This is the last in a series of three posts highlighting Apple’s approach to intellectual property. See also our previous stories in the series: “Apple’s Long History of Courtroom Combat” and “Fighting Fire with Fire at the Center of the Patent War.”

Assuming that navigating the current legal morass doesn’t lead to a more cautious Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), what sorts of innovative products can we expect to see from the company in the future? The company’s extensive patent filings (sometimes as many as 23 in a single day) are tracked by websites such as Patently Apple and can provide a vivid, if not entirely accurate, picture of what might be in the offing.

Among the more interesting patents filed recently:

• Missed phone call management: information is displayed for a missed call on an iPhone, including the caller’s contact info, with capability to initiate call back with a single touch, or choose from alternate return contact methods (such as e-mail).
• A mini projector for use in iPhone, iPad and MacBooks that interprets shadow gestures or movements when a presentation is displayed. In other words, it would offer the ability to project movies or displays from a mobile device, with hand gestures controlling the playback. Further, data could be shared between two displays that are projected on a wall or screen by means of gestures.
• Use of Hydrogen fuel cells to power portable devices for anywhere from days to weeks.
• A 3D, holographic display with the ability to project a user’s hands into the space for manipulation of virtual objects. Like Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Kinect on steroids.
• A system for charging battery-powered devices wirelessly, from up to three feet away. No power cord or induction mat required, just proximity to a power outlet.
• A DVR type system for organizing TV episodes on a media device.
• The ability to temporarily disable movie recording and the digital camera on a mobile device by broadcasting a specific signal from an infrared transmitter.
• Mobile payment system for iPhone and other mobile devices.

Many of Apple’s recent patents point toward a focus on two areas:

1. Continued improvement of the iPhone and iPad.

Imagine an iOS device capable of running for days or weeks without recharging, and then not needing to be plugged in — just being within a few feet of a power outlet. Or the ability to walk into a boardroom, project a presentation from an iPhone or iPad onto a wall and control the entire process by hand gesture. With the iPhone being Apple’s top-selling device and a huge profit generator, clearly the company is determined to remain a contender for building the most desired mobile devices.

2. Pieces that could be part of a home entertainment system for the elusive iTV. A DVR-like cataloging system for TV shows and Kinect-like hand gestures have all been part of speculation about what features an Apple branded television could offer that would set it above the competition.

While the current litigious tech-industry atmosphere means that companies are filing more patents than ever for protection (and as potential weapons against competitors), some of Apple’s more interesting recent filings do indeed provide hints about where the company may be looking in terms of product development.

If even only some of the pieces fall into place, the company is bound to continue having customers camping outside its retail store doors for new product releases on a regular basis.