Apple versus Samsung smartphone patent trial not over, $533M jury ruling contested

Apple versus Samsung smartphone patent trial not over, $533M jury ruling contested

A patent application filed by Apple, for a (possibly Bluetooth-connected) wearable blood pressure monitor, became public last week and was brought to light by The Verge. 

The application is interesting for how uninteresting it is: though it's very broad, what it describes seems to be a slight tweak on the standard-of-care inflatable blood pressure cuff, built into a wearable that might be smaller, might be connected, and might sport a touchscreen.

Patents and patent applications are best taken with a grain of salt, especially for a company with the resources of Apple. Many companies operate on a better-safe-than-sorry mentality and many technology patents never see the light of day as commercial products.

But this patent is still interesting for a couple of reasons. For one thing, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said in the past that he's not interested in FDA-cleared devices, that was prior to Apple's involvement in the FDA Pre-Cert program. The possibility of fast-tracking devices could change Apple's calculus on whether it's worth it to venture into FDA-cleared hardware.

source: http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/third-patent-filing-shows-blood-pressure-monitoring-apples-radar