Granted Design Patents: Mac OS Logo, iPhone Genius Feature UI, Dock Insert

Apple has been granted three design patents today covering a dock insert, the iPhone's Genius Feature UI and finally - the Mac OS logo!

Granted Patent: Safari Browser SnapBack Feature

Apple's Senior VP of iPhone Software Scott Forstall and team members Donald Melton and John Sullivan are behind Apple's latest granted patent for Safari's SnapBack Feature which was originally filed in December 2006.

If you're not familiar with Apple's Safari SnapBack feature, they describe it this way: "As you search, one page inevitably leads to another. Before you know it, you've wandered far from your original search results. Thanks to SnapBack, a single click on the SnapBack icon takes you right back to your original search results."

To review the technology behind this feature, check out patent 7,823,054. Apple was granted another patent for this feature back in August 2009.

Granted Patent: Final Cut Pro

Apple appears to have been granted a patent for Final Cut Pro or one related to this program. According to Apple, the granted patent describes a method and apparatus for synchronizing audio and video streams. This method involves searching in the audio stream for audio data having values that match a distinct set of audio data values and synchronizing the audio stream with the video stream based on the search. In some embodiments, the distinct set of audio data values is defined by a predetermined distinct tone. In other embodiments, the distinct set of audio data values is defined by audio data contained in the video stream.

The AV capturing application noted in Patent FIG. 1 above as patent point #130 may be any application capable of capturing or recording data of audio and video signals (e.g., QuickTime). The AV editing application noted above under patent point #135 is noted as being Final Cut Pro.

Apple credits David Black as the sole inventor of Granted Patent 7,821,574, originally filed in Q4 2006.

Other Granted Patents (GP) Published Today

GP - 7,821,474 - Rendering Luminance Levels of a High Dynamic Range Display: Apple has been granted a patent that generally relates to high dynamic range displays. The patent describes the technology that's behind Apple's latest and greatest LED backlit displays.

GP - 7,823,214 - Accessory Authentication for Electronic Devices: Apple's invention, which was filed for in 2005, pertains to improved techniques to control utilization of accessory devices with electronic devices like the iPod. The improved techniques could use cryptographic approaches to authenticate devices like the iPod or iPhone.

GP - 7,822,713 - Method of Managing a Calendar and a Computer System for implementing that Method: Apple's granted patent, which was originally filed in 2006, is about methods, systems and machine readable media for operating Apple's iCal. Apple was granted another iCal patent just two weeks ago.

GP - 7,822,118 - Method and Apparatus for Control of Rate-Distortion Tradeoff by Mode Selection in Video Encoders: Apple's granted patent which was filed for in 2006, generally relates to the field of multi-media compression and encoding systems. In particular, Apple's patent discloses methods and systems for controlling the rate-distortion tradeoff in a digital video encoder.

Notice: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application and/or Issued Patent should be read in its entirety for further details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.