Apple’s IP portfolio expanded markedly today with the approval of 45 new patents. As Patently Apple reports, the highlights of these patents revolve around Touch ID security, water resistance, and Apple Watch design.
Apple first applied for the Touch ID patent way back in 2007. Essentially, it outlines how data can be processed in a separate computing system from the one that acquired it—in other words, Touch ID’s off-chip processing area for users’ biometric data. It’s an important component of Touch ID helping to ensure that users’ biometric profiles aren’t compromised.
Another patent covers a design helping to make the speakers of Apple’s mobile devices more liquid-resistant. This patent was originally filed in 2014 and it isn’t clear whether this specific system has been implemented in Apple devices since that time, but Patently Apple reports that “rumors continue to surface that Apple is aiming to deliver full out waterproofed devices.”
Finally, another granted patent covers the overall design of the Apple Watch, while another still shows a schematic of the Apple Watch’s interior – which looks different from that of the current Apple Watch. Is this just a design that was ultimately abandoned by Apple? Or could it pertain to a forthcoming Apple Watch sequel? In this case, as with all other Apple patents, it’s anybody’s guess how the intellectual property could ultimately be realized, if it comes to a new device at all.
Source: Patently Apple
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