The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Apple the patent on the design of the glass cube entryway to the company's 5th Ave. Apple Store.

The 5th Ave. glass cube was Apple's first major investment in the landmark architecture for its Apple Stores. Back in 2006, this cube was built with 90 glass panes, later in 2011 Apple rebuilt the whole thing with just 15 panes, and this was done at a cost of US$6.7 million.

Patent D712067, was filed for this cube in 2012 but was finally granted this week. It gives Apple 14 years of protection for the design and 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 of the design specified in the patent, include late Steve Jobs, former Apple retail head Ron Johnson, and Karl Backus, Peter Bohlin, Robert Bridger, Benjamin Fay, and James O'Callaghan.

The links in the patent gives reference of Apple's revolutionary glass technology, which allows them to manufacture some of the largest and strongest slabs of glass on the planet. A closer look at the legal terminology used for the claims indicate that Apple is basically patenting the distinctive design of the building. Patent is not the same thing as a trademark. Apple has applied for the trademark in regards to the same building in 2010 and has not received it yet.

Back in 2012, Apple had submitted two store designs for patent consideration out of which their crystal-clear cylinder of their Shanghai store was patented right away. The basic aim behind filing of these patents is to limit the ability of others to build giant glass cubes of their own, which is a crushing blow to shopping centers.