Apple patents: from foldable iPhones to glass stores

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When people talk about Apple, almost everyone thinks of iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, but behind each of those products lies a true army of patents, registered designs and legal policies that determine how they are manufactured, how they are sold, and even how their technologies can be used.

Apple's patents include a mix of innovations we use daily and concepts that seem like science fiction. multimillion-dollar legal battles and strict rules about how third parties can (or cannot) leverage its inventions, brands, and designs. Understanding this ecosystem helps to see why Apple is so protective of its intellectual property and why its influence extends far beyond the phone in your pocket.

Licenses, FRAND and usage policies: the legal framework of Apple patents

Even before delving into gestures, screens, or futuristic iPhones, Apple makes its stance on licensing and rights clear: the company maintains a public position on the Standards Essential Patents (SEPs) and FRAND-conditional licensesas well as setting very specific rules for trademarks, copyrights and internet domains.

Patents essential for standards (for example, those related to mobile networks or communication protocols) are those without which it is impossible to properly implement a technical standard. Apple, like other major players in the industry, is committed to licensing these SEPs under FRAND conditions: fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory.

The FRAND philosophy seeks to prevent abuses of dominant position: whoever controls an essential patent cannot block the competition, but must license it on terms that allow interoperability and free competition. At the same time, Apple protects itself by ensuring that the use of its key innovations is adequately compensated.

In parallel, the company publishes guidelines for the use of its trademarks and copyrighted material. These guidelines explain the extent to which a third party can use the Apple logo, images of its products, or even textual references to Apple and its systems without getting into legal trouble.

Apple also specifically regulates the use of its .Apple top-level domain. Under this TLD, the following applies: strict policies and terms to preserve the brand image and avoid uses that may confuse the consumer or unduly take advantage of the company's reputation.

Patents that have shaped the user experience on iPhone and other devices

Much of Apple's success stems from its obsession with recording every detail of interaction with its devices. Many gestures and features we now take for granted originated from this. carefully drafted patents that Apple has defended in court, sometimes with astronomical compensation involved.

Swipe to unlock: an iconic gesture

There was a time when unlocking an iPhone was as easy as drag your finger from left to right across the screenThat seemingly trivial gesture became one of the defining features of iOS and ended up in a major legal battle between Apple and Samsung.

The patent protected the specific way in which the system interpreted the gesture and displayed the unlock animation. The dispute ended with a huge settlement. over $120 million in favor of Apple, demonstrating the extent to which a simple gesture can become a strategic asset.

Multi-Touch and the famous pinch to zoom

Another critical patent in Apple's history relates to the Multi-Touch system, especially the gesture of pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out on contentSteve Jobs personally championed this approach for the original iPhone, changing the way millions of users interact with a screen.

Multi-Touch wasn't limited to zoom: the patent covered the recognition of multiple touch points simultaneously, enabling fluid gestures such as rotate, scroll with two fingers, and combine taps for advanced actions. This left many competitors in a precarious position when it came to implementing similar interactions without clashing with Apple's claims.

Quick links: from phone number to contextual gesture

One of those features that often goes unnoticed, but is also protected, is that of so-called quick links or "data detectors." When a phone number appears in Safari or Mail, you can Press it to directly launch a call or save the contactThe same applies to addresses, dates, and other elements.

This feature was part of the patents that Apple contested with Samsung, as it involved to recognize semantic information within a text and associate it with specific actions, optimizing the user experience with a single touch.

3D Touch: Pressure as a new type of interaction

With the iPhone 6s, Apple introduced 3D Touch, a technology that added another level to touch interaction: it wasn't just where you touched that mattered, but also how much force were you exerting on the screenThis is where the “peek” and “pop” gestures came from, which allowed users to preview content or open it completely depending on the pressure.

Although Apple eventually replaced 3D Touch with alternatives based on long presses and software, the patent remains an example of how The company is exploring new dimensions of interactioneven if they don't ultimately become established across all generations of devices.

Apple Pencil and the evolution of the stylus

Paradoxically, Steve Jobs was reluctant to embrace styluses, but time has shown that there was a clear place for a pencil in the Apple ecosystem. With the iPad Pro, the company launched the Apple Pencil, supported by patents relating to pressure detection, tilt detection and ultra-low latency.

The result was an accessory that transformed the iPad into a true digital notebook capable of handling handwriting, professional drawing, and document annotations, significantly increasing the productivity of artists, students and professionals that needed precision beyond the finger.

The Air trio: AirDrop, AirPrint, and AirPlay

Beyond hardware, Apple also heavily protects its wireless connectivity technologies. AirDrop (file sharing), AirPrint (wireless printing), and AirPlay (audio and video streaming) are based on combinations of protocols, detection of nearby devices, and security mechanisms designed by the company.

