Apple Wins Cover Flow, Safari SnapBack & Universal Dock Patents
On August 25, 2009, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of seven newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group include one pertaining to Apple's iTunes in relation to Cover Flow in iTunes for computers and portables; another relating to Apple's Safari feature known as SnapBack, and other minor patents covering such topics as Apple's Power Adapter and Universal Dock.
Granted Patent: Cover Flow
Apple's patent relates generally to media management. More particularly, the present invention relates to browsing through media content. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to browsing media content with multiple browsers whose operations are synched. Specifically, the patent presents details of iTunes working with Cover Flow for the iTunes Store and Cover Flow on Apple's iPod touch and iPhone.
Apple's patent FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a media application window 100, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The application window is configured to allow users to play, sort, modify, store and catalog their media. By way of example, the application window gives the user the ability to control playback, search through content, organize media into folders (e.g., playlists), edit file information, record media, transfer media, purchase media as for example over the Internet, provide feedback relating to media being played, encode or transcode media into different formats, and the like. Also noted above is a screenshot of Cover Flow on iTunes.
Apple Credits Thomas Dowdy, David Heller and Anne Jones for granted patent 7,581,186 originally filed in September 2006. Apple acquired Cover Flow in 2006 from Steel Skies. The name was previously CoverFlow without a space.
Granted Patent: Safari SnapBack Feature
Apple's patent generally relates to methods, such as user interfaces, for accessing document presentations or other types of presentations and more particularly, relates to access or retrieval for page document and search result presentations. Specifically, the patent presents us with the inner workings of Apple's Snapback feature.
Apple's overview of Safari 4 covers Snapback this way: As you search, one page inevitably leads to another. Before you know it, you’ve wandered far from your original search results. Thanks to SnapBack, a single click on the SnapBack icon takes you right back to your original search results.
Apple's SnapBack functionality can be accessed via either a snapback button displayed in the GUI or via a corresponding snapback item in a menu, as shown in patent FIG. 7A.
Apple credits senior vice president of iPhone Software Scott Forstall, Donald Dale Melton and John William for granted patent 7,581,164 which was originally filed in January 2003. Apple's official patent title is: Media manager with integrated browsers.
Granted Patent: Apple Universal Dock
Apple's granted patent generally relates to docking stations for hand held electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a docking station that accommodates hand held electronic devices with different sizes and shapes. Specifically, the patent relates to Apple's Universal Dock.
Apple credits Wim Crooijmans, Richard Howarth and Phillip Hobson as the inventors of Granted Patent 7,580,255, originally filed in August 2005.
Granted Patent: Apple USB Power Adapter
Apple's invention generally relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to portable electronic devices that can couple to peripheral buses. Specifically, the patent relates to Apple's USB Power Adapter.
Apple credits David John Tupman, Ken Herman and Barry Twycross as the inventors of granted patent 7,581,119, originally filed on January 7, 2005.
Other Granted Patents Published Today:
Random Access Action List for Digital Signal Data Editing: Apple's patent generally relates to data-editing programs and, more specifically, to a digital signal data-editing program that provides a random access action list. Reference number: 7,580,954
Methods and Apparatus for High-Speed Serialized Data Transfer over Network Infrastructure using a Different Protocol: Apple's patent relates broadly to devices connected to a high-speed serial bus. Specifically, the present invention relates to bridging data transmission between IEEE 1394-compliant devices and Ethernet-compliant devices. Reference number: 7,581,041
Constant Pitch Variable Speed Audio Decoding: Apple's patent generally relates to audio playback devices and systems, and to audio playback algorithms employed in conjunction with such devices. Reference number: 7,580,833
NOTICE: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application and/or Issued Patent should be read in its entirety for further details. For additional information on any granted patent noted above, simply feed the individual patent number(s) into this search engine.
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