Today, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of thirteen newly granted patents for Apple Inc. In today's patent report we focus on Apple's original hybrid antenna, their reinvention of photo management for smartphones and their first patent win for location tracking. In May 2010, location tracking became the focus of a senate hearing where both Apple and Google executives faced a grilling from Senator Minnesota Democratic Rep. Al Franken. Apple's Bud Tribble confirmed that Apple doesn't share personally identifiable information with third parties. Even though that was reassuring, the issue isn't going away any time soon. Just last week the Supreme Court basically stated that law enforcement must obtain a search warrant if they're to use GPS and location tracking technologies on suspects. Something tells me that this won't be the last time that the issue of location tracking abuse is brought into question. For now, we simply appreciate the tamer side of Apple's location tracking used for route planning and all things touristy.  

Patently Apple is making some changes over the next quarter and some glitches are bound to occur during that time. We ask for your patience. Thank you. Beyond that, see our message after the break.  

With Apple having snubbed Intel's every offer to win them over to their mobile processors, Intel is deadly focused on challenging Apple's MacBook Air and eventually their iPhone and beyond. In 2013, Intel will be introducing the Haswell processor that will allow Intel's Ultrabook to offer a very smart ultrathin notebook-tablet form factor that will be able to challenge Apple's mobile platform. Yesterday, Intel showed how they're ramping up on the software side of the Ultrabook by signing an agreement with RealNetworks to purchase approximately 190 patents and 170 patent applications worldwide, as well as next-generation video codec software, for $120 million. As part of the agreement, Intel will acquire RealNetworks' foundational streaming media patents, expanding Intel's diverse and extensive portfolio of intellectual property. Translation: We're going to challenge Apple's iTunes on Ultrabooks and beyond in the very near future. 

On January 26, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's second Siri centric patent. Our first report on Apple's Siri was titled "Apple introduces us to Siri, the Killer Patent," which described a large basket of concepts and possible future applications. In Apple's second Siri patent, it's all about the "hands-free Context."  

Once in a while we're treated to a new Apple invention that virtually contains a new self-contained world of possibilities and vocabulary to enrich it. It comes out of the blue and feeds our need for meaty new technology brimming with potential. Today is such a day. This is such an invention. Apple's invention reveals a wild world of programmable magnetic devices, and more particularly, to security for computing devices and peripherals that may be provided by programmable magnets. And yet, it reveals so much more than that. Apple envisions this technology eventually working into iOS devices to produce wild haptic effects using Ferrofluids on touchscreens and virtual keyboards. It will also allow Apple's iOS to present light based points on the display as a way to guide a user through a process like a teacher. This is wild stuff folks and it only scratches the surface of what's to come. Grab a coffee, sit back and really enjoy one of the most fascinating patent applications to have surfaced in some time. Update 4 PM MST: Apple reveals inductive charging and/or other wireless charging using coded magnets coming to a new MacBook Dock in a secondary patent.  

According to court documents, Motorola has launched their second patent infringement lawsuit against Apple in Miami, Florida. In Motorola's new complaint they claim that Apple is infringing on six additional patents ranging from concealing an external antenna on a cell phone on through to a wireless messaging system. Motorola is mainly focusing on Apple's iPhone 4S smartphone and iCloud services as being the product and service infringing on their patents. It's safe to say that Google has given Motorola the green light and their blessing to proceed with this case.    

What an extraordinary week it's been for all things Siri. First there was our report titled "Siri, the Killer Patent" followed by news of Siri's trademark filing in China. Today we discovered that Apple has filed a series of nine trademark filings for Siri in the US. On a few occasions Apple has been known to breakdown an important trademark filing into a series of single filings with each covering a single International Class. This may speed up the process of approval with the USPTO or it may be done to ensure that they'll be protected on several fronts should one or two of the applications run into a snag with an examiner. Apple is covering Siri for a plethora of future application possibilities including those for social networking, education, a variety of travel-centric applications, television programming and a whole lot more. It'll be interesting to see what new Siri services Apple will roll out in 2012. Time will tell.  

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of eighteen newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. While our report covers a wide range of patents, the main one reveals yet another piece of the telephonic MacBook Puzzle. Today's granted patent represents Apple's seventh patent win on this future product front since September 2010. This particular patent snuck through the application system and just popped up on us as being granted. The second focus of our report today rests with the latest US patent statics for 2011 that proves Apple's critics dead wrong once again. When will they ever learn? 

Last Friday, Apple's attorney Robert T. Haslam of Covington & Burling, filed what is known as a "Letters Rogatory." By definition, such an action is a formal written request made by one judicial body to another court in a different, independent jurisdiction that a witness who resides in that jurisdiction be examined through the use of interrogatories accompanying the request. In this case, Apple is seeking to bring Ericsson Inc. into discovery so as to strengthen their defense against the case brought by Motorola before the International Trade Commission and in Germany. The testimony from Ericsson could help to establish a defense of unfair competition.  

On the very day that Apple's first patent application for Siri surfaces at the US Patent and Trademark Office, we just happen to find that Apple has filed for the Siri trademark in Hong Kong China. What's interesting here is that there's a certain degree of symmetry between the two applications which may reveal some of the core applications that are on the minds of those sitting at the round table in Cupertino.  

On January 19, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals the next thing in battery designs. As Apple designs yet thinner devices, and more importantly, a next generation of devices yet unknown, they need to have the ability and flexibility to shape and contour battery designs that will fit their specific dream designs and form factors.  

On October 4, 2011, Apple launched the iPhone 4S with Siri just one day prior to Steve Jobs passing. Today, the first killer patent application behind Siri was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office. It's clear that Apple's breakthrough technology is destined to go far beyond the iPhone and into devices like the iMac and a future HDTV. The timing of this patent application is appropriate, being that we just posted a report on Tuesday titled "Steve Jobs Credited with an Apple TV Patent for Episodic TV." The patent also reveals that Apple envisions the technology playing a role in vehicles and in-vehicle entertainment systems where an Intelligent Assistant will be considered the king of user interfaces. Apple's patent shows us that Siri will be able to be configured to work with various new scenarios and even act as an instructor when we purchase future devices. Forget using a manual – as Siri will simply teach us what we'll want to know about our new devices when we're ready to ask it a question about a new function or feature. Today we get a look behind the magic of Siri, and it is simply mind boggling. Report Updated, 2:45 PM MST: Siri Trademark filing information added.