Microsoft Patents a Way to Catch Bugs in the Tools That Find Bugs
Code-checking software is supposed to catch errors before they reach you, but what happens when the checker itself is wrong? Microsoft has…
736 filings · topic
Latest software patents
Apps, operating systems, games and the everyday features you tap and swipe, from Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Google and more. Every new software patent from the companies we track, newest first.
Recent filings
736 total
Google Patents a Way to Fix Misplaced Map Locations Using Your Own Feedback
You walk into a coffee shop, your phone thinks you're at the dry cleaner next door, and Google Maps learns nothing. This…
Microsoft Patents Mid-Video Color Switching to Reduce File Sizes Without Quality Loss
Most video encoders lock in a single color format for an entire clip. Microsoft's new patent describes a system that can swap…
Microsoft Patents a Fix for Video Quality Rules That Break When Splitting Work Across Processors
Modern video encoders cheat in clever ways to compress footage faster, but some of those tricks break when you try to speed…
Sony Patents a Fix That Brings Integrity Checks to Compressed 3D Video
When compressed 3D video moves between devices or studios, there's currently no reliable built-in way to confirm the data arrived intact. Sony's…
Sony Patents a Container File Format That Blocks Unauthorized Copies of Out-of-Sync Media
Sony has filed a patent for a new kind of media container that embeds special instructions required to play back "asynchronous" content,…
Apple Patents a Way to Hand Your Device to Someone Else Without Giving Up Your Account
Apple is exploring a system that lets a second person use your iPhone or iPad in their own personalized mode by pulling…
Apple Patents a Display That Dims Differently Depending on What You're Watching
Apple is patenting a display system that doesn't just fade to black the same way every time. Depending on what's on your…
Apple Patents a Map System That Chooses Which Roads to Show as You Zoom Out
Every time you pinch out on a digital map, you're trusting software to decide what stays visible and what disappears. Apple has…
Google Patents a Way to Label Who Said What in Live Conversation Transcripts
When two people are talking and a transcript appears on screen, the hardest part isn't writing down the words, it's knowing whose…
IBM Patents a System That Builds DNA Family Trees While the Sequencer Is Still Running
DNA sequencers produce data for hours or days, and scientists usually wait until the machine is done before trying to figure out…
Samsung Patents a Home Screen That Switches Between Fine and Coarse App Grids
Rearranging apps on a phone is either too clunky or too fiddly. Samsung's new patent tries to solve both complaints at once…
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