Thanks to these patents, Apple has fostered an experience where it is possible to send photos, documents, or multimedia content from one device to another. without having to struggle with complex configurationsAn iPhone, an iPad, a Mac, and an Apple TV "recognize" each other almost magically, but behind it all lies a lot of legally protected engineering.

Apple Watch Digital Crown

The Apple Watch introduced a small but crucial component: the digital crown. It's not just any crown, but an input element with patented functions for scrolling, zooming, or tapping in a minimal space, while maintaining the aesthetics of a traditional clock.

This crown can be rotated in both directions and can also be pressed, allowing you to control the watch without covering the screen with your finger. Apple opted to patent this component in detail so that No competitor could easily replicate their same combination of hardware and software on a smartwatch.

True Tone and Night Shift: taking care of your eyes using software and sensors

Another line of innovation focuses on visual comfort. True Tone adjusts the screen's color temperature based on ambient light to more closely resemble paper, while Night Shift It warms the screen at night to reduce blue light. and reduce eye strain.

These functions combine light sensors, color profiles, and dynamic adjustment algorithms described in various patents, ranging from the from measuring the lighting environment to modifying the screen's emission spectrumEverything can be managed from Settings > Display and brightness, but the legal framework that supports them is much more complex.

Touch ID: biometrics within everyone's reach

Touch ID, introduced with the iPhone 5s, brought to the table a fingerprint reader integrated into the home button that was incredibly fast for its time. The technology was based on a capacitive sensor capable of reading the ridges of the fingerprint with great accuracy, combined with a secure processor that stored biometric data in encrypted form.

Although it now coexists with Face ID, many users still trust the fingerprint scanner more. The patents behind Touch ID cover everything from the fingerprint capture system itself to the way it... associate that data with the authentication of payments, purchases and unlocking Of the device.

Face ID and the TrueDepth camera

One step further was Face ID, whose main patent dates back to 2013. It is a facial recognition system that uses the TrueDepth camera to to project and analyze a three-dimensional map of the user's faceThis makes it much harder to fool him with simple photos or masks.

Over the years, its actual security has been debated, but the consensus is that it offers a very high level of protection. Its patents cover the use of infrared emitters, specialized sensors, and algorithms. Machine learning that adapts to the passage of time, glasses, or beard growth, maintaining the reliability of the system.

Lightning Connection: The reversible connector

In 2012, Apple decided to abandon the 30-pin connector and introduce Lightning: a small, reversible port capable of offering more power and greater data flexibilityAt the patent level, the Lightning design covers the connector shape, pin layout, and the method for detecting orientation.

Beyond personal preferences, Lightning's biggest advantage was its compatibility; it didn't matter how you plugged it in—it always fit perfectly. Furthermore, it allowed the iPad to deliver up to 12W of power, a significant leap at the time. It's no wonder that much of the Apple ecosystem ended up relying on this connector for years.

MagSafe: Magnetism at the service of safety

Another popular patent is for the MagSafe magnetic charging system for MacBooks (and, more recently, iPhones). The concept is simple but brilliant: the cable connects via magnets, so if someone trips over it, It is released without dragging the laptop to the floor..

This design has saved countless laptops costing over €1.000 from falls, and has become a classic example of how Apple think about the overall user experienceincluding those kinds of everyday accidents that, without an ingenious solution, could be very costly.

Patents that seem like science fiction: the glass iPhone and foldable phones

Not all Apple patents translate directly into commercial products, but many offer a glimpse into where the company might be headed in the future. Some proposals seem straight out of a science fiction movie, although Apple takes the trouble to to protect them legally in case they ever materialize.

A completely glass iPhone

Among the most striking ideas is that of an iPhone built almost entirely of glass. The patent describes what they call a "monolithic glass casing," that is, a device where All six faces are functional surfaces and there is no visible separation between the screen and the rest of the body.

In this concept, the screen would wrap around the entire device, displaying the interface on the front, sides, back, and even edges. The system would detect which side you're viewing it from and would relocate the interface elements so that you always have the information on the visible side, something like a fully touch-sensitive interactive object.

The patent also mentions that the thickness of the glass would vary depending on the area, so that in some areas it could deform slightly under pressure. This would allow for a return to ideas similar to Force Touch, but applied to... all surfaces of the device instead of just the front screen.

Even the speakers and microphones would be distributed around, with holes and sensors that would allow the iPhone to identify How do you hold it and which part is closest to you? to dynamically activate the appropriate components.

