Apple Wins Patents for Inductive Charging & iOS Scrolling, Rotating & Resizing on Displays
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 27 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first patent report of the day we cover a pair of Apple patents that could be fuel for future litigation regarding iOS functionality relating to scrolling lists, rotating and resizing content on multi-touch displays. Another patent win covers an iOS docking station based on inductive charging that has yet to surface. Perhaps this granted patent opens the door for its release in the not-too-distant future. To wrap up our report, we list eight other patents in our final wrap up section that covers such things as an uninterrupted virtual private network (VPN) connection service and a light sensitive display.
Apple Wins Patent for Inductive Charging Dock
Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to circuits, methods, and apparatus for adapters, such as inserts and cable adapters, and docking stations that include one or more of the following: reradiating antennas to enhance wireless signal integrity, inductive charging circuits, and wireless or optical data links. To date, Apple has yet to debut an inductive charging dock for iOS devices.
Apple's patent FIG. 12 illustrates a docking station that includes a reradiating antenna and an inductive charging circuit for inductively charging a handheld device. As shown, the dock housing is configured to receive a handheld device. While the dock housing is shown to receive the handheld device in an upright position, other dock housing configurations for receiving the handheld device along its other sides are also possible. The dock housing is further configured to enable charging the battery of the handheld device through an inductive charge coupling mechanism, and to also provide improved wireless communication by integrating the reradiating antenna as shown. The charge circuit is connected between the inductive charge coupling mechanism and a port for receiving power.
Apple credits Victor Tiscareno, John Tang and Stephen Zadesky as the inventors of this patent which was originally filed in Q1 2008 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent notes application number 11/970,504.
Apple Wins iOS Patent for Scrolling Lists, Rotating & Scaling Documents on Touch-Screen Displays
Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to devices with touch-screen displays, and more particularly to scrolling lists and to translating, rotating, and scaling electronic documents on devices with touch-screen displays. This looks like it could be another patent that Apple will fiercely use against their competitors.
Apple's Patent Claim 1 reads as follows: A device, comprising: a touch screen display; one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for: detecting a movement of an object on the touch screen display; scrolling a list of items displayed on the touch screen display in a first direction in response to detecting the movement; displaying an area beyond a terminus of the list if the terminus of the list is reached while scrolling the list in the first direction while the object is still detected on the touch screen display; and scrolling the list in a second direction opposite the first direction until the area beyond the terminus of the list is no longer displayed, in response to detecting that the object is no longer on the touch screen display.
Apple credits Bas Ording as the sole inventor of granted patent 8,209,606 which was originally filed in Q4 2008 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Apple's lists 21 patent claims.
Apple Wins iOS Patent for Resizing User Interface Content
Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to computing devices, including but not limited to, computing devices and methods for managing user interface content and user interface elements. The patent extends to the to the iPad, all MacBooks and handhelds.
Apple's Patent Claim 1 for this patent reads as follows: A method, comprising: at a computing device with a display and one or more user input devices adapted to detect user gestures: displaying on the display a user interface including at least one user interface element, wherein: the user interface element has an initial aspect ratio, and the user interface element is configured to be resized within the user interface in response to user gestures detected with the one or more user input devices; detecting a user gesture, the user gesture corresponding to a gesture to resize the user interface element within the user interface, wherein the user gesture includes a contact with a visibly displayed at least a first resize handle in conjunction with the user interface element and one or more directional movements within the user interface; in response to detecting the user gesture: visibly displaying a first alignment guide that bisects the user interface element and the first resize handle, wherein the first alignment guide includes positions representing different sizes the user interface element can be resized to while maintaining the initial aspect ratio of the user interface element; resizing the user interface element within the user interface in accordance with the user gesture; while resizing the user interface element within the user interface: while the first alignment guide is visibly displayed: when the user gesture is substantially aligned with the first alignment guide, maintaining visible display of the first alignment guide; and when the user gesture substantially deviates from the first alignment guide, terminating visible display of the first alignment guide; while resizing the user interface element within the user interface, and after the visible display of the first alignment guide is terminated: when the user gesture intersects an axis corresponding to a 1:1 aspect ratio for the user interface element, visibly displaying a 1:1 aspect ratio alignment guide in conjunction with the user interface element, wherein the 1:1 aspect ratio alignment guide includes positions representing different sizes the user interface element can be resized to while maintaining the user interface element in a 1:1 aspect ratio.
Apple credits Will Thimbleby, Jay Capela and Christopher Weeldreyer as the inventors of granted patent 8,209,630 which was originally filed in Q1 2010 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Being that Apple fiercely protects their iOS patents and the fact that we never know which ones they'll use to challenge their competitors with in court, we try to present those patents that could be used in future legal cases every Tuesday.
Final Patent Round-Up
Over and above the granted patents that were specifically reported on today, we present you with links to all of the other granted patents in our Final Patent Round-Up as follows:
8,205,499 Method and apparatus for checking an acoustic test fixture
8,207,946 Light sensitive display. This is Apple's fifth granted patent relating to a light sensitive display. We last covered it in October 2011.
8,209,749 Uninterrupted virtual private network (VPN) connection service with dynamic policy enforcement
8,209,612 Application of speed effects to a video presentation
8,209,540 Incremental secure backup and restore of user settings and data
8,209,525 Method and apparatus for executing program code
8,209,446 DMA controller that passes destination pointers from transmit logic through a loopback buffer to receive logic to write data to memory
8,209,376 Application-specific group listing
Notice
Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.
Check out Patent Bolt's Latest Report Titled: (1) The Patent behind Microsoft's Digital Pen for Surface Tablets (2). Samsung Invention Points to a Coming Hybrid Tablet-Notebook
Sites Covering our Original Report
MacSurfer, Twitter, Facebook, Apple Investor News, Google Reader, Macnews, iPhone World Canada, MacWorld Sweden, CSDN China, Chron.com Hearst Communications, Blogrunner NY Times, MacWorld Sweden, Computerworld Techworld, Bits from Around the World NY Times, 9to5 Mac, iClarified, iDevice Romania, SlashGear, BestTechInfo, Mashable, AppAdvice, iDownloadBlog and CNET.
Techmeme, AppleInsider, Gizmodo Australia, Giga Germany, GottaBeMobile, Webhosting Poland, Ubergizmo, phoneArena, GGSoku Japan, Allt om Mac Sweden, New MobileLife China Venture Beat, MacGenio Spanish, iCreate Magazine Netherlands, MMagazin Germany, AppleWeblog Madrid Spain, Mac Life Germany and Paylasim (Necil) Turkey.
PCWorld, Washington Post, International Business Times UK, Ubergizmo France, iPhoneAddict France, Macerkopf Germany, One More Thing Netherlands, iPhoneAddict France, iPhone3GSystem France, MacTechNews Germany, Mobile & Apps, Network World, GeekyGadgets, Stuff TV UK, Tech2ipo China and PC Advisor.
MacDailyNews, ZDNet France, Digitoday Finland, Telekom Presse Austria, Macnotes Germany, Le Journal du Geek French, News Candy, Jailbreak Nation, iPhoneclub Netherlands, App Ticker Germany, Techline Hungary, Eastern Morning Herald, PC Magazine, Celularis Madrid Spain and MovilZona Spain.
Wall ST. Cheat Sheet, Menly France,The iPhone 5 News Blog (mobile), Video
Games Zone Germany, PortalTIC Spain, ARN Australia, iAppTaiwan, iPhone-Apple France RazorianFly, Teach-Me Biz Japan, BestTechInfo, iPadizate Spain, Macplanet Greece, PC Games Germany, Ars Technica, GigaOM, and more.
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