Apple Files "Chameleon" Computer Patent Application

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received Patent Application No. 20030002246 from Apple Computer several weeks ago. The U.S. Patent Application was entitled "active enclosure for a computing device," which describes a machine containing an array of rainbow-hued light-emitting diodes. It appears that Apple's application is for manufacturing a machine with an outer shell with colors that are changeable at the owner's wishes.

However, it appears that Apple was not the first applicant with the chameleon idea. Color Kinetics, a Boston-based start-up company that specializes in light-emitting-diode technology previously filed Patent Application 20020113555 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 20, 2000, for a "lighting entertainment system." The Color Kinetics application is reportedly intended to cover self-illuminated consumer devices that might include "a television, a computer, a compact disc player, a stereo, a radio, a videocassette player, a DVD player, a toy, a CD-ROM drive, a film projector, a surround sound system, a Dolby sound system, a THX sound system and a tape player."

Neither Color Kinetics nor Apple management issued any comments on the similarity of the patent applications. Reportedly, several people 'close' to both companies have said that Color Kinetics had worked extensively with Apple on the concept in 2001, and that Apple backed out of the deal at the last moment. The Patent and Trademark Office will have to 'illuminate' us with their 'enlightened' decision on the matter.

Both applications can be viewed on the Patent and Trademark Office's Web site www.uspto.gov by entering the Patent Application Numbers.