An Australian patent troll is claiming that Apple’s Face ID and Touch ID systems – especially when used with Apple Pay – infringe on three of its patents…
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A pair of newly granted Apple patents shows a MacBook wirelessly charging an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They describe two-way charging coils that can be used to charge the MacBook itself, but also used to allow the MacBook to charge other devices.
The patents also show an iPad charging an iPhone and Watch (right), and follow a separate patent application for a MagSafe battery case, which can charge both an iPhone and a set of AirPods …
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Last month, Apple patented a new version of the Touch Bar with built-in Force Touch technology. Now, the US Patent & Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for a “reconfigurable” Mac keyboard that is built with a small display for each key, allowing the keyboard to show different characters according to the user’s preferences.
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A long-running FaceTime patent infringement battle isn’t over yet, despite Apple paying VirnetX the full $454M awarded against it when the US Supreme Court rejected the iPhone maker’s appeal.
We noted at the time that the two sides were still arguing over a recalculation of the damages, and it seems the worst case could see Apple paying more than a billion dollars in total …
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If you’ve ever wished Apple made matte black MacBooks, a new patent shows that the company is at least considering the idea.
Apple begins by explaining the likely reason it hasn’t yet done it: it’s really hard to get a true black, rather than a dark grey …
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A new patent filing from Apple shows how the company is working on developing a dual monitor stand for the Pro Display XDR. The current Pro Stand is an elegant yet expensive accessory for the Pro Display XDR, and this patent filing shows how Apple might take things up a notch.
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A court has dismissed a lawsuit claiming that the Sign In With Apple feature launched as part of iOS 13 infringed a patent held by BlueMail developer Blix.
The court also rejected a second claim that the App Store suppresses competition with Apple’s own iPhone apps…
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We always caution that you can never tell which Apple patents will actually make it into products, but a patent for an Apple headphone intercom feature has to be a good bet.
Apple first debuted an intercom feature — albeit branded as walkie-talkie — on the Apple Watch. A couple of years later, it brought a more advanced version of the same idea to HomePod. And now an Apple patent application describes how the company might bring another more advanced form of intercom functionality to headphones…
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Two AirTags patent applications have been published today, describing an extremely wide array of potential applications, from locating the nearest defibrillator to monitoring our posture – and even playing avatar-based games.
Patents are often worded in the broadest possible terms, so there’s, of course, no way to know which of these ideas Apple might pursue, but there are certainly some interesting concepts in the mix …
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An intriguing Apple patent application published yesterday shows a MagSafe battery case which can not only charge an iPhone, but also a pair of AirPods. It follows Apple repurposing the MagSafe branding for the wireless charging system introduced in the iPhone 12 lineup.
The folio case design included an embedded battery …
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A patent troll that bought an old Casio patent is claiming infringement in the Apple Watch Series 3, 4, and 5. It seems likely that the company will now seek to extend its claim to the Series 6, too.
The troll is seeking an injunction that would prevent Apple from continuing to sell these models, in addition to asking for financial damages…
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Apple Watch Series 2 was the first model to be entirely waterproof, and Apple introduced an important feature to keep the internal components protected. As you may know, Apple Watch has a water-ejection system in which the speaker expels water — and this might come to iPhone, according to a new patent registered by Apple.
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Apple has today been awarded yet another patent for a form of under-display Touch ID. This would be another step forward in the company’s long-held ambition of ‘a single slab of glass,’ without bezel or notch.
The coronavirus crisis has of course made Face ID a much less effective method of unlocking an iPhone as it (generally) doesn’t work when wearing a mask …
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Stereo headphone inventor Koss last month sued Apple, alleging infringement of five patents on wireless headphones. The lawsuit targets both AirPods and Beats wireless headphones.
Apple is now hitting back with a six-point countersuit. Five of the counts ask for a court to rule that Apple has not infringed each of the five patents listed in the original lawsuit, while a sixth one claims that Koss has no right to sue anyway …
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Apple Watch Fall Detection has been credited with saving a number of lives, thanks to its ability to automatically call emergency services if it detects you falling and you don’t confirm that you’re ok.
But the feature could get even more sophisticated in future, with the ability to send comprehensive data to emergency services so they can get a sense of your condition before the ambulance arrives …
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We don’t know too much yet about the long-rumored Apple over-ear headphones, but a patent published today describes a couple of features that the company has at least considered: gesture controls, and rotation detection.
The two features would work in tandem …
There have been signs that Apple is making notable progress on its long-rumored Apple Glasses product, and a new patent application describes how you could control Apple Glasses with your eyes.
It’s not the first time Apple has described using eyes as an input mechanism. An earlier patent application described how tracking the direction in which you are looking could be used to video augmented reality experiences. This one is broader, however, with eye control playing a much bigger role …
A folding iPhone patent application published today describes an interesting potential approach to displaying notifications and interacting with the phone while it is folded.
Instead of the fold being in the centre of the screen, it’s offset so that a strip of screen is exposed in the folded position, as seen above…
An Apple patent application has described how transparent glass keycaps could be used to improve MacBook keyboard durability.
Rather fittingly, given the unhappy history of the butterfly keyboard on MacBooks, the patent acknowledges the difficulties inherent in trying to design a keyboard that is both thin and durable…
Finding that some investors are concerned about whether Apple will retain its dominance in years to come, Bank of America analysts have highlighted 20 patents which they say shows that Apple is still innovating.
The patents chosen to illustrate the point include several we have covered in the past, but a number of others which seem rather odd choices …
A new Apple patent application describes a way to use gaze tracking to video AR experiences using a ‘head-mounted display’…
The Slide-to-unlock patent battles continue, long after the company ceased using the original UI – though it did later introduce a variation on the theme in the upward slide gesture first seen in the iPhone X.
But this time Apple is defending itself against a claim that it infringed on someone else’s patents …
An Apple patent first filed almost two years ago looks rather prescient today: it allows you to create virtual group selfies with family and friends while maintaining social distancing, or even while you’re each in separate locations.
And for those people who always have to be front and center in a group photo, everyone in the image can create their own version, rearranging people as they like …
An Apple patent for the iPad Magic Keyboard shows a slot in the main hinge for an Apple Pencil. This would, in principle, address the concern some have expressed that there is no convenient place to store the Pencil while carrying the accessory.
However, while it has been suggested this might be for a later version of the keyboard, I’m guessing otherwise …