A report over on AppleInsider has pointed out a patent filed to the United States Patent and Trademarks Office by Apple Inc. for a new type of dock connector that could charge devices from any angle and, in certain cases, wirelessly.
The patent discusses “non-contact platforms”, such as inductive coils, that can be placed in devices to wirelessly transfer both power and data. “The inductive coils are typically hidden from view behind the housings of each device and therefore they are more aesthetically pleasing than electrical contacts, which need to be exposed in order to operate effectively,” the company said. “Furthermore, inductively based systems are more robust than electrical contacts. For example, there are no contacts to wear out and/or oxidize.”
Devices built with such technologies would have the docking station include the primary coil while portable devices would include the secondary coil. Both the docking station and its mated device would include transceivers that could both transmit and receive data.
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A report over on AppleInsider has pointed out a patent filed to the United States Patent and Trademarks Office by Apple Inc. for a new type of dock connector that could charge devices from any angle and, in certain cases, wirelessly.
The patent discusses “non-contact platforms”, such as inductive coils, that can be placed in devices to wirelessly transfer both power and data. “The inductive coils are typically hidden from view behind the housings of each device and therefore they are more aesthetically pleasing than electrical contacts, which need to be exposed in order to operate effectively,” the company said. “Furthermore, inductively based systems are more robust than electrical contacts. For example, there are no contacts to wear out and/or oxidize.”
Devices built with such technologies would have the docking station include the primary coil while portable devices would include the secondary coil. Both the docking station and its mated device would include transceivers that could both transmit and receive data.
An interface mechanism described in the patent mentions that the revised dock could be configured to communicate with the device in whatever position the device is positioned in relative to the docking station. Apple’s description cites that the mechnism could function at various orientations between 0 and 360 degrees.
Full images and layouts from the patent application can be found here and the patent is credited to Apple employees Steve Hotelling and Gus Pabon.