Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of continuation patents from Apple. This report covers four of them. The first relates to the Apple Watch fall detection feature. The system had been upgraded with the ability to communicate ECG data of a user to emergency services that wasn't available in the original Apple Watch feature of 2018. Apple also filed a continuation patents relating to devices using titanium and more.

Generally, the first of Apple's continuation patents covers techniques for audio looping information about a user to a service provider. In some examples, the user may have been involved in an accident (e.g., a fall, a medical incident (e.g., a heart attack or stroke), a car accident, or the like), and the information that is provided via the audio loop may identify the accident and/or a location of the accident. In some instances, the service provider may be an emergency service (e.g., a 911 operator or other appropriate service provider based at least in part on the location of the user).

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates a simplified block diagram illustrating an example flow for providing audio looping techniques. FIG. 2 is another simplified block diagram illustrating another example flow for providing audio looping techniques.

Apple advanced their fall detection system in May 2020 and then won a patent for it in December 2020.  Today, Apple's published continuation patent adds 20 patent claims to further protect its invention. The first new patent claim below states:

"A mobile device, comprising: a speaker; and one or more processors in communication with one or more memories and the speaker, the one or more processors configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored on the one or more memories to at least: determine whether a user has responded to a first user interface prompt displayed in response to detection of a physical event associated with the user; and in accordance with a determination that the user has not responded to the first user interface prompt after expiration of a first time period: begin a countdown timer to run for a second time period; during the second time period, output, via the speaker, an audio alert; during the second time period, output a haptic alert; and in accordance with a determination that the user has not responded to a second user interface prompt prior to expiration of the second time period, transmit a communication channel request to an emergency response service."

To review the other 19 new patent claims, check out Apple's continuation patent 20210110682 here.

"Titanium Parts having a Blasted Surface Texture."

Today the U.S. Patent Office published Apple's continuation patent 20210109568 titled "Titanium Parts having a Blasted Surface Texture."

Apple's invention describes future devices like a MacBook using a titanium substrate having a textured surface.

Apple states that it may be desirable to etch titanium while retaining a high-gloss surface finish via a blasting process that imparts the blasted and etched titanium part with a fine-scale roughness. In this manner, the blasted and etched titanium part is imparted with a distinctive surface finish that both diffusely and specularly reflects visible light. As a result, the blasted and etched titanium part is distinguished in both structure and appearance from a blasted conventional titanium part and a chemically etched titanium part.

The process or texturizing the surface of titanium alloys leads to a low gloss, matte surface finish, as a high-gloss surface finish is generally cosmetically unsuitable for portable electronic devices in the consumer industry.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates perspective views of various devices that could support titanium surfaces; FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method for forming a metal part.

Apple was granted this patent in January 2021. Today, Apple's continuation patent adds 13 new patent claims to better protect its invention. The first new patent claim states:

"An enclosure for a portable electronic device, the enclosure comprising: a titanium substrate defining a textured surface having peaks separated by valleys, wherein apexes of the peaks are separated from troughs of the valleys by at least 2 micrometers, the textured surface having a gloss value that is greater than 90 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees by a gloss meter."

To review the other 12 new patent claims, review continuation patent 20210109568.

The U.S. Patent Office also published Continuation Patents for:

"User Interfaces for Controlling or Presenting Device Usage on an Electronic device," Patent 20210109836. Apple adds 17 new patent claims and you could review them here.

"Unconventional Virtual Assistant Interactions," patent 20210110106. Apple has added 15 new patent claims that you could review here.

"Method and system for determining spatial coordinates of a 3D reconstruction of at least part of a real object at absolute spatial scale," continuation patent 20210110560. Apple has added 20 new patent claims that you could review here.

"Physical Activity and Workout Monitor," continuation patent 20210110908. Apple has added 12 new patent claims that you could review here.