On January 15, 2015, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of three patent applications from Apple that detail the specifics behind Apple Pay via Touch ID. The patent filings meticulously detail how the system will work with making future banking transactions or at current participating retailers and for purchasing apps and other digital media online via the App Store, iTunes and future online stores. The sole inventor behind all three patents that were originally filed in 2013 is Apple's software engineer Greg Kerr who came to Apple via the Authentec acquisition. Greg was VP of Software Development at Authentec.

Apple's first electronic wallet patent application surfaced in May 2010. Our first report covering this important new development was titled "Transaction: Apple's e-Wallet App Finally Surfaces in a Patent." For Patently Apple fans, today was a very satisfying day as one of Apple's most important long-term projects finally come to life almost 4.5 years after it first came to light. It didn't come via rumors or from a self-created theories; it came from investigative work that we do week in and week out. And in the last 4.5 years we've covered every major Apple invention on this subject matter. In fact we're the only Apple site that created a special archive to cover this very important project. Today, Apple blew us away with their new digital wallet solution and service that they simply call Apple Pay.

An Internet-facing identity management system is vulnerable to a variety of attacks, including account take over, fraudulent activities, creation of fraudulent accounts and denial of service attacks. As hackers and fraudsters are getting better and more sophisticated in online transaction attacks, there is a need to detect and remediate fraud in real-time to protect consumers and businesses. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new fraud detection ID management system. To a certain degree Apple is already using it context with their iTunes online store. As Apple moves into the ecommerce world with a future iWallet, such a system is going to be a huge benefit to users. So with Apple testing out their new fraud detection system out now, it will ensure that the system is in place once they introduce their iWallet application which, from many accounts, could debut in the next year or two.

On July 31, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals new security control features for their future iWallet application. The new security system will work with an iPhone and Apple's iTunes Store on a Mac. The controls will allow parents to set boundaries for spending and track all purchases. Apple's patent also introduces us to the digital wallet processing engine. Last week a new rumor surfaced that discussed Apple's iWallet working with Visa's Digital Solutions sometime in the next year. Whether Apple's iWallet will make it to the iPhone 6 is unknown at this time.

On May 22, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new robotic arm system for testing iPhones. Before devices are sold to customers, extensive wireless tests are performed. Testing allows designers to optimize antenna and wireless transceiver performance. Testing also ensures that regulatory limits on emitted radiation levels are satisfied. As smartphones are now being designed with the capability to operate in a large number of frequency bands and using multiple antennas, conventional testing systems are becoming overburdened leading to potential delays. Apple has designed a new testing system that uses a new robotic arm. And while we're on the topic of multiple antennas, another Apple patent surfacing today reveals a new antenna structure that will combine NFC with Non-NFC communications to the same antenna. With Apple recently signing an e-Wallet deal with China UnionPay requiring NFC, Apple's latest NFC invention may very well be making its way to the iPhone 6.

On April 03, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a simple yet sophisticated next generation SIM card tray ejection system. The system is activated on a future iOS touchscreen UI virtual button. The new system adds a new level of security for SIM cards which will be important as future iDevices may support bank related SIM cards for credit and/or debit.

On January 16, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a secure iWallet system that goes beyond NFC to include new Air Interfaces including a form of Bluetooth, such as iBeacon. Apple began to roll out iBeacon for Apple stores in December and so we're getting closer to Apple's iWallet application. Apple's invention generally relates to methods and apparatuses for conducting a wireless commercial transaction that is both user friendly and secure.

Apple has been working on an iWallet or electronic wallet since 2010 if not earlier. They've built quite the body of intellectual property to support their future iWallet which you could view in our iWallet Archives. Today, a new in-depth iWallet patent was published by the US Patent & Trademark Office. Apple's latest invention generally relates to systems and methods for carrying out secure transactions. More specifically, the present technology relates to systems and methods for performing secure transactions using optical codes and optical code readers.

On June 11, 2013, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 37 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we cover a key iWallet patent that relates to setting financial rules for controlling a subsidiary account such as one for a child, employee or spouse that an account holder will be able to control via a new iTunes "Mobile Pay" Service.

