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Apple sued over Siri’s natural language capacities
San Francisco, March 10 (IANS) Non-practicing entity Portal Communications has filed a lawsuit against Apple for alleged infringement of three patents related to natural language voice query systems — the technology being used by the iPhone-maker in its products in the form of the Siri virtual assistant.
According to tech website Appleinsider, in its filing with the Eastern Texas District Court, Portal Communications said that the three related patents were invented by Dave Bernard, CEO of technology solutions firm The Intellection Group.
All the patents titled “Multimodal natural language query system and architecture for processing voice and proximity-based queries,” were transferred from The Intellection Group to Portal Communications in January.
The company alleged that Apple’s Siri infringes on each of the patents-in-suit, as the voice assistant is capable of understanding — or makes an attempt to understand — natural language queries and returns their answers.
Portal Communications’ complaint targets all iPhone and iPad models, Mac computers dating back to 2009, iPod touch, Apple Watch Series 3, the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple TV 4K and HomePod.
“Along with devices not compatible with Siri, including iPhones older than the 4S and iPads older than the third-generation model, the suit targets devices running iOS 3.1 or later, but does not specify what programmes or technologies are in infringement. Siri debuted with iOS 5,” the report said.
Apple purchased Siri in 2010 and integrated it into its products’ hardware with iPhone 4S in 2011 — nearly three years after one of the patents was granted.
The company expanded the voice assistant’s capabilities to its other devices, including iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and its smart speaker HomePod.
Each patent deals with methods of parsing user queries from natural language patterns into machine decipherable commands — in the form of voice or text.
It also details the methods of further processing requests using GPS location data, or other proximity information, to provide a context and environment for narrowing down a response.
Parsing is the method of receiving input in the form of sequential source programme instructions, interactive online commands, markup tags, or some other defined interface and then breaking them up into parts that can be managed by other programmes and return a meaningful response.
A non-practicing entity (NPE) is someone who holds a patent for a product or process but has no intentions of developing it.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.