San Francisco, CA—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple a patent for a camera system that uses a microlens adapter to enable refocusing of an image after capture, much like the Lytro light field camera.
Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,593,564 for a “[d]igital camera including refocusable imaging mode adapter,” describes a method in which a user can take a picture at a certain resolution and refocus the image afterward. Noted in the patent is the inclusion of such a system in portable devices, like an iPhone.
Apple’s patent cites Lytro founder Ren Ng’s invention as prior art, but notes improvements can be made in regard to picture quality and resolution. Apple’s plenoptic adapter patent was first filed for in 2011 and credits John Norvold Border and Richard D. Young as its inventors. apple.com
