On April 28, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals various aspects of a newly advanced Fitness Center App that they've been working on for some time now. While Apple's app is uniquely their own, they appear to be consulting with or at least including Nike into their program as one illustration lists "The Nike Training Club Class." Apple's Fitness Center App is well designed to cover all aspects of a workout including stats gathered from next generation smart equipment right down to the inclusion of a unique social networking component that will work within a particular fitness center or within your city limits to help you find a workout buddy and/or to stir on competition to get you motivated. Apple's new fitness center app is designed to work with your iPhone or iPod touch to provide you with realtime stats to keep you informed and on track.  

 
On April 26, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest trademark application for an icon related to "FaceTime for Mac" under application 85300315 officially filed on April 20, 2011. Apple has filed their trademark under a single International Class covering computer software for video calling. Apple introduced FaceTime for Mac in October 2010.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 10 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second report of the day we cover a great number of Apple's granted patents including one for Final Cut Pro, a design patent for the App Store's icon imagery, another for an Apple Store related system and a few other minor patents along the way. Yet the surprise of the day certainly goes to a quality testing system designed for high-end LCD displays designed for such systems as a television or an iMac. Apple's display's have been a definite cut above their competitors for some time now and learning about this secret testing equipment easily explains one of the reasons for their ongoing success. Attention to quality detailing is Apple's Hallmark.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 10 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first granted patent report of the day we focus in on and celebrate three huge patent wins. The first covers the technology behind Apple's iconic click wheel that sparked the digital music revolution with the release of the iPod back in 2001. The other two granted patents cover key multi-touch gesturing technologies that were behind Apple's original 2007 iPhone release. As the patent wars rage on between Apple and their competitors, every newly granted patent that carries strategic value strengthens their defenses and ability to even go on the offense when needed.  

 
This morning, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office published Apple's official notice of abandonment of the "POD" trademark. After seven long years of attempting to appease the authorities with several changes, Apple has decided to drop the trademark. This now opens the door wide open for the cloners.  

 
Apple has filed for both "Groove Matching" and "Flex Time" trademarks in the US and China this week.  

 
In respect to new Apple patents, it was a very interesting patent day yesterday indeed. The day began with learning about Apple's latest research into a new peer-to-peer technology followed by a new compass bearing feature for future iPhone cameras. If that wasn't enough, we discovered a huge batch of new patent applications dealing with Apple's obsession over advancing backlit LED Display brilliance. The new display technology would be able to deliver superior FaceTime conferencing experiences as well as delivering crystal clear viewing photos, videos, 3D imaging and perhaps Television too. Now that would be the most brilliant benefit of all.  

 
Two of Apple's latest patents that were published this morning by the USPTO detail new fire resistant cabling for MagSafe and a spin-off feature related to the iPhone's "Maps + Compass" feature. This new feature may be engineered right into next generation iOS device cameras allowing users to superimpose compass bearings right onto their photos. Unless you're a spy or surveyor, however, I'm not quite sure why you'd want this feature. If you happen to have an idea or two as to why we'd want this feature, then by all means send in your ideas below in our comment area.    

 
In late 2009 Patently Apple reported that Apple was working on a new short-range wireless technology that would work with a newly proposed iTunes Kiosk. Apple had also shed some light on using NFC technology in another patent that year in respect to a new application they were working on that they dubbed Grab and Go. As time went on, we've documented numerous Apple patents on this subject in our NFC Archives. In a new Apple patent revealed this morning, we find that Apple has been advancing their peer sharing technology in ways that will dramatically quicken the process of data sharing. The newly proposed system utilizes a unique magnetic compass and encoded supersonic tone methodology. Apple notes that their new methodology will also allow you to share information on your iPhone easily with other devices like your iMac, MacBook or stereo system. Apple, as always, is focused on making new technology work easier for the consumer.  

 
On April 20, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest trademark application for "Startup" under application 85296886. They've also filed for "Mission Control" in Europe. Although Apple has used Startup in the past associated with Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs, we believe the new mystery trademark may have something to do with a new or future retail in-store class teaching consumers how to start up with their new Apple product(s). While we may like to think that it's something associated with Apple's forthcoming OS X Lion, the trademark's International Classes may not support such a position. But until it actually surfaces, its true purpose remains a mystery.

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 18 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second report of the day we cover Apple's granted design patents relating to their polycarbonate MacBook and the user interface for their "Maps and Compass" application. More interestingly we cover Apple's data center call queuing system as well as a very interesting and detailed patent revealing Apple's service provider activation system used by AT&T, Verizon and others. This is a first-time peek at Apple's system and so we try to provide you with a detailed overview to help you better understand the scope of this system.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 18 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first of two reports today we cover design wins for Apple's 2007 iPod touch and iPhone 4 in addition to covering Apple TV and a key RFID patent. The RFID patent covers technology that will be built right into future iOS devices that will enable such things as wireless transfers of data from an iPhone to a desktop with just a simple shaking motion or even allow a user to open up a keyless hotel or car door with a simple swipe. It will also likely play a role in Apple's forthcoming iWallet feature set.  

