MacNN brings word that Apple, along with other assorted patents for the Mac Pro’s riser card housing, OS X’s GUI drawer-like windows, and the MacBook Air’s multi-touch trackpad, Apple has been awarded a patent for:
the iPhone’s casing design, highlighting elements like a divided construction and the ports at the top and bottom. Also visible are assorted speakers, buttons and switches, as well as the rough positioning of the camera. Many individuals are credited for the work, though notable inclusions are Apple’s lead designer, Jonathan Ive, and the company’s CEO, Steve Jobs.
Looks like the original iPhone 2G aluminum and plastic combo casing to our eyes, so unless the next-generation iPhone comes dressed a lot like the first gen, we’ll just chalk this up to better late than un-awarded…
MacRumors has dug up an interesting Apple patent application that would try to mitigate the difficulty associated with tapping while moving (i.e. jogging, back seat of cab, etc.) by dynamically increasing the size of targets in the user interface when it detects jerky motion.
Will we ever see it in an actual iPhone? Who knows. Would it be helpful if, while you’re trying to add a potential dates new contact info at the social while getting your krump on, the icons and input areas kept zooming up on you?
MacNN has unearthed an Apple patent that shows the concept of aluminum unibody design, first displayed in the current MacBook line, applied to iPods and even — potentially — the iPhone.
Gizmodo has presented some concepts along these lines before, though we’re still not sure how Apple would get around interfering with the 3G HSPA, and future 3.5G HSPA+ and 4G LTE and other radios inside a connected device (which is why they switched to plastic in the current gen iPhone to begin with).
Still, from a sheer design, build quality, and fit and finish perspective… drool.
[Image via Gizmodo]
No, not unlocking the iPhone from AT&T (JAR!), unlocking the iPhone so you can use it. Slide to unlock, passcode unlock, that kind of unlock. Okay, now if you’re still reading, Apple Insider has found some patent filings that suggest Apple is exploring things like biometrics (i.e. it reads your fingerprint while you slide to unlock), facial recognition (i.e. uses the camera to analyze who you are/might be) and pattern matching (i.e. choose unique shape combinations as a passcode). But it doesn’t stop there:
Apple goes so far as to suggest the possibility of recognizing the user’s distinctive voice or even collecting DNA samples to recognize a user’s genetic sequence. Biometrics could also be context-sensitive and detect the shape of a user’s ear before allowing a call to go through, for example.
Of course, many, many Apple iPhone patents have yet to see the light of day, so there’s no telling when, if ever, this functionality will be built into future iPhones. Still, it’s always nice to Apple is working on possibilities for those future iPhones.
But we have to admit, some of this is just so sci-fi we kinda want to see if they can really do it…
Apple patents are strange and mysterious things. Like sums over futures, they give us a peek at thousands of strands of potentiality, but no clue about eventuality. In other words, Apple patents tons of stuff, most of which we never see in actual consumer products. Some of these, however, are pretty interesting looking. The Register says:
One of the applications describes a “host machine” – looking much like an iMac in the accompanying drawings – that has battery-charging slots built into its body.
A second describes how the host machine could communicate wirelessly with mobile devices to monitor their battery power, notify users when it was time for a charge, and talk with other host machines about the state of the batteries it’s servicing.
A third describes a “intelligent universal rechargeable batteries” with pop-off end-caps that allow “battery chemicals” to be swapped out when they’ve reached the end of their productive lives.
The Black&Decker approach of one-battery-to-charge-them-all seems so un-Apple, but it would be convenient to a large segment of handy consumers. TiPb also recalls a previous patent that showed a MacBook docking into an iMac, so why not go from broke, Apple, and give us the iPhone to MacBook to iMac “Russian Doll” gadget? Check out the full article, linked above, for all the details, and let us know which, if any, tempt you.
(Thanks to Phil, news editor over at sibling site WMExperts for the tip!)
Apple Insider brings word that Apple has filed a patent for:
an ambient sound sensor to the iPhone that would allow the handset to adjust its ringtone volume to its surrounding audio environment, which would ameliorate potentially-disruptive audio outputs.
