Inventions include a new universal dock station, a security system for Mac Pro and a new Trackpad
Apple continues to anticipate the future, as evidenced by the new patents that the U.S. Trademark Office has granted in recent days to the Californian company. Among the devices on which Apple is working we find a new dock station, a security system for the Mac Pro and a Trackpad.
To be precise, the number of patents granted to the American hi-tech manufacturer in this early 2017 amounts to 49. Apple therefore opens the new year as it had closed the previous one. Only a few weeks ago, in fact, the USTO had issued to the Cupertino-based company 70 new patents. Among the inventions registered through these patents are 3D interactive maps, prototypes of covers and smart keyboards for iPad and displays that adapt to different light conditions. Previously, the U.S. Trademark Office had published on behalf of Apple a patent for the creation of a smartwatch with a circular dial.
The universal dock station
Back to the new patents, the Californian company is experimenting with a new type of universal dock station. As it emerges from the patent, this is a device that thanks to the sponge material with which the base is made, will be able to adapt to all devices produced not only by Apple, but also by other companies. The peculiarity of this universal dock station is represented by the elastic membrane that compresses and decompresses according to the size of the device that is inserted. The device also has a button that serves to return the sponge material to its original state when an electronic device (iPod for example) is disconnected. According to the patent, the new station will be able to identify a device even from a distance.
Lock for Mac Pro and the new TrackPad
Among the 49 patents granted to Apple there are also a security system for Mac Pro and a new type of Trackpad. Regarding the first patent, Apple’s idea is to use a kind of padlock to lock the case. Placed at the bottom, the mechanical device prevents third parties both to put their hands inside the PC and to take possession of the computer. The patent on the Trackpad instead highlights the technology that Apple will use in the future on the touchpad. It basically shows how the device and its touch sensors work.