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June 2012

Apple Wins 8 New Design Patents in Hong Kong China

1 - Apple wins 8 new design patents in Hong Kong China
China's Hong Kong IP Department has officially published a series of eight amount newly registered design patents for Apple Inc. late on Friday. Our report presents you with four of the design patents in color and four completely different designs in Black and White.

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Apple's Retina Display Patent Comes to Light

1. Apple's Retina Display Patent Comes to Light
On June 28, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a system and method to improve image edge discoloration. Yet at the heart of the patent, Apple states that "some embodiments of the LCD panel may be a model of the Retina display, available from Apple Inc." So if you want to know the lowdown on Apple's Resolutionary display, or at least certain aspects of this magical beast, it's now here for you to feast your eyes on.

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Apple Files Patents for GarageBand, Multiple Camera Sensors & New Optical Display Coatings

1. Apple files patents for garageband, multiple camera sensors & new optical display coatings
On June 28, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published patent applications from Apple covering GarageBand, multiple camera sensors for iDevices, new optical display coatings and more. The US Patent Office has yet to publish the patent graphics for the patents we cover today. When they do, we'll update our report accordingly. Apple's dearth of patent applications now runs five straight weeks. Where oh where are Apple's talented engineers of late? This is the longest running patent drought since Patently Apple has covered Apple's patents.

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Apple Opens iTunes Store in China & Early iPhone Rumors Dashed

1. Apple Opens iTunes Store in China & Early iPhone Rumors Dashed
According to Focus Taiwan, Apple has opened its iTunes online store to Taiwan, Hong Kong and 10 other Asian countries Wednesday in a broad push to sell music and video to more users in its fastest growing markets. Up until now only the Apple App Store has been available. The new iTunes online store will also service fans in Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos. This should be a huge positive to Apple's bottom line for Q4 2012. In other news, DigiTimes reports that upstream supply chain sees no signs of Apple starting mass production of new iPhone in July contrary to recent rumors.

 


Apple Wins Patents for iPhone Acoustic Testing Device & New iOS Unlock Feature

1. Apple wins patents for iphone acoustic tester device & new iOS Unlock Feature
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 27 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second and final granted patent report of the day we cover the original iPhone acoustic testing device, an iPod touch industrial design with a twist and an interesting new iOS device unlock feature never seen before. To wrap up our report, we list eight other patents in our final wrap up section that covers such things as shared multiband antennas and secure device configuration profiles.

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Apple Wins Patents for Inductive Charging & iOS Scrolling, Rotating & Resizing on Displays

1. Apple wins patents for inductive charging & iOS scrolling, rotating & Resizing on Displays
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 27 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first patent report of the day we cover a pair of Apple patents that could be fuel for future litigation regarding iOS functionality relating to scrolling lists, rotating and resizing content on multi-touch displays. Another patent win covers an iOS docking station based on inductive charging that has yet to surface. Perhaps this granted patent opens the door for its release in the not-too-distant future. To wrap up our report, we list eight other patents in our final wrap up section that covers such things as an uninterrupted virtual private network (VPN) connection service and a light sensitive display.

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Chinese Company Holding the iPad Trademark in Trouble

1. Chinese Company Holding iPad Trademark in Trouble
A Chinese court on Wednesday heard a Taiwanese company's appeal to liquidate Proview Technology which has been in legal disputes with Apple over the use of the iPad trademark. If they lose, say analysts, the iPad trademark case against Apple could be brought to an abrupt halt.

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Apple Files Security, Display Luminance & Flash Memory Patents

1. Apple Files Security, Display Luminance & Flash Patents
On June 21, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of utility centric patent applications from Apple that cover security, display luminance, flash memory, mobile device simulation and more. In the big picture, the vast majority of Apple's annual patent-count is derived from utility patents. These are the kinds of patents that take care of all the tiniest of details behind Apple's most popular products, processes and manufacturing. They might not represent the visionary side of Apple, but they sure keep the trains running on time. They're also part of Apple's legendary and fanatical detailing process that goes into every upgrade and next generation product. On the flipside, we sure hope that Apple's creative and visionary side reemerges because the volume of patents of late in that area have been nothing shy of anemic. Here's to hoping that Apple is in the process of changing gears and inventing their next generation of knock-out products for us to enjoy.

