Four new Apple patents have popped up at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here's a summary of each.

Patent number 7,683,983 is for a display that emits circularly-polarized light for portable devices. One embodiment of the present invention provides a display that emits circularly-polarized light. This display includes a display mechanism that emits linearly-polarized light and a layer placed in the path of the linearly-polarized light. The layer receives the linearly-polarized light on one surface, converts the linearly-polarized light to circularly-polarized light, and then emits the circularly-polarized light from another surface. By emitting circularly-polarized light, the display reduces the perceived distortion found at some angles when the display is viewed through a linearly-polarizing filter. The inventors are John Z. Zhong, Wei Chen, Cheg Chen, Victor H.E. Yin and Shawn R. Gettemy.

Patent number 7,683,888 is for a shape detecting input device. The patent is for a system and method for recognizing a signet and for performing an action associated with the signet. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a touch signal with a signet, the touch signal representing a particular signet pattern, recognizing the particular signet pattern, and performing an action associated with the particular signet pattern. The inventor is Peter Kennedy.

Patent number 7,685,163 involves the automatic creation of media asset illustrations. The invention pertains to techniques for creating media asset illustrations for media assets. The created media asset illustrations are useful for media assets that lack associated media asset illustrations. The techniques can analyze media asset data or media asset metadata when creating the create media asset illustrations. The created media asset illustrations can, for example, be used while playing, browsing or displaying associated media assets. The inventor is Imran Chaudhri.

Patent number D612,398 is for the ornamental design of a icon for a portion of a display screen.

Patent number 7,684,619 is for text flow in and around irregular containers. Providing text flow in or around an irregular container, such as a non-rectangular graphic, is disclosed. In the case of flow around a container, the intersection, if any, between a proposed text rectangle and the irregular container is determined. A valid rectangle, if any, that is not within the bounds in the x-direction of an area of intersection between the proposed text rectangle and the graphic is identified as a valid text area within the proposed text rectangle. In the case of flow around a container, one or more difference areas, if any, in which a proposed text rectangle is present but the container is not present are found. A valid rectangle, if any, that is not within the bounds in the x-direction of any of said one or more difference areas is identified as a valid text area within the proposed text rectangle. The inventors are Steve Sprang and Scott Lindsey.