Global Positioning System’s or GPS’s have been around for many years. It appears that with each passing year, another company has developed the latest technology to further advance the GPS industry. When this happens, it is not unusual to have two competing companies fight for the rights to patent whatever technological advances they feel that they have made in GPS technology.
The latest two competing companies to go head to head in the courtroom is LunarEye versus Webtech Wireless. The lawsuit that was filed by LunarEye against Webtech Wireless claims that Webtech Wireless infringed on patent rights to LunarEye’s proprietary patent number 6,484,035 which has just become known as “035”.
LunarEye developed an extensive GPS Tracking System that covers everything from product inventory to workers. Webtech Wireless is a leader in the GPS Tracking industry with services expanding in multiple countries that surround the globe. It is believed, but not yet proven that the patent infringement claim is that Webtech Wireless uses LunarEye’s product to further enhance their services.
The original dispute was stayed by the US Supreme Court in the Eastern Divison of Texas earlier in 2008. It wasn’t until recently that the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) re-examined the patent which shows the infringement. After the PTO re-examined patent number “035”, they not only agreed with LunarEye but cited several additional items to back LunarEye’s claims. Needless to say, the internet has been flooded with the press releases announcing LunarEye’s positive response from the PTO. The US Supreme Court in the Eastern Division of Texas has since lifted the Stay and announced a court hearing scheduled for January 2010.
The GPS industry is one that individuals usually don’t think about. Without the GPS industry, everybody would greatly think about it. It has just become so much a part of our day to day lives that we take it for granted. Global Positioning Systems operate things on a day to day basis that you wouldn’t even know about.
Without the use of a GPS service, we wouldn’t be building an International Space Station right now. Everything that NASA builds or sends into space has some link to a GPS service. Whether it is communications or tracking the weather for the next shuttle launch, a GPS service is providing them the information. We would still be wondering about the “Red Planet” if GPS wasn’t available. Thanks to GPS, we can remotely operate the two Mars Rovers from the comfort of Earth and still collect valuable information to further advance the human race.
The Government uses a GPS service on every car, truck or motorcycle that is used in their fleet. Not only for the added security that GPS brings to the table but for maintenance and guidance. Many individuals believe that the government uses GPS to engage in “Big Brother” tactics but that is far from the truth. The main focus for the government usage of GPS is for national security which we all benefit from. One of the uses of the system that often goes unmentioned.
They track cargo being shipped to and from the United States and maintains a constant eye on it. Remember a while back when there was problems with pirates highjacking various ships at sea? Without GPS, those incidences would have gone unnoticed until the seamen of the vessel were back in port. It would’ve been almost impossible to stop them without an excessive amount of man-power to escort each and every cargo ship that came from the United States. Our services just are not that fully staffed to accomplish such a task and it would have stretched our military too thin. It would have been a nightmare to contend with. Thanks to GPS, which is employed for across sea communications, these incidences are few and far in between.
Automotive manufacturers also employ the use of GPS on all of the new car models. It appears that there isn’t a single manufacturer in business today without some type of GPS being utilized in their vehicles. For turn-by-turn directions, scheduled maintenance and anti-theft devices, GPS makes all of these benefits possible. The “On-Star” system is a complete service which is solely dependent on GPS. You can use the system for anything from getting voice directions from a live operator to an automatic call for emergency services if you’re involved in an accident. GPS makes all of these great comforts accessible through it’s innovative technology.
Even for personal use, citizens rely on some sort of GPS service to make our lives a bit more comfortable and easier to go through on a day-to-day basis. We can get exact directions to anywhere we want to go through the use of a GPS service installed on our cellular phones. The satellite radio that we love so much is also dependent on a GPS service. The new “Kid Finder” is another example of a personal GPS service in action. It usually consists of a simple clip-on monitor you attach to your child and you keep the locator with you. At any given point, the locator can find your child anywhere in the world. This is a tremendous example of the use of GPS to enhance our child’s safety. No kidnapper could get away with your child if you utilize one of these units.
With all of the benefits and uses of a GPS service, you can easily see why competing companies go to battle over the rights to bring you these services. The GPS Industry is an ever-expanding industry that will only get larger as new technologies are developed. The next time you wonder if “Big Brother” is watching you, don’t worry about that. There are laws set in place that will prevent this from happening. Just pick-up your cell phone, find directions to your favorite restaurant; see what movies are showing at the movie theater; call your girlfriend or boyfriend and then dial up a satellite radio station to listen to on your drive to pick them up. GPS has just planned your whole date for you. Did you even recognize that?