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February 2010

Hot off the Press: Apple Files for 'Magic TrackPad' Trademark

COVER - MAGIC TRACKPAD 
On February 26, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest trademark application for the all new "Magic TrackPad." While Apple's trademark filing only covers International Classification 009, it should be noted that Apple covers some very interesting elements under this classification, such as: Touchscreens, Light Pens and Graphics Tablets. In July 2009, Apple was granted a patent for a trackpad that never came to market which covered advanced imaging, infrared & optical emitter-detector sensors that could be used in future iterations of Apple notebooks. The question now becomes, is the "Magic TrackPad" related to the upcoming MacBook refresh or an iPad accessory that will address graphics and light pen text generation. Let the speculation begin!

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Apple Reveals New iPhone Auto Adjusted Volume Control, More

1 - Cover - Volume self-adjusting 
Yesterday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published some sixteen Apple patents, some through the names of their own engineers. Amongst these patents were two very cool ideas in respect to a signet based security system and a new way to control some iPhone features like voicemail through simple finger swiping motions across the backside camera. In today's report we'll take a look at three minor iPhone patents. Two of the patents are interesting even though they don't introduce anything overly flashy and breathtaking. Sometimes, practical technology applied just right is just as beneficial to users as the fancier stuff is. The first patent introduces us to a new automatic volume adjuster for the iPhone. In the future, when you pull the iPhone away from your ear, for whatever reason (as indicated in the graphic above), the volume will simply increase so that you don't miss a word. Apple will apply one of two methodologies to achieve this result. The second patent illustrates that Apple is considering advancing their acoustic transducer technology and in doing so will likely change the iPhone's standard earpiece to that of a microperforated grill-like structure.

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You Might Need a Secret Decoder Ring to Log on to Future Macs

1 - COVER - TOUCHSCREEN SIGNET BASED LOGIN SYSTEM

On February 25, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals various concepts behind a newly advanced touch screen login system that uses a signet based concept that could take on many shapes – such as a specialized card or cool ring. In fact, it would act very much like a secret decoder ring was supposed to – though you won't find it in your cereal or Cracker Jack box – hopefully, that is. The signet based system could act as a form of security system and the actions could initiate when logging onto your home computer or a computer network so as to permit authorized individuals access to restricted areas of the computer or computer network, loading a user profile associated with a user's preferred arrangement of the computer desktop and so forth. The signet based system would or could apply to all present and future Apple touch screen based systems and the patent in fact makes it clear that that will include the iMac, MacBook, Mac Pro and also extend to public computer systems at schools, libraries, kiosks, gaming machines, restaurant reservation terminals and more. This could and should be a lot easier to use than keying in a sophisticated security password while making it incredibly more difficult for hackers to crack - being that the signet could include patterns and shapes unique to the individual user or institution.

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Cool New Finger Swiping Camera Controls coming to iPhone & iPad

1- cover swipe finger gesture - future iPhone 
On Feb 25, 2010, 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 yet another 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 rewinding and fast forwarding 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. In the future, the iPad may be able to take advantage of this feature if the camera is positioned correctly. This would theoretically allow a user to simply flick a finger over the camera lens to turn the page of a book or scroll a webpage without ever having to move your hand. This is an excellent idea on several fronts that will have Apple's competition on the run, again.

 

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Apple Wins Patents for iPod Classic Retro Phone, IM Chat & iPod UI

COVER, IPOD TELEPHONY

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 11 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group includes one that relates to Apple's iPhone IM Chat feature and technology, another crediting Steve Jobs - relates to the iPod's Hierarchically Ordered GUI and finally a granted patent that points to the iPod Classic eventually gaining still and video camera capabilities in addition to full telephony capabilities using the click wheel as a retro styled rotary phone. These types of features would provide the iPod Classic with a little more punch in the market.

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Apple: Plug a Digital Cam into Your iPod or iPhone

1 cover - cool media player concepts v2

Yesterday a couple of oddball Apple Media Player patents came to light and yet each was important in its own right. One was so obvious, that I almost missed it. Being that this might be the year that I finally take the leap into digital photography, I saw Apple's patent present a digital camera, like an EOS Rebel from Canon, connected directly to an iPod. Surely this must be available now, no? NNNNN-No. I called my local Apple Store and explained what I was looking for, what was in yesterday's patent - and asked if they had it in stock. No, it doesn't exist, yet – was the reply. It may be coming to the iPad but no word yet for an iPod or iPhone, stated the Apple Rep. So unless my local Apple Store is full of idiots, Apple's patent has yet to come to life. The patent states that you'll be able to plug a still or video cam directly into your iPod or iPhone. Whether this is being reserved for Light Peak or USB 3.0 is unknown, but this is a very cool idea. The second patent discovered yesterday simply adds a little more proof that Apple is working on a rotatable video camera element that enables you to take regular videos of friends and events while being able to turn the camera lens inward so as to become a video cam for video calling. This is Apple's second patent this quarter discussing this feature.   

