Patently Apple

Apple Reveals a Future Illumination System for iDevice Cameras While Hinting of a Stand Alone Camera & Beyond

On May 16, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a next generation lighting system for iDevices. The new system is designed to provide superior lighting to your photos day or night in a unique manner. Apple's patent also describes a new remote light source accessory while strongly hinting that a standalone camera is still a future option of theirs. With Samsung's Galaxy Zoom or the like on the horizon, a standalone or new kind of hybrid iDevice camera or advanced camera accessory isn't out of the question for the future.

Apple revisits their iDevice Camera Swipe Controls Invention

On May 09, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of the next chapters for Apple's iPhone. Today's patent reveals an innovative concept that is designed to help users control their incoming calls and voicemail by simply swiping their finger over the external camera lens. It will control replay and fast forwarding of voicemail. In addition, the new methodology will also enhance one handed navigation of web pages, documents, a contact list or your iTunes library by simply swiping the camera lens in different swiping motion combinations. The majority of this patent was first reported on back in February 2010 under the title "Cool New Finger Swiping Camera Controls coming to iPhone & iPad." You can obtain more details and patent graphics from that report. Apple is adding one distinct addition to their original invention by adding general page scrolling.

Apple Patents Point to Advancing the Quality of iDevice Cameras

Last Thursday the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of four patent applications from Apple that focused on color balance and color correction. Today it's more common to see someone take a photo at a beach or concert with a smartphone than a traditional standalone camera. The quality we're getting from our iPhone and iPad cameras is nothing short of phenomenal. It's now common to read about "smartphone camera shootouts" because it's one the key attributes of a smartphone that we use more of each and every year. In the Mashable shootout, they stated that the "real story of the iPhone 5 is its color accuracy. Nearly every photo we took came off the camera with accurate and bright colors." Yes, exactly, and with each and every iPhone upgrade Apple is pushing the boundaries of color balance and correction in their cameras so as to provide their customers with the ability to shoot stunning photos and videos so that their captured lifelong memories look their very best. 

Apple Reveals Dynamic Auto Focus for iDevice Cameras & More

On March 28, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published two camera related patent applications from Apple. The first one is titled "Dynamic Autofocus Operations," which generally relates to the field of digital camera processing. More particularly, it relates to techniques for improved autofocus operations in camera found in Apple's iDevices. Apple's second invention titled "Partially Lit Sensor" relates to a new image sensing system.

Apple Improves Auto Exposure Camera Feature for FaceTime

On March 21, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals new and improved Auto Exposure techniques for variable lighting conditions that could improve FaceTime image quality.

Apple Continues to Work on Smart Cameras for Future iDevices

On January 24, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a possible next chapter for Apple's iDevice cameras. In 2011 we posted a controversial patent report titled "Apple working on a Sophisticated Infrared System for iOS Cameras." The report covered how future iDevices could be used as an auto tour guide in a museum and how infrared technology would be able to shut off a future iDevice camera at live events. Today's patent is in that same vein as it focuses on how future iDevice cameras will be able to identify objects such as a painting at a museum or a car at an auto show and provide users with detailed information about these items that could be saved for future reference in multimedia album for later review. Both of Apple's patent applications covering this subject matter would indicate that this is serious camera-related project at Apple.

Future iDevice Cameras will Recognize Famous Faces & Objects

As the year winds down, there were only a handful of original patent applications from Apple that were published today by the US Patent Office. The only consumer oriented inventions that were noteworthy related to iDevice cameras and photo management. On Apple's website describing the new iPhone 5's camera they point to improved HDR Capabilities for better color, tone and reduced motion blur. One of today's patent filings cover advanced HDR capabilities using a new image sensor. Another one covered a testing and calibrating camera modules. Yet the one new camera related invention that stood out from the pack was one relating to a new application that Apple may be included in a future iDevice camera. It'll involve a unique combination of a pre-installed camera database and new recognition software that will be able to automatically recognized famous people's faces and famous objects such as a painting or perhaps things like a famous bridge or other landmarks. While it won't be a killer application on its own by any stretch of the imagination, it will definitely enhance Apple's camera features in future iDevices. And for those who just happen to live in California or any other famous locale, then it may assist the novice paparazzi in figuring out who was who in the photo they just took at a club, concert or movie set. Hmm, I can hear the ad for that now: Want to be a paparazzi? There's an app for that.

