Apple Patent Application: Apple Wins Patent for Intelligent Caller ID Image Selection

Apple Patent Application: According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been awarded a patent for the way in which pictures are assigned to incoming calls.

Official information pertaining to Patent No. 8,331,916 for “Image selection for an incoming call” can be found by clicking on this link.Courtesy: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Press Info

The abstract of the patent, as offered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, gives a good overview of what is covered:

“Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for selecting an image of a caller associated with an incoming call. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a caller associated with an incoming call from an originating telecommunications device. The method also includes locating plurality images of the identified caller, and randomly displaying on the mobile telecommunications device’s display screen one or more images from among the located plurality images of the identified caller.”

In other words, the patent awarded to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) covers more than the method of which a device assigns a picture to an incoming caller. It actually covers an advanced system that “randomizes and selects images intelligently based on predetermined criteria.”

The summary portion of the patent filing gives a better overview of how the intelligent caller ID image selection system functions:

“This specification describes technologies relating to image selection for a caller associated with an incoming call. Specifically, the described technologies relate to randomly selecting an image of the caller from among a pool of caller’s images that are stored across one or more libraries of digital images. Prior to the random selection, the pool of caller’s images can be filtered based on predetermined criteria relating to, e.g., a geo-location of the originating call, a recent event involving the caller, and the like.”

For example, a caller’s image may be randomly selected based on the originating city. The patent was first filed in 2010, crediting inventors Gregory Charles Lindley and Timothy B. Martin. Let us know your thoughts on what this may mean for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the comments section below.

Check back here for more updates on Apple Patent Application.

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