The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of seventeen newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. Noteworthy are two patents relating to iOS cameras and one for wireless synchronization. It's unknown at this time if Apple's wireless synchronization patent will be retained for purely defensive purposes or used offensively to challenge competing products.
Apple Granted Patent for Flash Control for Electronic Rolling Shutter
Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to iOS cameras having a microelectronic image sensor array and associated imaging optics, and more particularly, to techniques for controlling an LED-based camera flash in an electronic rolling shutter (ERS) camera.
Apple credits Richard Tsai as the sole inventor of granted patent 8,150,255 which was originally filed in Q2 2010. Apple's patent presents 20 patent claims.
Apple Granted Patent for Apparatus and Method for Compensating for Variations in Digital Cameras
Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to digital cameras and, more particularly, to calibrating digital camera components to minimize manufacturing variations in such components.
Apple credits Haitao Guo, Ting Chen and David Kuo as the inventors of granted patent 8,149,279 which was originally filed in Q3 2008. Apple presents 8 patent claims.
Apple Receives a Granted Patent for Wireless Synchronization between a Media Player and Host Device
Broadly speaking, Apple's granted patent relates to interaction between a host computer (e.g., personal computer) and a media player over a wireless channel. The interaction over the wireless channel can be used to automatically synchronize media contents stored on the media player with media contents stored on the host device.
The synchronization can automatically be performed when the wireless channel is available between the media player and the media host. For example, the synchronization can be automatically performed when the media player that supports wireless communications is placed within a wireless network that also couples to the host device.
It's unknown at this time if Apple's invention will be for pure defensive purposes or one that they could be used to challenge competing products. While synching has existed for some time, it's the manner in which Apple's media manager organizes content during the synchronization process so as to automatically synchronize media content stored on the media player with media content stored on the host device that's key here. This granted patent could also support any future iCloud related patent.
Apple credits Stanley Ng, Anthony Fadell (the Podfather) and Jeffrey Robbin as the inventors of granted patent 8,150,937. The invention was originally filed for in Q4 2004. Apple's granted patent presents 32 patent claims.
Apple Wins Design Patent for their Current iPod Shuffle (Fourth Generation)
Apple has been granted a design patent today covering their current iPod shuffle (fourth generation). The first model was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005; the current fourth generation model was introduced on September 1, 2010.
Apple credits VP Industrial Design Jonathan Ive and team members Jody Akana, Bartley Andre, Jeremy Bataillou, Daniel Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard Howarth, Duncan Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Christopher Stringer, Eugene Whang and Rico Zorkendorfer as the inventors of Granted Patent D656,955 which was filed for in Q4 2011 (and originally filed for in Q3 2010).
Other Patents Granted to Apple Today
Over and above the granted patents that were specifically reported on above, we present you with links to the remainder of Apple's granted patents that were published by the US Patent and Trademark Office today.
Stabilizing directional audio input from a moving microphone array: Apple's invention relates to the field of audio beamforming; and more specifically, to the aiming of audio beamforming. It has nothing to do with iTV as another Mac site is questioning in their byline today.
Remote content updates for portable media devices
Active enclosure for computing device: Covers the illuminated logo on the MacBook and all the way back to the transparent plastic bubbled iMacs.
Media playback queuing for playback management: Apple's invention relates to playback of media items and, more particularly, to management of playback of media items on a client computing device.
Method of manufacturing a handheld computing device (iPod)
Method and apparatus for an improved stack arrangement and operations thereon
Single security model in booting a computing device
Analyzing integrated circuit operations
Computer system power source with improved light-load efficiency
Methods and systems for managing data
Channel sounding techniques for a wireless communication system
Update: Here's some Crazy iPad humor titled "So dad, how do you like the iPad we got you?" This is a Foreign language video.
Notice: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.
Here are a Few Sites covering our Original Report: MacSurfer, Twitter, Facebook, Apple Investor News, Google Reader, Macnews, iPhone World Canada, MarketWatch, CNET, TechnoBuffalo, MacDailyNews, iSpazio Italy, Ubergizmo, Computer Bild Germany, Macworld UK, and more.
