Apple Tablet News: Apple Patent for Tablet Proximity Detector Granted [Tablet Patents Show On Screen Keyboard, Hints at Non Contact Control]

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We’ll make no apology for hitting you thick and fast with any news pertaining to the expected official unveiling of the Apple Tablet later today and, to that end, we can report that it has now transpired that Apple has been granted patents concerning a table proximity sensor just ahead of the expected official launch of what has to be one of the most widely anticipated gadget release of recent years (of all time?).

In all 13 new patents have just been awarded to Apple, the most interesting of which is the aforementioned tablet proximity sensor that would allow for said tablet to sense objects such as fingertips and styluses to be acknowledged without having to touch the device’s screen. In other words, actual contact is not required for the device to recognise, say, a control input or user interaction.

Other patents just awarded to Apple include the apparatus and method for rotating the display orientation of a captured image, a video conferencing system, a color management system and automatic detection of channel bandwidth.

The mind boggles.