If such a patent exists, it's extremely unlikely that Apple owns it.
Often it seems the defendant probably had no idea the patent in question existed or that their work was potentially infringing.
The market was practically as free and open as if no patent existed.
By 1845, numerous patents existed for improved meat grinders in the United States.
A patent exists for a lock device following the same principle as the bump key from 1926-1928.
A patent exists for a portable explosive detector using this method.
This invention received the patent number 4,671,174 on June 9, 1987, however the patent no longer exists.
Presumably this company only exists to leverage its patents and extract settlements from companies that are making actual products.
In many cases, patents simply do not exist for research.
This patent asserted a prior patent existed in England dated 1886.