Apple Receives Granted Patent for Multipoint Touch Surface Controller

Apple has been granted another strategic patent for Apple Legal in respect to Multi-Touch technology. This time around Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to a multipoint touch surface controller that includes an integrated circuit including output circuitry for driving a capacitive multi-touch sensor and input circuitry for reading the sensor. Apple's patent also reveals various noise rejection and dynamic range enhancement techniques that permit the controller to be used with various sensors in various conditions without reconfiguring hardware.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a computing device incorporating a multi-touch touch screen and multi-touch touch screen controller; patent FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computing device incorporating a multi-touch touch screen and multi-touch touch screen controller; and finally, Apple's patent FIG. 9 illustrates the sequence in which drive waveforms of varying frequencies are applied to the multi-touch sensor.

Apple credits Steven Hotelling, Christoph Krah and Brian Huppi as the inventors of granted patent 8,279,180 which was originally filed in Q2 2006 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple Receives Granted Patent for Spirals, a new iTunes UI Feature

Apple has received a Granted Patent that relates to graphical user interface for presenting a list and more specially a graphical user interface for presenting a media list. In September 2010 Apple first introduced us to a new Spiral based iTunes UI feature and provided us with a nice overview. In December of 2010 Apple opened the flood gates and showed us that the new Spiral interface may replace Cover Flow in iTunes. The new design is said to work with both standard and Multi-Touch displays. Today's granted patent relates to the latter patent referenced.

Apple credits Michael Neuman and William Bachman as the inventors of granted patent 8,281,244 which was originally filed in 2009 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Final Patent Round-Up

Over and above the granted patents that were specifically reported on today, we present you with links to all of the other granted patents in our Final Patent Round-Up as follows:  

Apple granted patent for now defunct Mighty Mouse under 8,279,176: Titled "Mouse with improved input mechanisms using touch sensors." See patent figure 15 below and photo of what the Mighty Mouse looked like for those who never saw it in 2005.

8,280,465: Titled "Wireless adapter for interfacing between an accessory and a device." This is Apple's concept docking station that never made it to market. See patent figure 8 below. This filing goes all the way back to 2008 which likely means it's past it's time. Some think otherwise. I guess time will tell.  

8,280,863: Titled "Real-time or near real-time streaming with compressed playlists."

8,280,038: Titled "Microphone line based detection of headset plug removal."

8,280,171: Titled "Tools for selecting a section of interest within an image"

8,280,770: Titled "Method and apparatus for selling subscriptions to periodicals in a
retail environment."

8,279,625: Titled "Printed circuit board radio-frequency shielding structures"

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.