On May 16, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals their ongoing work with their future "Shopping App." Apple first revealed an extensive patent filing for NFC as it related to "Shopping" back in 2010 as a companion app to their future iWallet. Just like Apple's Passbook keeps gift cards, coupons, tickets and passes into an organized app, Apple's iWallet is likely to contain another round of things that relate to their financial app and the "Shopping" feature is just one. Last week's update to the Shopping app focused on methods of setting payment option preferences and more. Today's patent application adds at least five major aspects to the "Shopping" apps patent claims. The base of the patent doesn't change much if any. It's all about securing key aspects of the invention that Apple wants to protect, just in case they have to go court over it in the future.

On May 2, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that they're once again advancing their NFC project which began back in 2008. Apple has established a firm foundation for future NFC applications ranging from shopping, banking and everyday interconnectivity with other devices in the home, with a friend or retailer. Today's patent application relates to methods for setting payment option preferences in Apple's future e-commerce app that they've temporarily dubbed as the "Shopping" app.

On May 2, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that they're once again advancing their NFC project which began back in 2008. Apple has established a firm foundation for future NFC applications ranging from shopping, banking and everyday interconnectivity with other devices in the home, with a friend or retailer. Today's patent application relates to establishing an NFC session. Our report also provides a list of eight other patent filings for the techies in our community.

On April 9, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a new granted patent from Apple that reveals a new feature that has yet to come to market. As such, Patently Apple will present this granted patent in the form a new patent application report that goes deeper into the technology presented. Apple has been razzed for a while now for not having a technology for the iPhone that is similar to Samsung's Beam that lets users share large files from one smartphone to another using NFC. Apple's newly granted patent provides such an interactions and so much more. Apple's solution works between a Mac and iPhone and provides editing software to crop, scale and adjust images. Apple had the technology mapped out in January 2010, or about 30 months prior to Samsung's public release of this feature for the Galaxy SIII.  

On April 4, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new iWallet transaction patent covering a method for conducting a financial transaction. In February we posted a report asking the question could this be the year that Apple introduces their iWallet. Apple's latest patent application revelations reveal that they're still working on new specifics of this future application. Apple is closer to finalizing their iWallet project but the timing of its debut remains a mystery.

On January 31, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that out of the box thinking is still alive and well at Apple. In a way, Apple's latest invention could be considered one of many apps associated with a future master iWallet App. Under today's Passbook App we see a series of services within it such as handling gift cards, coupons, passes and tickets. Apple's iWallet App will likewise carry a number of sub categories for credit, debit and a new one related to a proposed ad-hoc cash dispensing network using iTunes and Maps. Apple states that there are times when you just need cash and with no ATM's in sight their new network will be able to bring a cash requester together with a cash provider using a new App that make the processes somewhat painless. If you love nightlife, this could very well come in handy. But it's not for everyone, that's for sure.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 48 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. One of the top patent wins for Apple today covers Apple's second granted patent for an iWallet component relating to a motion based payment confirmation system. We first covered Apple's patent application on this matter back in August 2012 under the title "iWallet: Apple Intros Virtual Equivalent of a Credit Card Swipe." Apple's granted patent reveals their virtual equivalent of a credit card swipe on an iDevice GUI. The iWallet is going to be a major iPhone application in the future that could very well end up being one of the most important apps of the decade. Today's granted patent was filed for in August 2012 under number 8,364,590. 

On December 6, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published well over seventy-five patent applications from Apple. The vast majority of these filings were about boring everyday necessities to keep products humming along like video codecs, security sandboxing, backup and restore functionality, Flash Memory techniques and stuff to keep the iPhone advancing, such as integrating Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (ODFM) technologies, and more. Yet within this mountain of new patent filings we were able to find a number interesting advancements to standing projects worth noting. In this particular report we specifically focus on three areas of technology. The first relates to ejectable component modules for e-commerce, the second relates to iDevice thermal management technologies and the third relates to all things photography.   

Rick Oglesby of consulting firm Aite Group weighed in as to why Apple passed on including NFC into their latest iPhone-5. "Apple is likely to wait to enter the payments business aggressively. Apple took a similar approach to 4G LTE wireless technology – waiting until coverage was wide enough this year to unveil an iPhone that uses it." He added that "They won't do something until they know a lot of their customers will use the service."

