Apple Patents New Power System and Glass Protection for Products
Apple released a patent Monday revealing the company could be adding a new type of power system to its products that allows users to charge different devices on the same power supply device.
Approximately 40 Apple patents went through the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week alone, according to a CNN report.
The patent showed the company will introduce an intelligent power design that will track the power amount of the device and adjust it accordingly on its own. Apple products currently have different power chords for each device but under the new system, Apple will implement DC-to-DC converters that can be used to charge multiple devices.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The patents also showed a new type of protection system that could be added to its products. The company will add a new tunable shock mount that is located between the glass and the body of the gadget. The shock mount will activate the Apple product's accelerometer senses that will recognize if the device is falling. An actuator in the gadget would then suck in the cover glass as it falls to the ground.
Apple will also be using a new type of glass called gorilla glass, also known as alumino silicate glass. The glass can be chemically treated to give the glass higher compression, making the glass tougher to break.
In a separate patent, Apple indicated it could be adding new features to its iPods, as well. One of the new features will be a small speaker dome to the clip of the iPod shuffle or iPod nano. The speaker could be a "natural evolutionary step for their media players," according to the patent.
NPD analyst Ross Rubin said the speaker combined with the iPod nano's integration of Nike+ exercise software makes Apple more competitive with retailers in the fitness market. The new iPod nano can be put around a wrist, and it can show messages received on an iPad that is nestled away in a bag, according to Rubin.
Rubin also said consumers can activate Siri requests through the small screen on their wrist and have answers sent through the speaker.
