Apple has been issued a slew of patents this month from the U. S. Patent & Trademark office. Among the newest additions to Apple’s patent portfolio is a design for the iPad with a secondary connection slot located on the side of the unit. This patent matches one previously filed with the Trademarks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union last year. The proposed port allows the device to be docked in a horizontal position, as well as letting multiple accessories connect at once.
Other patents issued included ones covering iDVD – Apple’s DVD authoring software, Cover Flow – album art display, a web page to widget application, and the virtual keyboard used in the iOS operating system. The most significant of these is perhaps the protection of the virtual keyboard. While the claims do not cover the general concept of the keyboard, it does protect the ability to adjust for different number, symbol, and letter sets. The patent also claims the ability to automatically adjust the keyboard layout for the current application. For instance when the internet browser is active, the keyboard will include a “.com” button.
