Banner Day For Apple Patents Includes 3D Apple TV Remote Control

By

Wiimote-in-Hands

Apple is awarded a lot of patents, many of which it never does much more than sit on top of. After all, in the high stakes (and highly litigious) world of mobile, it’s better to patent a potential innovation than let a potential enemy do so.

Even so, today was a banner day for Apple. In just a single day, Apple was granted a whopping fifty-one different patents, ranging from older products like the unibody MacBook Pro to some much wilder stuff, like a possible 3D Apple TV remote control system.

The latter patent is probably the star of the bunch. It describes an Apple TV that could detect a remote control using a motion sensor, which you could use to scale images, zoom in or out, navigate channels, and even navigate, change channels and lower and raise the volume. It sounds less like a Kinect (which in mind is what I usually think of when I think of 3D remote controls) and more like a Nintendo Wii. Perhaps it would open similar opportunities for gaming?

Apple’s other patents are a little more mundane, mostly notable for the sheer volume which were granted. One describes the original MacBook Pro unibody design, while another lays claim to a method of integrating a camera window in glass, like on the back of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4s.

The rest are even less understandable and more exotic, but are probably useful weaponry to have in case Samsung (or other competitors) come a-knocking. You can check them all out at the link below.

Source: Patently Apple

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.