Uspto Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Apple patents multitouch gestures

by Mike Schramm (Apr 30th, 2010)

Patently Apple reports that Apple has picked up a major patent from the USPTO for a long list of mutitouch gestures. The gestures all involve moving two or more fingers on a multitouch surface, and cover everything from cut and copy shortcuts to global search and find and replace motions. I'm sure ...

Sixteen new Apple patents, from CoverFlow to iDVD

by Mike Schramm (Apr 8th, 2010)

The USPTO published a whole slew of new patent applications from Apple today, covering everything from iChat to some CoverFlow animation. Patently Apple has the whole writeup as usual. Probably the most interesting thing among them is a "virtual keyboard for media players" that uses a modified ...

Apple granted patent for touch-sensitive bezel

by Mel Martin (Feb 3rd, 2010)

The Patently Apple website is reporting that Apple has been granted patents dealing with tablets and advanced touch technology. The first patent concerns an 'intelligent bezel' where a user could control volume, brightness, zoom or even controls for games by sliding a finger along the edge of the ...

Patent hints at next generation Apple TV

by Mike Schramm (Feb 2nd, 2010)

The USPTO has published seven different patents from Apple today, including one that might be found in the next generation of the Apple TV. The patent allows for a "Remote Control System that can Distinguish Stray Light Sources" -- in other words, a Wii style remote that can pick out a certain type ...

Apple patent filings outline input device gestures, solar iPods and iPhones

by Steven Sande (Jan 23rd, 2010)

Apple's reputation as an innovator doesn't seem to be waning at all. Two recent patent applications published Thursday on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site show that Apple is dreaming of new gestures using input devices and solar-powered iPods and iPhones. These applications are just a ...

Apple wins comprehensive patent for iPhone, bares teeth at Palm

by Robert Palmer (Jan 27th, 2009)

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Apple patent number 7,479,949 covering key aspects of the iPhone's multi-touch user interface. The filing, with 358 pages of drawings and Steve Jobs as its first author, comprehensively describes the iPhone operating system's interface, and how ...

Patent Roundup: 'Hover' touch surfaces, liquid-cooled laptops

by Robert Palmer (Dec 4th, 2008)

Two Apple patent filings have piqued interest this week: One for a touch surface that detects where your finger is hovered above it, and another for a liquid-cooled laptop. The hover surface works by measuring light reflected off your finger at various wavelengths to figure out where it is over the ...

Apple applies for patent on head-tracking media display system

by Robert Palmer (Nov 6th, 2008)

Apple has applied for a patent for an "automatically adjusting media display in a personal display system," a kind of head-tracking eyewear that gives the user "the impression of being in the theater." From the claims of the patent, the device looks not unlike a pair of goggles that display a ...