Apple has been granted a patent involving iCal. Also, several other patents have popped up at the US Patent & Trademark Office.

Patent number 20110054976 involves scheduling of recurring calendar events, a feature of iCal. Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for scheduling a recurring event are disclosed. When a calendar application receives an invitation from an organizer to an invite, the calendar application expands the recurring event into a plurality of occurrences, and detects any scheduling conflicts that can be caused by each of the plurality of occurrences. The calendar application notifies the invitee of the detected scheduling conflicts before the invitee makes a decision regarding the invitation.

An invitee is provided an opportunity to accept only the non-conflicting occurrences of the recurring event. If the invitee chooses to accept only the non-conflicting occurrences, the invitee is given opportunities to respond to each of the conflicting occurrences separately. The organizer is notified of the invitee's responses regarding the non-conflicting occurrences and the conflicting occurrences. The inventors are Scott Adler, Lala Dutta, Angel Elodia Angelone and Patrick Coffman.

Also showing up at the US Patent & Trademark Office today are the following patents.

Patent number 20110054911 is for an enhanced audio decoder. Methods, systems, and apparatus are presented for decoding an audio signal that includes bandwidth extension data. An audio signal that includes core audio data and bandwidth extension data can be received in a decoder. The core audio data can be associated with a core portion of an audio signal, such as the frequency range below a cutoff frequency, and the bandwidth extension data can be associated with an extended portion of the audio signal, such as a frequency range above the cutoff frequency. The core audio data can be decoded to generate a decoded core audio signal in a time domain representation. Further, an extended portion of the audio signal can be reconstructed in accordance with extension data and decoded core audio signal. Additionally, the decoded core audio signal can be lowpass filtered and the extended portion can be highpass filtered before being combined to generate a decoded output signal. The inventors are Frank Baumgarte, William Stewart and Shyh-Shiaw Kuo.

Patent number 20110051931 is for an encryption method and apparatus using the composition of ciphers. It involves a method and associated apparatus for use in a data distribution process to allow an untrusted intermediary to re-encrypt data for transmission from an originator to a message receiver without revealing the data (message) or the cipher to the intermediary. This method uses a composition of two ciphers for re-encrypting the message at the intermediary, without revealing the plain text message or either cipher to the intermediary. The inventors are Augustin J. Garrugia, Nicoholas Sullivan, Gianpaolo Fasoli and Mathieu Ciet.

Patent number 20110055568 involves a zero-knowledge based authentication method, system and apparatus. In the fields of data security and system reliability and qualification, this disclosure is of a method, system and apparatus for verifying or authenticating a device to a host using a zero-knowledge based authentication technique which includes a keyed message authentication code such as an HMAC or keyed cipher function and which operates on secret information shared between the host and the device. This is useful both for security purposes and also to make sure that a device such as a computer peripheral or accessory or component is qualified to be interoperable with the host. The inventors are Augustin J. Farrugia, Toublet Mollinier, Gianpaoloa Fasoli, Mathiew Ciet and Jill Surdzial.

Patent number 20110055576 is for a hash function using a heap modeling process. This discloses, in the computer data security field, a cryptographic hash function process embodied in a computer system and which may be keyless, but is highly secure. The process is based on the type of randomness exhibited by a heap or stack of physical objects such as a heap of pieces of fruit and involves modeling the behavior of such a heap when pieces are removed from the heap. Computation of the hash value (digest) is thereby the result of executing a heap model algorithm using the message as an input to initialize the heap, then executing the heap model algorithm which logically models the process of serially removing objects (pieces of fruit) from the heap at various locations in the modeled heap. The inventors are Augustin J. Farrugia, Benoit Chevallier-Mamoes and Mathieu Ciet.

Patent number 20110055581 is for a hash function based on painting techniques. In the computer data security field, this disclosure is of cryptographic hash function processes embodied in a computer system and which may be keyless, but are highly secure. The processes are based on the type of randomness exhibited by painting or drawing a picture. Computation of the hash value (digest) is the result of executing in computer code or logic circuitry an algorithm which models such a picture painting process using the message as an input to the picture painting algorithm, then executing the algorithm. A state of the resulting picture gives the hash digest value of the message. Message expansion or a derivation function (e.g., a pseudo random number generation process) may be applied to the message prior to execution of the picture painting process, for enhanced security.The inventors are the same as on the previous patent.

Patent number 20110055582 In the computer data security field, cryptographic hash function processes are embodied in a computer system and may be keyless, but are highly secure. The processes are based on the type of randomness exhibited by the well known game of dominos using a set of tiles arranged by players on a surface. Computation of the hash value (digest) is the result of executing in computer code or logic circuitry an algorithm which models such a domino game using the message as an input to the domino game algorithm, then executing the domino game algorithm. A state of the game algorithm which models the final layout of the pieces (tiles) gives the hash digest value of the message. The inventors are the same as on the previous two patents.

Patent number 20110055638 is for a system and method for annotation driven integrity verification. Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for annotation driven integrity program verification. The method includes distributing verification calls configured to verify a function across call paths leading to the function in source code, generating a binary from the source code having placeholders associated with the verification calls, and filling each placeholder in the binary with verification data or reference checksums. Alternatively, the method includes receiving source code having a verification call, replacing the verification call with one or more equivalent verification calls distributed over a call path, replacing each verification call with a checksum function generating placeholders while compiling, generating a binary based on the placeholders, and filling each placeholder in the binary with reference checksums. The system includes a processor and a module controlling the processor to perform the methods. The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions for controlling a computer to perform the methods. The inventors are Julien Lerouge, Ginger M. Myles, Tanya Michelle Lattner and Augustin L. Farrugia.

-- Dennis Sellers