Patent number 7640305 is for design of a graphical user interface or a portion thereof. In other words, it's the interface for the iPod classic. The inventors are William Bull, Kourtny Hicks, Eric Hope and Policarpo Wood.

Parent number D606989 is for design of a portable computer (the unibody MacBook Pro). The inventors are Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steve Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas B. Satzger, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang and Rico Zorkendorfer.

Parent number D606968 is for design of an electronic device (the iPod nano). The inventors are Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steve Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q. Seid, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang and Rico Zorkendorfer.

Parent number D606751 is for design of a cover (the iPhone cover). The inventors are those in the patent above.

Several other Apple patents have also appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here's a summary of each.

Patents number D607001 and D607005 are for the icon for a portion of a display screen. The inventor is Bas Ording.

Patent number 7639187 is for a button antenna for handheld devices. Antennas, handheld electronic devices containing antennas, and methods for using antennas and handheld electronic devices are provided. A handheld device may have a conductive case. The antenna can be formed as part of a button such as a pushbutton. The pushbutton may protrude from the conductive case sufficiently to allow good transmission and reception of wireless signals. The protruding antenna contains a radiating element, while the conductive case serves as a ground. The radiating element may be formed from a low-profile antenna structure such as a planar antenna structure formed on a circuit board substrate. The pushbutton may be used to control operation of the handheld electronic device. With one suitable arrangement, actuation of the pushbutton antenna causes the antenna to protrude from the case and turns on transceiver circuitry in the handheld device. The inventors are Ruben Cabarallro, Teodor Dabov, Zhijun Zhang, John Benjamin Filson, and Emery Artemus Sanford.

Patent number 7639531 involves dynamic cell bit resolution. Per the patent, a system and method, including computer software, is used to write to a flash memory device that includes multiple memory cells. One or more of the memory cells are written at a first resolution corresponding to a first number of bits of data. A signal to write at a second resolution corresponding to a second number of bits of data is received. One or more of the memory cells are written at the second resolution. The inventors are Michael J. Cornwell and Christopher P. Dudte.

Patent number 7640497 involves transforming a hierarchical data structure according to requirements specified in a transformation template. The method includes translating an input data structure in an input container format to an output data structure in a different output container format and converting an input data structure to an output data structure where the structures have the same container format. During transformation, modifications to the structure and/or content of the input data structure may be made. The resulting output data structure is dynamically determined based on the structure and content of the input data structure. The input data structure is represented by a data structure tree, each node of the tree having an associated scope dictionary containing zero or more key-value pairs. The tree is traversed downwards as scope dictionaries are created and/or modified and traversed upwards as data of the output data structure tree is created. The inventor is David Robert Black.

Patent number 7639542 is for maintenance operations for multi-level data storage cells. Systems and methods, including computer software, for reading data from a flash memory cell involve detecting voltages from a group of memory cells. The group of memory cells have associated metadata for error detection, and each memory cell stores a voltage representing a data value selected from a plurality of possible data values. Each possible data value corresponds to one range of multiple non-overlapping ranges of analog voltages. Memory cells having uncertain data values are identified based on the detected voltages. Alternative data values for the memory cells having the uncertain data values are determined. A combination of alternative data values is selected, and an error detection test is performed using the metadata associated with the memory cells and the selected combination of alternative data values. The inventors are Michael J. Cornwell and Christopher P. Dudte.

Patent number 7639746 involves a hybrid voltage/current-mode transmission line driver. During operation, the system receives a sequence of bits for transmission through the communication channel. While transmitting a given bit, the system determines if the given bit has the same state as the previously transmitted bit. If so, the system uses a voltage-mode driver to drive a signal through the communication channel. Otherwise, the system uses a current source coupled to the voltage-mode driver to boost the drive-level of the voltage-mode driver. Note that the current source supplies a current to the communication channel without changing the impedance of the voltage-mode driver. In this way, the present invention compensates for frequency dependant losses in the communication channel without sacrificing impedance matching and without substantially increasing power consumption. The inventors are William P. Cornelius, Matthew K. Herndon and Ronald K. Larson.

Patent number 7640305 involves the filtering of data. A method, apparatus, and signal-bearing medium that filter data based on a criteria. In an embodiment, the criteria may be related to filtering out unwanted or junk input data. In another embodiment, the criteria may be related to filtering based on desired data. In various embodiments, the data may be email, email attachments, faxes, popup windows, telephone messages, downloaded data or programs, image data, or other data. In a embodiment, a training mode and an automatic mode are provided. During the training mode, a user may be presented with data that may be junk, and feedback may be provided that is used to train a junk filter. During an automatic mode, junk data may be removed from view, transferred to a junk box, or highlighted. The inventors are Bruce Arthur, Paul Marcos, Greg Christie, Jerome R. Bellegarda, Kim E. Silverman, Scott Forstall and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 7640440 is for a method and apparatus for facilitating device hibernation. One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that enables a computing device to save additional power by entering a "hibernation mode," wherein the active state of the computing device is preserved in non-volatile storage while power to volatile storage is turned off. During operation, the system reanimates a computing device from a hibernation image by restoring reanimation code from the hibernation image and then executing the reanimation code. While executing this reanimation code, the system restores the rest of the hibernation image by, reading compressed data containing the rest of the hibernation image, and decompressing the compressed data using computational circuitry within the computing device. During this process, the decompression operations are overlapped with the reading operations to improve performance. The inventors are Dean Reece and Simon M. Douglas.

Patent number 7638717 is for a can spring housing contact. An electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield is provided. The EMI shield may include a frame and a cover operative to be placed over the frame. The cover may include snaps or tabs extending from the surface of the cover and operative to engage side walls of the frame. At least one edge of the cover, for example an edge operative to be placed near an electronic device housing, may not include snaps or tabs to reduce the size of the EMI shield near the housing. Instead, the frame may include one or more stepped returns, the top-most of which may be operative to be placed in contact with the cover. The cover may include a spring, an emboss and one or more grounding points to ensure that the cover remains in contact with the frame despite the absence of snaps or tabs securing the cover to the frame. The inventors are Kyle Yeates, Scott Myers and Teodor Dabov.

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