Apple’s United States Patent Application #20070048470, filed on August 16, 2005, “Housing of an electronic device formed by doubleshot injection molding,” was published yesterday.
The patent abstract describes a two shot injection process for forming an enclosure for an electronic device. The two shot injection process allows for a thinner walled enclosure that uses less materials and allows for added structural features that would not be possible using traditional molding techniques. The two shot injection process generally includes forming one or more walls of an enclosure with a first shot and thereafter forming the remaining walls of the enclosure with a second shot. During the second shot, the walls fuse together thereby forming an integrally molded enclosure that is one piece.
Apple’s iPod casing has long used such a technique: originally clear over white and subsequently clear over black and other colors. Taste-challenged Microsoft’s Zune currently features a fecal brown over puke green scheme, among other less stomach-turning color choices.
More via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office here.
If granted, Microsoft would probably have to retroactively license their Zune casing technique from the Cupertino-based iPod-maker, Apple stands to make tens of dollars.
[UPDATED:5:10pm EST: Corrected patent app, not yet granted.]
Related articles:
How To Sell a Microsoft Zune: Offer Free Apple iTunes Gift Card with Purchase – February 08, 2007
Buh-bye: Senior Zune exec exits Microsoft – January 31, 2007
Report: Microsoft Zune screens cracking from overheating battery pressure – January 31, 2007
Last quarter: Microsoft lost $289 million on Zune, CE devices – January 26, 2007
RealMoney’s Comeau predicts: ‘Microsoft will kill the first Zune media player by midyear’ – December 16, 2006
Desperation time? Microsoft Zune already being discounted by retailers – December 13, 2006
Microsoft Zune plummets to 5th place in U.S. digital media player market share with 2.1 percent – December 04, 2006
Analysts: Microsoft needs to ‘rethink’ as interest in Zune fades fast – December 01, 2006
Microsoft’s Steve Jobs-wannabe J Allard has 9 iPods and uses an Apple Mac – November 28, 2006
Amazon’s bestselling MP3 players list chronicles Microsoft Zune dud – November 20, 2006
Ha ha, tens of dollars. That’s a good one!
Seriously, does anyone ever even talk about the Zune anymore….Zune, the new Origami.
Some truly funny irony there.
Hehe…
I hope Apple tells then to cease and desist…
Bahahahahahaha! Good take, MDN!
I love the MDN take, My class was abrubtly awaken by my laughter.
Last time I took a Zune, it was a double shot.
Then I ended up in another zip code.
but maybe MS used the double squirt method…
Yet another example of Microsoft innovation!
MDN word: “been” as in: there hasn’t BEEN any innovation at MS since the EARLY 1980’s…
Where’s Zune Tang? I would love to hear what he/she has to say.
“but maybe MS used the double squirt method…”
Oh man, I almost Zuned my pants from laughter reading that one.
Has there been any clear numbers on how many Zune’s have been sold? It would seem something would have come up by now.
This process allows Apple to design cases that consume less (environmentally polluting) plastic. On an individual basis it isn’t much, but expand the savings over hundreds of thousands of iPods and the savings is significant. At the end of the iPod’s life, it also translates into less plastic to recycle or dispose. Interesting how the ‘experts’ at Greenpeace chose to ignore this during all of their grandstanding not too long ago.
Whoa.
After reading about the two shot injection process I have to admit I got a little aroused.
While it might be emotionally satisfying to sue Microsoft for patent infringement (assuming this patent isn’t covered by existing agreements) Apple still relies on product from Microsoft’s Mac Business Unit to make its case for interoperability, especially Mac Office 2004, Remote Desktop Connection and Windows Media Player. I’ll leave it to Apple to choose its battles.
Has there been any clear numbers on how many Zune’s have been sold? It would seem something would have come up by now.
Microsoft is currently involved in a recount. They are unsure whether total US sales are 1231 or 1228. Some hanging chad on the receipts still makes that a mystery.
pwned, suxxxzorz!
nice take MDN!
