If there’s anything that gives Apple fans an indication of what is to come from the tech giant, it would be their vast list of patents. Apple has been known to file patents for just about anything, from design features to cool new technologies (we see you, virtual reality). And just this past week, Patently Apple reported that the Cupertino based company was granted 40 new patents that include some exciting possibilities.
First, a long overdue patent finally came to pass. Apple’s Expose (now named “Mission Control”) feature finally earned its patent (patent 9,081,474) on the 14th of July. Apple credited John Louch, Timothy Bumgarner, Eric Peyton and Christopher Hynes as the inventors of this OS X operating system feature. It previewed back in 2003 at the WWDC conference, but was only granted its patent this month. Mission Control is a unique function that allows the user to quickly view all open screens and programs on their Mac computer. You can access Mission Control either by a simple three or four finger upward swipe on the trackpad, or by locating the Mission Control icon in your Dock/Launchpad. It is an ingenious way to view all of your apps and programs in one easy-to-view spot.
In fact, according to Cult of Mac, Apple is the focus of patent trolls, accruing 9 out of 10 patent lawsuits filed against tech companies in the first half of 2015. One of the more recent accusations includes the patent dispute between Apple and a Texas-based company called Smartflash, in which Apple was ordered to pay an astounding $532.9 million award.