Apple has been granted a patent (number 9,930,287) for “virtual noticeboard user interaction.” It involves the use of a Mac, Apple TV, iPhones, and iPads with a “virtual noticeboard,” offering a place to store important announcements that can be accessed online or offline.
Virtual noticeboards allow members of a group to share announcements, news, and advertisements in real-time. Per Apple’s patent, user interactions such as video data can be captured by the electronic device of a user who is interacting with the device, such as during a video chat interaction. Such data would be added to the virtual noticeboard.
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
