On the last granted patent day of 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple 74 patents. In this report we cover Apple's retail store rotating door system, link to a couple of Apple Watch patents, present 3 design patents, and as always, wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple today.

Rotating Door Systems and Methods

While Apple was granted a design patent for their Apple Store swinging door system back in 2016, today Apple was granted a utility patent for the actual door system mechanics.  

Apple notes that an aesthetically appealing and inviting doorway for a building may attract positive attention to the building, thereby increasing its status and/or recognition within a community. In some instances, it may be an important tool for attracting business. But, while an aesthetically appealing storefront may be desirable, there may be other important considerations, for example, crowd control. A doorway that individuals intuitively enter and exit may be an effective tool for crowd control.

Moreover, the impression a storefront gives and/or attention the storefront garners may be a consideration. For example, in a retail situation, a storefront that focuses customer attention on the products within the store, rather than on the storefront itself may be desirable. A storefront that customers intuitively enter and exit may focus their attention on the store's products rather than the storefront itself. In some instances, automatic control of the time and manner in which individuals enter a building may be desirable.

As described, embodiments of the present invention relate to rotating door systems and methods for opening and closing a doorway, such as a storefront. The rotating door system may include one or more rotatable doors configured to rotate about respective axes of rotation. In some embodiments, the axis of rotation of a rotatable door may be centrally located between opposing vertical edges of the door such that it rotates symmetrically about the axis of rotation. The one or more rotatable doors may be configured to rotate clockwise and/or counter-clockwise to allow individuals to enter a building or establishment (e.g., a store).

In some embodiments, a rotating door system may include a plurality of rotatable doors configured to open inwardly towards a geometrical center of a building or establishment, or a geometrical center of a portion of the building or establishment (e.g., a lobby or particular room). Rotatable doors configured to rotate inwardly may exude an inviting appearance to individuals outside the building or establishment. In some embodiments, the rotating door system may include a plurality of rotatable doors configured to open by rotating at the same time and/or speed.

In some embodiments, the rotation of one or more rotatable doors may be controlled by a controller. The controller may coordinate (e.g., synchronize) the rotational movements of one or more rotatable doors. In some embodiments, the controller may receive a signal from one or more devices (e.g., user inputs or sensors) to control the rotational movements of one or more rotatable doors.

These signals may be used to open the rotatable doors, close the rotatable doors, stop rotation the rotatable doors, prevent the rotation of the rotatable doors, etc. In some embodiments, the controller may control the rotation of one or more rotatable doors by controlling the operation of one or more actuators associated with one or more of the rotatable doors. Automatic control of one or more rotatable doors may be an appealing and effective method for opening and closing a doorway.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below shows a front view of a rotating door system in a closed position while FIG. 2 shows it in a closed position; FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a set of rotatable doors in an open position. 

FIG. 15 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary computer system in which embodiments may be implemented.

For the nitty-gritted details about the mechanics of the door system, review granted patent 10,876,347.

Apple Watch Patents

Apple was granted two Apple Watch patents as well today. The first is titled "Heartrate Tracking Techniques" and the second is titled "Force sensing for PPG heart-rate performance enhancement and contact detection."

Apple Design Patents Granted Today

The Remaining Patents granted to Apple Today