issue

 

Shock and solution of the Pohang earthquake in 2017,

On Nov. 15, 2017, a 5.4 earthquake occurred in Pohang, South Korea. After more than 30 aftershocks occurred, the residents of Pohang trembled with fear and anxiety. There were no deaths from the earthquake, but 92 injured, 1,797 victims, and 66.2 billion Korean won (about USD557 mil.) in property damage occurred. Residents who suffered the earthquake complained of anxiety and demanded countermeasures.

In August last year, Pohang City built an air dome disaster evacuation facility in Heunghae-eup, which has excellent living areas and access to alleviate citizens' anxiety. It was attracted by the fact that the first multi-purpose disaster evacuation facility in Korea, but it became an even more issue by constructing an airdome type that supports the building with air. The airdome has no falling objects such as pillars and subsidiary materials, so it is safe from earthquakes and shakes, and there are no problems with other natural disasters such as typhoons and heavy snow.

🔺 broadwellkorea.com

Raising an issue with airdome technology,

In August 2018, Pohang City decided to introduce technology from China's Broadwell, which had a new technology-patented method related to airdome. A contract for use of airdome related technology was signed with AboutTech and Lotus Engineering, which are domestic agencies for related technology, and construction started. In June this year, an internet news reported that the airdome-related technology applied to the disaster evacuation facility was the utility model, and can’t be a new technology-patented method. As a result of actual verification, the related technology was registered as a Chinese utility model, not a patent. As a result, there are suspicions increasing in the industry about the agreement between Broadwell and Pohang, which over-promoted the technology without holding a patent.

🔺 broadwellkorea.com

Technology registered as a Chinese utility model, what is the problem?

An utility model right is an intellectual property right one level lower than a patent, and is a right given when an existing invention is improved or supplemented rather than a new invention. In short, if a pencil first developed is the subject of a patent, hexagonal pencils or triangular pencils are the objects of utility model. Since the properties are similar to patents, the rights are not significantly different from patents. However, the definition of a patent and a utility model are different, and a patent can invent an object or a method or idea, but a utility model must be the substantial invention.

China's utility model rights are different from those of Korea.

In Korea, a utility model is granted through the method exam. and substantive exam., but in China, its right is granted only when the basic requirements for examination is passed. Therefore, in China, utility model is increasing because it can quickly acquire rights with little money. However, there are also side effects. Omitting the examination can quickly acquire rights, but also increases the uncertainty about the technology. Therefore, even if the rights were acquired in China, the technology cannot be accepted in other countries.

🔺 kipo.go.kr
the procedure of the current utility model application system in Korea

Airdome technology, too attractive to deny

Interest in airdome technology continues to increase. Recently, the number of earthquakes occurring in Korea is increasing, and the air purification function, which is the original function of airdomes, is attractive enough in Korea where the air is threatened by fine dust. Kyungju, in which had the largest earthquake recorded in Korea in 2016, also announced in February that it would install a soccer field using airdome technology. However, controversy is expected because the soccer field will also use the same technology as Pohang AirDome. I hope that the suspicions raised this time will be resolved quickly.

LG Electronics' patent management

With the emergence of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the importance of patents is emerging as new technologies as the core item. LG Electronics is also building a strong patent portfolio through continuous research and development to realize patent management. According to the business report, as of the end of 2019, the total number of domestic & foreign patents was 86,527, which is an increase of 4,457 from 82,070 a year ago. They’re actively responding to infringement litigation. In the meantime, it is a contrary movement to the quiet proceedings that had not disclosed before.

   Prevention of patent infringement by litigation

On the 19th, LG Electronics won the patent infringement lawsuit related to ice-making of refrigerator doors against electronics companies Beko and Grundig. By this lawsuit, the products from the German companies won’t be sold in Germany. In addition to this, LG Electronics is actively in the process of patent litigation in various technology fields, such as Beko's steam technology, telecommunication technology with TCL of China and BLU of US and TV technology with Hisense of China. It’s seen as a warning message to prevent patent infringement of other competitors through aggressive litigation.

🔺 wipsglobal.com
LG Electronics' KR patent, 10-1728735,
"A refrigerator comprising an ice making device"

   Increased loyalty revenue through licensing agreement

As a model for generating revenue through patents, LG Electronics chose a licensing strategy. This is possible because LG Electronics is the world-class in major technology fields such as telecommunication, TV etc. They’ve signed an LTE standard patent license agreement with BLU, which infringed on telecommunication technology, and in June 2019, also signed a core patent licensing with GE Appliances related to the refrigerator, which is a premium product, ice water purifier. LG Electronics' patent royalties are increasing rapidly. It increased by 72% compared to the previous year to USD394 bil. in 2019 from USD228 bil. in 2018.

