Patent

Apple could add Force Touch sensors to the OLED Touch Bar on a future MacBook Pro if a new patent application by the company ever comes to fruition. The original Apple Watch was the first device to feature Force Touch, which sensed extra pressure when users pressed firmly on the display, allowing them to access additional content and controls depending on the context. In 2015, Apple...

Two patent applications filed by Apple appear to depict the company's widely expected AirTags item trackers (via Patently Apple). The filings, which include a large number of images, are titled "Mounting Base for a Wirelessly Locatable Tag" and "Fastener with a Constrained Retention Ring," and describe a wirelessly locatable tag that can be used to determine the absolute location of an...

Back in 2018, it was revealed that noted YouTuber and former NASA engineer Mark Rober had been quietly working in Apple's special projects group on several projects related to virtual reality. While Rober has since left his position at Apple, the company has continued to pursue patent applications based on his team's work, and a newly published application today relates to the team's efforts...

Apple is exploring the use of flexible displays to make convex devices, according to a new Apple patent filing published today. MacRumors concept The application titled "Electronic devices with convex displays," was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and builds a picture of how an Apple convex-shaped device may work. Apple devices such as iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro have...

A patent filing, discovered by AppleInsider, shows that Apple has developed a hybrid "combined" audio system using bone conduction technology. In a patent granted today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office titled "Multipath audio stimulation using audio compressors," Apple lays out its conception of an audio device that seeks to overcome the issues usually associated with bone...

Apple is exploring use of an accessory that would allow two iPads to connect together for notebook-style computing, according to a new patent filing uncovered by AppleInsider. The patent application titled "Modular multiple display electronic devices," filed today with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, explains that when two iPads or iPhones are connected together via an accessory, one ...

It's been increasingly clear that Apple has been working on an AR/VR Headset for the consumer market. Originally expected as early as 2020, the most recent rumors place its release in 2021 or 2022. But what's been less clear is the exact feature set a pair of AR/VR Apple Glasses will provide. Rumors have been scattered over the functionality with some internal debate about the direction of...

Apple is exploring new Apple Pencil technology that could allow the device to sample colors from the real world to use in digital art, drawings, edits, and more, according to an Apple patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this week. Titled "Computer System With Color Sampling Stylus," the patent describes a computer stylus that "may have a color...

Apple has won a new patent that would allow for "synthetic group selfies," as mentioned by The Verge. Should this software be successfully developed, users would have the ability to take group selfies while not physically present with anyone. Based on the patent application, it appears a user could invite others to take part in a group selfie, and the individuals would be arranged...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a new Apple patent application that describes a facial recognition system like Face ID being used to automatically update the orientation of a device like an iPhone or iPad, as noted by AppleInsider. The patent notes that the portrait or landscape orientation of a mobile device is currently determined using accelerometers or other sensors...

Apple today has been granted a patent for technology that could potentially be used to circumvent the issue of foldable displays creasing and cracking at the fold over time – a problem that has plagued many consumer foldable devices that have made it to market thus far. Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under the heading "System with multiple electronic devices," the patent...

Apple this week has been granted a patent for a foldable device with a unique hinge mechanism that utilizes movable flaps to help prevent the display from being creased or damaged when folded. Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today, the patent explains that the hinge mechanism would ensure adequate separation between the first and second portions of the display. When the...

Apple has all kinds of fanciful patents for imaginative devices that will likely never come to fruition, such as an iMac-like desktop computer made entirely of glass, which was shared last week in a patent published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Apple's patent describes an electronic device with an upper portion that serves as a display area, a lower portion that serves as...

A newly unearthed patent reveals that Apple is exploring how a future Apple Watch could help doctors monitor the symptoms of Parkinson's patients. Spotted by AppleInsider, "Passive Tracking of Dyskinesia/Tremor Symptoms" describes the use of special sensors in a proposed Apple Watch medical feature and the reasoning behind it. "There are an estimated 600,000 to 1 million cases of...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple several patents for smart Apple Watch bands with features such as biometric authentication, self-tightening, and an LED progress indicator, as noted by Patently Apple. Apple Watch with biometric sensor The first patent describes an Apple Watch band with a sensor that can authenticate the wearer based on patterns in their wrist's skin...

Apple has explored the idea of adding a camera to the Apple Watch, although not in the way one might expect. MacRumors mockup of Apple Watch with camera band The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent that describes an Apple Watch band with a camera or optical sensor affixed to the end of it. This would enable the Apple Watch to capture photos and video, with the Apple ...

In July 2017, Qualcomm filed suit against Apple in San Diego federal court, accusing the iPhone maker of infringing on six U.S. patents related to graphics processing architecture, power consumption, and envelope tracking technologies. Nearly two years later, the case is finally headed to trial. The trial begins today with jury selection, with proceedings expected to take up to two weeks. It ...

The foldable smartphone era is in full swing with the recent introductions of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, and while it remains unclear if Apple will follow suit, the company has at least explored ideas related to foldable smartphones in patent applications over the past few years. Huawei Mate X In a patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today,...

Last week, we reported on Apple's plans to close its retail stores in the Eastern District of Texas in April in an effort to avoid patent infringement lawsuits in the jurisdiction, perceived by many as being "patent troll friendly." Ahead of the closures, Apple faces yet more patent litigation in the district. A group of limited liability companies under the Optis Wireless Technology, LLC...

Multiple reports suggest that Apple is developing an augmented reality headset or glasses that could be released by 2020 or 2021, and a newly granted Apple patent may provide some broad clues about potential features. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent describing a "method for representing points of interest in a view of a real environment on a mobile...