Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 63 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we briefly cover an iPhone accessory for comfortably watching Apple TV+ series, movies and video content in general. We also touch on a patent illustrating Apple Pencil working with an iPhone. We also cover two design patents and more. And, as always, we wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple this week.

Head-mounted Display Apparatus For Retaining A Portable Electronic Device With Display

Patently Apple was first to cover today's invention way back in 2010. It was a granted patent report with the original filing going back to 2008. In total there have been 17 'continuous patents' covering this invention. The concept was to insert an iPhone into a smart frame and use it to view things like movies, video content and so forth.   

Usually I wouldn't cover a patent going back that far. Yet with this granted patent came 20 new patent claims. That's normal, though Apple added a new technology for this invention that has never been a part of the original patent. Apple  introduced an "adjustable optical module."

Apple's patent claim #1 states: "An electronic device comprising: a frame; a first eyeglass temple; a first hinge that connects the frame to the first eyeglass temple; a second eyeglass temple; a second hinge that connects the frame to the second eyeglass temple; a speaker in the first eyeglass temple; a connector that provides a wired communication interface to an external portable electronic device; and an adjustable optical module that is configured to display an image that is presented for an eye.

Patent claim #2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the external portable electronic device is a cellular telephone, wherein the wired communication interface is configured to direct audio from the cellular telephone to the speaker, wherein the adjustable optical module is a left adjustable optical module that is configured to adjust a left image that is presented for a left eye, and wherein the electronic device further comprises: a right adjustable optical module that is configured to adjust a right image that is presented for a right eye, wherein the frame has a nose recess that is interposed between the left and right adjustable optical modules, wherein the left and right adjustable optical modules are configured to account for myopia; a display control in the first eyeglass temple that is configured to control a display brightness; a volume control in the first eyeglass temple that is configured to control a volume of the speaker; a microphone; and one or more accelerometers configured to detect head movements.

In total, Apple lists "adjustable optical modules" 17 times and only in the 2024 granted patent. This is an all-new feature. Why add an all-new feature 16 years later? While this doesn't mean it's still a viable project, it does make you wonder if a "slim iPhone" would make this concept come to life as an iPhone accessory. Why not watch an Apple TV+ episode or movie in private on a bus or subway etc., instead of holding your iPhone in your hands? It's a longshot to be sure, but not an impossibility considering the new feature added.

For details, review granted patent number 12126748. Apple modernized the entry-level iPhone accessory in 2019 as presented below. 

Another Minor Granted Patent of Interest 

Granted Patent #12126847: Rendering For Electronic Devices

Apple patent FIG. 3 above illustrates a use case in which the electronic device #105 (iPhone) is implemented as a smartphone. In this example, the display #225 concurrently displays a background #312, multiple icons #310 (e.g., application icons), a battery indicator 300, a process indicator #304, a button press indicator such as volume indicator #306 resulting from a press of a volume button #309, and a signal strength indicator #302, at a time when an user input (e.g., from an input source such as a stylus 308 as indicated by arrow #321) has caused a scrolling animation of the icons #310 in the direction indicated by the arrow #323 (e.g., a scrolling action from one home screen of the device to a next home screen of the device).

Does Apple have any interest in challenging the Samsung Galaxy Ultra? 

Granted Design Patents

This Week's Remaining Granted Patents