The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, US, has released the results of its study of Apple Inc.'s mobile technology patents. The findings, which are featured in the Thomson Reuters paper, "Inside the iPhone Patent Portfolio," details patent and litigation activity across Apple’s 1,298 mobile patents and provides insight into possible future incarnations of the iPhone.
According to the report, Apple filed 416 smartphone-related patents since the launch of the iPhone in 2007. Another 279 have been filed for mobile camera patents; 232 for user interface technologies; 149 for image display; and 88 for battery/power control. Antenna (75), calendar (31), contact management (15) and voice control (5) technology were also among the patents within Apple's portfolio.
Among the company's mobile-related patents, individual technologies that stand out as key indicators of what future smartphone design may hold include a fuel cell system that will allow a portable device to stay charged for days or weeks, says the report. Another patent to watch is an educational content display feature that allows users to interact with text to see images of what the word(s) mean.
To provide insight into the ongoing smartphone "patent wars," the report tracks all active IP litigation between 2008 and 2012, noting a rapid rise in Apple's recent IP litigation. By June 2012, the company had already filed nearly as many patent suits as it did in 2010 and 2011 combined.
Data for this report were aggregated using Thomson Reuters Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) to identify global patent activity for Apple in the Derwent Manual Code category for portable, hand-held mobile radio telephones. Additionally, Thomson Reuters IP Monitor was used to identify active IP litigation for the company. Researchers analysed the total number of unique inventions issued in published patent applications and granted patents between January 2000 and August 2012. Active IP litigation was analysed between January 2008 and June 2012.