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Apple Files for Several Key iOS 6 Trademarks in Canada

1. Apple Files for Several Key iOS Trademarks in Canada
Apple trademark applications pertaining to their new iOS 6 applications and icons have surfaced in Canada this week. The trademark applications include those for Guided Access, Apple's new Maps icon with a turn-by-turn reference, Flyover and Passbook (name and icon). Our brief report presents the new icons and more.

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Hon Hai: Apple's iPhone 5 to put Samsung's Galaxy III to Shame

1. Hon Hai - Apple's iPhone 5 to put Samsung's Galaxy III to Shame
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, trading as Foxconn, is the manufacturer behind Apple's iPhone and iPad in addition to manufacturing the Xbox for Microsoft and the Playstation for Sony. On Monday, Hon Hai's chairman Terry Gou told China Times flat-out that he urges "consumers to wait for the launch of the iPhone 5," saying that "the new model will put Samsung's Galaxy III to Shame."

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Apple Wins Patents for Search, Mobile Device Navigation & More

1. Apple Wins Patents for Search, Mobile Device Navigation & More
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 16 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first report posted this morning we covered a major patent relating to an Anti-Big Brother surveillance patent. In our second report we mainly cover two of Apple's granted patents. The first relates to methods and iOS user interfaces for on-device search functionality. The second relates to mobile device aided navigation technology. The latter represents Apple's humble beginnings into what has become turn-by-turn functionality that is coming to iOS 6 natively later this year. To top off our report, we cover a few industrial design wins for Apple and provide you with a list of ten additional patents in our final wrap up section for your review.

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Apple Wins Surprising Anti-Big Brother Surveillance Patent

1. Apple Wins Anti Big Brother Surveillance Patent
One of the most surprising patents ever to be granted to Apple has been made public today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. It is one of the most interesting patents that I have ever read. It reads like a science fiction novel borrowing from George Orwell's 1949 book titled "Nineteen Eighty-Four." It also has shades of the 1982 movie the "Blade Runner," where the Master Cloner invents a method of implanting false memories into clones so as to provide them with a confident self-image. It also borrows from the movie "The Matrix," where fooling the bots of your presence was an everyday means of survival. Apple's patent is about saving your online identity from what they describe as the "Little Brothers Dataveillance." It's about a method of assisting users to keep their personal information hidden in a Cyberworld that is constantly building a profile on them. It appears that Apple will be able to "save us" from these Little Brothers in the future and it looks as though they're going to execute this via your iCloud ID. Today's report is deliberately lengthy so that you don't miss a detail of Apple's very important anti-big brother surveillance patent. This is really wild stuff.

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Inductively-Powered Ring Shines in Fujitsu's iPhone App Patent

1. Inductively-Powered Ring Shines in Fujitsu's iPhone App Patent
In May we reported on Fujitsu developing an in-vehicle navigation system that will use Apple's iPhone. Today we're reporting on a wild inductively-powered ring that works in conjunction with Fujitsu's developing sensor network system; A system that ties into a new application that is being designed for Apple's iPhone. If you thought that the iPhone only ran tiny commercial apps and games, think again. This system is mind boggling and covers many possible applications including healthcare monitoring of patients, environmental and habitat monitoring, military and homeland security surveillance and more. Due to the fact that this is a Fujitsu patent application, our report only provides you with a basic overview of this new system.

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Apple Files Patent in Korea for Radial Style Menus

1. Apple Files Patent in Korea for Radial Style Menus
Patently Apple has discovered that Apple has filed a patent in Korea relating to Radial Menus that could apply to both OS X and iOS as is illustrated in our cover graphic. Apple states that their invention is "directed towards the presentation of menu or toolbar options in a graphical user interface. Specifically, the invention is directed towards presenting these options in a radial form." This is Apple's second patent application regarding this particular form of presenting menus and/or toolbars, though they have others that borrow from this theme that we link to in our report.

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Apple Urged to Unify its Global Intellectual Property Right Standards

1. Apple Urged to Unify its Global Intellectual Property Right Standards
According China Daily, Chinese authorities are urging Apple to unify its global intellectual property protection standards, in the wake of ongoing allegations that the US technology giant has infringed on the rights of some prominent Chinese writers.