 

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Scales of Justice: Eastman Kodak Company vs. Apple Inc.

1 - Cover - Easman Kodak vs. Apple 
The Associated Press reported yesterday that a federal agency that oversees trade disputes will investigate Eastman Kodak Co.'s patent-infringement complaint over digital-camera technology used in iPhones and BlackBerrys. Kodak has filed separate lawsuits against Apple in U.S. District Court in Rochester, claiming an infringement of patents related to digital cameras and certain computer processes. Patently Apple has discovered that the granted patents in dispute are 5,226,161, 5,421,012 and 5,303,379; all of which are Wang Laboratories Inc, patents which must have been acquired by Kodak in 1997. According to the filing, the technology in question goes beyond the iPhone and covers other Apple products such as the Mac mini, iMac, Mac Pro, Xserve Nehalem, MacBook, iMac, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch. One of the patents deals with all things "Objects" and on that count, Apple's acquisition of NeXT who invented WebObjects may come into play in this law suit which predates Wang Laboratories Inc, patent dates. This report presents you with the raw court filing related to this case so that you could be better informed.

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Apple Getting Serious About Near Field Communication on the iPhone

1 - COVER - NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS

In November 2009, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that revealed various concepts behind a newly advanced application in development code named Grab & Go. Apple's patent introduced us to simplified data transfer technologies such as Near Field Communication (NFC) Interface and Sony's new TransferJet - which is now closer to being commercial viable. The new application discussed in the November patent would allow users who live in the fast lane to transfer data quickly between devices like their desktop and iPod by simply tapping their iPod against an iMac, for example. In today's patent we see that Apple is seriously detailing how they intend to update the iPhone and other Apple devices with NFC. The focused devices in this patent are no doubt the iPhone and MacBook. Apple provides us with some rather simple examples of how this will work but in concert with their Grab and Go app, we could see that this is a trend that will no doubt work itself to market over the next 24 months or so. The one interesting twist that Apple reveals is how the iPhone with NFC could be used as a work pass-key to enter your office, building or department – and eventually how this concept could expand to open your home or apartment door, car door and in theory, a hotel room door and so forth. Get ready, Near Field Communications is coming to the iPhone.

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Apple Wants the Magic Mouse to Rock'n Roll!

COVER 2 ROCK'N ROLL MAGIC MOUSE   

On February 18, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of the next possible chapters for Apple's Magic Mouse. Apple introduced the world's first Multi-Touch Mouse this past October. The Magic Mouse features a seamless touch-sensitive enclosure that allows it to be a single or multi-button mouse with advanced gesture support. Using intuitive gestures, users can easily scroll through long documents, pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward through a collection of web pages or photos. In January of this year, we were able to see the first installation of technologies related to advancing the Magic Mouse and today, Apple sheds more light on the advances that they're considering. Today's patent focuses on introducing a "rotatable mouse" using new sensors and a triple-axes gyroscope that detects the roll, pitch, and yaw of the mouse. That translates in allowing the user to tilt the mouse one way to cause a horizontal scroll and another way to cause a vertical scroll and yet another to tilt a graphic as shown above. The other change that you'll notice in the graphic above is that the bottom of the mouse is described in terms of it having a convex bottom design so as to make it easier to cause scrolling and other events by simply rocking or rolling the mouse. It's so simple, that it's brilliant.

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Apple Wins Designs for Aluminum iMac, iPhone 3G Dock, iPod Classic, More

COVER FOR DESIGNS FEB 16, 2010

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of five newly granted design patents for Apple Inc. today. The designs cover Apple's aluminum iMac, Apple's iPhone 3G Dock, the iPhone "Curl up the Map Page" animated UI, an Apple TV UI and believe it or not, Apple's original iPod Classic. Steve Jobs is noted as being amongst the credited designers on two designs.

