Apple Awarded Design Patent On A Rectangle With Rounded Corners
The US Patent and Trademark Office issued Apple a design patent on rectangular devices with rounded corners.
Patent no. D670,286 pertains to the "ornamental" design of the iPad, and essentially covers a "Portable display device" that's a rounded rectangle. While it will cover Apple's claims to innovating such a design, the usefulness of such a vastly broad patent is questionable.