USPTO

USPTO withdraws its objections to Apple’s ‘iPad mini’ trademark

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2013

We told you how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently turned down Apple's trademark application for the iPad mini because its review team deemed the moniker as ”merely describing” the product. They also mentioned that other identities have applied for the 'iPad' trademark, meaning there’s a “likelihood of confusion between the marks.”

As it turns out, the USPTO has now withdrawn these two main objections, in turn allowing Apple to keep the 'iPad mini' trademark, provided it amends the filing with some interesting fine print. Jump past the fold for full details...

USPTO again invalidates rubber-banding patent, Apple says not to worry

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Having rejected Apple's iPad mini trademark application last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has now dealt another major blow to the iPhone maker. For the second time, USPTO has invalidated the key claim of Apple's so-called rubber-banding patent, an iPhone feature which bounces the user interface when a user scrolls content past the end of a page. USPTO last October ruled the invention invalid. On the other hand, while this "final" decision certainly has more weight than the first, Apple still has a few options left until the ruling becomes truly final...

US Patent Office turns down Apple’s iPad mini trademark application

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple's been having some pretty bad luck on the patent and trademark front lately. It recently lost a trademark battle in Mexico for its world-renown 'iPhone' moniker, and it's fighting a similar battle in Brazil.

And that bad luck continues this week with reports claiming that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has turned down the Cupertino company's trademark application for its just-launched iPad mini...

Apple is researching iPhone technology that could anticipate your actions

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Wouldn't it be great if your iPhone could learn your behavior, noting you hold your handset with both hands when texting and always use a 45-degree angle when making calls?

That's essentially the purpose of a newly-discovered Apple patent covering an "intuitive portable electronic device."

The patent, filed in 2011, polls an array of sensors onboard your smartphone, permitting an iPhone to adjust its behavior without you making the adjustments. Imagine your usually annoying ringtone changing to a bit of Brahms when the phone detects your bedroom's lower light levels...

Apple wins patent for improved haptic feedback

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 19, 2013

The use of haptic feedback in smartphones is increasingly commonplace, however until now Apple has shied away from using the technology in its multitouch devices, such as the iPhone and iPad. However, the prospect is now open for a multitouch keyboard that provides consumers a tactile response, according to an Apple patent grant by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple first applied a filing for the invention back in 2009 to solve the problem of multiple haptic signals interfering with each other, thereby confusing users. Apple outlined a way to localize the haptic feedback by using secondary sensors which cancel-out the confusing signals. In this way, when an iPhone owner hits the 'L' key, he won't also receive a vibration under the 'K' key of a virtual keyboard...

Apple patent focuses on ending blurry iPhone photos

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 14, 2013

Don't you wish you could avoid the usual routine after taking photos with your iPhone: sifting through shots to eliminate the ones where your thumb is perfectly exposed - but your special someone is blurred beyond recognition. Your worries may be over, as a new patent reveals Apple wants to make you a better camera phone photographer. The camera Apple outlined in the filing is designed to continuously capture and store images in a buffer until you release the shutter.

Your mobile device takes from there to automatically scan the buffer, rate the pictures just taken using a number of parameters and present you with the best image...

Forget the iWatch, Apple is researching iHuman – a wearable computer

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 12, 2013

Have you followed the talk of a possible iWatch from Apple, an all-glass iOS device supposedly putting a smartphone on your wrist? That would be small potatoes compared to a whole network of sensors turning your body into a walking, talking Apple device.

In an 84-page filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the iPhone and iPad maker describes what it calls a "Personal items network." Covering you head-to-toe, sensors would detect movement, temperature - even track how fast your heart beat when watching certain television shows, according to a Tuesday report...

Apple won more than a thousand patents in 2012, Samsung 4x as many

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 14, 2013

Ah, the patent mess. Nothing gets faboys and haters more worked up than Apple's inventions (or 'inventions', depending on your point of view). This is especially true for the submissions that cover the most obvious of ideas, like the rectangular iPad design Apple successfully asserted against rivals.

According to data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and published last Thursday by IFI Claims, Apple has been awarded a total of 1,135 patents in 2012. This ranked the company 21st among all of the observed companies worldwide, a 68 percent increase. In 2011, Apple ranked 39th with 676 patents.

This notable rise probably means Apple's 'lifelong skier' and chief lawyer Bruce Sewell and his team have been submitting patents at a more rapid clip in order to protect Apple's business. Another take: patent offices around the world could have simply granted more Apple patents in 2012 (not all submissions get greenlit) than in 2011...

US Patent Office invalidates another key Apple patent

Cody Lee ∙ December 19, 2012

We've seen the United States Patent and Trademark Office reject or invalidate a few important Apple patents in the last few months, including one covering the infamous 'rubber banding' UI feature, and one covering the iPhone.

Today, the USPTO added another key patent to the list, tentatively declaring Apple's US 7,844,915 invention — widely referred to as the pinch-to-zoom patent — invalid. It's just a preliminary decision, but it's still a fairly big deal...

USPTO preliminary invalidates key Steve Jobs iPhone patent

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2012

The ultimate smartphone patent which covers the intricacies of the iPhone's touch screen heuristics has been preliminary invalidated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), reveals the FOSS Patents blog which covers intellectual property and litigation in the technology industry.

That's bad news as USPTO in October also invalidated the famous rubber banding patent, Apple's other prized iPhone invention. Now, all is not lost because many patent claims that are rejected at the early stage do ultimately survive, though the prospect of loosing the iconic multitouch patent is without any doubt a major concern for Apple, even with plenty of other multitouch-related patents the company now holds...