Patent News: Apples Latest Patent Docking Station for IPad & IPhone

Our mission at SmartUp is to enable startups and entrepreneurs to grow and develop their patent portfolios.  That’s why we want to keep our members up-to-date on the most recent patent-filings by tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft and Google – who better to learn from than the best?  These innovators have the resources behind them to develop huge patent portfolios, even if they don’t intend on bringing all of their ideas to market – so don’t expect to see everything they patent to be coming to a store near you.

Apple’s new Design Patent D680544, entitled “Docking Station,” looks to be focusing on a new docking station for their IPad and IPhone devices.  Based on the claimed figures, it will be a hard shell with a keyboard attached to it.  The accessory does not seem to be fold-able in any way which will probably limit its portability.   It has a power connector in the back to keep your device charged while you are docked.  There is also another connection point in the back that could possibly be used to connect to a monitor.

This design patent indicates that Apple may be trying to capture a market in need of utilizing their apple devices for their personal computing needs.  We saw this earlier when Motorola made a  laptop dock for its Atrix phone.

As our cellphones and tablets have their functionality migrate closer to the power of a personal computer, we are sure to see more products such as these.

If you are interested in more detail related to your situation it is best to speak with an attorney.

Source: Smartup Legal