 
Today, eleven iPod Nano Design Patents were published in China. Apple applied for the design in February and received registered status on Friday. The designs cover such elements as music, genius mixes, FM Radio and others. Apple launched the iPod nano with Multi-Touch in September 2010.  

 
There was a time not too long ago when an Intel Developer Conference (IDF) was considered one of the most anticipated PC industry events of the year. Yet that seems to have all gone to hell after Apple released their first iPad with an A4 processor inside. Apple dared to shatter the standard computing model by abandoning the traditional PC chip makers – and the Chip Gods fell to earth with a mighty thud. Was Intel caught off guard by the ferocity of the iPad's success? Yes – most definitely. They've been caught off guard ever since the debut of the iPhone in 2007. In fact all of Apple's competitors appear to be in some kind of perpetual stupor with every attempt at a counter attack being as anemic as the last. To be honest, Intel could never do it alone and with Microsoft fumbling in the dark and the amateurish Android looking more like Windows for the mobile age every day, it doesn't look promising. In today's report we hone in on Intel's central IDF keynote that honestly attempted to address the iPad revolution head on. Was it enough? You be the judge.  

 
Earlier this morning we posted a report covering Walker Digital's first patent infringement lawsuit against Apple concerning the iPhone's Map + Compass feature/app. On a second front, Walker Digital is suing Apple regarding their iTunes Store system. Apple is only one amongst 28 other defendants that offer online sales. The others include such brands as Amazon, Microsoft Wal-Mart, Verizon, Target and Saks. Less than a month ago Cordance Corporation sued Apple over their iTunes system as well. This is obviously going to take years before all of these iTune store system lawsuits get ironed out. As online app stores are about to explode onto the market in the coming years, these types of lawsuits will become commonplace as companies jockey for the right to royalties for their online sale patents. There's a lot of money at stake here for the winner(s) and the noise has only begun.  

 
The first of two major patent infringement lawsuits have been filed against Apple by Stanford Connecticut's Walker Digital. This heavy weight company which was behind such ventures as Priceline.com and others and originally funded by the likes of George Soros, Paul Allen and John Malone is suing Apple over its "Map + Compass" GPS based iPhone feature/app. The lawsuit which was filed against thirteen companies, singles out Apple and Google for willful infringement.   

 
On April 14, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published two patent applications from Apple that reveal the next chapters for both a new geo-location service system that uses WIMAX transmitters and a new EMI shielding process that is needed to support Apple's desire to create ever thinner mobile devices.  

 
On April 12, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office officially published Apple's latest trademark application for "Lion" under application 85288157. Apple's trademark was filed under a single International Class 009 for computer operating systems. The interesting twist to this is that while Apple claims that "Lion" has no specific color, the example that they provided the USPTO with is certainly green. It's like a forest green and I was actually looking for my Pantone color book to verify a specific number when it dawned on me. This is a special green. It's one the competition will be turning when they see Apple's glorious new OS debut this fall. It's called: Green with Envy. Obviously it's an inside joke and one that I like: do you?  

 
A new series of patent applications that have surfaced at the US Patent and Trademark Office recently, clearly indicate that Apple is working on new ways to simplify their multi-touch gesturing on both iOS devices and Mac's via multi-touch and/or Magic Trackpads. One of Apple's key patents within this group of nine, introduces us to some newly contemplated methods of gesturing. The methods include the use of mid-drag gestures, microgestures within gestures, and other gesture modification motions to modify and/or alter user interface behavior. One of the gesture modification motions already reviewed to date relates to Apple's use of Spaces on iOS devices. In the big picture, Apple states that their newly proposed methods and interfaces will reduce the cognitive burden on a user while saving battery life. If we're lucky, we may even get to see some of these new gestures playing out in various demo's at this year's WWDC keynote. Time will tell.    

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of eight newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The most notable patents of the day cover such things as the iPhone's built in compass technology as well as its unique nitriding stainless steel conductive bezel antenna. And yet the one patent that stood out prominently this morning was one that focused on bringing advanced multi-touch gesturing to a desktop display. Apple first gave us a peek at the iMac Touch last summer and now we see some of the gesturing that such a unit could employ. At this point in time, it's impossible to estimate when such technology will come to market – but it's evident that Apple is working on several angles to this project and we'll only see it come to market when it's actually ready to rock'n roll.   

 
The US Patent & Trademark Office just published Apple's latest trademark filing for "AirPlay." Apple's figurative trademark, as noted in our cover graphic above, consists of a rectangle and triangle. In September 2010 Apple rebranded their AirTunes feature to that of AirPlay.  

 
The US Patent & Trademark Office has published Apple's latest trademark application relating to a new iAd Graphic trademark to be used in advertising and/or marketing products or services. Apple introduced their new iAd service during a June 2010 Keynote. The newly applied for graphic may be associated with their iAd Producer programming tool. A second trademark filing popped up this week in Europe which relates to Apple's next generation operating system dubbed "Lion." Interestingly, their US filing for "Lion" has yet to be made public.  