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 56 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. One of the key patents that were found within this group relates to Apple's future iWallet. It's a patent that happened to sneak through the patent application process in 2009 by not being listed as an Apple assigned patent. This newly granted patent reveals Apple's virtual equivalent of a credit card swipe on an iDevice GUI. The iWallet is going to be a major iPhone application in the future and it's one that Apple is meticulously designing. The iWallet could very well end up being one of the most important apps of the decade.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a newly granted patent for Apple Inc. today that relates to their future iWallet in respect to shopping and shopping lists. Apple's published patents relating to their future iWallet began to roll out in 2010. At this year's World Wide Developer Conference, Scott Forstall, Apple's Senior VP of iPhone Software, revealed Passbook which was basically a sneak peek at an iWallet component. Apple's recent acquisition of AuthenTec falls into line with their iWallet project, as Apple had published an earlier patent covering a future iPhone with fingerprint scanning capabilities. Apple had previously acquired another fingerprint scanning patent back in 2010 which further strengthens this project. At this very moment nobody knows when Apple will officially launch their full iWallet application, but logic strongly suggests that it could be in the 2013/2014 timeline.

On July 26, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published yet another extraordinary patent application from Apple that reveals new details regarding Apple's future iPhone-NFC controls system. Our report mainly focuses on the new system as it relates to an iDevice controlling and interacting with a possible standalone television in addition to an expanded version of Apple's current Apple TV styled device. The updated Apple TV could one day control cable or satellite television programming and video game play via a video game controller. This would really be a boost for Apple if users were able to play high end RPG video styled games with a standard styled controller. Further, Apple's invention runs deep and they envision NFC ready iDevices being able to control standalone cameras, projectors, in-home security systems, lawn sprinkler systems, your thermostat, garage door and more. One of these fine days, future iDevices will finally support NFC; and when they do – watch out, because Apple will open the floodgates and release a new generation of applications noted in this report and others like their forthcoming iWallet. Will Apple's next generation iPhone 5 finally be the one that will introduce NFC? Only time will tell.

On July 12, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals their intent to build an ejectable tray into future iDevices, including the iPod touch, which will accommodate specialty modules such as a smart card. Apple has updated this patent which was actually granted to them in March of this year. The activity involving this patent is a great sign that Apple may be putting the final touches on this feature before bringing it to market. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) recently approved Apple's Nano SIM which opens the door for Apple's future iWallet application to come to market. Apple's current patent goes beyond just smart cards and will allow future iDevices to store data on flash cards and beyond.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 23 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first granted patent report of the day we mainly focus on a major patent relating to iTravel, Apple's transportation check-in system. The timing couldn't be better for this patent as Apple recently announced that a new feature called "Passbook" was coming to iOS 6 this fall. Scott Forstall, Apple's Senior Vice President of iPhone Software, stated that Passbook would include travel services such as a boarding pass and express check-in which today's iTravel patent covers. The Near Field Communications (NFC) aspect of the patent will also be important for Apple's future iWallet application. To round off our report, we cover two of Apple's latest industrial designs wins and list an additional ten utility patents for the super geeks and legal professionals amongst us to review. 

Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office granted Apple a patent relating to an all-new iWallet Credit System Architecture. It's a surprising patent win for Apple considering that it was an acquired patent from two inventors in Finland and originally published in Great Britain. Apple refilled it in March 2011. The new credit system architecture is a separate wing of Apple's originating iWallet architecture and deals with a subsidization program that works with sponsors and advertisers. If a consumer doesn't chose a subsidized iPhone, then the credits earned for working with advertisers and sponsors could be used to purchase Apple products and/or services. Last week we learned that Research in Motion's BlackBerry will be the first smartphone in Canada to offer consumers a viable mobile wallet system this fall. With that aggressive schedule in play, you have to wonder how far behind Apple's iWallet really is now.  

On April 26, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that introduces us to gifting iTunes purchases via NFC or email. Apple's patent generally relates to digital media content and electronic devices being configured to transfer information from one user's account to another user's account. Apple will also allow users to share iTunes Playlists – though at a cost being that it's in context with "gifting," as Apple calls it. It sounds like a great idea and it should be available when NFC based iDevices finally debut.