On February 7, the US Patent & Trademark Office published forty-seven of Apple’s patent applications. This patent report provides you with an overview of ten of those applications relating to iChat and the new Time Machine.

Apple’s Time Machine Related Patents

Apple’s Abstract Methods and a computer program product for providing a user interface including earlier versions of data. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, while a current view is displayed in a user interface, a first user input requesting that a backup interface be displayed. In response to the first user input, the transition from displaying the current view in the user interface to displaying the backup interface is animated. The backup interface is displayed including a display area for presenting at least a first visual representation of an earlier version of the current view, where the earlier version includes a first element. While the backup interface is displayed, a second user input is received requesting that the current view be modified according to the earlier version. In response to the second user input, the current view is modified according to the earlier version.

Apple’s patent FIG. 2 noted above is a block diagram of an example architecture (200) for the back up and restoration of data. The data can include, e.g., application files, application data, settings, parameters or the like, such as those associated with a set of applications (228). The backup component (117) provides back up and restoration capability for the system (100). Many different items or elements can be the subject of a backup operation in the system. For example, folders, files, items, information portions, directories, images, system parameters, playlists, address books, e-mails, e-mail folders, a state of an application or state of the system, preferences (e.g., user or system preferences), and the like all can be candidates for archiving. Other types of data can be included in backup operations.

Apple’s patent FIG. 9 noted below is arranged vertically toward a vanishing point near the top center of the animation screen. This gives the viewer the impression that the stack of snapshots is three-dimensional and extends into the rear of the display. In certain implementations, such as in this example, the animation screen includes a background such as a star field, where the vanishing point is a swirling cloud of interstellar gas and dust. In this example, the snapshots each provide a visual representation corresponding to a file system.

Apple lists Pavel Cisler (Los Gatos, CA), Mike Matas (Palo Alto, CA), Marcel MWA van Os (San Francisco, CA), Gregory N. Christie (San Jose, CA), Kevin Tiene (Cupertino, CA), Gene Zyrl Ragan (Santa Clara, CA) and Scott Forstall (Mountain View, CA) as the inventors of this patent which was only filed slightly prior to Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference last year.

In an accompanying filing related to Time Machine, Apple reminds us that while modifications of a user interface view are described herein with respect to a personal computer, it should be apparent that the disclosed implementations can be incorporated in, or integrated with, any electronic device that has a user interface, including without limitation, portable and desktop computers, servers, electronics, media players, game devices, mobile phones, email devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), embedded devices, televisions, other consumer electronic devices, etc.

The inclusion of television, in the patent noted above, could once again provide us with a clue that Apple may be considering adding Time Machine to the growing list of Apple TV features. That would be far more advanced than most PVR approaches that I’ve seen for back-up and archiving.

In total, there were at least six patent applications relating to Leopard’s Time Machine application and they included four which were originally filed in August 2006 and were titled System for electronic backup, User interface for backup management, Links to a common item in a data structure and Application-based backup-restore of electronic information which covered working in conjunction with iTunes.

Apple’s iChat Related Patents

There were at least four patent applications posted today by the US Patent & Trademark Office in relation to Apple’s video conferencing system known as iChat. There were two identically titled patents under Video Communication Systems and Methods, one titled Sharing Graphical User Interface Output In Chat Environment and the last titled Sharing Application Output In Chat Environment. The summary of Video Communication System and Methods presented the following overview:

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for removing a background from a video stream of a videoconference participant environment and for optionally adding substitute background video data into the video stream and providing the video stream to videoconference participants.

In a videoconferencing example, an image of a background is stored. Thereafter, video of the background and the participant is received, and the image of the background is subtracted from the video frames. Substitute background video can be merged into the video frames and the merged video frames can be transmitted to a videoconference.

In a videoconferencing device example, a system includes a video camera, a data store, a communication subsystem, and a video processing device. The system is configured to transmit and receive videoconferencing data over a network, such as a local area network or the Internet. The videoconference data can include both still image data and streaming video data. The video camera is configured to generate video data, and the data store stores background data files. The video processing device is configured to capture camera background data of a videoconference environment and receive video data of the video conference environment and remove the camera background data from the video data and substitute the background data files to generate composite video data. The video processing device communicates with the communication subsystem to transmit the composite video data to a videoconference.

Apple’s patent FIG. 1 above is that of a block diagram of a system for substituting background video into a video conference. FIG. 2 (right) is an example network environment in which the system of FIG. 1 may be implemented.

Example networks include LANs, WANs, and other wired and wireless networks. Each computing system (202) includes one or more processors 206, memory 208, a data store 210, and an I/O system 212. The I/O system 212 can be connected to a camera 214, a display 216, and input devices 218. By implementing the systems 100 in the computing systems 202, videoconference participants may send and receive both modified and unmodified video data over the network 204. Example computing systems can be wired or wireless devices, and can be integrated into a computer, a portable media player, cellular telephone, a portable music player or other suitable device configured to provide videoconferencing functionality.

All four iChat related patents were originally filed in 2006. The following Apple engineers were involved with one or more of the patents noted above: Ciudad; Jean-Pierre; (San Francisco, CA) ; Westen; Peter; (Mountain View, CA) ; Wood; Justin; (Sunnyvale, CA) ; Forstall; Scott; (Mountain View, CA) ; Os; Marcel Van; (San Francisco, CA) ; Stein; Michael V.; (San Jose, CA) ; Engel; Joe; (San Jose, CA) ; Lemay; Steve; (San Francisco, CA), Jeong; Hyeonkuk; (San Jose, CA), Chien; Eric; (San Jose, CA), Montgomerie; Jamie, Stochosky; Michael; (San Francisco, CA), Zhang; Chendi; (Santa Clara, CA), Knight; Kurt; (Menlo Park, CA) and Brunner; Ralph; (Cupertino, CA).

The last two patent illustrations noted above (Figs 6 & 7) were obviously rushed for a Steve Jobs Keynote. The illustrations are marked “Steve Demo’s Computer” and “Video Chat with Steve Demo.”

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.