????谷歌和蘋果又分別邁入下一個(gè)極具科幻色彩的高科技領(lǐng)域。如果谷歌的研究取得了成功,，你的鬧鐘將會(huì)根據(jù)你的睡眠深淺程度自動(dòng)調(diào)整音量,，你的手表和睡衣會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)跟蹤睡眠狀態(tài)。另一方面,，蘋果正在研發(fā)一款智能手機(jī)應(yīng)用,，它可以記住你把愛車停在了哪里，免去了在迷宮似的停車場(chǎng)里四處找車的尷尬,。

????4月底,，這兩家公司的相關(guān)創(chuàng)意都獲批了專利。法律顧問公司SmartUp率先發(fā)現(xiàn)了蘋果和谷歌遞交給美國(guó)專利與商標(biāo)局的文件,。

????如今,，能夠監(jiān)測(cè)人們睡眠模式的活動(dòng)追蹤器和智能手表等產(chǎn)品不在少數(shù)，谷歌的這項(xiàng)專利也是順勢(shì)之舉,。谷歌的專利文件表明,，該專利是一款可以根據(jù)用戶“睡眠狀態(tài)”調(diào)整鬧鐘設(shè)置的可穿戴設(shè)備，類似于一款智能手環(huán)或內(nèi)置有傳感器的衣物,。它能夠根據(jù)“心率,、呼吸、脈博,、身體動(dòng)作,、眼部動(dòng)作及周邊環(huán)境”來決定是否保留、取消和重設(shè)鬧鐘,。

????雖然谷歌最早在2011年就提出了這個(gè)理念,，但它也不算特別新穎。Jawbone公司的Up設(shè)備和Fitbit公司的追蹤器，也能讓用戶設(shè)定他們的智能腕帶,，讓它根據(jù)用戶的睡眠周期,，在最佳叫醒時(shí)機(jī)進(jìn)行震動(dòng)。就連某些手機(jī)應(yīng)用（比如谷歌Android Wear平臺(tái)上的Sleep for Android應(yīng)用）也能提供這個(gè)功能,。

????話雖這樣說,，仍然有人懷疑可穿戴設(shè)備是否真的能準(zhǔn)確追蹤人們的睡眠模式。它們只是簡(jiǎn)單地根據(jù)你的動(dòng)作和心率來判斷你是否睡著了,，但這并非完全精確,。比如，我現(xiàn)在正戴著的追蹤器就報(bào)告稱,，我昨晚只睡了一兩個(gè)小時(shí),，但事實(shí)上我昨晚整整睡了6個(gè)小時(shí)。

????但不管怎么說,，單單是看看谷歌能利用這項(xiàng)專利做些什么,，也絕對(duì)是件有趣的事情。其它活動(dòng)追蹤器制造商是否感到“壓力山大”呢,？

????與此同時(shí),，蘋果的自動(dòng)尋車技術(shù)經(jīng)過冗長(zhǎng)的審批流程終于獲得了專利。蘋果早在2013年就提交了申請(qǐng),，外界還是在去年才第一次知道蘋果研制了這種技術(shù),。

????該專利又叫“弱信號(hào)區(qū)域車輛位置識(shí)別”。這意味著,，它將使用GPS和手機(jī)信號(hào)以外的技術(shù)來定位用戶的車輛,。蘋果的專利文件稱，該技術(shù)能通過駕駛員的智能手機(jī)自動(dòng)探測(cè)車輛何時(shí)停泊（當(dāng)手機(jī)不再有信號(hào),，也不再通過數(shù)據(jù)線或藍(lán)牙信號(hào)與車輛相聯(lián)的時(shí)候）,，并記錄泊車的地點(diǎn)和時(shí)間長(zhǎng)度。

????該專利文件還使用了蘋果的總部大樓地圖作為圖示,，不過它并沒有透露這項(xiàng)服務(wù)何時(shí)能夠啟用。但這種技術(shù)遲早是用得上的,，特別是在手機(jī)信號(hào)往往很弱的地下停車場(chǎng),。

????但一如往常，蘋果和谷歌何時(shí)能把這些專利變成看得見摸得著的產(chǎn)品,，或是強(qiáng)制其他廠商執(zhí)行這些專利,，還得看它們自己的意愿。在短期內(nèi),，在停車場(chǎng)停好車后,，你還是得自己記牢愛車的位置。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????In Google’s sci-fi future, your alarm clock’s volume will adjust automatically based on how deeply you’re sleeping – as tracked by your watch and pajamas. Apple’s vision of what’s next is a phone app that remembers – without being asked – where you parked your car.

????On Tuesday, both companies were granted patents for their respective ideas. Legal marketplace SmartUp first spotted the filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

????Google’s patent coincides with the rise of activity trackers and smartwatches that already track the sleeping patterns of people wearing them. According to the filing, the patent is for a wearable device, like a wristband or clothing with sensors stitched in, that help adjust alarm clock settings based on the user’s “sleep state.” The device would use “heart, respiration, or pulse rate, body movements, eye movements, ambient, and the like” to determine whether to dismiss, leave, or reschedule the alarm.

????The idea, originally filed by Google in 2011, isn’t exactly novel. Some of Jawbone’s UP devices and Fitbit’s trackers let users set their wristbands to automatically vibrate when the technology determines the best time based on their sleep cycle. Even some apps, like Sleep as Android for wearable devices that run on Google’s Android Wear operating system offer that functionality.

????With that said, there’s still some skepticism around wearable devices’ claims of accurately tracking sleep patterns. They merely infer that you’re sleeping based on your movements and heart rate. But that isn’t entirely accurate. The tracker I’m currently wearing, for example, reported that I slept for only a couple of hours last night when in fact I slept about six hours.

????But in any case, it will definitely be interesting to see what Google does now that it’s armed with the patent. Should other activity tracker makers worry?

????Meanwhile, Apple’s patent to help you find your car come after a lengthy approval. The company originally filed its application in 2013, and it first surfaced last year.

????The patent is for “vehicle location in weak location signal scenarios,” meaning that it would use techniques other than GPS or cell signal to locate the person’s car. Instead, the document describes having the driver’s smartphone automatically detect when the car is parked (the phone is not moving anymore, it’s no longer connected through wires or Bluetooth signal to it, etc.) and remembering the location and time.

????The application, which includes a diagram of Apple’s headquarters as an example illustration, doesn’t specify the scenarios when the service would be useful. But this method could come in handy in parking structures and underground garages where smartphone signals can often be very weak.

????But as always, it’s entirely up to the company to actually turn a patent into a real product or actually enforce it against other companies. Keeping track of your car could remain your own responsibility, unfortunately.