New patent covers wireless iPod video conferencing

These iPod-related patents get more outlandish by the minute, and this one might not even be from Apple, but we thought we'd run it by you all the same. The patent seems to refer to what could at least be an iPod accessory. It isn't filed by Apple, but since it continuously refers the the iPod specifically, it seems the device is somehow closely related. Clearly evident is an ability to do iChat AV-style video conferencing over a wired or wireless connection. References to "wherein the handheld video device is an improved iPod" give us hope that this device will work with some sort of next-generation wireless iPod, possibly even a phone version. The patent also covers the use of the iPod as a video server or to receive video streams from the Internets (World Cup, anyone?) which we're sure quite a few fans of the little device could find useful. There's also the chance that these pictures that include a phone are merely the dreams a patent squatter, or that the bare-bones approach of plugging in an external camera and headset will be as far as anybody goes with these video capabilities. But we can always dream, right?

[Via Macsimum News]

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 15th 2006 1:01AM]

Does this really mean anything? Technology companies like Apple, Intel, IBM draft patents as much as they use the corporate shredder.

Neal Saferstein

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 15th 2006 2:45AM]

I find it quite odd that in many of the illustrations for patents the pictured iPod is always a couple of gens behind the current one. For example, that looks like the first gen iPod to me - does this mean the patent was filed around the time of the first gen iPod?

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 15th 2006 1:11PM]

First gen iPod has black and white screen though?