Apple's recent two Patents, how these patents shapes in reality

Apple was awarded a patent for a system that analyzes on-board, broadcast or streamed audio and visual content to create a custom tailored playlist that can switch between sources to deliver an optimal user experience along with patent of force sensors. Apple’s new patents include:

Automatic 'station tuning' for broadcast and streaming audio & video content

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple U.S. Patent No. 8,634,944 for "Auto-Station tuning" which can be called as an automatic media playlist generator that is able to switch between varieties of sources based on user preferences. While Apple has patented similar technology in the past, like an invention that allows users to automatically skip commercials, for example, the auto-tuning patent covers radio, television broadcasts, Internet audio and video streams, on-board media, satellite radio and other content.

In practice, the receiving device can be configured by the user to play back a certain type of media as specified by metadata. The traditional playlist creation feature is currently seen in Apple's "Genius Playlist" functionality. The patent goes further by taking other sources like FM or Internet radio into consideration. The system can analyze data from multiple media streams to determine what is currently playing and what will be played next. Using this information, the devices can dynamically switch "stations," or media streams, based on user-defined parameters.

The process begins with the content procurement engine, which can collect audio or visual media based on predefined selection criteria. Examples include artist, volume level, genre and keyword etc. According to the user preferences for a specific station, the procurement engine may analyze and select the content for playback by switching sources.

Apple's new track pad patent replaces 'click button' with force sensors & adds tactile feedback

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Apple a patent for a touch pad that removes the traditional "clickable" integrated button, replacing it with 4 or more force sensors and an actuator to provide tactile feedback. According to Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,633,916 for a "Touch pad with force sensors and actuator feedback" the operations of a trackpad with an integrated switch-type button can be mimicked and improved upon with force sensors.

Apple's Mac Books currently feature the integrated button design. In this design, a user operates a button press by pressing down on the trackpad's surface; at the time a hinged mechanism located at the rear edge of the touch pad allows movement of the front end. The front edge is integrated to a switch that produces a clicking sound when actuated.

There are a few issues with the existing design, including the rising pressure required to activate the switch when a user's finger moves further toward the hinged edge

The patent instead offers a solution that incorporates at least four force sensors deployed at the four corners of a trackpad. In some situation, the sensors may be piezoelectric materials manufactured from polymer-metal composites or polymers filled with nano particles, which generate voltage proportional to the amount of compression. Alternatively, the output may be measured in changes to magnetism, inductance or other force-dependent properties.

Finally, the force feedback capabilities of Apple's patented touch pad rely on one or more actuators that can vibrate or otherwise apply force to the mechanism. This tactile feedback can be generated by interaction with the touch pad itself, or with the help of software triggers. The example would be feedback when an email if received.

Let’s see how these patents shapes in reality.

Author : Iman Majeed                                         

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