Samsung seeks smart watch trademarks
Samsung seeks smart watch trademarks
AP August 7, 2013, 2:54 PM
Samsung Electronics Co. has applied for U.S. and South
Korean trademarks for a watch that connects to the Internet in the latest sign
that consumer technology companies see wearable devices as the future of their
business.
Samsung described "Samsung Galaxy Gear" as a
wearable digital electronic device in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or
bangle in its July 29 application with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A
month earlier, it applied for a "Samsung Gear" trademark in South
Korea.
The trademark applications did not show the shape of the
products. But drawings from a Samsung design patent approved in May show a
watch-like design with a flexible screen that curves around the wrist.
The U.S. trademark application said the device will be
"capable of providing access to the Internet, for sending and receiving
phone calls, electronic mails and messages" as well as "for keeping
track of or managing personal information."
The trademark filings in the U.S. and in South Korea show
that Samsung is deep in preparations for what tech industry experts expect will
be a new generation of mobile technology that dramatically expands the utility
of single-function objects such as watches and glasses. The South Korean
consumer electronics giant was caught flatfooted by Apple's invention of the
smartphone but through what turned out to be a legally risky strategy of
imitation was able to capture a dominant share of the global smartphone market
within a few years.
Apple Inc. applied June 3 for a trademark in Japan for
"iWatch." Industry watchers have long speculated that Apple is
working on a smart watch that uses a version of the operating system that
powers the iPhone and iPad. The company has not confirmed those rumors but CEO
Tim Cook has hinted it may be developing a wearable computing device.
Google Inc. is testing an early version of
Internet-connected spectacles called Glass. It uses a small screen above the
right eye that displays information and imagery retrieved from the Internet.
The South Korean patent office said the Gear trademark
will not be approved this year as it takes seven to eight months to start
reviewing applications due to a waiting list. Samsung applied for the South
Korean trademark on June 21.
It was not clear if Samsung would use the "Samsung
Gear" trademark for a Smart Watch. The trademark application covers 38
possible products including mobile telephones, bracelets, glasses and software
interfaces that monitor human vital signs.
South Korea's patent office said in June that Samsung had
patented watch designs in which more than three quarters of the device is
covered by a flexible display that curves around the wrist. Illustrations
showed `back' and `home' buttons at the bottom of the screen. Another
illustration shows a rectangular screen with an edge that tapers toward the
top.
The product is made of metal, synthetic and glass
materials, Samsung's patent document said.
Samsung executive vice president Lee Young Hee said in
March interview with Bloomberg that the company's mobile division has been
working on a smart watch. Samsung declined to confirm the report then.
Company spokeswoman Chenny Kim declined to comment on the
patent applications.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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