Yet Another Apple Inc. (AAPL) Multi-Touch Patent: What Now?

When it comes to multi-touch related patents, it seems like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is always working on something special. Of course, this is not the only type of technology Cupertino is interested in patenting.

This time around, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been granted an interesting patent entitled: Contact tracking and identification module for touch sensing

If the name of the patent doesn’t do it for you, the abstract should give you a clear idea of what the technology has to offer:

“Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.”

As you can see, this patent fits in quite nicely with the company’s current multi-touch technology as well as the many other patents it has filed for over the past few years.

There is no denying the fact that multi-touch technology is a big part of what Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is currently doing. For this reason, you can expect the company to continue applying for patents such as this one. After all, the last thing it wants is for a competitor to swoop in and grab a patent for technology it was hoping to use.

The primary object of the patent is described in the summary portion:

“It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system and method for integrating different types of manual input such as typing, multiple degree-of-freedom manipulation, and handwriting on a multi-touch surface.”

Easy enough, right? While Apple shares this object in the patent the technology is actually meant to do much more. There are quite a few further objects included, such as this one:

“It is also an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for distinguishing different types of manual input such as typing, multiple degree-of-freedom manipulation, and handwriting on a multi-touch surface, via different hand configurations which are easy for the user to learn and easy for the system to recognize.”

Once again, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is doing all it can to keep its technology safe. With so much competition out there, this is always a good idea.

If you want to learn more about this patent, you can check out an official image on the next page.