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Nokia adds Apple's iPad 3G to its lawsuit parade: The 5 patents in question

Nokia has filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Federal court in Wisconsin over five patents (3 related to antenna intellectual property). Nokia, which is already suing Apple over the iPhone, added iPad 3G products to its list of targets.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

Nokia said Friday that it has sued Apple over the iPad too.

In its latest lawsuit (download PDF), Nokia has filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Federal court in Wisconsin over five patents. Nokia, which is already suing Apple over the iPhone, added iPad 3G products to its list of targets.

Nokia said in its complaint that Apple is infringing on one or more of its patents with the "iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPad 3G. The Wi-Fi only iPad is off the list. Also: Nokia sues Apple again; iPhone, iPad 3G patents at stake

According to Nokia:

Nokia is harmed by Apple’s unauthorized use of Nokia patented technology in a way that cannot be compensated for by a payment of damages alone. Nokia and Apple compete directly, with respect to at least certain Apple product offerings. Apple’s unauthorized use of the patents-in-suit in its products at the time of their sale allows it to charge less for its products because it does not have to recover the costs of development of the technology used in the device. This allows it to obtain market share that it would otherwise not be able to obtain were its products to bear the costs for the patented technology.

The patents include:

6,317,083 (“the 083 Patent”): This patent is entitled “Antenna Having a Feed and a Shorting Post Connected Between Reference Plan and Planar Conductor Interacting to Form a Transmission Line,” was issued in late 2001.

6,348,894 (“the 894 Patent”): The patent is called “Radio Frequency Antenna,” was issued in 2002. The patent "reduces the space needed for an antenna, allowing tighter integration of components and smaller, more compact mobile phones."

6,373,345 (“the 345 Patent”): This patent is called "Modulator Structure for a Transmitter and Mobile Station" issued in 2002. Nokia says:

The 345 Patent is directed to a modulator with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones, include one or more modulators that modify a carrier wave in order to transmit data. One of the most important characteristics of a modulator is its signal-to-noise ratio. Transmissions with a high signal-to-noise ratio are more likely to be received, offering a better experience to users. The 345 Patent provides a high signal-to-noise ratio while reducing the number of filters needed to do so.

6,603,431 (“the 431 Patent”): This patent is the “Mobile Station and Antenna Arrangement in Mobile Station” and was issued in 2003. Nokia says:

The patent allows for an internal antenna with greater performance by creating an antenna assembly space free of the printed circuit board. The increased space allows for design of slimmer devices and improves the antenna characteristics, including a broader impedance band and better radiation efficiency.

And 7,558,696: The 696 patent was issued 2009 and called the "Method and Device for Position Determination." Nokia adds:

The 696 Patent relates to providing a centralized interface for applications running on a mobile device to obtain position data. The 696 Patent allows, for example, for application developers to make use of existing positioning capabilities, without having to write as much code for their applications.

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