Apple Inventions Advance Ejectable Component Modules, Cameras & Thermal Management Technologies

On December 6, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published well over seventy-five patent applications from Apple. The vast majority of these filings were about boring everyday necessities to keep products humming along like video codecs, security sandboxing, backup and restore functionality, Flash Memory techniques and stuff to keep the iPhone advancing, such as integrating Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (ODFM) technologies, and more. Yet within this mountain of new patent filings we were able to find a number interesting advancements to standing projects worth noting. In this particular report we specifically focus on three areas of technology. The first relates to ejectable component modules for e-commerce, the second relates to iDevice thermal management technologies and the third relates to all things photography.   

Apple's Cool iPhone 5 Panorama App revealed in 5 Patents

Five extremely detailed patent applications pertaining to the iPhone 5's new camera App called "Panorama" have been published by the US Patent Office today. Technically speaking, panoramic photography may be defined generally as a photographic technique for capturing images with elongated fields of view. An image showing a field of view approximating 160 degrees wide by 75 degrees high may be termed "panoramic." Additionally, panoramic images generally have an aspect ratio of 2:1 or larger, meaning that the image being at least twice as wide as it is high. Technicalities aside, Panorama is one of the coolest iPhone apps to date and if you love taking pictures, then you're going to love the ability to take shots like you've never been able to do before. Taking photos at concerts, of the Rocky Mountains, of a downtown street festival or just a large group of graduating friends is going to take on a complete new dimension that was unavailable on an iPhone, until now. Today, you'll be able to explore Apple's five new patent applications that reveal how they've designed this app.

Apple's R&D Playbook: LTE, Camera, Encryption Patents & More

In Apple's R&D Playbook this week we learned that Apple is working on a more sophisticated unlocking screen mechanism and e-Commerce security feature using biometrics. We also learned about new writing techniques for signatures and taking notes on iDevices and even about a cool fabric carrying case for an iPhone. To close out this week's discoveries, we see that Apple revealed another of their new LTE related patents specifically relating to managing connections between an iPhone and a plurality of wireless networks such as 3GPP LTE and 3GPP2 CDMA 2000. The remaining Apple goodies that were published by the US Patent and Trademark Office today could only be loved by the super geeks and engineers amongst us. But if you like this kind of stuff, then we provide you with all of the necessary links to get you to geek heaven.   

Apple Invents Biometric Features for e-Commerce & Security

On Tuesday Apple was granted a patent for a two-step unlock screen feature that has yet to be implemented. Today, Apple introduces us to an all-new unlock screen feature that utilizes higher integrated security features via biometrics that could also be used in e-Commerce transactions. In late September we reported on Intel's big push into building biometrics into future Wintel devices – and so it comes as no surprise that we now find that Apple has been refining next wave e-Commerce security features using highly sophisticated biometrics. To accelerate their biometric projects Apple recently acquired AuthenTec in July. The race is definitely on to get consumers ready for the next wave of e-Commerce transactions and to ensure that they're processed securely.  

Apple Reveals Several Camera Patents & Legally Updates Siri

Last week Apple filled a series of seven major patent filings directly related to advancing camera features that will be found in future iterations of Apple's iDevices such as the iPhone and iPad. The new patent applications cover gesture techniques and in-depth detailing of their advanced red-eye technology. Real camera buffs will have a feast in learning about what Apple is working on and we list all of the patent links so that you could dive right in to learn about every little twist and turn. If anything – we know that Apple always updates the iPhone's camera features each and every year like clockwork. Will any of Apple's latest advancements make it to the iPhone 6? Only time will tell. And lastly, we take a brief look at a simple legal update to Apple's original patent filing for Siri that doesn't advance Siri in any way whatsoever.