Apple has been granted 29 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including one crediting late co-founder Steve Jobs and other Apple employees for the original iPad design.
The majority of the patents awarded relates to components and techniques, with the standout patent being one pertaining to the original iPad. No. D670,286 covers the "ornamental design for a portable display device." It credits Apple lead designer Jony Ive, Jobs and several other employees.
Other patents Apple was granted includes two wireless patents the firm acquired from Nortel and a patent based on FileVault, a method for carrying out encryption and decryption on Macs. Another design patent relates to retail packaging, which is called "the ornamental design for a display apparatus."
Elsewhere, Apple received a patent for crack-resistant glass for portable devices, a few for hardware cooling systems, and one relating to photo management for iOS devices. Techniques to adjust the audio output of devices joins the granted patents for Apple, as does the following:
- 8,307,287 -- Heads-up-display for use in a media manipulation operation
- 8,305,125 -- Low latency synchronizer circuit
- 8,305,897 -- Quality of service control in multiple hop wireless communication environments
- 8,306,034 -- Method for updating and managing synchronization identifier by using release messages or status request and response
- 8,306,367 -- Method and apparatus for managing image-processing operations
- 8,306,475 -- Method and apparatus for configuring a wireless device through reverse advertising
- 8,306,772 -- Method for estimating temperature at a critical point
- 8,306,918 -- Use of media storage structure with multiple pieces of content in a content-distribution system (Relates to Digital Rights Mgmt. System)
- 8,307,107 -- Titled "Methods and apparatuses to extend header for transferring data." Apple's invention relates to the field of multimedia data transmission.
- 8,307,134 -- Multiple communication interfaces on a portable storage device
- 8,307,146 -- Communication between a host device and an accessory via an intermediate device
- 8,307,224 -- Methods and apparatuses for dynamic power control
- 8,307,236 -- Oversampling-based scheme for synchronous interface communication
- 8,307,366 -- Post-processing phase in a distributed processing system using assignment information
- RE43,796 -- Receptacle connector
- 8,307,292 -- Method and apparatus for binding user interface objects to application objects
- 8,307,004 -- Manipulating electronic backups
- 8,306,252 -- Integrated microphone assembly for personal media device
