The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 44 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover patents covering specialty features relating to AirPower and HomePod.  Our report also covers design patents for custom iMessage emoji, Animoji and Beats headphones. We wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple today.

HomePod with Smooth Directivity Transitions

Apple's newly granted patent (#10,237,645) covers their HomePod audio device. The system provides sound fields having smooth directivity throughout the audible spectrum of frequencies. And, some disclosed audio systems can render user-defined sound fields. For more details, check out Apple's granted patent here.

AirPower: Image-Processing-Based Foreign Object Detection

Earlier this month Patently Apple posted a patent application report titled "Apple invents a Foreign Object Detection System for AirPower that uses Machine-Learning."

Today's granted patent 10,236,725 is titled "Wireless charging system with image-processing-based foreign object detection." The two patents share the same patent figures except for the flowchart in FIG. 6.

While both patents mention machine leaning and image-processing-based foreign object detection, each respective patent presents more detail on its specific unique approach to foreign object detection. AirPower will likely combining these two techniques of discovering foreign objects

In today's granted patent it notes that "Foreign objects on the coil array such as metallic objects without wireless power receiving coils can be detected using image-processing-based foreign object detection."

In the end, if a "key" or "coin" falls on AirPower while you're placing you’re your iPhone to wirelessly charge, machine learning will quickly discover that the key is not providing AirPower's controller with an iDevice ID number and image-processing will determine that the key doesn't have a rechargeable coil and turn off AirPower to ensure that it doesn't overheat.

Apple's patent FIG. 6 above is a flow chart of illustrative operations involved in using AirPower with emphasis on image-processing-based foreign detection.

You could find full details of this invention here.

Design Patents Issued Today

Apple was granted several design patents today including a display for Apple Watches found in Apple Store watch tables. The other designs presented below include custom emoji, Animoji (both filed under "Type Fonts") and one for Beats headphones that were filed under "Audio Listening System."   

The lead designer listed on the Apple-Beats design patent is noted as Robert Brunner who just happens to have been Apple's Director of Industrial Design back in 1989. As noted in the graphic above he designed the Beats headphones. You could learn a little more about Brunner in this video-keynote here and Wiki here.  

The Remaining Patents granted to Apple Today

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