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Apple Partners with China's AutoNavi for Turn by Turn Navigation

1. Apple Partners with China's AutoNavi for Turn by Turn Navigation in iOS 6
According to a new report posted by China Daily, Apple is embracing Chinese developers. One in particular worth noting is AutoNavi. According to China Daily, "AutoNavi's navigation application showed up in Apple's latest operating system on Tuesday, replacing the Google map application." Although this appears to fly in the face of a recent Engadget report, it's highly likely that Apple has chosen AutoNavi in China and TomTom in North America and Europe. Our report clearly illustrates that Apple is indeed a partner of AutoNavi.

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Apple Invents Device with Removable Back Panel Optical Options

1. Apple Invents Device with Removable Back Panel Optical Options
On June 14, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of their research projects involving a camera device that provides the user with configurable optic options. The unique aspect to this is the device's removable back panel. Although Apple's patent background mentions a mobile phone, their actual summary and patent detailing mention nothing of a phone in any traditional way. So the device could either represent a next generation iPod touch as a means of differentiating it from the iPhone or a standalone camera that Apple has been playing with since 2009. While Apple has toyed with the idea of adding various lenses to handhelds via an external accessory in the past, their concepts were never in-line with Apple's great design ethic. Today's design seems to properly address the need for better portable device optical options while retaining an Apple-like form factor. The only real question remaining is this: Is Apple designing this removable back panel design as part of a standalone camera or as part of the iPod touch's reinvention. Which do you think it'll be?

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Apple's iTicket, Siri & Mapping Patents Rock in iOS 6

1. WWDC 2012 - New iOS 6 Features & More Found in Apple Patents
Now that Apple's Main Event Keynote is over, Patently Apple presents you with a look at some of the patent applications that came to life on Monday. This time around, the big winner was software. Our report takes a look at Apple's Mega Ticket Patent which was by far the star of the show while others touched on 3D mapping, augmented reality, Siri and much more. While Apple's competitors are overly focused on Apple's industrial design form factors, Apple once again took their software to new heights by upgrading both their desktop and mobile operating systems with flair. Unless Windows 8 with its Metro user interface could mount a challenge against Apple, it looks like Apple isn't only a runaway freight train, but one that just happens to own the tracks.

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Apple Wins Patents for iOS Editing on iDevices, LTE & 3D Mouse

1. Apple Wins Patent for iOS Editing on Devices, LTE & 3D Mouse
Today, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-three newly granted patents for Apple Inc. Today's report focuses in on four of these patents, with Apple's iOS editing on iDevices being the most important of all. Also included in today's report is an industrial design win relating to Apple's iPad's display module which lists the late CEO Steve Jobs as one of the inventors.

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Is it Time for Apple to launch their Cellular MacBook Pro?

1. Is it Time for Apple to launch their Cellular MacBook Pro
The 3G standard was still considered a voice centric standard that wasn't really designed for data services. The new LTE standard was designed for the data services era. Apple uses LTE in their latest iPad and their own marketing states that "The new iPad supports fast cellular networks the world over — including 4G LTE networks in the U.S. and Canada. So you can browse the web, stream content, or download a movie at blazing-fast speeds." Today, Apple has ten granted patents to their credit regarding a future cellular MacBook and has many other patent pending applications in the queue. In 2013, Intel's architecture powered by their next generation processor known as Haswell will introduce "Always On" capabilities for the Ultrabook. Translation, it'll offer consumers LTE or 4G capabilities. With LTE options available today for the iPad, is it not time for the cellular MacBook Pro to emerge? The question is really quite simple: Will Apple wait for Intel's 2013 architecture to offer LTE on MacBooks or will they lead and begin to offer LTE options for their new MacBook Pro starting tomorrow? I'd like to think that Apple will lead but there are no guarantees. What do you think?  Our Report has been updated, 2PM June 11, 2012

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Apple iPhone to Add Baidu Search in China, Dump Google

  1.5 - Apple iPhone to Add Baidu Search in China, Dump Google
On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that "later this year, Apple is planning to oust Google Maps as the preloaded, default maps app from the iPhone and iPad and release a new mapping app that runs Apple's own technology…" Today, we read that Apple's next move against Google is to replace their search services on the iPhone with search services from China's Baidu as soon as their contract with Google expires. Some think that could be as early as next week.

