The US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Apple another patent for the iPad's "ornamental" design, ArsTechnica notes. Patent D607,286 appears to focus on the iPad's rounded, rectangular frame, using a diagram in which the subject design is highlighted with an unbroken line. The examiner quotes a number of previous devices in her research, such as photo frames and early HP tablets, and also compares against features which aren't immediately relevant to the patent, such as the placement of cameras and Home buttons on the iPad versus Samsung Galaxy tablets.
Earlier this year Apple tried to wield a similar patent, D504,889, as one of its main weapons in a lawsuit against Samsung. Apple ultimately won the case, garnering a verdict of $1.05 billion in damages, but the presiding judge -- Lucy Koh -- rescinded a preliminary injunction she had issued against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, as the jury decided that the tablet hadn't violated the '889 patent. It remains to be seen if the '286 filing could be used against Samsung or other tablet makers.
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