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Topic: Apple

Your next iGadget? Check Apple patents (images)

Summary: While Apple is shrouded in secrecy over its upcoming devices, there's one place that can give clues: The US Patent and Trademark Office.

Andy Smith

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(Image: US Patent and Trademark Office)

Wraparound iPhone

What is Apple's next great feature or device? You can waterboard Apple execs and they won't tell. We know that Apple is doing something exciting behind the scenes with its research budget growing to $1.1 billion over the last three months. But there's one source of information that can give us some hints at what Apple is thinking: The US Patent and Trademark Office.

Last year alone, Apple was awarded 1,136 patents — good for 22nd place on the top 50 IFI patent list. Other notables include Google, which was just ahead of Apple, with 1,151 patents. BM was the leader, as usual, with 6,478 patents, and Samsung took second place, with 5,081 patents.

With its new and innovative products, Apple believe that it must protect them from competitors, such as Samsung, at all costs. That's why it keeps the patent office busy. Here, we'll look at a dozen recent awards that should give us an idea of what Apple is thinking.

Perhaps the most interesting patent award recently earned by Apple was for a smartphone design that "could include a full wraparound display and have no buttons". Enclosed within "transparent housing", a flexible display panel would be configured to "display content at any portion of the gadget's frame", according to ZDNet's Charlie Osborne. Sounds like a next-generation iPhone.

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Topic: Apple

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11 comments
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  • Apple? I thought they were "doomed"

    Or so we are being told by some ZDNet forum participants. And there's NO developer interest in iOS anymore. Absolutely none. Zilch. Zero. None whatsoever. Nobody's going to WWDC this year.
    Smalahove
    Reply 2 Votes

    • If you think Mario`s story is nice, , 1 week

      If you think Mario`s story is nice, , 1 week ago my mum's best friend basically also earnt $5998 sitting there a ninteen hour week in their apartment and their buddy's step-aunt`s neighbour has been doing this for six months and got a cheque for more than $5998 parttime from there labtop. use the guidelines from this address,, >> http://qr.net/kiS8
      bhaitoqeer
      Reply 1 Vote

    • :-)

      That's why the tickets were sold out in just 2 minutes. :-)
      Maria Davidenko
      Reply Vote

  • The title of this article should be...

    "Your next Android feature? Check Apple's patents."

    There are several half-baked features offered by many Android vendors (namely: Samesung) that Apple has been working on patents for over several years.

    Facial recognition and security features, the failed demo for Android that was rushed to market:
    http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2009/07/advanced-face-detection-recognition-security-system-coming-to-iphone.html

    Apple's patent application was published in 2009.

    Even though Apple has been working on this for quite some time, Android rushed it out. When Apple finally perfects it and starts offering it for iOS devices, the Android community will cry foul, saying Apple is copying Android, "again."

    Google Glass? Apple's been working on the concept since 2006.
    http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/07/apple-working-on-advanced-display-for-future-video-glasses.html

    http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2009/09/apple-wins-stunning-patent-for-new-ipod-video-headset-display-1.html

    If/when Apple finally releases their version, the Android camp will cry foul again.
    redgeminipa
    Reply 2 Votes

    • wow so interesting

      So wait just because Apple filed patents for certain technology before it was released on Android makes android the ones copying? You must be 5 layers of stupid to believe that. Do you really think that the Devs at Google and Samsung could just make a feature in 8 hours or something? Even if they did copy the idea from apple they obviously have better developers or apple wasn't planning on introducing it. Cause lets face it, Steve jobs if anything was a very good marketer. Android just best apple to the punch. Simple as that. Besides Android is only getting better while iOS is beginning to stagnate
      rackshatta
      Reply 1 Vote

      • And...

        You're the one that's 5 layers of stupid. 2009 to 2012 is 3 years, not "8 hours" as you said. Plenty enough time to do it.

        Apple has no problem holding out on a feature until the technology is there. The iPhone 5 with LTE is a perfect example. They waited for the 2nd Gen. LTE chipsets that are much smaller and much, much more efficient. I'd rather wait for a feature to be better perfected, instead of being a beta tester like many Android owners are for many of its features.

        Considering Android (Google-owned) wasn't even around in 2006, draw your own conclusion.

        As I said, the Android fans will cry foul. Thanks for proving my point.
        redgeminipa
        Reply 1 Vote

        • Do a little Googling first...

          http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034723/android-founder-we-aimed-to-make-a-camera-os.html

          So, Android wasn't even around in 2006 huh?

          Okay, so a pitch to investors for Android's photo cloud storage capabilities was made in 2004, Google acquired Android in 2005, iPhone was absolutely no where in the picture up until 2007 and yet, you say Android wasn't even around in 2006.

          Please try a little research before making a statement on the Web or hey, try doing a little Googling since Apple doesn't have its own search engine.

          iOS is a dated, stagnant and outdated product and poorly executed so please stop your rhetoric.
          dinodxynez
          Reply Vote

        • Just wait a little longer...

          I applaud your patience to wait until something is perfected before buying into it. By the way, have you bought a car yet? I'm guessing you're still walking, barefoot.
          timgesner@...
          Reply Vote

  • This is not "news" it's "olds"

    This patent has already been "reported' (belatedly) by ZDNet. And copious volumes of prior art have been already posted in response. Nothing to see here, move along.
    Mr. Copro Encephalic to You
    Reply Vote

  • So, the old business model is continued

    that is, repackaging others' poorly-presented hardware via look-and-feel "innovation".

    But others are increasingly better in packaging their own hardware in a marketable format, so where does this leave Apple?
    csomole
    Reply Vote

  • Since when are Apple secrets at the patent office "news"?

    ... Apple patent applications have been scrutinized for years and many have come and gone that never produced anything substantive, or at least which anything that was planned for the immediate future.

    CBS Marketwatch reported this wraparound iPhone thing with a much more cautious outlook that its probably a few generations away.
    Playdrv4me
    Reply Vote
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