Apple Granted 37 Patents Today Covering Two Major iDevice Technologies, Five Designs and More
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 37 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover two major iDevice technologies and five design patents. We wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple today.
Apple granted a Patent Relating to iDevices using an Accelerometer
Apple has been granted a patent today for their invention relating to a portable device. More particularly, this invention relates to operating a portable device using an accelerometer of the portable device.
Back in 2004 when Apple's original patent application was filed, a typical application of an accelerometer in a computer was to protect a read/write head of a hard drive. At that time, there had been a lack of applications that an accelerometer could have worked in conjunction with software executable within a computer – especially a mobile tablet or smartphone device.
At the time, Apple's patent illustrated the use of an accelerometer in conjunction with future games, navigation applications and more. Most of these applications are now key in Apple's iPad. Apple was well ahead of Samsung and any other competitor at the time and until today the iPad is the number one tablet around the world.
Apple credits Paul Wehrenberg, Aaron Leiba, Richard Williams, David Falkenburg, Louis Gerbarg and Ray Chang as the inventors of granted patent 8,698,744 which was filed in Q2 2010. It should be noted that Apple had actually been granted a patent for this in Q1 2010 under patent number 7,688,306. That patent dated back to 2004 or 3 years before the iPhone ever debuted. The original patent contained a whopping 57 patent claims. Apple's follow-up patent which was granted today, covers an additional 23 claims. To review today's granted patent claims and details, see Apple's patent.
Apple Granted a Patent for Touch Sensor Contact Information
Apple has been granted a patent today for another multitouch related patent. Apple's patent abstract states that an "Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.
Apple's patent FIG. 36 noted below is a flow chart of radial and angular hand velocity extraction.
I'm only sorry that I didn't open an archive for multitouch patents years ago because Apple has applied for a great number of patents on this subject matter and have received many granted patents on this key aspect of the mobile revolution.
A particular patent expert who used to be pro Apple and is now a pro Samsung fan has recently stated that Apple can't patent multitouch because you can't patent what a human's fingers will naturally do.
Yet the dumb-ass US Patent Office keeps granting Apple patents for just that very thing that this expert claims can't be patented. What is wrong with them? Don't they consult with patent experts to know that you can't patent what fingers do naturally? Sheesh.
But you know, in a way that certain patent expert has a point, because every time his name pops up in the press lately, my middle finger seems to just fly up all by itself. I guess it's that natural phenomena that he's referring to. I wonder what that's really all about.
Apple credits Wayne Westerman and John Elias as the inventors of this granted patent 8,698,755 which was originally filed in Q3 2007 just as the iPhone was debuting on the market. To review today's 30 granted patent claims and details, see Apple's patent.
Apple Granted Five Design Patents Today
Apple was granted five design patents today covering such things as their third generation iPod touch, a power adapter, retail packaging for their now defunct sixth generation iPod nano and two older iOS icons designs for FaceTime and Game Center which have since been updated to a flatter design in iOS 7.
The Remaining Patents granted to Apple Today
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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 Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Comments are reviewed daily from 4am to 8pm MST and sporadically on the weekend.
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