Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 42 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we briefly cover Object Detection-based Notification using Radar and an iPhone with a wraparound display. 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.

Object Detection-based Notification

Detection, classification, and tracking of objects in a physical environment is often performed using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors or computer vision techniques applied to captured optical-wavelength images. However, it can be difficult to detect or classify some objects, such as spatially uniform or optically transparent objects, using these sensors.

Apple’s granted patent relates to providing radar-based object detection, tracking, and/or classification for electronic devices (iPhone, iPad). Based on the detection and/or classification of an object, an electronic device may generate a notification or alert, such as to alert a user of the device that the object is approaching the device and/or a user of the device (e.g., due to motion of the object and/or motion of the user of the device). In one or more implementations, the radar-based object detection, tracking, and/or classification can be based on detection of a motion characteristic of the device itself. For example, a motion characteristic of the device may be the result, in some use cases, of motion of a platform on which the device is moving and/or user motion of a user of the electronic device that is carrying, wearing, and/or otherwise moving with the electronic device.

In one or more implementations, the radar-based object detection, tracking, and/or classification can be based on an extraction of surface features of an object from radar signals. As examples, surface features can include a radar cross-section (RCS), a micro-doppler feature, a range, an azimuth, and/or an elevation of the object.

In one or more implementations, the radar-based object detection, tracking, and/or classification may be performed using a radar sensor in a portable electronic device.

In some implementations of IR depth sensing technology based on IR-sensors can have problems in detecting transparent, highly reflective and/or uniform surfaces such as glass doors, windows, mirrors and uniformly colored walls. In one or more implementations, the subject technology can augment IR depth sensors in detecting these surfaces, estimating the range to the surfaces from the sensor, and classifying the type of the surface. 

In one or more implementations, object information and/or user information derived from the radar data obtained using the radar sensor can also be applied in other use cases. These other use cases include, as non-limiting examples, using the user's directly measured stride length to measure a distance traveled while walking and/or running, a number of calories burned during walk or a run, a number of steps taken during a period of time, or other measurements and/or estimates of health-related data for the user.

For full details, review Apple’s granted patent 12282084.

Electronic Device With Wrap Around Display

Today Apple was granted their tenth patent for an iPhone with a wrap around display as presented in the top patent figure #4. It dates back 2011 (filing) 2013 (published). The second patent figure is from April 2025 which could be a modernization of the original concept with a design closer to a current iPhone.

To review the full details of this invention, check out granted patent 12282361.   

This Week's Remaining Granted Patents