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Apple May be Eyeing Sharp's Next-Gen IGZO Displays

1.1 - Apple may be Eyeing Sharps's Next-Gen IGZO Displays

Last December we first reported on Apple's possible switch from IPS to Sharp's IGZO displays for future portables and a possible HDTV. In March we followed up with a report titled "The Foxconn-Sharp Alliance is all about Apple's Coming HDTV." Today we take a brief look at a new report from Japan's Nikkei BP that discusses a new twist coming to Sharp's next generation of IGZO displays that range in size from 3.4 to 13.5 inches. With Sharp being one of Apple's iPad display suppliers, any new development is worth noting. One of the designs coming to market is a 3.4 flexible display that's illustrated in our cover graphic. Could we see any of these next-gen IGZO displays working into Apple's roadmap? Only time will tell.

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Apple Reveals New Morphing Interface Feature for QuickTime

1. Apple Reveals New Morphing Interface Feature for QuickTime

On June 7, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals their work on possible new QuickTime interface controls. The new controls will allow users to set a speed of playback which will provide users with superior playback accuracy. The new controls temporarily replace the traditional timeline scrubber. When the user taps on the scrubber, the interface will begin to morph and pop-out in 3D fashion to reveal the new interface controls. It's a practical idea delivered in an interface that only Apple could dream up.

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Apple Wins Design Patents in China & Smart Cover TM in US

1. Apple is Granted Design Wins in China for Retail Display Units & MoreChina's Hong Kong IP Department has officially published a series of four newly registered design patents for Apple Inc. The designs cover two designs in both black and white and in color. One of the designs now integrates the Apple logo right into the retail display. In other IP News, the US Patent and Trademark Office has officially published Apple's "Smart Cover" as a registered trademark. And in closing, our report takes a quick look back at Steve Jobs presenting the new Smart Cover for iPad 2.

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Apple Wins Patents for Industrial Design, Future 3D Remote & Harnessing Power through Electromagnetic Induction

1. Apple Wins Patents for Industrial Design, Future 3D Remote & Electomagnetic Induction
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-two newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second report of the day we cover a wide range of granted patents covering everything from industrial design to a futuristic 3D Apple TV remote and even a way that Apple envisions of harnessing power through electromagnetic induction to help extend battery life on iOS devices. It's another fruitful day for Apple granted patents.  

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Surprising Win for All-New Apple iWallet Credit System Patent

1. Surprising Win for All-New Apple iWallet Credits System Patent
Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office granted Apple a patent relating to an all-new iWallet Credit System Architecture. It's a surprising patent win for Apple considering that it was an acquired patent from two inventors in Finland and originally published in Great Britain. Apple refilled it in March 2011. The new credit system architecture is a separate wing of Apple's originating iWallet architecture and deals with a subsidization program that works with sponsors and advertisers. If a consumer doesn't chose a subsidized iPhone, then the credits earned for working with advertisers and sponsors could be used to purchase Apple products and/or services. Last week we learned that Research in Motion's BlackBerry will be the first smartphone in Canada to offer consumers a viable mobile wallet system this fall. With that aggressive schedule in play, you have to wonder how far behind Apple's iWallet really is now.  

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Mainland China Grants Apple a License to sell the iPad

1A. mainland china grants apple a license to sell the iPad
According to Chinese sources, Apple's new iPad has just been granted a network access license for the Chinese mainland, a step that will pave the way for the iPad to be sold in Mainland very shortly. Update 3:20 PM MST: Clarification: Although the license was granted to Apple this past Monday, a firm date as to when the iPad will actually go on sale in Mainland China has yet to be determined. We aplogize for jumping the gun with a firm date of this coming Monday.

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Taiwan Freaks Out Over Apple Considering US Plants

1. Taiwan Freaks Out Over Apple Considering US Plants
Tim Cook stated during a recent conference held by AllThingsD that he'd like to see more US manufacturing of Apple products. That apparently has rattled some Taiwanese sources and their reaction is captured in a report by DigiTimes this morning.  

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