The latest patents from Sony and Canon
→ Sony patented a new way to attach a better camera to a smartphone (maybe something similar to the current XQ1).
→ Canon has a patent for a 28mm f/1.4 lens.
→ Canon filed for a patent for in-camera image stabilizations.
→ Another one from Canon: moving sensor to improve contrast AF. More info available here.
→ There is also a curved sensor patent. Update: the sensor is actually flat, but the lens produces a spherical image plane. This spherical image plan is flattened out using a curved fiber bundle (image a bunch of fiber optics smashed together). It has the same purpose as a curved sensor, but the actual sensor is flat.
→ Canon also has a patent for a smart-lens camera similar to the Sony QX1.
→ Canon filed a patent for AF fine tuning for each distance measuring point.
The latest Ricoh patents can be found at PentaxRumors.