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Apple Patent Reveals Dual Backlit iPhone Status Indicators

An Apple patent has been published showcasing Apple’s intentions to conserve iPhone battery power, by allowing users to check the status of their iPhones with dual backlit status.
The patent is primarily focused around conserving power and allowing users to easily check the status of services such as Email, phone calls, low battery warning, SMS messages [...]

10 Apple Patents to Keep Your Eyes On

Apple is on the cutting edge of technology innovation, and in order to properly protect themselves from copycats, they patent things like crazy. Silicon.com has rounded up and rated ten of the most interesting and absurd Apple patent submissions to keep your eyes on.

It’s important to remember that most of the concepts in these [...]

New Apple Patents Reveal Snow Leopard Tech Enhancements

Apple’s next major improvement to its operating system OS X will be primarily under the hood, delivering massive performance boosts, code refinement and overall architecture stability. Delivering on the promise Apple has made for Snow Leopard, InformationWeek points us to three new patents filed by Apple, revolving around the core technology being used in Snow [...]

Apple Patent Application Reveals RF Module Plans, Connectivity

Apple has filed for a patent application that would enable all or most of its gadgets and products to be connected via RF modules and the internet. This could further innovation with “out-of-the-home” connectivity, in an increasingly connected and wireless technology environment for consumers.
Apple is suggesting the use of tiny RF modules scattered all [...]

OS X Dock Patent Finally Awarded to Apple, Nine Years After Being Filed

Nine years after receiving the original patent filing, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has finally awarded Apple Inc, and inventor Steven P. Jobs the patent for the OS X Dock.
The original patent was filed on December 20, 1999 and aside from Apple Inc, three inventors were listed on the file, Bas Ording, [...]

New Patent Filings Purpose Improved iPhone Interface and Message Notification

Two recent Apple patent filings have been released by the US Patent & Trademark Office that could provide improvements to the iPhone’s interface and message notification.

The first of which, will provide a way for users to change preferences from one or multiple applications directly from the iPhone’s home screen. Filed in December by members of [...]

Clever Runners Force Apple to Patent Nike+iPod Sensor and Shoes

In a recently published patent filed by Apple, only authorized garments would work with your Nike+iPod Sport Kit combination. The patent has been set in place to thwart runners and athletes from using non Nike branded garments, or placing the Nike+iPod sensor in other shoes, jackets or garments.

The patent was published in March of 2007 [...]

Apple Filing Shows Future Potential of Nike+iPod; GPS, Ads and Sensors

A new filing by Apple shows the future potential that Nike+iPod has. The 20 page filing explains how the system could be used for real-time performance feedback, providing status of athletic gear, and possibly utilizing core location features to determine your location and convey advertisements as you run by establishments.

Whether Nike builds this directly into [...]

Apple Admits: Kane Kramer Invented the iPod in 1979, Not Our Idea

In order to avoid potential legal issues in a patent dispute case with Burst.com, Apple has finally admitted that a British man named Kane Kramer, who dropped out of school at the age of 15, is the original inventor of the iPod.

Roughly 30 years ago, Kane Kramer came up with the technology that is used [...]

The Future of User Input Revealed in Recent Apple Patent Filing

According to a recent 30 page US patent filing, Apple has been tinkering with a multi-touch system that will integrate visual and voice data into the control systems for its devices.

Filed by Wayne Westerman and John Elias, co-founders of Fingerworks, a firm that had been acquired by Apple prior to the launch of the first [...]

Briefly: Apple Applies for “Cocoa Touch” Trademark

On Monday, Apple filed a trademark applications for “Cocoa Touch”, the software toolset that was publicly unveiled at WWDC ‘08 in June.
Cocoa Touch allow 3rd party developers to access the iPhone and iPod Touch’s revolutionary Multi-Touch and accelerometer features included in the iPhone SDK Beta Version 2.0 released in March.
Apple has filed with [...]

Apple’s Multi-touch Tablet Techniques Outlined in Company Filing?

AppleInsider claims to have discovered a new company filing, where Apple Inc. showcases a slew of techniques that would enable a revolutionary tablet Mac to run a full version of Mac OS X, as well as be controlled by a full-sized multi-touch keyboard.

Several examples from the filing, which lists Apple industrial design chief Jonathan Ive [...]

Apple Files Trademark for Leopard System Preferences Logo/Icon

Yesterday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published Apple’s trademark application for its System Preferences logo.

The filing (#77535337) is a TEAS Plus Application under class 009 (computer Software for managing user system settings and preferences). The logo, used in all recent versions of Apple computer dock’s in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, is shown [...]

More Fuel for the iPhone Nano Fire

As we reported on August 3rd, the UK’s Daily Mail Online had gone on record after speaking with an industry source, claiming that Apple will unveil an “iPhone nano” in time for the holiday season for the pay-as-you-go market of O2 telecommunications. In Lehman Brother analyst Ben Reitzes’ August 5th research report, he observes that [...]

Apple Patent Application Reveals Add-On Broadcasting

A new patent application may be hinting at Apple’s interest in supporting iPod and iPhone add-on accessories capable of streaming audio and video.

Attaching directly to a device, the accessory will be able to receive transmitted signals including AM,FM,HD or satellite radio, TV standards such as cable, satellite, over-the-air or IPTV. via iPodNN.
The add-ons have been [...]

Apple Patent Application may be Hinting at Flash Support

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently released a sizable document detailing “Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by Applying Heuristics”. While patent #20080174570 contains vast amounts of information, one particular section may hint at Flash support on the iPhone, a feature that many have been [...]

New Patent: Apple to give language lessons.

For all of the innovation and practicality of the multi-touch user interface for the iPhone, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, the current gestures may still seem a bit limited. After all there are but so many gestures that you can currently use including zoom, rotate, scroll/browse, pinch, pan around, …etc.
Yet a recent patent [...]