Apple was granted more than two dozen patents today, including technology for multitouch sensors dating back to 2007, when the original iPhone debuted. Also approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Apple patents covering the iOS magnifying loupe, noise-cancellation and even product packaging.
The multitouch patent, which covers the layout of screen sensors in the first iPhone, as well as future touch devices, follows a broad patent granted earlier this year covering a wide range of potential uses for multitouch, including aircraft instruments. For some time, Apple and its chief rival Samsung have fought over patents, culminating in a $1 billion victory for Apple, which charged the South Korean company infringed upon technology owned by the iPhone maker…
According to Patently Apple, 26 patents were awarded today, the latest in a series of technology patents granted to the company. Â In November of 2012, Apple was granted 36 patents, covering items as far-ranging as Siri’s ‘mic’ icon to the design of the company’s new Lightning connector and the concept of widgets used on the Mac.
In its lastest round of patent awards, the multitouch feature was originally filed in the fourth quarter of 2007 and credited to employee Steve Hotelling and former Apple worker Kenneth Staton. Staton was a senior hardware engineer at Apple between 2006 and 2012, before moving on to lab126, an R&D firm based in Cupertino, Calif. which has worked on the Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire.
Also part of the group of Apple patents awarded is Apple’s ‘Loupe’ feature, part of the iOS software. The loupe magnifies objects in iOS, permitting users to better view text or images. The patent, first filed in 2009, is credited to Ian McCullough and Peter Berger.
Apple was also awarded a patent for noise-cancellation to enhance the audio of headsets connected to various iDevices. Apple credits industrial design guru Jonathan Ive and others with a patent covering how the iPad is packaged. Ive, known for his design prowess, in 2012 was selected to bring his touch to the iPhone and other Apple products, following a corporate shake-up.