C/Net posted a video report today talking up rumors about Apple's next-gen AirPods 3 with noise-cancellation and a possible new pro design that may or may not look like those in the mock-up rendering by Michael Rieplhuber.

While throwing around different patents numbers around to back up rumors can be fun for some, you could always check out the full range of patents relating to AirPods in our archives here.

EarPods Trademark Update

Yet what may be more relevant in the future is that Apple just filed for an upgrade to their EarPods trademark that introduces new legal protections under International Class 10 for the following:

"General wellness instruments, namely, health, fitness, exercise, and wellness sensors, monitors, speakers and displays for measuring, displaying, tracking, reporting, monitoring, storing, and transmitting biometric data, heart rate, body movement, and calories burned; hearing aids; hearing protectors; medical apparatus and instruments; ear plugs [ear protection devices]."

Apple's trademark verbiage supports many patent-pending features from 2009 through to 2018 (01, 02, 03, 04 & 05). The latter patents cover "a heart rate sensor, a VO2 sensor, EKG, and more.

Apple's trademark for EarPods was updated in both the EU and Hong Kong. Below is the basic information from their UK filing. In Hong Kong the trademark application was assigned number 305079628

Trademark classes are important because the trademark registration will only protect Apple's trademark(s) in the classes that have been identified in their application.

While the timing of this trademark is interesting, it doesn't guarantee that it will instantly be relevant to Apple's next version of AirPods but rather that it's possible health-related features are in the works for a future version.

SwiftStrike

In other IP News, Apple has filed for 'SwiftStrike', which is related to ARKit, in both the U.S. (as shown below in-part), and Hong Kong under number 305075604. Further below is a video of SwiftStrike in action.

Both trademark were filed under International Class 09. The U.S. version was as simple as presented below:

"Downloadable game software; downloadable computer software development tools; downloadable computer software used in developing other software applications; downloadable application development software."

The Hong Kong filing showed International Class 09 covered in about 5 large paragraphs of coverage from Computers; computer hardware; handheld computers; tablet computers to the ridiculous such as life saving apparatus and equipment; whistle alarms; animated cartoons; egg-candlers; dog whistles and much more.

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