14 DAY TRIAL // Several sources indicate that Apple Inc. has taken legal action against Sanho Corp., makers of the HyperMac line of external batteries and car chargers for Apple MacBook computers and, most recently, the iPad.
A filing posted at Justia Dockets & Filings reveals that Apple Inc. is suing Sanho Corp. for patent infringement.
Filed Thursday in the California North District Court in San Jose, the suit’s nature is “Intellectual Property - Patent”. Other details aren’t immediately available.
As noted above, Sanho is responsible for the HyperMac line of external batteries for MacBook, iPod, iPhone, and now iPad, as well as for the HyperDrive portable storage solution.
The company was founded in 2002.
“Our industry leading products have won many top international accolades, rave media reviews and customers' affection. Our high performance products are distributed worldwide and can be found in all major cities and countries,” Sanho Corporation says.
“With sales and marketing office in Silicon Valley USA, production facility near Shanghai China and a R&D team across both countries, SANHO is committed to developing cutting edge products with a dedicated focus on performance, quality, value and service,” the company’s about-us reads.
According to a commenter sharing his thoughts with the folks at PatentlyApple, Sanho is known to buy original MagSafe adapters from Apple, in order to modify them to build HyperMac solutions.
The commenter believes the MagSafe adapter is actually not the object of dispute here, but rather the the connector on the charging cables.
“This is the only third-party product I've ever seen which has that connector. I believe Apple has that pretty well covered with patents,” this person, identified as Mike Evangelist, opines.
On its HyperShop web site, Sanho advertises its solution by saying “Every battery is compatible with all MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air models.”
“HyperMac battery intelligently determines which MacBook model is connected and adjusts the charging power automatically, supporting MacBook Pro dual voltage. Our charging cables use original Apple MagSafe connectors for maximum compatibility,” the company states (emphasis ours).