When launching the reinvented Apple TV device last week Apple noted that the all-new Apple TV was built from the ground up with a new generation of high-performance hardware and introduced an intuitive and fun user interface using the 'Siri Remote™.' Well, the trademark symbol presented beside 'Remote™' may be a little premature as Apple just filed for this trademark with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Although the filing was made public today, the actual date is noted as being September 9, 2015, the day that the Siri Remote was officially launched during Apple's Hey Siri San Francisco event. One more thing: Apple hints in their trademark filing that Apple TV will become the hub for home automation as we predicted back in 2014.

Apple's Trademark Application In-Part for "Siri Remote"

Apple Hints at Home Automation with Apple TV

Apple's idea of a home automation system may have humbly started with an Apple patent application filed back in January 2010 regarding a smart-home energy management dashboard system. Then came word that Apple was about to introduce a new smart home platform during their 2014 World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). That became reality with the introduction of Apple's new HomeKit that revealed "Siri Integration" as noted as the last point of the slide presented below from WWDC 2014.

In a Patently Apple special report covering Apple's WWDC event specifically on HomeKit, the following was stated: …it's very possible that Apple could be thinking of integrating their new Home App right into Apple TV and finally bringing to market a true in-home digital hub that we've been waiting for. Is it a pipedream? Only time will tell.

When Apple introduced the new Apple TV last week with the Siri Remote I was hoping to see Apple introduce a Home Automation app/service. That didn't happen but Apple has provided us with the best clue yet that this is exactly what will occur over time. Buried in Apple's International Class 009 verbiage is found the specific term "home automation hubs" associated with Siri Remote as highlighted below.

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's documentation, the trademark was officially filed under International Class 009. Apple's filing presented the following specific verbiage for this class as follows:

"computer hardware; computer peripherals; handheld digital electronic devices; electronic voice command and recognition apparatus; computer hardware, computer peripherals, handheld digital electronic devices, and remote control devices for controlling the operations of televisions, video monitors, set top boxes, audio, video, and media players and recorders, game players, entertainment systems, home theatre systems, home automation hubs, and consumer electronic devices and displays; computer hardware, computer peripherals, handheld digital electronic devices, and remote control devices for controlling software applications and for searching, manipulating, controlling, storing, displaying, playing, and recording audio, video, and multimedia content, games, software applications, software application marketplaces, and program listings and guides; computer software for voice command and recognition, for speech-to-text conversion, for personal information management, and for accessing, browsing, and searching online databases, audio, video, and multimedia content, games, software applications, software application marketplaces, program listings and guides, and video on demand."

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