The idea fits with rumors of a 20th anniversary iPhone, codenamed “Glasswing,” which some analysts describe as a “floating glass block” planned for 2027There is talk of Face ID under the screen, without a notch or Dynamic Island, and with a radical integration of glass as the dominant element.

Relationship with research on foldable screens

Meanwhile, Apple has been registering patents related to foldable devices for years. One of the most talked-about patents points to a Foldable iPhone with two, three, or even four foldsThis would allow it to move from a traditional mobile format to something closer to a tablet when fully unfolded.

These patents describe different configurations: a book-type model with a single hinge, a triptych variant with two hinges, and an even more complex one with three hinges and four screen panelsAdditionally, the combination of a smaller external screen with a large internal screen is being considered.

The logic behind these designs is clear: to offer a hybrid device that, when closed, is comfortable to carry and use as a A standard smartphone, but one that, when opened, transforms into a kind of mini iPad. for multimedia content, productivity, or gaming.

The concept isn't exclusive to Apple, as the Android market has advanced foldable phones and even tri-fold models like those from Huawei. However, Apple registering these variants indicates that They are seriously exploring their own interpretation of the format.even though there is not yet a finished product for sale.

The relationship between these foldable phones and the hypothetical glass iPhone is indirect but evident: both lines of research require mastering bending techniques, new layers of materials, integration of sensors on irregular surfaces, and Solutions for hiding cameras and systems like Face ID under the panelThese are top-level technological challenges that Apple is already tackling in collaboration with the glass and advanced manufacturing industries.

Apple patents in Spain and advanced interface technology

Beyond the United States, Apple also has a notable patent portfolio in Spain, many of them originating from the European patent validation (type ES-T3)Some stand out for the way they refine interaction with touchscreens or improve communication and network systems.

Intelligent cursor position determination on touchscreens

One of these patents describes procedures for a portable device with a touchscreen to be able to adaptively calculate the position of a cursor based on the finger's contact area. It doesn't just detect the center point, but also takes into account proximity to different interface elements.

Essentially, the system analyzes the contact area, calculates an initial approximate position, and uses parameters such as the distance to each button or icon and an "activation susceptibility number" assigned to each element. With that information, it decides which interface object is the user most likely to have wanted to press?.

This logic helps compensate for natural inaccuracies of the human finger and the fact that we often don't touch exactly in the center of the button. The result is a touch interface that "forgives" minor errors and It makes the experience seem smoother and more precisewithout the user being aware of all that internal logic.

Optimized telephony and multimedia reception terminal

Another patent registered in Spain focuses on a cell phone terminal that also receives multimedia content, such as mobile television or video. Its objective is Improve signal reception by reducing the overall volume of the device. and minimizing the coupling between the telephone antenna and the multimedia antenna.

The proposed solution consists of placing the telephone antenna near one of the short sides of the terminal body and the multimedia antenna on the opposite side, connected to a conductive line that It retreats along both long sides of the device and extends through its articulated parts.

Thus, when the terminal is open or deployed, the conductor line has a much greater effective length, which It increases the efficiency of multimedia signal reception. keeping the device size reasonably compact.

The patent also contemplates different hinge configurations, either parallel or perpendicular to the shorter side of the joint, so that the device can be held in a stable position on a flat surface, facilitating content viewing without the need for additional supports.

Advanced notification of emission parameter changes

Another of Apple's Spanish patents addresses a problem less visible to the end user, but crucial for communications: how to notify recipients that a digital service is going to change some broadcast parameter, such as frequency, without data loss or service interruption.

The procedure is based on sending in the data stream a timing information that indicates the specific moment when the data will begin to be emitted under the new parameters, along with the data itself. updated values, for example the new frequencyWith that information, the receiver can program the frequency change at precisely the right moment.

The advantage is that the switch is completely transparent to the user, avoiding interruptions or packet loss. It's a clear example of how Apple also patents network and transmission level solutions which are then integrated into streaming services, digital broadcasting, and other similar systems.

Error detection in network devices using ARP probes

Another interesting patent describes a system for identifying network devices that respond incorrectly to the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), for example routers that They respond incorrectly to any local link ARP request.generating conflicts on the network.

The method proposes choosing a candidate link-local IP address and sending it an initial ARP probe. If a response is received, the system sends a second probe to the same device, requesting the Ethernet address associated with a reserved link-local IP address (such as 169.254.255.255 or 169.254.0.0), addresses that They should not be assigned to any team.

If the device also responds to that second probe, it's clear that it's behaving incorrectly, so its address is added to a blacklist associated with the link-local address range. From there, Any ARP response from that device is ignored for that range., avoiding problems in IP allocation and improving network stability.

The patent covers both the software-implemented procedure and the storage medium containing the instructions, as well as the device itself with the blacklist sending and management mechanisms, demonstrating the broad approach with which Apple protects both the method and the implementation.

