The Google patent described sensors that, among other things, disable touch inputs when the product is positioned close to a person.

WSJ: Apple Wins ITC Ruling in Google Patent Case

In a bit of bad timing for Schmidt, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a Google patent today for a celebrity facial recognition database.

FORBES: Google Patents A Celebrity Facial Recognition Database

According to Google senior patent counsel Suzanne Michel, sixty percent of patent lawsuits are now filed by such companies.

FORBES: At CES, Companies Large and Small Bash Broken Patent System