Apple Wins a Wide Array of Design Patents

Beyond our coverage of Apple winning a design patent for an iPod this morning, Apple has won a wide array of new design patents that cover the following: iOS layout for iPad in both graphic and photo forms; iPad Packaging; Apple TV; The "Game Center" icon; a Nike + iPod icon and one that may relate to Keynote.

I'm not familiar with the design that seems to be related to Keynote. The design is in fact for the zip-like animation related to these folders. If someone is more familiar with this feature, please use our contact form and help us clarify the exact nature of this particular design.

Lastly, I'll point to the Nike + iPod icon above. I'm not familiar with this version of a running icon and I couldn't match it in Google. Is it new, discontinued or just not well publicized? The filing date related to the runner-icon is February 2012. If anyone has an answer, please take a moment and use our contact form and let us know.

Camera Patent: Image Capturing Devices using Sunny f/16 Rule to Override Metered Exposure Settings

Apple has received a Granted Patent that generally relates to cameras and more particularly to determining exposure settings for the image capturing devices.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 shows a portable handheld device having a built-in digital camera and a touch sensitive screen; FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a wireless image capturing device.

Apple's Patent Abstract: several methods and apparatuses for implementing automatic exposure mechanisms for image capturing devices are described. In one embodiment, an automatic exposure mechanism can use data from a light meter of an image capturing device to determine a metered exposure value associated with incident light. The automatic exposure mechanism can determine a rule based exposure value based on a predetermined rule and exposure settings (e.g., a predetermined light sensitivity of a capture media and a predetermined f-number of the image capturing device). The automatic exposure mechanisms can select either the metered exposure value or the rule based exposure value to set an exposure setting for the image capturing device.

Apple credits Ralph Brunner and Monique Relova as the inventors of this patent which was originally filed in Q2 2009 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Apple has also been granted for another camera related patent titled "Electro-mechanical shutter control." Patently Apple covered a similar patent a year ago.

Notice

Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.