Yesterday Patently Apple posted a design patent report covering the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, the Mac Pro Rack Mount, Apple Pencil and more. On Friday, Apple was also granted four design patents in Hong Kong covering the latest 24″ iMac design that was launched on April 20 2021.
Unlike “patent applications” that provide the public with an abstract, summary and details of an invention, design patents published around the world are limited to only providing the public with design patent figures. No additional specifics of the design are made available.
24″ iMac – Full Design
In this first 24″ iMac Design Patent from the Hong Kong Patent Office, under registration number 2117937.1M004, the full iMac design is covered in multi-tonal shading. All iMac design patents in this report were filed under Locarno Classification 14-02 covering “Data processing equipment as well as peripheral apparatus and devices.”
Each of the patents cover a Statement of Novelty: “The features of the design for which novelty is claimed are the pattern, ornament, shape, configuration of the article as shown in the representations.”
24″ iMac Design 2
In this second 24″ iMac Design Patent from the Hong Kong Patent Office, under registration number 2117937.1M001, the full iMac design is a little confusing. Either it’s a future version of the iMac with no chin or border or it’s displaying the full iMac display prior to the chin, border and camera being added.
More than likely it’s the latter. Yet that’s the problem with design patents in that they only provide the public with patent figures without crucial details.
Another clue of the design being a raw design without the chin, border and camera is that the back panel, as presented below, doesn’t illustrate the iMac’s ports.
Two additional iMac 24″ Design Patents
Below are the other two design patents granted to Apple for their 24″ iMac. As with most major design patents filed in Hong Kong, Apple seeks to protect very specific details about a design, such as the iMac, so as to double protect design. It may be the stand or chin or display that Apple emphasizes. We simply acknowledge these design patents but don’t provide a series of figures that are basically redundant.
Examples of Partial Design Patents that only Emphasize Specific Elements
Below is a single patent figure example of Apple’s design patent 2117937.1M003 that is emphasizing a single element of the 24″ iMac, the back panel. Not shown is the front patent which Apple is protecting in-part. You’ll note that the iMac’s stand isn’t covered in this design and is only presented in the form of a dotted outline for positioning purposes only.
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In Apple’s design patent 2117937.1M002, as presented below in-part, Apple is emphasizing the front color face plate design of the iMac and not the camera or stand.
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