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!

 
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.

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.

 
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.

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.

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.   

 
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.

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.

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.

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.

 
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.