 

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Apple Racks Up another Major Multi-Touch Patent for the iPad

COVER II - APPLE GRANTED MULTIPOINT SCREEN PATENT 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 7 newly granted patents and 5 design related patents for Apple Inc. today. The two notables within this group include one relating to Apple's iChat feature known as "Take Video Snapshot," and the other relating to a major granted patent for a multipoint screen. That patent is specifically focused on a larger two handed Tablet or as the patent defines as a Tablet PC. It almost appears that Apple held back their tablet, known as the iPad, until certain key patents came to light. Apple's IPS patent came to light on January 7 and was highlighted in our special report titled Apple's iPad: Welcome to the Revolution – and on January 26, Apple was granted a major multi-touch tablet patent covering such things as a larger virtual keyboard which debuted on the iPad in connection with their word processor called "Pages" and Apple's Mail. Todays granted patent represents Apple's third patent in this quarter thus far – and further protects Apple's multi-touch technologies against challengers and would-be competitors such as Google.

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iPhone + Logo - Now a Registered Trademark of Apple Inc.

COVER 2- iPHONE REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF APPLE INC

After years of jostling and wrangling in the press that Cisco and Canadian firm Comwave owned the iPhone trademark and therefore Apple would never prevail, the word from the USPTO is official: iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. – officially as of Feb 09, 2010. The registration covers the Apple graphic and brand name "iPhone" under number 3,746,840 covering International Classes 9, 28 and 38 which are presented in this report for clarification. Apple's next trademark battlefront will be focused on iPad, unveiled on January 27, 2010 – The very same day that Apple officially filed for two iPad design trademarks. Apple's case for the iPad trademark may be stronger than most think.

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New Media Player Armband Revealed for Attachable Accessories

COVER - NEW ARMBAND & ATTACHMENT ACCOMODATION 
On February, 11, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published several new patent applications from Apple covering such technologies as MagSafe, computer hibernation and an odd one that seems to be an old NeXT patent brought over to Apple listing Avie Tevanian. Yet there are two particular patents of interest today that oddly yet intricately relate to one another. One supports an attachment accessory and the other noted above, accommodates such an accessory. The patent credited to Apple engineers Gordon and Frazier Cameron relates to an all new media player armband. Apple's Patent FIG. 3B presents a back view of pouch 300 for the armband which is holding electronic device with attachment 304. One of the possible accessories we may see come to market is presented to you in this report while the other dates back to a July 2009 patent report covering an add-on accessory that would accommodate a SIM card, Flash drive and more.

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Will Liquid Cooling be Coming to the iMac?

LIQUID COOLING IMAC, COVER 
The first time that we learned of Apple seriously working on a liquid cooling system for an iMac was in a January 2008 Apple patent. The patent told us that Apple had been working on a liquid cooling system for a future iMac since 2006. To be fair, the system Apple first described, was in context with is an iMac-like docking station. Yet the fact remains that if an iMac-like docking station was on the drawing board for a liquid cooling system in 2008, then the likelihood of that extending to the iMac is nothing short of being a no-brainer. Why would Apple want to add liquid cooling to the iMac? Because with Apple now adopting true Intel desktop chipsets for the iMac, we keep hearing about heat issues – and it's only going to be getting worst as time goes on.

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Apple Design Wins: Animation GUI for iPhone & LED Cinema Display

Animated GUI for iPhone, COVER 
On February 9, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published two of Apple's latest Design Wins covering an animated GUI for a portable device and Apple's second design win for the LED Cinema Display.

 

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Apple Granted a Huge Patent Win for 3D Virtual Apple Store

3D Internet, VIRTUAL STORE, COVER 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 9 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today in addition to two design wins. The notables within this group of granted patents includes one relating to the MacBook Air's "Now-You-See-It, Now-You-Don't" Port Hatch, another for a water detection system ensuring that warranty claims aren't fraudulent and the biggie of the day, without a doubt, is Apple's granted patent for an exciting future 3D Virtual Apple Store. This is going to be wild when Apple delivers on this concept.

