Apple Granted Essential Patents Covering Apple Watch Designs and More

Apple was granted 38 new patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office today, including five covering the overall design of the Apple Watch, as spotted by Patently Apple.

Of the long list of patents, it is noteworthy that Apple has been exploring mobile payments for some time. You may already be familiar with Square and other mobile players that transform an iPhone or iPad (or other Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone device) into a mobile point of sale (mPOS). A patent granted to Apple today – originally filed for in 2010 – describes an iPhone configured to conduct sales transactions as a POP (point-of-purchase) system.

Alongside another in-cell patent, Apple was granted five design patents: Of those, the main design patent covers all aspects of the outer design and form factor of the Apple Watch. The other patents cover other mechanisms such as an iTunes component UI, the Game Center Icon, an Apple Store display structure, and an EarPod input mechanism Remote/Mic.