Sounds nifty! In addition, Apple has also filed for a patent for self-cleansing audio jacks:
An alternative cleansing method would allow the end portion of the adaptor plug to rotate freely through the application of compressed air. This method, Apple said, would force debris from the jack as the adaptor plug is removed and the switches that hold the plug in the jack are closed.
Of course, many of these patents never see the light of day, but we like that Apple is exploring many different alternatives for future iPhone development.
What makes capacitive touch displays so responsive is what makes them so unfriendly to hostile environments: they need skin-to-screen contact. Well, technically, they need the electric field around skin, and yet another Apple patent makes it seem like the iPhone team is figuring out a way for us to stay warm and still enjoy the multi-touch lifestyle. Says Apple Insider:
Apple’s solution would give gloves a second, inner layer beyond the surface that would simulate the electrical feedback of human fingers when exposed to the outside. Apertures at each fingertip would let users peel back the outer, more weatherproof layer to leave a finger protected only by the inner layer but capable of using touchscreen devices with roughly the same responsiveness as bare skin.
It’s freezing cold outside as I write this. Face hurting, lung searing, -17c, colder with the wind-chill coldy cold cold outside. So cold, in fact, that the thought of pulling off a downy mitten to “swipe my iPhone” has me cursing at the mere thought of a call. So, add a steaming mug of hot cocoa (the beverage, not the programming language!) and I’m sold. How about you, any other frozen iPhone users want to get your iGloves on?
MacRumors brings word of yet more Apple patents passing through the system, this time focusing on multi-touch gestures. How can you patent a gesture? Don’t get us started. The USPO has raised the bar on ludicrous so high a giant could now safely run under it. The particulars of this one is interesting to anyone interested in the iPhone interface, however:
For example, erasing and basic punctuation insertion, directional swipes (also referred to herein as “swipe gestures”) over the alphabetic keys can be used as an alternative to striking certain keys. Because the Space and Backspace keys are quite frequently used, they are logical candidates for the rightward and leftward swipes, respectively. Leftward and rightward swipes intuitively match the cursor travel caused by these symbols. Following this cursor movement analogy, the Enter/Return may be invoked by a downward swipe, and a Shift/Caps may be invoked by an upward swipe. Alternatively, as the Enter and Shift functions may be less frequently invoked, these may be substituted for other functions as well. One alternative mapping for the upward swipe, for example, could be to activate an alternative numeric and punctuation keypad or a particular punctuation symbol like an apostrophe or period.
Our question? Where’s the cut/copy paste gesture already?!
Apple has had more success than anyone marketing multi-touch as of late — we give you, the iPhone. But how far can even Apple push this technology? Right to the line? Past the line? Apple Insider sheds light on a new patent application that might just be way over the line:
portable multi-touch skins that can be wrapped around three-dimensional objects such as an iPod or steering wheel to provide addition GUI interfaces for those objects that can be configured via the touch skins themselves.
Too. Many. Jokes. Flooding. Blogsphere.
Apple envisions people using them to control music on steering wheels, or on tennis rackets for instruction. We’ll let you entertain yourselves with your own predictions, b’okay?
In similar fashion to the patent for a today screen, Apple Insider is reporting Apple’s new filing shows a way of displaying icon-like status indicators on the iPhone’s display even though the phone is locked with the backlight not turned on. Apple seems to be paying attention lately to alerts/notifications and that is great news!
Apple proposes the implementation of a dual backlight system, where a secondary, low-power backlight system would be positioned behind the primary backlight system. The always-on light provided by the secondary backlight system could then be projected through one or more transparent or semitransparent regions of the primary backlight system to reach the display even when the primary backlight is turned off.
The lack of a feature similar to this is one of the current iPhone’s biggest complaints. You leave your iPhone on a table and you walk out of the room for 5 minutes… during that time you get a email or missed call… you get sidetracked and don’t turn your phone on… you never know that a message is waiting for you. No blinking LED, no second audible alerts (unless it’s a SMS message), nothing. That is a major gripe that I hear over and over regarding the iPhone.
So as soon as this is actually a reality, it will give the haters one less reason to complain. It’s just too bad we will all have to wait until a future iPhone to see this feature.
[Via Apple Insider]
