Apple patents hint at solar-powered, smudge-free devices

At least two new patents have emerged that may allow Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad devices to use solar energy and keep away fingerprint smudges, a site following Apple Inc.’s patents disclosed this week. Patently Apple also bared a patent for an antenna clip design that suggests it may be used in an “iPhone-nano-like device." “The last patent is very interesting as well as it covers a new iPhone related antenna clip for use with an all-metal embodiment. The patent states that the patent figure is an exploded view of the device which could suggest that the antenna clip could one day be a part of an iPhone-nano-like device. Time will tell if this idea will ever fly, but it’s definitely one to keep an eye out for going forward," it said. It added the Apple patent applications surfaced at the US Patent and Trademark Office recently. Antenna clip Patently Apple said the patent for an antenna clip addresses the problem of radio interference for devices with a “significant" metal housing. The antenna is “coupled to the attachment member" and “communicatively coupled to the operative circuitry" to enable the electronic device to communicate wirelessly. Another form may be an attachment clip moveably coupled to the metal housing, and an antenna is located on the attachment clip. A conduit communicatively couples the radio frequency (RF) component and the antenna. Yet another embodiment may take the form of a method of manufacturing a metallic, small form factor electronic device. The method includes milling a metal housing and a metal attachment member. A portion of the attachment member is relief cut and filled with an RF transparent material. An antenna is positioned in the relief cut portion of the attachment member. Components are secured within the metal housing, a conduit connection is provided external to the housing that is communicatively coupled to an RF component in the metal housing and the housing is sealed. The method includes communicatively coupling the antenna and the conduit and coupling the metal housing and the metal attachment member using a hinge pin. “Apple states that the invention could apply to their iPod family (MP3 players), a radio, an audio/video recorder, a mobile telephone, personal digital assistant, tablet computing device, or other similar device," Patently Apple said. Solar power A second patent application involves using solar power for portable devices ranging from the iPod to the MacBook Pro. It suggested the use of solar cell panels for media players and a new power adapter that will use solar energy. * fighting finger oils The third patent application involves applying an oleophobic coating to the surface of a material. It uses a direct liquid application in a Physical Vapor Deposition (“PVD") chamber to apply the coating to the material. “One way to limit the amount of oils and particles deposited on the surface of portable devices is to apply an oleophobic treatment to the surface. However, this approach could be difficult to accomplish," it said. Apple said that to prevent the deposition of oils on an electronic device surface, an oleophobic ingredient could be bonded to the electronic device surface. The oleophobic ingredient could be provided as part of a raw liquid material in one or more concentrations. So as to avoid adverse reactions due to exposure to air, heat, or humidity, the raw liquid material can be placed in a bottle purged with an inert gas during the manufacturing process. The bottle could be placed in a liquid supply system having a mechanism for controlling the amount of raw liquid material that passes through the liquid supply system. “Upon reaching the vaporizing unit, the liquid could be vaporized and the oleophobic ingredient within the liquid can then be deposited on the electronic device component surface. As the liquid supply is drained from the bottle, additional inert gas is supplied in its place to further prevent contamination," Apple Insider said. — TJD, GMA News