Apple has been denied an appeal for the "Multi-Touch" trademark because the term has been viewed as too broadly descriptive.

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The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued a batch of 21 patents to Apple for a range of inventions, including technologies related to the iPhone's visual voicemail feature and an integrated touch screen.

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A recently uncovered Apple patent filing shows the company has looked into using more advanced "physics metaphors" in a mulitouch environment to replace the traditional virtual desktop.

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Despite Apple having disparaged the use of a stylus for touchscreens, the iPad maker's investigation of a capacitive touch-compatible stylus could play a part in the company's strategy to increase sales of its tablet device to students and schools.

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A newly granted patent from Apple refers to "hover sensitive devices" in addition to touch devices, possibly indicating that the company is looking beyond multi-touch in order to process input made while hovering over a device.

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Apple has shown interest in adding a display to its multi-touch Magic Mouse, adding interactivity and functionality to the wireless mouse for its Mac line of computers.

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Apple is exploring new, smaller conductive nodes for multi-touch devices that would allow electronics like the iPhone and iPad to become thinner and consume less power.

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A recently published patent has revealed that Apple is looking into multi-touch gestures that can be performed without looking at a device, which would address concerns about the multi-touch redesign of the sixth-generation iPod nano.

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Apple is exploring a new user interface for browsing music albums on a touch-based device, with a spiral-style take on Cover Flow done in 3D.

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A batch of approved patent applications from Apple issued by the U.S. Patent Office this week include descriptions of significant multi-touch innovations, such as pinch-to-zoom and knob controls.

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A patent filing by Apple depicts an iMac that transitions between mouse/keyboard-based input and touch-based input through an adjustable stand.

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A Taiwanese maker of chips and touchscreens has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban the import and sale of Apple products for alleged violation of a multi-touch patent.

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Apple Wednesday evening made available through its Web site a QuickTime video stream of its media event during which its new tablet device, dubbed the "iPad" was introduced to the public by CEO Steve Jobs.

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Apple's forthcoming tablet could employ a dynamic surface that gives users tactile feedback when typing in order to identify individual keys, according to a new patent application revealed this week.

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Time Inc. released a video walkthrough as well as a working model of its digital magazine format designed for touchscreen tablets.

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Book seller Barnes & Noble is expected to announce its own e-reader next week, and a new report states the device will sport both black-and-white e-ink and a multi-touch, iPhone-like color display.

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In a new patent application revealed this week, Apple has again disclosed plans for a multi-touch surface that could accommodate two full hands and distinguish between palms and individual fingers for typing, gestures and more.

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The absence of multi-touch functionality on T-Mobile's Android-powered G1 smartphone may have been a casualty of Google's cordial relationship with Apple -- one that the search giant would rather not disrupt.

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Apple is indeed working on tablet-like device that may finally surface sometime next year according to a trio of sources who've been in touch with high-tech blog TechCrunch.

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A company filing published for the first time this week shows Apple to be exploring portable multi-touch skins that can be wrapped around three-dimensional objects such as an iPod or steering wheel to provide addition GUI interfaces for those objects that can be configured via the touch skins themselves.

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