5th Ave Apple Glass Cube by Patent Office

Apple was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on the design of the glass cube entryway to the company's 5th Ave. Apple Store. PatentD712067 [Via AppleInsider] was filed in 2012 and gives Apple 14 years of protection for the design.

Apple Patent Figure

The patent has just one claim, "The ornamental design for a building, as shown and described." The "inventors," or in this case the designers and engineers and architects, include the late Steve Jobs, former Apple retail head Ron Johnson, and Karl Backus, Peter Bohlin, Robert Bridger, Benjamin Fay, and James O'Callaghan.

Apple Patent Figure

The 5th Ave. glass cube was Apple's first major investment in landmark architecture for its Apple Stores. Originally built in 2006 with 90 glass panes, Apple spent some US$6.7 million rebuilding it with just 15 panes in 2011. That's the version that was granted patent protection, and this is what it looks like in real life:

5th Ave. Apple Store

Source: Apple

Since that building went up, Apple has built other amazing destination buildings and entry ways, including my favorite, the stunning cylinder for the Pudong Apple Store in China.

Source: Apple