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Location Based Social Networking & Video Calling Coming to iPhone

1 - ADVANCED LOCATION AWARENESS FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING 

There's an old adage concerning the finding of a location for your brick and mortar retail business: Location, location, location. While that may still hold water today, that saying is going to be hijacked by the next wave of social networking apps based on Location Awareness technology. In the Social Networking Era, it's all about having the ability to access the location of your friends, colleagues, associates and family – on demand.  This is going to be a very popular feature on future iPhones – if not the iPad in the coming months and years ahead. Apple's published patent momentum on Location Aware technology clearly indicates that Apple is ramping this technology up for release. On January 15, we learned of location aware technology in respect to pushing ads to users who would be interested in learning about near-by retail deals. This is perhaps Apple's vision of creating the virtual home-flyer concept. Then on January 25, we learned of the iPhone's location aware services in the works that will offer us features such as real-time public transit schedules, inner city parking availability and social networking so that you could coordinate your weekends a little better with friends on the fly. Today's patent revs-up the social networking angle and even points us to how this will work with video calling on your iPhone. To top it off, Apple's patent describes the iPhone's GPS system using maps with an optional step-by-step instruction feature, introduces us to new "Request and Release Info" virtual buttons to initiate location based services and finally – a future iPhone's high-end security features that will protect your current location from prying eyes and prowlers on the net.

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Apple's Media Players May Gain Cool Sense Line Controls

COVER - TOUCH SENSE LINES, II   

On Tuesday, a very insightful granted patent of Apple's came to light describing an intelligent bezel. Today, that very same theme continues and goes much further this time around to include what Apple describes as intelligent "sense lines." Sense lines could surround the display of a media player unseen under the multi-touch display glass as an alternative to a physical bezel which was described in Tuesday's granted patent in context with a tablet.  In covering Tuesday's patent report, Paul Boutin of VentureBeat wondered if Apple's technology would apply to an iPhone. "The clickwheel makes the iPod simple and relaxing to use, rather than fumbling through menus and pressing buttons. I can operate an iPod while jogging. Wish I could say that for my iPhone." Well, apparently Apple is thinking of doing just that. Though instead of using a virtual click wheel, Apple is proposing touch based sense lines that could control the devices functions like sound or any other menu items that you would traditionally find on a click wheel based menu system. The difference is that you'd be able to find your most valued menu items without scrolling and in one lightning quick click.

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Apple Files iPad Design Trademarks – Part 2

IPAD TRADEMARKS, COVER 

The US Patent & Trademark Office has just published Apple's desigin trademarks pertaining to their new tablet computer called the "iPad." In Patently Apple's first design trademark report we covered two of Apple's overview designs of the iPad. In this report we'll present you with Apple's third iPad design trademark application which displays a frontal view of the iPad with its User Interface.

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Apple Files iPad Design Trademarks

IPAD TRADEMARKS, COVER 

The US Patent & Trademark Office has just published Apple's latest design trademarks pertaining to the new tablet computer called "iPad" under applications 77921838 and 77921829. The two designs are represented and displayed in this report.

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Apple's iPad May Gain an Intelligent Bezel in the Future

1 - COVER - IPAD, INTELLIGENT BEZEL 

Today, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published two major granted patents of Apple's covering tablets and advanced touch technologies. The first patent may provide us with a glimpse of a future implementation of an intelligent tablet bezel. The bezel could have invisible or visible touch areas that could be programmed to control such things as music volume, simple zooming functions for maps or even gaming controls. Considering that Apple's new iPad has a considerable sized bezel, you have to wonder if this is what they have in mind for that bezel in the future. Apple has also gained a second advanced virtual keyboard and touch based patent in the last 90 days that actually plays into the strengths of the intelligent bezel.

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Apple's Unofficial Trademark Filing for iPad

IPAD, COVER, TRADEMARK 

Apple's supposed shell company as noted in the press as being IP Application Development LLC of Delaware filed for the iPad trademark in the US on January 16, 2010 and mirrored said application in Europe on January 18, 2010. Interestingly, hidden within this trademark application are some interesting twists. One of them notes the device as being associated with ASP services ("Application Service Provider services) - in addition to enabling users to program the scheduling of television and other programs as they will be aired. That just happens to support a recent Apple patent application related to media players having a DVR like capability. Today's trademark report primarily covers Apple's detailed information related to six International Classifications in addition to presenting you with EU information proving that Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. never filed for the iPad trademark in Europe. In fact, in the bigger picture, the USPTO provided the Fujitsu division with a trademark abandonment notice in 2009 proving that the Fujitsu Transactions Solutions Inc. never envisioned their trademark of being a global brand. This stands in stark contrast to Apple's global IP filings and public notices of intent.

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Apple Granted Patent for Next Generation Apple TV Technology

COVER - NEW REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM TECH

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of seven newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The most notable patent covered in this report relates to possible next generation technology that Apple could employ in either in their Apple TV console or an HDTV unit itself - over time. Other patents granted to Apple today includes one that covers the iTune's "Season Pass" feature and another covering the iPhone's touch based slide unlocking-mechanism interface.

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