In a second wave of granted patents published by the US Patent and Trademark Office for Apple Inc. today, we see that they've won several key touch related patents including two relating to virtual keyboards. Yet the one patent that stood out above all, in my view, was a patent that secretly buried a future device that Apple has their eye on: a convertible Macbook-to-iPad-like device. This is definitely going to be the killer device category in the coming years and we could only hope that Apple's killer device goes from patent illustration to reality in the not-too-distant future.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 17 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group include two iPhone related User Interface designs, another for their Mini DisplayPort and others relating to iTunes and their fantastic LED backlit displays. Yet one of the star patents that were granted to Apple today, is definitely one that involves a futuristic 3D stereoscopic display. Is Apple whetting our appetite for a possible future 3DTV system? Here's to hoping that Apple could actually one day deliver something beyond a little black box called Apple TV.  

 
As the old saying goes, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Today, Apple was granted design patents for the iPad and iPhone 4. In total, there were 18 patents to report on today and we didn't initially see that Apple's US granted patent graphics actually confirm that there's an extra landscape docking connector in the design. Is this feature coming to the iPad-2 in 2011? We certainly hope so.  

 
Earlier today we posted reports covering Apple's design wins for the iPhone 4 and iPad in addition to covering Multi-Touch and Liquid Metal. The last noteworthy granted patents that were published today by the USPTO involve the technology behind a point-of-sale device and system, (one that is likely used in all Apple Stores) in addition to Apple's iChat and iCal applications.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 18 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. Three of today's granted patents related to great design wins for Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad. In this report we cover two additional notables published today that relate to Apple's Multi-Touch Dictionary and their method of spraying Liquid Metal to maintain acceptable internal and external operating temperatures in integrated circuits. Liquid Metal may actually end up in Apple's next iteration of the iMac – and in this report we'll explain why.  

 
November 23, 2010 now marks the date that Apple was granted strategically important industrial design patents for their iPhone 4, iPad and iPhone UI. While some may see the iPhone 4's win as somewhat controversial, the fact remains that it's wonderfully crafted design has no equal amongst the majority of pathetic plastic competitors that stand before it. Hail iPhone. If that news wasn't good enough, we learn that Apple's iPad has been awarded a granted patent which also support's TIME Magazine's choice for invention of the year. And to top off these great wins, Apple has been awarded a patent for the iPhone's general UI overview. What a great day for Apple's VP Industrial Design Jonny Ive and his team, which are affectionately referred to as the Crazy Ones by the Mac community: Congratulations!

 
Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.(GPHI), formerly known as Silicon Graphics Inc., announced in June of this year that had won a significant favorable ruling in its litigation with ATI Technologies and AMD. The company stated at that time that their graphics technology was critically important for a vast array of products including among other things, video game consoles, computers and cell phones. That partial victory has now emboldened GPHI to file a patent infringement lawsuit in the New York Southern District Court against Nintendo, Acer and yes, Apple. The case relates to display systems using floating point rasterization.

 
Three new interesting Apple patent applications were published today at the US Patent & Trademark Office that cover differing research projects that Apple is exploring regarding radio services. Today, only the iPod nano offers smart radio services. The new patents clearly present us with fresh thinking on this subject and it's apparent that Radio Data Systems in the future will also be able to smart tag television channels too. Perhaps more interesting is that Apple is working on ways that will allow an iOS device user in the future to interact with a radio or TV station advertisement that is promoting a game or offering a prize to their listeners. Independent of these first two patents is a great third patent which covers the future ability of pushing the iOS interface to a modern in-vehicle stereo system's user interface. That's likely a feature that we'd all like to see sooner rather than later.  

 
Apple's leading trend in patent based research in 2010 was without a doubt concerning all things related to the use of Near Field Communications or NFC in all of Apple's hardware. The iPhone will no doubt emerge as the most crucial device in Apple's NFC ecosystem because it will serve as your future means of electronic payment. A trend that will allow your future iPhone to act as electronic currency, your credit card, your debit card, your electronic coupon and all the while acting as a means of holding electronic tickets for such things as concerts, air travel, bus or subway. Today, we're one step closer to that reality with the formation of a National Mobile Commerce Network called ISIS, backed by AT&T and Verizon, Apple's current wireless partners. Report Updated.     

 
On this Special iTunes Tuesday, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-one newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group include the all-important original iPhone design – a design that changed the way all smartphones were and will be designed in the future. Just like how the Beatles changed the music scene forever back in 1964. In addition, Apple was granted patents for their Final Cut Pro's scripting engine and the technology behind Aperture's processing of RAW images. Finally, Apple was granted a major patent for an extra-wide trackpad which has only been partially fulfilled to date.  

 
The race is on. The next wave of tablet computers, smartphones and wrist watches will not only have multitouch interfaces but also multitouch embodiments. A new patent that has surfaced from a mysterious Apple competitor shows us how they're working on devices that will incorporate electrostatic touch sensors right into a device casing to give users access to UI features quicker and easier. Will Apple's competitors get the leap on them or will they have a response inkind in the not-too-distant future? If you want to take a peek at one of the next crazes in smart devices, then you've come to the right place.  

 
On November 12, 2010, the Trademarks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union published Apple's latest trademark application for "Premium Reseller" under application 009512385. Apple has filed their trademark under seven extraordinarily detailed International Classes covering all manner of electronics including computers, smartphones, software, electronic games, downloadable content, telecommunications, printed materials, advertizing, education and technical services – but to mention a few. Yet perhaps the bigger news is that this program appears to have been in the works for some time in the UK. Now that Apple is applying for the official "Premium Reseller" trademark, it may be signaling that this program is about to go Global. Yes, an idea whose time has come.