Apple has been granted a design patent for the rounded edges to the rectangular screen of the iPad, Matt Macari at The Verge reports.
Apple owns patent D670,286, which is "The ornamental design for a portable display device."
That means it really does just cover the rounded edges of the iPad. "There's no other way to look at it," says Macari.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-design-patent-2012-11