What Will Apple Do With This NEW TV Patent?

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has just been granted a patent that looks to be geared toward its Apple TV set-top box, but will surely lead to more questions about the possibility of a full-fledged television set from the company.

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The patent is for a device that connects to cable television networks such as ABC (NYSE:DIS) and Fox (NASDAQ:NWSA) and allows for DVR-like recording, according to Patently Apple. There are clear channel navigation menus as well as a screenshot of video data that includes further search results.

“Apple’s 2006 patent filing clearly illustrates that Apple TV was or is to work with regular cable TV,” Patently Apple writes. “In response to the menu command, the video device generates a menu overlay within the onscreen display area while maintaining the video within the menu overlay, and generates within the menu overlay a context icon based on the selected context.”

Other related patents recently acquired by the company include one for DVR-like features popularized by TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) that allow the user to pause, play, and record live TV.

While the company may just be contemplating adding a cable TV box to the Apple TV, the latest patent also theoretically appears to be geared toward an actual television set.

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