I took a BB gun and shot a Zune twice. It was friggin hilarious.
All 10 owned by Zune Tang…..
@ Download on iTines
Zune Tang’s head exploded after the iPhone came out.
May he Rest In Pieces
Bill: I only have a 100 dollar bill.
Steve: Haven’t you any smaller?
My local Costco still has a pile of iPods sitting on top of the Zune pallet.
Apple – GO ON SUE THE BASTARDS!
Zune Tang hasn’t got over that Zune and Vista are incompatible…
It always makes me laugh when the BBC says, despite the Vista delays Apple hasn’t made iTunes Vista compatible. What would be news if the said that Microsoft hasn’t made its own Zune with the crappy useless, buggy system.
Apple sues Microsoft.
Microsoft to continue crappy OfficeMac/Vista compatability with Mac’s.
Apple relectantly settles ad promises not to enter the office space.
Mac users groan again.
Apple should just fsck M$ and bring out a full Office Suit.
So what if it pisses off the Mac BU at Redmond!
Apple has been held to ransom too long by M$.
Times are changing, the days of M$ dominating everything in the IT business are well and truely over.
M$ is too big and clumsy to compete againt Apple or any other smaller efficient business.
Life without M$ would be a benefit to society and progression of the Human race in general.
Zune sitting at 20 & 32 in the bestsellers list on Amazon. We can only guess what the volume numbers are between 1st & 20th – several orders of magnitude I’d bet. ( I don’t need to identify which colour is at no. 32)
Let’s let sleeping Zune Tangs lie.
“Where’s Zune Tang? I would love to hear what he/she has to say.”
ZuneTang is an IT, not a he/she. Well, I guess you could say he/she……but I digress….
I still don’t understand why Microsoft picked brown? Why brown? Why?
Tens of dollars!!!
ROTFL…I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard.
Not only is it used on the iPods and Zunes, but I believe it is used on LG Chocolates and Blackberrys (and other MP3 players that are dying too fast to list here). So how much more does Apple need to get over on competition as the iPhone is released? Not much.
“I love the MDN take, My class was abrubtly awaken by my laughter.”
Alice, are you the typical teacher in your “school”? What is the name and location of your “school”? How often do you surf the web during “class time”? Do you know how to use a period versus a comma in sentence structure? How often do you use a spell checker? Do you know that “abruptly” is the correct spelling? How is it that your instructional methods are so stimulating that your students are driven to sleep? What are the ages of your students? What subject(s) do you “teach”? Do you think Steve Jobs was correct in his assessment of teachers unions and incompetent instructors?
Jus’ askin’.
British Mac Head said “I hope Apple tells then to cease and desist…”
I thought they already had. No need for a letter.
Universal gets $1 per player for nothing, an actual patent maybe worth $2. Like MDN says tens of dollars!
I used to be able to shoot twice. I guess age has caught up to me.
Toby…MS chose brown because they have their heads up their A__ or the music industry’s. It’s the only color they know.
Did someone say “double-shot”? Happy hour, anyone?
OK…The MDN take made me laugh.
Yeah, and the way the Zune is selling, Apple gets enough money to buy a cup of coffee. If they’re lucky they might even get a donut with that coffee.
And Microsoft? Well, Zune is already a school book example of red ink business.
Zune currently residing in the “where are they now” file.
Steve should mention that Apple was thinking about getting in touch with Microsoft about this issue, but that it turnes out that there wasn’t enough money in it to cover the long distance bill.
Did it occur to you that the poster may be a (not very bright) student in a classroom?
Jus’ askin’
I love the MacDailyNews take on this one: “tens of dollars”.
It just kills me. The sad thing, is that it’s probably true.
There’s got to be a lot more devices that use this technique, not just Zunes or other MP3 players. What about cell phones? What about PDAs? This could actually be quite a valuable patent.
The only ones talking about Zunes these days are Mac fans asking how many have been sold…
MW: white, as in white space = none sold!
The death of Zune – pure poetry