Iconic designs and curious patents in the Apple Store

Apple's patent portfolio isn't limited to electronic products. The company has also carefully registered other patents. architectural and industrial design elements of their physical storesto the point that certain staircases or doors are protected intellectual property.

One of the best-known examples is the glass staircase, found in several flagship Apple Stores. Steve Jobs is listed as the inventor on some of these design patents, such as D478.999 from 2003, which protects the ornamental configuration of a transparent glass staircase that many fans have had the opportunity to visit in leading stores.

Apple also obtained a patent for the cylindrical glass entrance of its Shanghai store, a spectacular glass cylinder that has become a architectural hallmarkThese patents complement the registration of the general layout of their stores, reinforcing their brand image and legally protecting their retail concepts.

The doors of Apple Stores, including their design and the type of material used, are also under patent protection. If another brand wanted to copy the aesthetic of these entrances on a large scale, it would have to dealing with Apple's intellectual property rights or negotiating expensive licenses.

In addition, the company has registered new Apple Store configurations with large swinging doors and huge screens on the back wall, similar to those seen in the most recent stores in China. Even the product display systems connected to the tables, with devices anchored by means of safety anchors and integrated power supply, are part of patent applications.

Within this physical store ecosystem, Apple also protected the dedicated iPad stands when the product launched, the security system that keeps the devices secured to the tables to prevent theft, and active packaging capable of supplying energy and data to devices housed inside, an idea designed for smart packaging and in-store demonstrations.

Environmental and packaging patents: from recycled bags to active packaging

Apple has been strengthening its sustainability profile for some time, and this is also reflected in its intellectual property portfolio. A striking example is its recycled paper bag, not because it's a bag per se, but because how it is designed to maintain rigidity and a premium finish even using high percentage recycled materials.

Recycled white paper bags tend to be soft and flimsy, so Apple devised a series of adjustments to the fiber type, weight, handle reinforcement, and other structural details to create a bag eco-friendly yet robust and aesthetically pleasing to match the image of their stores.

Regarding packaging, the company has registered “active” packaging solutions for electronic devices, capable of supply power and data to the product while it is packagedThis opens the door to packaging that could keep the device charged, allow demonstrations by interacting with it without removing it from the packaging, or update software during transport.

These are patents that go beyond what we see at first glance: behind a minimalist and meticulously crafted box, a genuine An engineering piece designed to optimize the experience from the first contact. with the product.

Patent litigation: when innovation means going to court

Apple's patent landscape wouldn't be complete without its less pleasant side: litigation. In addition to lawsuits with other tech giants, there have also been cases where Smaller companies have achieved significant victories versus the apple brand.

A recent example is the dispute with the Spanish company TOT Power Control, which specializes in power semiconductors and technologies for optimizing energy consumption in communication systems. This company has a technology that manages radio signal interference and energy use in 3G networksincreasing efficiency and battery life.

According to the accusation, Apple allegedly used TOT's patented Power Control algorithm in the wireless chips of iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, adjusting the power used based on the signal-to-interference ratio. The dispute centered on several US patents, of which The jury recognized the violation of number 7.532.865, entitled “External loop power control method and device for wireless communication systems”.

This patent, granted in 2009 and expiring in 2027, describes a system that adjusts the SIR-target parameter (desired signal-to-interference ratio) when changes in the mobile communication state are detected, with the aim of improve network capacity and connection qualityAnother related patent, US-7496376-B2, was not found to be infringed in the verdict.

In the trial, Apple attempted to invalidate TOT Power Control's patents, a common tactic in these types of disputes, but the Delaware jury unanimously rejected that motion. The company had previously succeeded in having certain third-party patents declared invalid, such as in the dispute with AliveCor over Apple Watch features, but This time the strategy didn't work.

The result was a ruling ordering Apple to pay compensation in the form of ongoing royalties: 25 cents per offending deviceinstead of a single global payment. Adding up the affected iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, the total figure amounts to approximately $110,7 million.

Apple has expressed its disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal, maintaining that the patent is invalid, while TOT Power Control celebrates that Its energy-saving technology has been recognized by a US juryThis case illustrates how even a giant like Apple can face significant financial consequences when it is determined to have infringed on the intellectual property rights of others.

Taken together, Apple's patent portfolio reveals a company that registers thousands of ideas each year—many of which will never see the light of day—but that occasionally transforms one of these seemingly impossible proposals into a real, market-changing product. Between FRAND licenses, everyday innovations, unique architectural designs, and major international lawsuits, it's clear that Patents are one of the silent pillars on which the Apple ecosystem and its unique way of understanding technology are based..