Type of Article: MacTech Blog

Apple has been granted several patents by the US Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 8086604 is for an universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system and involves Mac OS X. The invention provides convenient access to items of information that are related to various descriptors input by a user, by means of a unitary interface which is capable of accessing information in a variety of locations, through a number of different techniques.

Two patents at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple is working on fuel cell technology for future Mac laptops.

Patent number 20100313589 is for a fuel cell system coupled to a portable computing device. The involves the design of a fuel cell system which is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device. This eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system, which can significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of the fuel cell system.

An Apple patent (number 20110310029) for a portable, multi-touch input device has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office and involves the Magic Trackpad.