Quantum Research has played down earlier suggestions that it believes its touch-sensor patents may have been infringed in Apple’s soon to be launched mobile phone, the iPhone.
The Southampton-based firm already has one patent action against Apple, relating to the iPod click wheel, and earlier this month indicated that it might be looking at similar action with relation to the iPhone.
“The description of the iPhone suggests it uses a rear-surface touch screen, and has proximity sensing which can tell if it is held to the ear. That’s a QR capability,” Duncan Bryan, licensing director at Quantum Research (QR), told EW.
But in a statement to-day the firm seems to have played down any likelihood of a patent action relating to the iPhone.
“Quantum has no knowledge of any infringement by Apple of Quantum's patents in regard to the iPhone or any other product other than those products alleged to be infringing in our 2005 lawsuit against Apple and Cypress Semiconductor, specifically the Powerbook trackpad, Mighty Mouse, and iPod Nano scroll wheel,” said the company in a statement.
Quantum added: “Until the iPhone product is made available for public sale, we have to make the operating assumption that no Quantum patents have been violated”.
Quantum’s ongoing legal action against Apple relates to the capacitive sensing technology used in iPod Click Wheels. The legal action against Apple was initiated in December 2005.
Earlier this year Apple revealed that it filed an answer to the Quantum claim “denying all material allegations and asserting numerous affirmative defences”. It also filed “counterclaims for non-infringement and invalidity”, in July.
“There are settlement discussions going on but I believe it will go to trial later this year,” said Quantum’s CEO Hal Philipp in January. “I am hoping iPhone does not contain Quantum-patented charge-transfer technology.”