Cypress wins CapSense Trademark Registration case in EU

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. announced that the European Union’'s trademark registry, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), ruled that Quantum Research Group acted “contrary to honest practices in commercial matters” by trying to “impede” Cypress’s attempt to register its CapSense trademark in the EU.

The OHIM declared Quantum’s registration of the CapSense mark in the EU invalid and ordered the company to bear the costs incurred by Cypress in its application to cancel Quantum’s trademark.

Until it was acquired last year by San Jose, Calif.-based Atmel Corp., Quantum was one of Cypress’s competitors in the market for capacitive touch-sensing products. CapSense is the brand name and trademark of Cypress’s industry-leading touch solution.

The OHIM further ruled that Quantum had prior knowledge of Cypress’s use of the CapSense product name in the UK and other countries when Quantum registered the mark in 2007. The OHIM described the Quantum tactic as a “blocking” registration.

“What Quantum/Atmel couldn’t win with their technology in the marketplace, they tried to obtain by unscrupulous means, manipulating the trademark system to prevent Cypress from using its own well-established commercial brand and superior intellectual property,” said Cypress President and CEO T.J. Rodgers. “We applaud the court for its decision, enforcing standards of common sense and fairness in the resolution of this case.”

Cypress CapSense drives touch-sensitive control panel on HP Photosmart C4600 printer

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. announced that its CapSense capacitive touch-sensing solution drives the touch-sensitive HP TouchSmart control panel on the new HP Photosmart C4600 All-in-One Series Printer.

The CapSense solution offers best-in-class AC line noise immunity, enabling HP to use an economical two-prong power cord that is more convenient for customers. Further, the programmable nature of CapSense devices enabled a fast time-to-market and allowed HP to develop a platform architecture that could be leveraged across many designs.

The HP Photosmart C4600 All-in-One Series is a versatile, intuitive printing system that makes at-home scanning, copying and printing simple and convenient. It prints up to 29 pages per minute, scans at up to 1200 x 2400 dpi and can deliver up to nine copies per minute. Its 1.45-inch LCD color graphics display is surrounded by the CapSense-enabled TouchSmart buttons.

“HP is the world leader in printing, and we’re very excited to be included in a great product such as the HP Photosmart C4600,” said Dhwani Vyas, vice president of the User Interface Business Unit at Cypress. “CapSense offers superior specifications in a number of areas, including robust line noise immunity. That technical superiority is making CapSense the solution of choice for all types of systems, from mobile handsets and consumer electronics to white goods, PCs and printers.”

“As we move to make printing more intuitive, the Cypress CapSense solution helped us achieve some important goals with the HP C4600 All-in-One,” said Tuan Tran, vice president for Inkjet Consumer Solutions in the Imaging and Printing Group at HP. “The TouchSmart control panel provides our customers with an easy-to-use, stylish interface that allows them to browse, edit and print photos with the touch of a finger.”

LG selects Cypress' CapSense for LCD monitors

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. today announced that LG Electronics has selected its CapSense touch-sensing solution to implement the stylish user interface in the new W53 and W54 LCD monitors.

Using CapSense proximity-sensing, the monitors feature a clean, black bezel with control buttons that only illuminate when a user’s finger approaches. LG designers leveraged the flexibility of the PSoC programmable SoC architecture to implement LED animation control, I2C sensitivity control and other functions beyond touch sensing - a capability called CapSense Plus -- in the W53, W54 and other LCD monitors, as well as in the Scarlet II LCD TV line.

Cypress is the industry touch-sensing leader, with over 3 billion mechanical buttons replaced in mobile handsets, laptops, consumer electronics, white goods, automotive applications and more. LG has selected the CapSense solution for mobile handsets, air cleaners and other products in addition to LCD monitors and televisions.

LG’s W53 and W54 SMART Monitor Series offer top picture quality while greatly reducing eyestrain during extended use. These monitors include an Auto Brightness feature that allows them to automatically optimize their brightness and other picture settings based on the ambient light in the room and the content being viewed. The W53 and W54 monitors are available in sizes from 18.5 to 27 inches.

“CapSense enables compelling touch-sensing interfaces, and the integration of proximity sensing contributes to the unique design of our LCD Monitors,” said JunHo Shin, engineer for Business Solutions R&D at LG. “Equally as important, CapSense delivers well-established quality from the industry leader in touch-sensing technology.”

“Winning an initial design with a leading provider of elegant consumer electronics such as LG points to the innovative touch-sensing interfaces the CapSense solution enables,” said Dhwani Vyas, vice president of the User Interface Business Unit at Cypress. “Having LG select CapSense across multiple product lines is excellent validation of its flexibility, ease-of-use and reliability.”