Apple has been granted several patents by the US Patent & Trademark Office, including design patents for the iPad dock, MacBook Air and multi-touch technology. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 7848527 is for dynamic power management in a portable media delivery system. Per the patent, a consumer electronic product (e.g., a portable media player ported to a media delivery accessory) is powered by a limited capacity DC power source (such as a battery or mini-fuel cell). The consumer electronic product limits the maximum allowable sound pressure level (SPL) that can be produced by the speakers. In one embodiment, the maximum allowable SPL is based upon an amount of stored energy available in the limited capacity DC power source. The inventors are Jesse L. Dorogusker, Donald J. Novotney, Scott Krueger, Robert Michelet and Jeffrey Allan Hammerstrom.

Patent number 7849141 involves training a computer storage system for automatic filing of data using graphical representations of storage locations. The patent is for a method, apparatus, and signal-bearing medium that files data in a destination based on one or more criteria. In various embodiments, the data may be email, email attachments, faxes, telephone messages, downloaded data or programs, audio, video, scanned images, photographs, blocks of text, or other data. In an embodiment, a training mode and an automatic mode are provided. During the training mode, a user is presented with data and a recommended destination, and the user provides feedback that is used to train the criteria. During an automatic mode, the data may be transferred to the destination with or without user confirmation. The inventors are Jerome R. Bellegarda, Scott Forstall, Kim E. A. Silverman, Kevin Tiene and Bertrand Serlet.

Patent number 7849302 is for a direct book arrangement using a NAND flash memory. Per the patent, systems and processes for booting a device can be implemented by detecting a reset signal associated with the device and retrieving a predetermined page of data from a nonvolatile memory location into a register associated with the nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be designed and implemented such that each page of data is retrieved from the nonvolatile memory as a unit, and the page of data includes instructions for use in booting the device. A command to read data stored in the register is received, and the command can include an address identifying a location of one or more instructions within the register. In response, the one or more instructions are retrieved from the register for execution by a processor. Stephen Wu is the inventor.

Patent number 7847800 involves a system for emulating graphics operations. Disclosed is a system for producing images including emulation techniques. The system provides for emulation of graphics processing resources such that a central processing unit may provide graphics support. Disclosed embodiments include emulation of selected graphics calls as well as emulation of a programmable graphics processor for compatibility with systems having no compatible GPU. John Harper is the inventor.

Patent number 7847800 provides a reliable operating system for clients of a net-booted environment. According to one embodiment, a network computer (NC) client boots from a boot image provided by an NC server. The boot image includes information identifying the location of one or more system volumes on the NC server that contain operating system software. In response to an attempt to modify the contents of the one or more system volumes, the NC client causes information identifying the modification to be recorded on the NC server separate from the one or more system volumes in a storage area associated with the NC client. The inventors are C.K. Haun, Craig Harvey Prouse, Joseph Sokol Jr. and Palm M. Resch.

Patent number 7848825 involves a master-slave mode for sensor processing devices. A computer system having two or more controllers operating in a Master/Slave configuration is disclosed. In one embodiment, the computer system includes: a sensor panel having a first portion for generating a first set of sense signals indicative of a touch or no-touch condition on the first portion, and a second portion for generating a second set of sense signals indicative of a touch or no-touch condition on the second portion; a first device for receiving and processing the first set of output signals from the first portion of the panel; and a second device for receiving and processing the second set of output signals from the second portion of the panel, wherein the first and second devices operate cooperatively in a Master/Slave configuration. The inventors are Thomas Jane Wilson, Minh-Dieu Thi Vu and Yutaka.

Patent number 7849414 is for edge anti-aliasing. It involves techniques for anti-aliasing of graphical objects. A graphical object to be displayed on a display image may be modified to include a border region at least partially surrounding the object. The color of the border region may be selected based on the color of the background over which the graphical object is to be displayed. The graphical object is linearly filtered. The linearly filtered graphical object is displayed on a display device. The inventors are Alex Kan, Michael J. e. Switch, Sean Gies, Loren Brichter and Christpher Niederauer.

Patent number 7845953 involves an input/output connector and housing. A movable I/O port and housing is disclosed. The I/O port housing may be hinged to pivot between an open and closed position. The pivot point may be a low- or zero-friction pivot. The I/O port housing may include an opening mechanism to facilitate pivoting the port between the open and closed positions, and/or vice versa. For example, the opening mechanism may take the form of paired magnets of like polarities. The inventors are John Brock, Brett William, Dinesh Mathew, Thomas W. Wilson Jr. and Chris Ligtenberg.

Patent number D6238375 is for the design of an electronic device holder. Patent number D6238562 is for a docking station. Patent number D628561 is for a dock insert. The inventors on the patent are Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q. Seid, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Wany and Rico Zordendorfer.

-- Dennis Sellers