 
A new Apple patent application points to advancing the cameras in all Mac and iOS devices to include advanced strobe lights of visible and invisible light. The strobe light provides the picture with important metadata to assist in deblur operations. I'm not the biggest camera buff, but this sound like Apple is once again working on improving their latest iOS device cameras to produce better and better photos and videos as time goes on.  

 
The first Apple patent of the day that surprised us was all about an incredible smart bezel using a secondary printed segmented electroluminescence display that would allow for hidden illuminated controls on devices such as the iPad. Apple's second patent surprise of the day is all about Apple devising a next generation iPhone that would effectively offer us a smart hybrid display that could switch between a standard LCD and an e-Paper display. In fact, it's so smart that the display could actually subdivide itself into quadrants that could intelligently switch display types depending on the content that the user is running. That would work very nicely with Apple's proposed use of Spaces on future iOS devices.   

 
Apple has been teasing us with various smart bezel patents over the last year but a new patent application revealed by the USPTO today, provides us with how they're intending to implement this feature and the details will blow you away. Apple intends to introduce a method that employs a very cool secondary display scheme that utilizes a printed segmented electroluminescence display. Apple intends to use the secondary display to introduce a new set of illuminated indicators that would be able to morph into various controls for work and play. Illuminated gaming and productivity controls could be built into the face-side of the bezel and/or selected back-side areas of iOS devices like the iPad. Apple is about to raise the bar for interactive device interfaces that will, no doubt, put absolute fear into the hearts of every iOS device wannabe competitor.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of eight newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second granted patent report of the day we have a real surprise. Apple has just won a patent for an all-new Hybrid DisplayPort/USB 3.0 high speed connector. This new and extremely slim connector will work on all iOS devices like the iPod and eventually work its way through Apple's entire hardware lineup. Apple has just introduced another high-speed connector called Thunderbolt and we know that they're also working on a new fiber optic based connector for the future. Yet this latest hybrid connector looks like a winner and one that we might see come to market later this year in handhelds or in 2012 when Intel Macs debut with USB 3.0. But let's be honest here: Wouldn't we all like to see this debut on the iPhone 5? Hmm, I think that I'm hearing a thunderous yes on that question.  

 
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of eight newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first granted patent report of the day, we focus entirely on four top tier multi-touch patents that cover technology related to multi-touch displays, autocalibration and virtual keyboards. As leader in multi-touch technology, Apple definitely hit another grand slam out of the park today.  

 
An interesting Apple patent surfaced last month that revealed their use of advanced laser welding methodologies and their contemplation of using another material for the iPad beyond aluminum. Yet hidden within this patent was the revelation that they're seriously considering the addition of a baffle system in future versions of the iPad. As Apple introduces more sophisticated multicore processors, camera optics and sensors into future iPad designs, it only stands to reason that a simple cooling system is in order.  

 
Late last week the European Trademark Office published two of Apple's latest trademark filings that expand the coverage for their registered "App Store" trademark. The first is for their "figurative" trademark which is shown in our opening graphic above. The second covers the words "App Store." Apple has expanded coverage from four International Classes to ten. The new classes cover such things as games for the Game Center, books for iBooks (magazines and all manner of publications), education and hardware covering tablets. There's also another interesting classification that you'll learn about in this report that you might not want to miss out on. Lastly, what I like about this filing is its timing so closely after Microsoft's second objection to the App Store trademark. It's almost as if Apple is saying: Take that! I'm sure that they're saying other things, but we'll leave that to your imagination.  

 
If I didn't carefully read the overview of a recent Apple patent, I could have easily missed the entire revelation of a new smart pen system that is being worked on in Apple's hallowed Cupertino labs. Although Apple has been amassing smart pen patents over recent years, nothing comes close to this one. The funny thing about this one is – there's not a single smart pen graphic to be had. No, this patent is different. This patent provides us with an overview, a master plan of how a smart pen could fit into the bigger picture. Apple is working on a very complex information collecting and retrieval system that is military grade and the smart pen simply plays a major role. Prior to the iPhone coming to market, the naysayers said that Apple would never get into the phone business. They just didn't get Apple's vision of "Think Different" – no matter their lip-service to the concept. Well, it's time to think different, again – whether they like it, or not.  

 
A little known company by the name of H-W Technology is suing Apple and 31 other companies for patent infringement. They're suing Apple over a multi-convergence device having a domain specific application that allows users to complete a merchant transaction without the need to generate a voice call. Although the lawsuit doesn't actually target a specific Apple device, the nature of the complaint would point to the iPhone.   

 
Yesterday, the US Patent Office published close to 35 patents for Apple and overnight we've dug up a few more interesting ones that we just couldn't get posted in good time. In today's patent report we're going to show you how Apple is advancing on two interesting market fronts. The first involves reinventing the Mini Jack for future wearable and miniature portable devices while the second involves pico-like projectors for portables like the iPhone and MacBook. The patent even hints of home theater and television systems. Curiously Apple is building an interesting portfolio of projector patents that seem to be inching their way to market ever so slowly.