Between the dates of January 1-8, 2008, the US Patent & Trademark Office has published 14 granted patents of Apple’s which cover such products as the iPod, iPod Shuffle, iPod dock, MacBook & MacBook Pro notebooks, Apple’s QuickTime Player and others. Most notable amongst Apple’s newly granted patents was the one for their iPhone. On the surface, it would appear to be one of the fasted granted patents ever recorded for an Apple product.

Apple iPod, iPod Shuffle & iPod Dock Design Patent Illustrations

Apple iPhone Design Patent Illustrations

Apple MacBook & MacBook Pro Design Patent Illustrations

Apple QuickTime Patent: User Interface for Presenting Media Information

Apple’s Abstract: A user interface and methods for using a user interface for controlling processing of time-based media files. In one exemplary method, a graphical representation of a time line for a time-based media is displayed along with a graphical representation of a current time along the graphical representation of the time line. A start graphical indicator and a stop graphical indicator is also displayed along the graphical representation of the time line. A portion of the time-based media may be selected for presentation by dragging or positioning at least one of the start graphical indicator and the stop graphical indicator along the graphical representation of the time line. In another aspect of the invention, an exemplary method allows for the adaptive control of a portion of the interface which indicates time relating to a time-based media. An input speed is determined where this input is to change the portion and the rate at which the change to this portion occurs is dependent upon the input speed. Other aspects of the present invention relating to the interface for controlling the processing of time-based media files are also described.

Apple has lists Daniel N. Crow (San Francisco, CA), Cary Dean (Sunnyvale, CA), Elizabeth Dykstra-Erickson (San Francisco, CA), J. Peter Hoddie (Mountain View, CA), Steven P. Jobs (Palo Alto, CA), Timothy E. Wasko (High River, CA) as the inventors of this patent.

Method and Apparatus for Border Node Behavior on a Full-Duplex Bus

Apple’s Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining and communicating the existence of a hybrid bus. The method comprises the acts of determining whether the node has a connection to a Legacy link layer; if the node determines that it has a connection to a Legacy link layer, then transmitting a Self-ID packet without a Speed Code; and if the node determines that it does not have a connection to a Legacy link layer, then transmitting a Self-ID packet without a Speed Code.

Apple lists Jerrold V. Hauck (Fremont, CA), Colin Whitby-Strevens (Bristol, GB) as the inventors of this 2003 patent.

NOTICE: MacNN presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or grant is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent applications and/or grants should be read in its entirety for further details.

Written and researched by Neo.