Apple acquires smart home security startup Lighthouse AI’s patent portfolio

“Apple has recently acquired a handful of patents from Lighthouse AI, a defunct home security camera company,” Chance Miller reports for 9to5Mac. “As reported by IAM, Apple acquired the patent portfolio sometime late in 2018, but the details were only published recently in the U.S. Patent and Trademark database.”

“The patents in question relate to technology used for computer-vision based security, visual authentication, and more,” Miller reports. “In total, Apple acquired eight patents and patent applications from Lighthouse.”

“Lighthouse AI officially shut down in December of last year after it failed to achieve commercial success,” Miller reports. “Lighthouse focused on using augmented reality and 3D sensing to make it easier for users to understand and sort through security footage. The company’s idea was that using AI would allow it to provide more intelligent insights to users via its iOS app.”

Read more in the full article here.

Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple, “A few of the patents that Apple acquired are presented below.”

• 9,965,612: Method and system for visual authentication

• 10,009,554: Method and system for using light emission by a depth-sensing camera to capture video images under low-light conditions

• 20180246964: Speech Interface for Vision-Based Monitoring System

• 20180367962: Two-Way Communication Interface for Vision-Based Monitoring System

• 20180374325: Method and System for Incident Sharing in a Monitoring System

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Considering Face ID, Apple’s TrueDepth Camera system, Siri, FaceTime, HomeKit, Animoji, Memoji, and more, including future products and services, these patents seem like a very logical acquisition.

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