🔺 pixabay.com

   LG Electronics Patent Center, the center of patent management

LG Electronics Patent Center leads the both the patent litigation and licensing strategy to achieve patent management. As the head of the center is a vice president-level executive, patent center is also recognized as a core department within the company. Thanks to this, in the first quarter of this year, approx.. USD900bil., which is 7.4% of revenue, was used for research and development.

   According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), LG Electronics also ranked 8th in the world in corporate patent rankings in 2018. There’s keen interest on how much more LG Electronics' patent management will achieve.

LG Electronics signed a patent license agreement with Miele

   LG Electronics has recently signed a patent license agreement for robot cleaners with Miele, a leading European consumer electronics company located in Germany.

🔺 social.lge.co.kr/newsroom/lg_miele_0601
LG Electronics robot cleaner

   Under this agreement, Miele will be able to produce and sell robot cleaners using LG Electronics' patented technology. This contract deals with three of LG's independent technologies, such as the ‘charging induction guide' and etc. adopted by LG Electronics for robot cleaners. 

   The Charge Induction Guide is a technology that allows the robot cleaner to return to the charging dock after cleaning to wait for the next cleaning. Most robot cleaners return to the charging dock following an infrared induction signal. LG Electronics' patent uses a partition structure to block infrared rays from other directions so that infrared rays can extend straight. The robot cleaner applied with this technology can detect the infrared signal that extends straight in a straight line and reach the charging dock accurately.

🔺 wipsglobal.com
patent drawing of charging device of robot cleaner of LG Electronics

   In addition to the charging induction guide, LG Electronics has also allowed Miele to use patents such as the detection structure of the filter attached to the dust container and the combination structure of the lower brush. LG Electronics has more than 700 registered patents related to robot cleaners on a global standard.

   Earlier, in June of last year, LG Electronics signed a patent license agreement with GE Appliances regarding the technology of ice making room on a refrigerating door, which is the core patent of the ice water purifier refrigerator as a premium refrigerator. The license agreement with Miele has allowed LG Electronics to be recognized for its advanced patent competitiveness in the field of household appliances in Europe after the United States.

“LG Electronics is actively securing intellectual property rights, the driving force behind the global consumer electronics market,” said Jeon Sang-gyu, vice president of LG Electronics' patent center.

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Source : LG Electronics official blog

When will the cheering song be back?

Dispute over Moral rights that have not yet ended

   Korean professional baseball and cheering culture,

Korean Professional baseball, which had been postponed due to Corona 19, has opened from the 5th. On the first day of the opening, fans' reaction was so hot that 2.16 million people watched a baseball game. Baseball broadcasters and baseball teams have continued to gain popularity by preparing a LAN support event (which means online cheering). Baseball fans say it's exciting to cheer indirectly, but on the other hand, they miss the field cheering. Korea's baseball field cheering has an unusual cheering culture, led by cheerleaders and singing and dancing all together. American sports broadcaster ESPN said that this kind of cheering culture is one of the attractive points of Korean baseball.

🔺 sports.news.naver.com
a screenshot advertising LAN support event of Korea

   Raising the issue, moral rights of cheering song,

Previously, professional baseball teams paid for the fee through the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) and used popular songs as cheering songs. During this process, the teams arranged the songs so that the fans can easily sing along. Authors point out that this is an act violating the “moral rights”. The Moral Rights is the right to prohibit the use of a copyright when it is considered that the moral infringement to the copyright holder has occurred by the change of works. Therefore, it was argued that changing the lyrics or short editing to use the song for cheering could violate the copyright holder’s character.

🔺 pixabay.com

    Court decision,

As a result of the lawsuit between the authors and Samsung Lions in February 2019, The authors lost by the reason that it was difficult to acknowledge the claims of the authors. According to the ruling, the court judged the sound source to be a combined work that could be used separately as lyrics and melody. In the case of lyrics, if it becomes a completely new lyrics, unlike the original song, it is a separate new work and the authors cannot claim the copyright of the lyrics. As for the music, the degree of change was not big, so it was difficult for the public to notice the difference from the original song. After all, the key to the decision is that the usual and essential changes made in the process of using a musical work as a cheering song are not copyright infringement.

🔺 scourt.or.kr
Court of Korea

    When will the cheering song dispute be settled?

It seems that it will take more time because the lawsuits are proceeded for each author and each club. SK Wyverns, NC Dinos, and Hanwha Eagles are also in litigation with copyright holders. Other clubs are also struggling because they are in litigation or have not been reached an agreement with the copyright holder. The KBO stated that the best way is that each club owns their own songs. However, as for Lotte, it is unfortunate in many ways to easily give up cheering songs such as the “Busan Gull,” which represents the club.

🔺 pixeleye.co.kr
Gulls in Busan

   Baseball commentator Huh, Gu-yeon once said that the baseball field is the largest singing room (karaoke) in the world. It’s all thanks to cheering song that everybody sing along cannot be overstated. I hope that the dispute will be resolved well and that the cheering song at the baseball field will resound.