Both Apple and Microsoft have submitted patent applications to the USPTO for technologies that may one day improve the way their respective mobile platforms perform.

Apple’s filing describes technology to greatly enhance the capabilities of a touch screen; perhaps for the next-generation iPhone or, maybe even, the rumored return of the Newton.

As for Microsoft, its filing covers a new user interface that is supposed to improve the way people interact with mobile devices. Could be it be a sign of things to come in a future iteration of Windows Mobile?

Apple: Force Meets Location
The densely written Apple filing, called "Force and Location Sensitive Display," appears to be for technology that can determine how forcefully you touch a touch screen, while determining exactly where you placed your stylus or finger.

Today's touch screens, including the iPhone's, can only tell where you touched them. Combining information about strength and location could, it would seem, advance display technology tremendously; by adding a significantly to the amount of control a user can exert and information the screen can take in.

Here's what the Abstract says:

First: The hardware elements involved.

A unit to provide both force and location detection includes a first transparent substrate (having first and second sets of conductive traces oriented in a first direction), a second transparent substrate (having a third set of conductive traces oriented in a second direction) and a plurality of deformable members (e.g., rubber beads) arranged between the first and second transparent substrates.

Second: The tasks each of these hardware elements peform.

The first set of conductive traces, in combination with the conductive traces of the second transparent element, provide a capacitance signal representing where a user touches the display element. The second set of conductive traces, in combination with the conductive traces of the second transparent element, provide a capacitance signal representing the amount of force applied to the display element.

Third: The end result when used in combination with a display.

When used with a display element (e.g., a LCD or CRT), an input-output unit capable of both location sensing and force sensing operations is provided.

Microsoft: Lists Lists & More Lists
Microsoft’s patent filing, called "Extensible, Filtered Lists for Mobile Device User Interface," describes what could beimportant elements in a future version of Windows Mobile, perhaps even the next iteration of the platform that is currently code-named 'Photon' and is due for release late in 2008.

Photon is supposed to be a full-blown redesign of Windows Mobile. The new "improved user interface for mobile devices" outlined in this patent filing is very different from what Microsoft offers today for PDAs and smartphones. It focuses on using groups or lists to organize data, including such things as tasks and applications.

Here's what the Abstract says:

Access to data and services from multiple software applications can be provided through a group or list of items. Each group or list can include multiple items, which can be associated with data or tasks from multiple applications.

The set of groups of items can be both customizable and extensible to allow users to locate and utilize data and tasks relevant to the particular user. The set of item groups can provide users with a filtered view of content available through the mobile device, enhancing access to subset of data and tasks available on the mobile device.