Late November 2006 Apple Patent for “iPodcasts” in iPod Menu – And What It Might Mean

by Paul Colligan on December 9, 2006

Update: I guess this is a moot issue. Read the comments below. All power to the blogosphere.

Russell Shaw at Zdnet broke this, but I think he missed the point all together.

Apple is trying to patent the “Utilization of Podcasts on Portable Media Devices” – we’re not talking something from awhile back – we’re talking something they did last month. Look at the pics on page 4 and you’ll see that they’re calling them “iPodcasts.”

Apple, among other things, is looking at some brand name changing. iPodcasts? What are they thinking?

Are they just covering themselves – or are some changes a’comin?

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  • Wow, cool, thanks for the update! Adjusting the post right now.

    Paul
  • It's been a while since I had to deal with the patent process (I used to be a corporate librarian in a former life).

    There's a patent application date, then the patent application publication date (often years apart). Then the date when the patent is accepted and published (which can be more years...).

    The almost two-year difference in application date and pub date is not uncommon, for better or for worse.
  • Kevin,

    Thanks for the update. Good to know. Don't understand one thing though - if it was filed in 2005, why do the graphics on the application say November 2006?

    Paul
  • Paul,
    The patent was filed on Jan 25, 2005. This is nothing more than the menu that made it into the iPod as the "Podcast" menu. They changed their mind about rebranding the term and went with the standard term when they released this feature in mid-2005.

    It's a non-issue.
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